"Mortalization..."
Shen Longcheng pondered.
Only now did he realize that he had been too quick to call it "utterly meaningless."
Li Chen's idea seemed mad, but it was not entirely impracticable. The model found in kingdoms of the common folk was already enough to explain a great deal.
"Cultivation mortalization, the mortalization of cultivators..."
"Exactly. As I see it, cultivators are merely mortals who have mastered power. That is the foundation of mortalization. Individual transcendence is an illusion; collective development is the proper path."
"Whether willingly or under compulsion, ordinary people have in fact relinquished individual might, relinquished swords and authority, and participated in society as producers."
"Merchants take on the role of circulating goods and allocating resources."
"Scholars study, and officials shepherd the people. These are the administrators."
"Then there are soldiers who defend their territory and fight on the battlefield. These are the fighters..."
"There is exploitation in this, and rule, but also a social contract, division of labor, and cooperation. The benevolent see benevolence; the wise see wisdom."
"This is how mortal society is organized. Taken to its ultimate expression, it becomes a bee swarm, an insect swarm, a cluster of intelligent machinery."
"Why has the puppeteer Dao path developed for nearly a million years, yet retained its ancient appearance, with little substantial development beyond the Sky City and certain spirit peak blessed lands? Because puppet masters originated among cultivators and became tainted by the cultivation world's malady of pursuing individual transcendence."
"Everyone bears far too many burdens that should never have fallen upon an individual in the first place. There is the need to cultivate and advance, the need to safeguard one's path, and all manner of other needs."
"The same holds true for aristocratic clans and sects."
"So how, exactly, should cultivation mortalization be understood?