Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1173: Village Bully

Chapter 1173: Chapter 1173: Village Bully

It’s impossible for top-tier powers like the Four Sects of Wutai to not have transmission arrays.

However, their powers are so immense that the transmission arrays accessible to outsiders are typically placed far away from the main sect. After all, if anyone could teleport right in, how would they guarantee the sect’s safety?

Of course, the transmission arrays within their sect are beyond discussion—those are for internal logistics and unrelated to the outside world.

As for the external transmission arrays, not only are they far from the sect, but they also require a strict assessment of the qualifications of users before granting access.

For a major power, this is a basic requirement. But for those being transmitted, it feels highly unfriendly.

In short, the ones frequently using the transmission arrays are the familiar faces; new ones trying to enter find the threshold quite high.

Feng Jun didn’t consider using a transmission array. Instead, the group took out their flying boats to travel.

All this time, he had thought that Donghua Country was already sparsely populated. Only by flying through the cultivation world did he truly understand the meaning of vast lands with few people. Often, they would fly an entire day without encountering a single soul.

The group had three flying boats in total. Feng Jun’s boat was a bit underwhelming, so he quietly took a seat on Kong Ziyi’s boat, while Huang Fu Wu Xia’s boat carried Yang Shangren and others.

The speed of these flying boats was not slow. They could cover nearly 20,000 miles a day, and that took into account stopping to rest at night. They weren’t much behind Feng Jun’s Flash Star Boat in speed, though their size far exceeded it.

The three flying boats didn’t hover too high, maintaining an altitude of about 100 zhang. Additionally, cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm took turns flying outside the boats, a maneuver primarily intended to deter petty opportunists and signal to others that these flying boats were no trifling matter.

At night, when they landed to rest, Kong Ziyi no longer summoned her traveling abode as she usually would.

Huang Fu Wu Xia explained that displaying such treasures in the wilderness would only attract enmity. After all, this was the cultivation world, not the mortal realm. Although they weren’t afraid of trouble, why go looking for it?

Feng Jun couldn’t help but feel a pang of self-reproach. Even someone with Kong Ziyi’s formidable background knew how to assess the situation, while his actions seemed... a bit reckless in comparison.

Nonetheless, the group didn’t keep things entirely low-profile. When they stopped to rest, three Spirit Gathering Array Plates were set up. Huang Fu Wu Xia even brought out a diesel generator connected to a few xenon lamps, illuminating the surroundings brightly.

Yet their display wasn’t enough to scare off everyone. By the evening of the fifth day of travel, three cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm ascended from the distance, signaling for the flying boats to halt.

At the time, Feng Jun, who was outside guarding the flying boat, was about to approach and negotiate when someone flew out from the Qiuchen Market boat. "Wait a moment, Elder Feng. This should be Guo Family Village, a village with a population of 200,000."

A village with 200,000 people? That was downright terrifying. Even in Huaxia of the Earth Realm, it would be considered an exceedingly large village, let alone in the sparsely populated cultivation world.

Despite being called Guo Family Village, families bearing the surname Guo made up less than 10% of the population. The majority were from the surnames Li, Hu, and Wang, which together accounted for 90%, with other surnames being rare.

These four families were remarkably united. The three major families collectively revered the Guo Family as the leader, and in truth, the rise of the other three families was thanks to the Guo Family’s guidance.

This village boasted dozens of Qi Refinement cultivators and was the largest power within a radius of ten thousand miles, attracting many to settle there. It was even more bustling than several nearby towns.

The cultivators from Qiuchen Market had passed through this area more than once and were familiar with how things worked here. One of them immediately flew forward to speak. "Public business for Qiuchen Market. Don’t cause trouble; stand down quickly!"

One of the opposing cultivators immediately retorted, "The land under your feet is part of our village. You fly over our village so brazenly, yet you accuse us of causing trouble?"

Guo Family Village wasn’t entirely unjustified in their argument. But the people from Qiuchen Market knew these villagers were the type to extract a toll at every opportunity, so they directly stated that they didn’t require any escort services this time, as they had brought plenty of Qi Refinement experts along.

This wasn’t their first encounter. Generally, the people of Guo Family Village charged a toll for cultivators flying overhead. When dealing with government-backed entities like Qiuchen Market, they didn’t demand a toll but instead imposed an escort fee under the pretense of offering protection.

As for travelers trying to bypass the village? That wasn’t easy either.

The terrain here was wide and flat. Avoiding the village would significantly increase the danger.

Typically, Qiuchen Market would pay the escort fee, but they also brought goods to sell, recouping their lost Spirit Stones with such transactions.

Guo Family Village didn’t object to this arrangement, as the village lacked access to many goods. The presence of merchants from Qiuchen Market was beneficial to them as well.

But this time, the people from Qiuchen Market stated bluntly, "We’re traveling with someone you can’t afford to offend. Don’t even think about charging a toll this time."

The cultivators of Guo Family Village were greedy but not foolish. So they requested, "Let us at least know who your guest is. If we find it appropriate, we might waive the toll this time."

The Qiuchen Market cultivators, impressed by their audacity, introduced Feng Jun first: Mount Zhige’s Mountain Master and Ji PingAn’s benefactor. Were those credentials enough?

Over the past year, Ji PingAn had built a thriving reputation. Despite being only at the Qi Refinement Realm, even cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm considered him noteworthy. Though his cultivation level might not be impressive, he had millions of combat-ready cultivators as his backing!

Not to mention, the combat cultivators were far more widespread than most other factions. Their influence was truly formidable.

The Guo Family Village had interacted with Ji PingAn’s group before, though it was purely transactional. When the Xue Family, a rival Qi Refinement clan, was annihilated, the Guo Family Village quickly adjusted its stance and became far more cautious.

However, the three Qi Refinement cultivators of Guo Family Village still expressed their position: "Ji PingAn may be surrounded by a group of small Qi Refinement cultivators, but so what? If his benefactor doesn’t pay the escort fee, we won’t guarantee their safety across our territory."

The representative of Qiuchen Market, seeing their persistence, dropped another revelation: Huang Fu Wu Xia, the branch president of the Tiantong Commercial Alliance and a newly prominent figure of the Huang Fu Family. Would they attempt to charge her an escort fee?

The descendants of Golden Core families weren’t necessarily terrifying. The people of Guo Family Village, accustomed to collecting tolls, understood how to navigate such situations. Most Golden Core families had numerous descendants; if everyone turned to their venerable ancestors for every issue, those ancestors would be exhausted.

Yet, the flag of Tiantong carried significant weight. Tiantong was a commercial alliance. When it came to negotiations—particularly financial matters—it was wise to tread carefully.

This left one of the village cultivators in a dilemma. "The three of us came forward to welcome you. Surely, there should be some acknowledgment of that? It can’t be that flying boldly over our heads is seen as completely justified?"

The cultivators from Qiuchen Market finally dealt their trump card: "We also travel with an Intermediate Level core disciple of Taiqing Sect. Are you certain you want to demand a toll?"

The cultivators of Guo Family Village abandoned their futile hopes at hearing this. Charging a toll from a core disciple of Taiqing Sect? That would be courting death.

So they offered another suggestion: "It’s nearing nightfall. Would you be willing to rest here?"

This marked the first time in six days of flying that Feng Jun and his group chose to spend the night in a populated area.

However, they didn’t settle in a bustling location. Instead, they chose a relatively secluded patch of wasteland.

This time, Kong Ziyi brought out her traveling abode, and Feng Jun, too, unveiled his.

When the cultivators of Guo Family Village saw this, they couldn’t help but silently marvel: two individuals possessing courtyard magical treasures? Truly extravagant.

They approached to seek an audience with the group. As they hadn’t had prior dealings with Feng Jun and had previously taken advantage of Ji PingAn, they feared he might bring up those past transgressions. Thus, they sought an audience with President Huang Fu instead.

As for meeting Kong Ziyi? They didn’t even presume to have the qualifications—core disciples of Taiqing Sect weren’t individuals just anyone could meet.

Several of the village’s Qi Refinement cultivators had prior dealings with Tiantong and were somewhat familiar with its operations.

Huang Fu Wu Xia didn’t wish to entertain these individuals within Kong Ziyi’s abode. Although Sister Ziyi hadn’t said anything, her stance was clear. Respect was given by others, but losing face was a product of one’s own actions.

So she brought out her own abode. While her abode couldn’t compare to Feng Jun’s courtyard, let alone Kong Ziyi’s, the cultivators of Guo Family Village didn’t care about such details.

They were already stunned to discover a third courtyard treasure.

Approaching Huang Fu Wu Xia wasn’t just a matter of politeness; they had their own agenda—they hoped Tiantong would establish a branch in their village.

And why propose such a request? Simply put, their village was larger than many towns. If Tiantong could open branches in most towns, why not a village?

They argued that Tiantong was too rigid in its development strategy. Opening a branch in Guo Family Village could attract cultivators from surrounding areas, serving a population of more than 300,000.

Huang Fu Wu Xia listened to their pitch with a polite smile but inwardly dismissed the idea. With their tendency to extort toll fees, even if nearby cultivators were drawn to trade there, these villagers would likely take their cut. Who would ultimately benefit, Tiantong or the villagers?

Still, she didn’t voice opposition. She smiled as they spoke, occasionally interjecting with a question or two.

After about an hour of discussion, someone finally couldn’t hold back, "President Huang Fu, do you think this suggestion is feasible?"

Huang Fu Wu Xia returned a faint smile, delivering a response that nearly made them cough blood. "Oh, this? Guo Family Village isn’t within my jurisdiction. If I suggested it recklessly, I’d risk offending my colleagues."

A cultivator with the surname Hu couldn’t help but interject, "Surely you have the right to make a recommendation?"

While they were engaged in discussion, Feng Jun set up a Spirit Binding Array in his courtyard and dispatched Chen Junwei and Jing Qingyang to keep watch outside.

Yang Shangren examined the Spirit Binding Array with an impassive expression and asked, "Is it ready?"

Feng Jun nodded, thinking to himself that if the journey thus far hadn’t been so fraught with obstacles, they could have conducted the second experiment long ago.

(This update concludes here. The dual monthly votes have recently ended, so I assume no one has any votes left. I won’t call for them today.)