Pei Xuanjing spoke: "If you are willing, I am willing to exchange the skills I practice with the two of you. I wonder what your thoughts are."
"Good!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, the two immediately agreed.
Who is Pei Xuanjing? He is currently the undisputed number one in the world, the only one who has stepped into the Fourth Level of the Spiritual Realm. To gain a pointer from him is an opportunity many martial artists seek, not to mention he is willing to teach his cultivation skills.
If such news spread, martial artists around the world would go crazy. Even the old Taoist master Qingxu would be willing to exchange the core methods of Dragon Tiger Mountain and the True Martial Sect.
With such an opportunity, how could they miss it?
"Indeed, nothing is more convincing than the actual benefits. As long as there are enough benefits, all things can be negotiated." Pei Xuanjing thought.
Just a moment ago, the two were adamant about not passing down their ancestral methods to outsiders. But when Pei Xuanjing decided to use his own skills as an exchange, they agreed without hesitation.
By this time, they would no longer mention the restriction of teaching their skills to outsiders.
Zhao Baiyang and his companion exchanged glances and felt a little awkward about their previous arrogance and humility. So they said: "Since brother Pei is so ambitious, could we also be privileged to see it?"
"Indeed, although the core methods cannot be disclosed, it is not impossible to bring out some of the other skills if they are appropriate." Xue Wuheng stated.
They were very resistant to this just now, but that was mainly because it threatened their fundamental interests.
But if this point was removed, they would also want to see the precious skills cherished by various forces in the world, wouldn't they?
They would gather the essence of many schools and blaze their own path out of the many classics.
Unlike the cultivators of the Sky Wasteland, they had been at the peak for too long, with no way forward. Even though they were only at the Spirit Realm Second Layer, they had been constrained by Heaven and Earth. To become stronger, even if they were cultivating the skills of their predecessors, they would eventually embark on the path of creating their own methods.
The techniques they practiced might not be the most powerful, but they were definitely the most suitable for them. On this path, if they could view more techniques and draw on their essence, it would perfect their own methods.()
Although he hadn't completely convinced the two just now, seeing their interest, Pei Xuanjing didn't mind sharing his upcoming goal. Afterall, his plan would eventually be shared with more people. He might as well let these two help fill in the gaps.
"After the arrival of the Divine Dynasty, with the help of the Enfeoffment Magic Skill, although the territory of Great Ming is vast, news can be delivered in an instant. Then using this to connect everyone, all martial artists can exchange the publicly available skills." Pei Xuanjing said.
"So how is this skill exchanged, for free?" Zhao Baiyang asked.
Pei Xuanjing shook his head: "Although these skills are not valuable in my eyes, they definitely cannot be free."
He needed these martial artists to strive hard, and being able to provide these skills for exchange was enough to get them involved. If he distributed these skills to everyone for free, it would not maximize the benefits.
Only when they made a contribution would they cherish what they had exchanged with all their effort.
The educational system of his previous life was a result of collective wisdom. He could borrow it and implement it in this world, allowing countless martial artists to display their talents and unleash even greater potential.
He wanted to use some methods from his previous life to implement this plan. Of course, compared to the educational system, Pei Xuanjing made some modifications.
First of all, he planned to build a platform to rank all the skills according to their different values. The ranking of these skills would be determined by the evaluation provided by the life simulation program, which was the fairest way of classification.
The next step was to enable all martial artists to access this platform for acquiring skills.
According to Pei Xuanjing's conception, he could reference merit points from the unlimited-streaming novels in his previous life as currency, then let these martial artists find ways to accrue points to exchange for these skills.
As for how these merit points can be concretized, what should be used as a reference, and how to get proportion, Pei Xuanjing does not yet have a clear idea. Instead, he only has a rough idea.
However, he was certain that he could completely include all martial artists' cultivation insights as merit points to exchange. This, to him, was equivalent to gaining Taoist Rhyme value and could quickly help increase his accumulation of Taoist Rhyme value.
At present, although Pei Xuanjing had not fully designed a perfect contribution point system, he knew clearly that if he could build this platform, not only could he promote the martial artists of this world to become stronger, but he could also obtain huge benefits because of their internal struggles.
This was a win-win situation. Pei Xuanjing was determined to push this forward, and nobody could stop him.
He didn't elaborate on all the details, only outlined a general framework, which immediately drew admiration from Zhao Baiyang and Xue Wuheng.
"Brother Pei, you are so talented!"
"Master, I admire your ambition." Xue Wuheng said.
The two looked impressed and admired Pei Xuanjing's ingenious idea after listening.
Not to mention how this plan will be implemented, just the conception alone is something they could never have imagined.
In their view, if Pei Xuanjing's plan were to be implemented, all martial artists in the world would lean towards him, and Pei Xuanjing's reputation would reach an unprecedented peak. It could even overshadow the reputation of a sage who set up his path.
"However, if this method is implemented, it will inevitably intensify the disputes among martial artists in the world. Many martial artists striving for excellence would face difficulties several times greater than before." As the leader of the Demonic Cult, Xue Wuheng instantly saw the downside of this method.
If the martial artists from major powers had advantages before, then after the implementation of Pei Xuanjing's plan, their biggest advantage would be eliminated. Countless ordinary martial artists practicing top-level skills would become their competitors.
In Xue Wuheng's view, this is equivalent to rearing insects, similar to their Demonic Cult's methods of nurturing disciples. They would teach many disciples the same skill for them to cultivate, and only the outstanding ones could survive.
The only difference between the two was they wouldn't distribute top-level skills. Instead, they would only teach them to outstanding disciples.
Upon hearing Xue Wuheng's words, Pei Xuanjing didn't deny it and nodded: "Indeed, it must be so. Only in this way can the potential of countless people be stimulated, resulting in numerous rewards."
Pei Xuanjing's actions were designed to promote internal competition among the numerous martial artists, encouraging them to compete with each other in order to stimulate their limitless potential and ignite sparks of wisdom.
However, Pei Xuanjing believed that his actions would be fair to the countless martial artists engaged in this internal competition, because he was providing them with the opportunity to rise, offering them the chance to compete with each other, and ensuring that their effort would be rewarded.
If any martial artist thought otherwise, they were free to refuse, to remain laid back and contented with mediocrity. Pei Xuanjing would never force anyone.
After all, he was just laying the opportunity before them; ultimately, their choices depended on themselves.
"As expected!" Xue Wuheng laughed softly.
Only after Pei Xuanjing explained his method could Xue Wuheng understand it.
Considering his background, he had never believed in completely selfless people in this world, nor did he believe in someone willing to give selflessly for others without any return.
Pei Xuanjing's answer affirmed his suspicion that the motivation behind this action was seeking a return, fitting his understanding.
"Regardless, Brother Pei, your act is ultimately a great kindness," Zhao Baiyang remarked after a moment of silence.
Unlike Xue Wuheng, a strong man truly born from the Demonic Cult, Zhao Baiyang may be the leader of the Mire Sect, but initially, he was an independent practitioner with a humble background, so he could understand the hardship faced by the lowly martial artists.
For many martial artists, the amount of effort they put into their cultivation was several times that of martial artists from major powers. They were not afraid of hardship, difficulties, or danger, they just feared that their efforts would not be rewarded as they deserved.
Compared to the large forces that view top-tier martial arts skills as forbidden, and unwilling to reveal them to others, Pei Xuanjing's move can be considered a kind act, something that countless martial artists yearn for.
Even if they knew Pei Xuanjing's purpose, none of them would believe Pei Xuanjing was wrong. Instead, in this hierarchical world, someone willing to open a door to advancement for them would command their praise and respect.
Xue Wuheng remained silent after understanding this.
But sometimes understanding something does not mean that you can do it. Even as the leader of the Demonic Cult, he had to be mindful of the views of the elders and disciples within the cult. If he chose to share these things only for himself, he couldn't get their support.
This is what a leader of a major power had to bear. They may seem domineering, but they also have to take on responsibilities.
The same applied to Zhao Baiyang.
As for the likes of Pei Xuanjing, even though the Shenxiao Sect was only nominally restored, it actually belonged to the power he established. No one could defy his decision, and it would be carried out according to his volition.
In Pei Xuanjing's view, this was like the cooperation between some enterprises in the world he was from in his past life. Although both parties seemed to have the same level of strength, like Zhao Baiyang and Xue Wuheng, they were like inherited enterprises that, despite their size, could not control everything with a single command.
On the other hand, although Pei Xuanjing's side was a startup, as the founder, Pei Xuanjing had the absolute say, and nobody could defy his decisions.
While the three could not reach an agreement on cooperation right now, it did not prevent them from continuing their discussions. Both Zhao Baiyang and Xue Wuheng could clearly see the advantages of this plan. If it could really be implemented, the benefits they as strongmen could get would far outweigh the drawbacks. They didn't mind participating a bit if they couldn't stop the situation.
Among the two, Zhao Baiyang was particularly interested. He originally had the ideal of breaking the monopoly of old forces. Pei Xuanjing's approach seemed to resonate with his thinking, hence he readily shared many of his considerations and insights.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Pei Xuanjing naturally wouldn't reject it. He brought forward his own ideas for them to refer to and identify any shortcomings.
Especially when Pei Xuanjing brought out some concepts from the information explosion society in his past life, it made them speechless, as if a new world had opened up.
In particular, some discourse about corporate supply chains and platforms, made them see the light, and have an epiphany.
Although Xue Wuheng reorganized the Demonic Cult, the major branches of the Demonic Cult had been separated for hundreds of years. They were nominally united under Pei Xuanjing, but essentially, each was governing their own affairs. Even with Xue Wuheng's abilities, he couldn't sort out these things in such a short period of time.
Moreover, as he was from the Sky Demon Sect, when a conflict of interest arose between the Sky Demon Sect and other branches, no matter how he adjudicated, even the most fair judgement, it would upset the party that suffered a loss, adversely affecting his prestige within the cult.
Luckily, the victory in this battle on the prairie brought tremendous benefits to the Demonic Cult, temporarily suppressing this problem and preventing it from leading to a major issue.
However, Xue Wuheng knew that this was just temporary peace. Unless this problem was solved, it would inevitably erupt in the future.
He had been worrying about this, but after this conversation with Pei Xuanjing, he suddenly saw the light, and had a solution in mind.
Although he couldn't bring out all the core martial arts skills of the Demonic Cult to trade with Pei Xuanjing, he could completely replicate Pei Xuanjing's method. If he implemented this method within the Demonic Cult, not only could he make the rewards and punishments appear fair, but it could also win the loyalty of the lower-position disciples and some unsuccessful elders.
After all, the Demonic Cult, which highlights strength, relied heavily on it. Only a few people could learn those core martial arts. If he put out these martial arts, it would naturally attract ordinary disciples and unsuccessful people to lean towards him.
Zhao Baiyang had similar thoughts. Moreover, even though there were conflicts within the reorganized Demonic Cult, at the end of the day they were still one family and their conflicts could be resolved.
But his Unorthodox Coalition was completely different. Besides his own Mire Sect, there were also branch lines originally belonging to the White Lotus Sect, assassins from the Nether Agency that were brought in, remaining experts from Diamond Gate, and some evil experts from the martial arts world.
His Unorthodox Coalition was a mixture of fish and dragons, particularly after acquiring such huge benefits this time, which led to obvious infighting among all parties. If it were not for his strong suppression, and some external deterrence, it would have exploded long ago and would not have lasted till today.
Through this conversation with Pei Xuanjing, he learned a lot and got some ideas of how to deal with internal issues in the future.
It has to be said, people are fickle. The two who had previously been vehemently opposed to Pei Xuanjing's plan, had greatly changed their perceptions and attitudes. Not only did they intend not to reject Pei Xuanjing's plan, but they were thinking about implementing this method within their own forces first.
If this method indeed proved effective and reaped significant benefits, then the two might become Pei Xuanjing's biggest supporters for this plan.
As for the change in the two of them, Pei Xuanjing couldn't exactly see right through them, but he was able to sense their shift from subtle cues, and seemed to become more proactive.
Of course, if he knew that his speech had prompted the two of them to reorganize the changes within their factions, transitioning from a martial arts force to the sort of cultivation sect he had read about in novels in his past life, he wondered what his thoughts would be.
In the days that followed, the three continued to exchange insights on cultivation and discuss the feasibility of this method within the Taoist temple.
With the arrival of Bai Xiaosheng and Daoist Xuanming, upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's plan for the first time, they were dumbstruck. Both sides engaged in many debates, but eventually came to a calm consensus.
The day of the Divine Dynasty's sacrificial sealing ceremony was gradually approaching. Powerhouses such as Qingxu Taoist, the Old Heavenly Master, and the Chunyang Sect Master arrived one after the other. They unanimously chose to stay at Pei Xuanjing's Taoist temple.
At this point, Pei Xuanjing's thoughts and plans were known to them. Everyone had different opinions, but in the end, they agreed with his proposal to give the idea a small-scale trial run.
Moreover, when Pei Xuanjing presented his cultivation methods, the remaining powerhouses couldn't just stand by and watch. Although they did not present the core methods of their own factions, they each produced some top-grade skills.
The Great Ming Empire, Tiandu, Imperial City.
In a short period of time, a huge altar sprang up from the ground. Standing nearly a hundred feet tall, it was clearly visible even from outside the capital city.
All inhabitants within a radius of several miles harbored apprehension and were relocated, whether they were common people or high-ranking officials, all complied.
Around this altar, elite soldiers were on guard day and night. Third-grade martial artist led teams to inspect and defend in case anyone attempted to sabotage the altar.
"If the earthly Divine Dynasty could succeed, my Great Ming will undoubtedly prosper for generations to come," Gu Ji sighed while looking at the towering altar.
He had long anticipated this earthly Divine Dynasty, enduring years of hard work and waiting for this day.
After all, more than a decade had passed, and he had aged even more. If this plan should fail, he would have no chance at longevity, and the bustling world would have nothing to do with him.
"This plan will undoubtedly succeed, and certainly will not fail!" Wang Qiong, the current high-ranking elder and Minister of War within the Ming court, declared resolutely.
For the present Mr. Wang, his ambition had been realized. With hundreds of thousands of troops marching outside the border, exterminating the remnants of the Former Yuan, and expanding the empire by thousands of miles, such achievements would guarantee him a place in the annals of history.
However, the pursuit of fame in life and death was the aspiration of the previous unachievable Mr. Wang. Now that longevity is possible, he naturally would not wish to die easily. He hopes to continue to shine and contribute to the empire.
Gu Ji glanced at this elder who looked younger than himself and nodded, "This plan is bound to succeed."
Behind such a plan was his good friend, Pei Xuanjing. As one of the earliest people to interact with him in the world, in his impression Pei Xuanjing seldom fails in what he attempts to do. Even seemingly impossible tasks, he could turn the tide and make the impossible possible.
"The success of the earthly Divine Dynasty is also a good thing for the people of the world," said Wang Boan who also chimed in.
The great army was still stationed outside the border, but he couldn't miss such a major event, so he followed Gu Ji back to Tiandu under an imperial decree.
The two had already met with the emperor. After receiving Wang Qiong's invitation, they came to the Shangshu Mansion to discuss some matters.
Naturally, Wang Boan was pleased to see the success of the earthly Divine Dynasty. Even though he himself didn't need the blessings of the Divine Dynasty. His cultivation was progressing rapidly.
But from Wang Boan's point of view, the success of the earthly Divine Dynasty, would not only be of great help to the Great Ming Empire, but it would also greatly benefit the common citizens of the empire.
Heaven and Earth treats all things equally. With the revival of Heaven and Earth, the ones to benefit are not only humans. The original animals and plants, nourished by the essence of Heaven and Earth, began to develop consciousness and started on the path of cultivation.
Even if Pei Xuanjing and his fellows had killed the returning members of the Demon Race and those demonic beasts who had their intelligence accelerated and started on the path of cultivation, this situation was unavoidable. There would always be animals gaining consciousness. Unless all animal and plant life were exterminated, nothing could stop it.
In the past decade or so, there have been continuous reports of beasts harming people across Divine Continent. Countless ordinary people, and even martial artists, were devoured by demonic beasts.
So, in Wang Boan's view, if the creation of the earthly Divine Dynasty was successful, the power of martial artists could be enhanced and they could kill more demonic beasts. This would prevent such occurrences as much as possible, saving countless lives.
"Self-cultivation, managing the state and family, achieving world peace," is the ideal of many Confucian disciples. As an outstanding disciple of the Confucian Gate, and the most able among them, he naturally shared this notion.
"Bo'an's vision surpasses ours, he truly deserves to be a great scholar who established his own school of thought in the Confucian Gate," Wang Qiong praised with a smile on his face.
Gu Ji echoed, "The talents of Brother Bo'an are naturally incomparable to mine. He will certainly become a great scholar of the Confucian Gate in the future. And Elder, your accomplishments can easily be compared to the ancients."
Although the three of them belong to the same faction in the court, Gu Ji was clear about his own standing. He never thought he could truly compete with the grand ambitions of the other two.
Wang Qiong, who had been advocating for military expeditions for decades and certain to be a significant figure in the history of the Great Ming, his accomplishments were self-evident.
Meanwhile, he, who was of the same generation was top-notch, not only making multiple contributions, but also creating his own school of thought in Confucian studies, becoming a renowned scholar among the literati.
If it were in the past, after his death, his school of thought may fall into disuse due to various reasons. But now with the prospect of longevity, the situation is entirely different.