Courtroom Dispute, the Immortal Master Who Guarded the State

Inside the Golden Throne Hall of the Jin State's imperial palace.

Sima Han, emperor of the Jin State, sat on the Dragon Throne and watched the civil and military officials arguing fiercely below. For a time, he hesitated, unsure what to do.

"Your Majesty! We must stop the system from spreading any further, or the Jin State's rule will be gravely threatened!"

"That's right! The system is a demonic thing and should be banned outright! Those lowly commoners should obediently work like oxen and horses!"

"Your Majesty, you must give me justice! My son was killed by a system host!"

"Your Majesty! My entire Lineage was wiped out by system hosts. You must see justice done for me!"

"Your Majesty! Hundreds of thousands of mu of my family's fertile farmland were seized by system hosts! We can't let the system spread unchecked any longer, or it's hard to say whether the Jin State will even survive!"

"Those damned wretches won't properly till the fields, and they've actually gone off to practice martial arts. Their crimes are unforgivable!"

"No! We should bring the system under our control. Only then can we secure the Jin State's rule."

"Your Majesty! We should immediately send a great army to suppress them and force them to unbind the system, or they'll rebel sooner or later!"

As Sima Han listened to the cries and arguments rising and falling throughout the hall, his head buzzed. His brows knitted tightly, his face full of irritation and distress.

He forcibly suppressed his impatience and turned his gaze to Chancellor Wu Xubai. "Chancellor, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

As soon as Sima Han finished speaking, the previously noisy Golden Throne Hall fell silent.

The civil and military officials all turned to Wu Xubai in unison, waiting to hear his views.

Wu Xubai stepped forward and said solemnly, "Fellow officials, you should all have heard that the Blazing Sun Sect and other forces once ordered a ban on the spread of the system."

"And what happened? Before long, the system issued missions to wipe out those forces."

"In a short time, system hosts slaughtered them until not a single piece of armor remained, with casualties exceeding a million."

"Let me ask you all: are your martial arts a match for Liu Wenzhou, the Jin State's greatest expert? And can your forces compare to the Blazing Sun Sect, the foremost jianghu sect in the Jin State?"

His words left the officials speechless for a time.

Though they looked down on jianghu people in ordinary times, they understood that their own strength was nowhere near the same level as the Blazing Sun Sect and Liu Wenzhou.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Wu Xubai continued, "There is simply no way to ban the spread of the system. Not only does it spread quickly, but it does so very discreetly."

"You all know something about the system. Its wonders are far beyond imagination; I'm afraid only an immortal could have created it."

"Besides, you have no idea who has bound the system. Are you going to kill everyone in the Jin State?"

"I dare say that among those present, there may well be people who have tried to bind the system, or whose own children are already system hosts."

Everyone remained silent. Wu Xubai's words did make sense.

They knew full well how wondrous the system was, and quite a few had secretly tried to bind it.

Unfortunately, every attempt had ended in failure, and the system's appearance had also greatly harmed their interests.

Otherwise, they would not have called for a ban on its spread.

Wu Xubai went on to advise Sima Han, "Your Majesty, the government offices throughout the Jin State are still operating relatively smoothly.

"Except for a few corrupt officials who were killed after angering system hosts, the other officials have not been affected."

"The system has now spread throughout the Jin State, and it has appeared in neighboring countries as well."

"Even if Your Majesty issues a ban, it simply cannot be stopped."

"If we anger the system and it issues a mission to wipe us out, I fear none of us will live through tonight, and the Jin State will fall with us."

"Chancellor, you're exaggerating the danger! Our Jin State has an army of a million. Are you saying we can't suppress these system hosts?" Grand Censor Zhong Fu said, unconvinced.

Wu Xubai glanced at him and asked coldly, "Can you say for certain how many of those million soldiers are system hosts? Can you say for certain which of those present have already bound the system?"

Zhong Fu's eyes widened. He stammered, unable to get a word out, and could only pull in his head, not daring to make another sound.

Wu Xubai continued, "The system's appearance has not been entirely detrimental.

"Many novel and useful things have now been invented, and grain yields have reached 2,000 jin per mu. From now on, the Jin State will never have to worry about food shortages again."

"There are also things like cement, soap, glass, and vehicles, which have given everyone's lives a fresh new look."

Sima Han leaned back on the Dragon Throne, rubbing its armrest, his expression shifting. After a moment's thought, he spoke:

"The chancellor has a point, but now that the system is everywhere in the country, the Jin State's rule exists in name only. Do you have a way to salvage the situation?"

Wu Xubai's expression grew grave. "I have a plan. We could ask the Immortal Master Who Guards the State to step forward and challenge Liu Yi, the strongest of the system hosts."

"As long as he can defeat Liu Yi, he can deter the other hosts. Perhaps that will preserve the Jin State's position as ruler."

Zhong Fu hurriedly chimed in, "Your Majesty! If the Immortal Master Who Guards the State takes action, perhaps he can even gain control of the system!"

Sima Han looked at Zhong Fu, then turned back to Wu Xubai. "The chancellor speaks reasonably. I'll go and invite the immortal master at once."

With that, he rose and left the Golden Throne Hall.

The Immortal Abode Hall was secluded and serene, completely unlike the splendor of the imperial palace's other halls.

At that moment, Sima Han bowed deeply and respectfully to Zheng Siqi, who sat in the seat of honor, dressed in moon-white robes with a faint spiritual light lingering around him. "Greetings, Immortal Master."

A puzzled look appeared on Zheng Siqi's face. "Sima Han, what brings you here this time?"

Sima Han bowed and replied, "Immortal Master, a wondrous object called the Fairness System has appeared in the Jin State. It has a store that sells all kinds of cultivation manuals."

"It also has features called Microchat, forums, and TikTok, which allow people to communicate regardless of distance."

"Besides those, it has many other features, including the Dao Comprehension Space, Storage Space, Trial Tower, map, and Mission Hall."

"This object has spread throughout the Jin State. By now, nearly all the people of the Jin State have bound the system, and the Jin State exists in name only."

A look of shock and uncertainty instantly appeared on Zheng Siqi's face.

The system Sima Han had just described was far too wondrous. Nothing like it had ever appeared, even in the long history of the cultivation world.

From names like the Dao Comprehension Space and Storage Space, he could roughly guess what they did.

But did something so wondrous really exist?

"Sima Han, how does one bind this system? I'll examine it myself."

Sima Han respectfully offered a faintly glowing System Seed with both hands.

"Immortal Master, this is a System Seed. You only need to agree in your mind to bind the system."

Zheng Siqi concentrated his Divine Sense and carefully examined the System Seed. He sensed an indescribable profundity within it, but he could not make out its true nature.

After a brief moment's thought, he took the System Seed and agreed to bind it.

As soon as he entered the system interface, Zheng Siqi read the descriptions of its various features and could not help crying out:

"How can something like this exist?! Is the Dao Comprehension Space really so wondrous?"

"The Storage Space can actually be unlocked with Energy Points! Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is scarce now, and materials for refining storage Law Treasures are in short supply. Finished ones are even more outrageously expensive."

"And the store has not only martial arts Cultivation Methods, but immortal cultivation methods too!"

"Microchat, forums, and TikTok can actually be used to communicate instantly. How is that possible? Even the cultivation world's communication Law Treasures can't do that."

"The Trial Tower can actually use Divine Sense or mental power to form a physical body for life-and-death battles, increasing combat experience. This is a heaven-sent fortuitous opportunity!"