North Ye Cheng served as the county seat.
It's roughly equivalent to the provincial capital city in the previous life.
Ancient cities typically had a population of just over a million.
Even in the largest prefecture-level cities, the population is only around two million.
Today, it is estimated that at least tens of millions of people have flooded into North Ye Cheng.
With a large population, the pressure on this ancient prefecture became immense.
Accommodation issues, food issues, safety issues—one after another, have emerged.
Even with the City Guard Army mobilized by Beiye Commandery, the pressure was still immense.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with Ling Yi.
At this moment, Ling Yi had arrived at a quiet courtyard.
They leisurely sipped their tea.
There was nothing they could do; the governor of Beiye Commandery was one of their own.
To be precise, Ling Yi was his subordinate.
Its public name is Lin Cheng, codename Ying Shiba.
That's right, the prefect of the county town is a member of the Shadow Guards.
A year and a half ago.
The former governor of Beiye Commandery has set his sights on the Blue Star Chamber of Commerce's business dealings.
They went directly to Shen Liu, the publicly acknowledged head of the Blue Star Chamber of Commerce.
To get straight to the point, we need 80% of the profits.
To put it bluntly, it was robbery.
Ling Yi originally intended to give this prefect some face.
We'll share a small portion of the profits with him, so we can all look out for each other and avoid future trouble.
But this stuff, it has to be 80% complete.
They said that if they lost even a tenth of their investment, the Blue Star Chamber of Commerce would be wiped out completely.
What can Ling Yi do?
We have no choice but to deal with him.
So, the Shadow Guards collected evidence of this guy's embezzlement, selling official positions, and accepting bribes over the years.
It was submitted directly to the next higher-ranking prefect.
But this prefect wasn't exactly a good person either.
After taking over as governor of Beiye Commandery, he actually arranged for one of his useless relatives to fill the position.
What could Ling Yi do?
Of course, we should do that while we're at it!
However, this time Ling Yi had his Shadow Guards choose someone who looked similar, effectively substituting one person for another.
That is, the current Ying Shiba, Lin Cheng.
Ying Shiba was overweight, with narrow eyes and a bulbous nose.
He was dressed in silk, his face shiny with oil.
He looks exactly like a landlord University of Finance and Economics corrupt official.
But only this image fits his current position and status.
Basically, all the officials in the Sun and Moon Empire are like this.
This also shows that the officialdom of the Sun and Moon Empire is rotten.
If the officialdom is corrupt, the imperial court is probably in the same state.
The Sun and Moon Empire is probably not far from its demise.
Zhu Qitian, the emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire, is old.
According to the intelligence sent back by the Shadow Guards.
Right now, a dramatic struggle for the throne among the nine princes is unfolding in the capital.
The old emperor Zhu Qitian's health was deteriorating.
I sometimes have to stay in bed for days on end.
They no longer concern themselves with matters of the imperial court.
The crown prince is currently overseeing the country, but his other eight sons and princesses are also causing trouble.
In short, it's a complete mess.
Investing in the Sun and Moon Empire requires a truly capable individual to turn the tide.
It probably won't be long before the country is destroyed.
"Tell me about the Immortal Affinity Assembly Gathering!" Ling Yi said.
Ying Shiba frowned and said, "My lord, those cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect..."
At this point, Ying Shiba paused.
"What's wrong?" Ling Yi asked, puzzled.
"They don't treat ordinary people like human beings at all," Ying Shiba said angrily.
"Seven days ago, I received orders from the capital to have the prefects of various regions fully support the Immortal Affinity Assembly."
Three days ago, three cultivators from the Heavenly Sword Sect arrived on their Sword Control.
"But since they arrived in North Ye Cheng, in just a few days, no fewer than a hundred people have died at their hands."
Ling Yi frowned and asked, "What's the reason? People have to have a reason, right?"
Ying Shiba gave a bitter laugh.
"What reason could there be? I just didn't like him, so I killed him."
"The maid's hand trembled when she served tea, kill her; the guard was too loud during training, kill him."
"They're not cultivators at all, they're pure demons."
"But those three bastards still wanted me to cover for them, saying things like we couldn't damage the reputation of the Heavenly Sword Sect. It's ridiculous."
Ling Yi frowned.
Is this the kind of behavior the Heavenly Sword Sect is known for?
Is the Heavenly Sword Sect, with its such structure, worth joining?
"Is it only these three people from the Heavenly Sword Sect who are like this, or are they all like this?"
Ying Shiba said, "According to the information passed down by the Shadow Guards brothers, it's about the same."
"Perhaps they weren't as extreme as those three, but they certainly looked down on ordinary people, constantly referring to A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality or ants."
"What are the cultivation levels of these three people?"
"One is at the Qi Refining, Fifth Level, and the other two Qi Refining, Fourth Level."
"According to the information I've gathered, they are inner disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect."
"Although not a core disciple, he is still one of the best among the inner disciples."
Ling Yi's lips twitched slightly.
Are they the best?
Then what about my Ninth Layer of Qi Refining?
"How much information have you found out about the Heavenly Sword Sect?" Ling Yi asked, a thought stirring within him.
"These people from the Heavenly Sword Sect, I wonder if they've become stupid from cultivating immortality. Although they possess great strength, they don't seem to be very bright."
"I arranged for a few girls from the Spring Flower House to easily extract information about the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Ling Yi frowned.
Something feels off.
There are no fools among those who cultivate immortality.
This is something Ling Yi understood from the moment he gained cultivation.
The enhancement that Spiritual Qi provides is comprehensive.
Not only physical fitness, but also intelligence, comprehension, and other aspects will improve as cultivation level increases.
Putting aside other things, cultivators who reach the Qi Refining Realm will open up their Sea of Consciousness.
Sea of Consciousness is opened, Spiritual Sense and spirit will surge.
This is equivalent to a second enlightenment.
To put it simply, once you reach the Qi Refining Realm, you can instantly calculate the results of eight-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in your mind.
This is the most powerful aspect for cultivators.
A fool can't cultivate immortality because he can't even understand the cultivation methods.
There are no fools among those who cultivate immortality.
What about forcibly cultivating immortality by infusing a fool with cultivation power?
With cultivation and a second awakening of intelligence, one is no longer a fool!
The behavior of those three cultivators was hardly that of someone of Big Smarty.
"According to the information gathered, the Heavenly Sword Sect is located in the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range, directly north of the Sun and Moon Empire."
"Every thousand years, I travel to various empires to take on disciples."
"Accepting a disciple once means closing the sect for a thousand years."
"To date, the Heavenly Sword Sect has over 50,000 disciples."
"The outer disciples are the most numerous, numbering forty thousand, while the inner disciples number less than ten thousand, and there are only nine personal disciples."
Ling Yi asked, "What are their cultivation levels?"
"That's the strange part."
"According to those three idiots, outer disciples are all at the Body Tempering Realm, and only those at the Qi Refining Realm can enter the inner sect. Personal disciples are all at the Foundation Establishment Realm."
"Normally, the sect is managed by the direct disciples."
"The sect leader is in seclusion year-round."
"And it is said that the sect leader's cultivation level is at the Spirit Transformation Realm."
Ling Yi frowned. "A power gap?"
"Yes, it's a gap in strength."
Ling Yi had gained some understanding of the cultivation realms of immortal cultivators since he began practicing the Heaven-Devouring Art.
It's similar to the way cultivators' cultivation levels are divided in the online novels I read in my previous life.
Body Tempering, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Leaving the Body, Spirit Transformation, Dao Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, Mahayana, Ascension.
The Heavenly Sword Sect Sect's sect leader is at the Spirit Transformation Realm. Below the sect leader, there are no vice sect leaders or elders.
It was managed by only nine Foundation Establishment Realm stage disciples.
This is abnormal.
" Soul-Capturing Mirror!" A cold voice rang out from behind Ling Yi.