The state of the cultivation world (thanks to Lonely Moon Hanging in the Sky for the alliance leader donation)

"I know a snack stall that sells shaved ice. It's just up ahead," Su Tingxue offered.

Zhou You agreed with an odd look on his face. How do you know every place that sells food?

They parked their bicycles by the roadside, and Su Tingxue led Zhou You to a shaved ice shop in an alley.

"One old-fashioned shaved ice, please."

"Sixteen yuan."

Sixteen yuan for one shaved ice made Zhou You wince at the price. He usually ate the shaved ice sold outside the school gates, with its food coloring and additives. They poured little streams of brightly colored syrup over it, and a small bowl cost one yuan fifty.

As for the large bowl that cost two yuan fifty, he had to split that with Chu Xiaoyao.

Before long, a serving of old-fashioned shaved ice topped with apricot jam and red beans arrived at their table. The owner had thoughtfully provided two spoons.

Zhou You had just eaten a ghost and wasn't particularly hungry, but he had never tried shaved ice this expensive. Curious, he took a bite. It really did taste better than the food-colored shaved ice outside school.

After a couple of bites, Su Tingxue felt a little less hot and began recounting the history of the cultivation world.

"Cultivation can be traced all the way back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of antiquity."

"In their era, primordial ferocious beasts rampaged through the human world, threatening humanity's survival. Back then, cultivators lived among ordinary people. They were revered, protecting their tribes and fighting the primordial beasts."

"After the primordial beasts were subdued, they faded from the stage of history, and humanity became the dominant force of the age."

"Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between earth and heaven, establishing the Immortal-Mortal Divide. Cultivators were forbidden from displaying their powers before ordinary people."

"Cultivators stopped appearing before the public. They banded together to establish sects, retreating behind the scenes and concealing themselves within the long river of history."

"Jiang Taigong securing eight hundred years of rule for the Zhou Dynasty, Xu Fu sailing overseas in search of the elixir of immortality, Emperor Gaozu of Han slaying the white snake, Xuanzang journeying west... cultivators were active behind all these events throughout history."

"In modern times, technology and population have exploded. People's minds have grown complicated and restless, and the demons, monsters, and ghosts lurking in the shadows can no longer restrain themselves. They've started emerging in droves."

"Take the two Sight-Obscuring Ghosts we encountered today. Both died in traffic accidents. Chang'an City is a major city, and fifty or sixty people can die in traffic accidents each month-an average of two a day. In ancient times, even a horse-drawn carriage hitting someone rarely killed them, let alone killed so many. Modern traffic accidents produce far more vengeful ghosts than accidents did in ancient times."

"That many people die?" Zhou You was startled. He knew nothing about this subject and had assumed that, at most, two or three people died each month.

Su Tingxue nodded. She had been just as surprised when she first heard those figures. People died somewhere in the world every moment; she simply hadn't known about it.

"Besides, people killed by horse-drawn carriages in ancient times became ordinary vengeful ghosts without many special traits."

"People who die in traffic accidents might have been driving drunk, playing on their phones instead of watching the road, and so on. The vengeful ghosts they become can make people feel drunk and muddle their minds, obscure their sight and hearing, and scramble their five senses."

"These vengeful ghosts never existed before. They're vengeful ghosts of a new age."

"Sight-Obscuring Ghosts aren't an isolated example. Society has changed so rapidly over the past century, advancing day by day, that demons, monsters, and ghosts are now very different from those of ancient times."

"For instance, demons that set up porn sites and absorb vital essence over the internet. People who die suddenly from overwork and become vengeful ghosts, dragging their bosses into working overtime with them. Internet addicts who become Program Ghosts after death and remain active online..."

Su Tingxue counted them off on her fingers. She had heard about all these cases and had even experienced a few herself. With no precedents to follow, the experience passed down by their predecessors was useless, making such cases quite troublesome to handle.

The corner of Zhou You's mouth twitched. Looking at it that way, demons, monsters, and ghosts really had undergone some major changes.

"Cultivators who spend long periods in seclusion are troublesome too. These seniors think nothing of shutting themselves away for a hundred years, and when they emerge, they know nothing about the outside world."

"Some have had their cave residences turned into tourist attractions."

"One had his Magic Treasure picked up and put in a museum. He put on stealth clothes and tried to steal it back in the middle of the night, only to get caught on surveillance cameras."

"One went into seclusion underground, then emerged to discover that reinforced concrete had sealed off everything above him. After finally digging his way out, he found himself in a missile testing range and took volley after volley of missiles to the face."

"The unluckiest was a senior Literary Dao Cultivator called Perfected Lord Wenchang."

"What's a Literary Dao Cultivator?" Zhou You asked. He had never heard Chu Xiaoyao mention them.

"There are two kinds. The first cultivates through literary fortune. Composing poetry and prose, writing books and biographies-all of these can improve their cultivation. Many of the authors and poets you know belong to this kind."

"The other kind operates in official circles, closely tying their cultivation to their fortune in government service. To improve their cultivation, they have to hold office. The higher their rank and the greater their actual power, the more their cultivation improves."

"Senior Wenchang was only an average writer, so he chose the second path, cultivating through government service."

"He once rose to prime minister, wielding power over the entire court. His cultivation was unfathomable."

"Then the dynasty changed. To continue serving as an official, Perfected Lord Wenchang went into seclusion to prepare for the imperial examinations. He devoted himself to studying eight-legged essays and memorized the Four Books and Five Classics backward and forward. He planned to place first in all three levels of the examinations, leave his name in history, and take his cultivation to even greater heights."

"Unfortunately, by the time he emerged, the imperial examinations had been abolished. Only the civil service examination remained. All that work studying eight-legged essays was wasted, and the exam had an age limit too. Candidates couldn't be older than thirty-five."

Curious, Zhou You asked, "Couldn't he cheat with magic and change his age?"

Su Tingxue shook her head. "No. Literary Dao Cultivators face strict restrictions. Everything has to follow the rules of officialdom. He can't do that."

Zhou You felt that this senior really was unlucky. He probably wouldn't be able to cultivate again for the rest of his life. "Where is he now, then?"

"Probably sighing in his cave residence," Su Tingxue said. If she were in his shoes, she would have reacted the same way.

After a little thought, Zhou You casually asked, "Could he go abroad and run for president? You don't have to take an exam to run for president overseas, and there's no age limit."

Su Tingxue fell silent in thought at first, then her eyes gradually brightened. "That... might actually work."

Zhou You jumped. "It really could? I was just throwing it out there."

"It's an idea. I'll suggest it to him later. It should be feasible." Su Tingxue thought Zhou You was truly talented. It was a shame to leave him in the Carefree Sect.

"Anyway, faced with the tangled complexities of modern society, sects no longer choose to remain completely hidden behind the scenes. Instead, they appear before the public under the cover of modern identities, such as setting up tourism companies. Quite a few have even become publicly listed corporations."

"Sects have stopped living in hiding partly to deal with demons, monsters, and ghosts, like what happened today. The other reason is that a larger population with enough food and clothing means more cultivation prodigies are appearing than in any previous era. The sects want to recruit disciples, expand their influence, and reshuffle the balance of power."

Zhou You nodded. That was easy to understand. What had living conditions been like in ancient times? There were either natural disasters or wars, and the population was small. Even adults struggled to survive, let alone children. Those with a talent for cultivation could still starve to death.

Even if they hadn't starved and were lucky enough to be discovered by a sect, the hunger and cold of their early years would have left lingering health problems that hindered their cultivation.

Modern conditions needed no explanation. Children lived better than even the great landlords of ancient times. White rice and refined flour, once extremely expensive, were practically free by comparison now, and meat, eggs, and milk were available in unlimited quantities.

Every child was lively and energetic, as sturdy as a calf, with a healthy glow and abundant yang energy. Forget starving to death-they weren't even likely to miss a single meal.

"Sects have started searching for cultivation prodigies in all sorts of ways. For instance, I attended a summer camp at Dragon-Tiger Mountain when I was little. They discovered that I had excellent talent and took the opportunity to recruit me as an inner disciple."

"Some have good relationships with the local education bureau and quietly slip an aptitude test into the medical examinations for high school entrance exams. When they find someone with good aptitude, they contact the student's parents privately. That's the most efficient way to recruit disciples."

"How are cultivation realms divided?" That was what Zhou You most wanted to know.

Su Tingxue thought for a moment and held up five slender, pale fingers. "Cultivation is divided into five major realms: the Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Creation, and Ascension."

"In the Qi Refining Stage, you use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temper your body, purge impurities, and sharpen your five senses. Blades, spears, swords, and halberds can't harm you, and smashing bricks or breaking walls is effortless."

"At Foundation Establishment, you return from an acquired state to an innate one, attaining an innate body. You can ride clouds and mist and command the reverence of thousands. Conventional firearms can no longer injure you, and a full-force strike can bring down a building."

"At Golden Core, you form a golden core and attain the Great Dao, realize your true self, and become one with heaven and earth. Earthbound immortals, Daoist perfected ones, and Buddhist School arhats all refer to this realm. A single move can destroy an entire street."

"As for Creation and Ascension..." Su Tingxue shook her head regretfully. Her realm wasn't high enough, so Dragon-Tiger Mountain didn't teach her about them. "Those realms are far too advanced. I know very little about them myself."

"I've heard that mighty cultivators at Creation are beyond comprehension, while Ascension is only a legend."

Zhou You nodded repeatedly. Each time Su Tingxue said something, he silently repeated it to himself, doing his best to memorize this knowledge so he could explain it all to Chu Xiaoyao during evening self-study back at school.