Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Time flies, years pass by like a shuttle, a century is but a flick of a finger, life too is but a moment, in the blink of an eye, the world changes beyond recognition.

Five hundred years later, at Wandao School.

In a quiet room, the door gently opened, and a man emerged, his black hair as dark as ink, his white clothes surpassing the snow. He once bore a spirited and heroic appearance, but between his brows wore nothing but fatigue, aversion, and resistance, his demeanor heavy with weariness as if he were a walking corpse.

Despite this, he still forced himself to stand, dragging his heavy steps as he made his way to the Academy Treasury.

"Yo!"

"Isn't this our great swordsman of Mysterious Heaven?"

Upon his arrival, a woman with a graceful figure and flirtatious demeanor at the Treasury counter immediately teased with a chuckle, "So, the time has come to return the Flying Sword?"

"Hmph!"

Shenxiao snorted coldly, ignoring the teasing of the Joyous Union Demoness, and simply placed a Sword Box on the counter.

"Hehe!"

The Demon Enchantress chuckled warmly, her attitude unabashed as she took the Sword Box and began to meticulously inspect it.

After a brief moment, she nodded in satisfaction, "No problem, it's indeed the Demon-Slaying Immortal-Refining Sword. Just sign here and you can leave."

Having said that, she pushed a Jade Slip towards Shenxiao.

"Hmph!"

Shenxiao snorted once again, his sword finger touching the jade, imprinting it with his mark, then turned and walked away, a clear look of resentment in his manner.

"Ah, why bother with all this?"

Watching his retreating figure, the Demon Enchantress shook her head and sighed, "Five hundred years and still so stubborn, acting just like a corporate drone. Rent a sword and close off in joy, return the sword and leave in misery."

Hearing her sigh, the Artifact Spirit of Yin Yang Strategist flickered as if wanting to speak, but ultimately remained silent.

The Demon Enchantress paid it no attention, stretched with a languid yawn, displaying her voluptuous figure without concern, "Then again, going to work really is a painful thing, ah, how nice it would be if someone supported me!"

Seeing her sprawl about in such an indolent manner, the Yin Yang Strategist responded helplessly, "This job is already quite relaxed. If the young master is still discontented, then why not simply close off and quietly cultivate for a period, refreshing your spirit before going back to refining swords and earning Academic Credits."

"Nonsense, if I close off, will you support me? And don't even mention that sword-refining business, those are the very words I'm most sick of hearing right now!"

The Demon Enchantress gave it a disdainful glance, lying on the counter like a salted fish, devoid of the spirited determination she once had in her "internal struggle declaration."

This was an inevitable outcome after striving for over five hundred years; anyone would be worn out body and soul, let alone someone as naturally indolent as her.

Seeing her this way, the Artifact Spirit sighed and advised, "Young master, please persevere for a little while longer. The Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword is a limited-time task, and once missed, you won't be able to earn Academic Credits in such large quantities."

"Have you got the nerve to say that?"

This remark infuriated the Demon Enchantress, "What kind of limited-time task lasts for five hundred years without ending?"

"Young master ..."

"Shut up, I need to lie down for a while. We'll talk about sword refining some other time!"

"..."

While a certain security guard of a storeroom chose to slack off, Shenxiao also returned to his own Cave Mansion, opened his computer in pain and proficiency, logged onto the network, and prepared to buy a batch of materials to continue the production of Sword Artifacts.

In the past five hundred years, many things changed, but none of it mattered to him, nor did he have the mood to care, because he needed to invest all his time, all his energy, into two things.

First was cultivation; second was artifact refinement!

For five hundred years, he only did these two things, refining swords to earn Academic Credits, borrowing Flying Swords with those credits, alternating between seclusion and outings, over and over again.

To this day, how many Sword Artifacts he had refined, how many Academic Credits he had earned, he could not remember. He only felt like a beast of burden, having become a tool for refining swords and earning points. Every time he left seclusion to refine swords, his mood was as heavy as if he were at a funeral.

Tired in both body and spirit, devoid of any zest for life!

That was Shenxiao's current feeling.

Yet for the sake of cultivation, he couldn't stop. Despite his deep loathing, he had to continue this grinding work of "refining swords for the enemy."

The pain he felt was probably beyond what others could comprehend.

But it was precisely when he was struggling with purchasing materials for sword refining that …

"How can this be!?"

Shenxiao's pupils contracted, his complexion changed, as he stared at the new announcement on the Academy's official website, his eyes full of shock and anger.

"Limited-time task, Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan, will be ending in Wandao Calendar year 520, by which the exchange price of Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword will return to a normal rate. The exchange of Magical Treasure-level Xuanyuan Swords for 150,000 Academic Credits, and Spiritual Treasure-level Xuanyuan Swords for 2,000,000 Academic Credits.

Please proceed with exchanges in a timely manner, we thank all Taoists for their support!"

"Academic Credits exchange, price adjustments; the price reductions for Foundation Building Pill, Five Elements Golden Pill, Primordial Spirit Spiritual Liquid, and other breakthrough medicines; the exchange prices of Spiritual Artifacts, Magical Treasures, Spiritual Treasures have been reduced; the exchange prices for all Spirit Materials, Cultivation Techniques, Skills, Mysteries, and Divine Powers below Fifth Rank have been significantly reduced …"

"Academic Credits exchange, price adjustments; the exchange/rental prices for Immortal Artifacts have increased, the exchange prices for all Cultivation Techniques, Skills, Mysteries, and Divine Powers above the Fifth Rank have returned to normal (these were previously at discounted prices during the limited-time task period)"

"New permanent task - Treasures of the World!"

"Task details: Wandao School is widely collecting treasures of the world, including but not limited to high-order Spiritual Objects, Immortal Artifacts, Cultivation Techniques, and other rare and precious treasures above Fifth Rank. Wandao School will purchase these at high prices, fair and square!"

"..."

Staring at the freshly posted update announcement on the Scholar's Palace's official website, Shenxiao felt as if struck by lightning, shocked to his core.

What does this mean?

What does it mean!

Kicking someone once they've served their purpose, huh?

A five-hundred-year time-limited task, and you just end it like that?

With it ended, what am I supposed to do, where am I to earn my Academic Credits, without which what can I use to rent the Flying Sword, what can I use for Cultivation without Growth?

I've emptied my coffers for you, day and night crafting the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword, and now you're kicking someone once they've served their purpose, just like that?

Have you lost all humanity!?

Shenxiao clenched his teeth tightly, filled with indescribable rage and hate.

Time-limited tasks, time-limited tasks, although they made it clear five hundred years ago that this was a time-limited task and concluding it now is fair and reasonable, nobody can fault that.

But being above criticism does not mean there aren't problems, and it definitely doesn't mean it's acceptable!

Five hundred years ago, when you, Wandao School, were just starting out, the foundation was not yet strong, there weren't many high-level cultivators and Refinement Grandmasters, so you issued this time-limited task to have cultivators from all over the world "subcontract manufacture" the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword for you.

There's no need to speak of the difficulty of this "subcontracting," the initial investment of heart and effort, human and material resources, as well as the time cost, the risk of crafting, the loss due to failures, and so on— we took on all of that for you.

Now, five hundred years have passed, and the Wandao School has established itself, trained a large number of high-level cultivators and Refinement Grandmasters, gained the ability to craft the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Swords on your own, and now you want to kick us to the curb?

Isn't this the very definition of kicking someone once they've served their purpose?

Shenxiao can't accept it!

All these years, to keep the Demon-Slaying Immortal-Refining Sword firmly in hand, untainted by others, he had virtually emptied his family's assets. The foundational treasures that the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect had entrusted to him, a Taoist, were mostly invested into crafting the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword, so that he could continue to "rent" the Demon-Slaying Immortal-Refining Sword.

Now, Wandao School is kicking someone once they've served their purpose, ending the time-limited task of the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword. Although they didn't shut down the purchase channel, they halved the purchase price, reducing it by more than half, and at the same time, raised the price of "Immortal Artifact rental" and "exchange for High-Grade Methods."

Isn't this a clear targeting of himself?

Working is already painful, and now you're lowering wages on top of that?

Lowering wages is bad enough, but you're also raising the rent?

Have you lost all humanity, do you have no conscience left?

Shenxiao clenched his teeth tightly, filled with rage, but soon he deflated like a balloon and slumped to the ground.

He can't accept it, but he can't fight back either.

Any other person who would dare conduct themselves like this, cutting income while raising the cost of "renting Immortal Artifacts" and "exchanging for High-Grade Methods," would surely incur widespread complaints, perhaps even public outrage.

But if public opinion were to turn against them, it could lead to a troubled end. As Lord of Tribulation Clouds, if one were to cause public outrage, the consequences need not be said—surely it would lead to a backlash of public sentiment, causing fortunes to dissipate, and perhaps even divine punishment.

But... the one doing this now is not just anyone, it's the Wandao School!

For five hundred years, the school has governed, achieving incredibly grand results.
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And the exchange list gets updated often, releasing who knows how many rare treasures for the Academy Disciples and cultivators from all over the world to exchange.

Besides, the Wandao School has continuously been slashing prices, making some mid- and low-tier Spiritual Objects increasingly affordable for the common people, even driving down the prices of some high-order Spiritual Objects.

Just take pills, for instance.

Five hundred years ago, the mainstream market price for Foundation Building Pills, depending on the quality, ranged from fifty to a hundred thousand Academic Credits.

Now, Foundation Building Pills have bowed out of the mid-tier mainstream market and become low-tier—even entry-level—pills. A top-tier Foundation Building Pill costs only twenty thousand credits, and after this price adjustment, it has dropped further to just fifteen thousand.

It's not just Foundation Building Pills, but also Five Elements Golden Pills, and the boundary-breaking Primordial Spirit Spiritual Liquids, along with various other rare treasures. As long as it's a mid- to low-tier Spiritual Object below fifth rank, Wandao School has made them accessible to the masses, continuously pushing prices down, greatly increasing the buying power of "Academic Credits."

So, even though Wandao School has ended the time-limited task for the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword and raised the prices for Immortal Artifact rental and Method exchanges while slashing income and ramping up expenses, in reality, the cultivators across the world haven't suffered much because their "Academic Credits" have been appreciating consistently over the years.

Ending this time-limited task is actually a regulatory measure to limit the source of Academic Credits, ensuring their value, and preventing an "economic crisis" from "inflation." It's a completely rational state policy of governance that won't harm the public interest.

Even if people's desires can swallow elephants, some complaints notwithstanding, it would be challenging to cause the kind of public outrage that would affect the "fortune" of the school.

The truly harmed are only a small minority like himself, who both need to rent Immortal Artifacts and covet various High-Grade Methods. With the end of the time-limited task and the price of the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Swords being slashed in half, they will have to work even harder, put in more effort, to maintain their current way of life.

So, Shenxiao can't accept it.

But what does it matter if he can't accept it?

Five hundred years have passed, and while forging swords and cultivating simultaneously, his strength hasn't increased rapidly. He's only just reached Return to Void and still doesn't have the Demon-Slaying Immortal-Refining Sword in hand.

Even if he had the Demon-Slaying Immortal-Refining Sword in hand, and his cultivation had advanced to Integration, at the mainstream level of a Cave Heaven Taoist, there still wouldn't be anything he could do.

After all, Li Xuanyuan is an existence who slays those at the Integration level as if they were pigs and dogs; five hundred years have passed, who knows how much his strength has increased, who would dare to challenge his edge?

So...

Shenxiao said nothing, quietly placed an order, and bought a bunch of sword-crafting materials.

It's only Wandao Calendar year five hundred and ten now, with ten years left until the time-limited task for the Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Sword ends in year five hundred and twenty. If he pushes himself, he can still craft the last batch of Nine-Ritual Xuanyuan Swords before the time-limited task ends.

This last bit of wool, he must shear, not to do so would be a disservice to himself!