Chapter 62 - 24 Immortal Hero Economics and Merit-Based System【Second Update

After being introduced to the Immortal Path by Zhen Chan, Wang Qi harbored a great doubt—could the spirit stone truly serve as currency? During a certain period, the amount of currency needed in circulation was directly proportional to the total price of goods, and inversely proportional to the velocity of money circulation. Too much or too little currency would cause economic chaos. And controlling the quantity of spirit stones was clearly difficult! The content of spiritual energy varied within each spirit stone, and without a universally accepted standard of value set by the Immortal Dao People, transactions were hard to conduct—this situation only improved after the invention of the "spirit pool." If the number of spirit stones on the market increased, their value would naturally decline. This could lead to a scenario where a cultivator, after ten years of secluded cultivation, emerged to find their lifelong savings worthless due to the discovery of a new vein of spirit stones. Conversely, if a vein of spirit stones were exhausted, the price of spirit stones might rise, and opportunists could hoard large quantities of spirit stones to accumulate wealth. Either scenario would deal a significant blow to the market. Because of the inability to ensure payment, alchemists would not readily refine pills for others, and artifact refiners would not easily refine tools for others. This would force a person to learn more and consequently have less time for cultivation, thereby creating a vicious cycle. In the end, a large number of cultivators whose progress was hindered by such scenarios might cast aside all restraint, attacking each other, transforming the scene from a "resource flow" to a "cannibalistic flow." In the eighty thousand years of Immortal Dao history, there had also been five catastrophic events caused by the large-scale depletion or discovery of mineral veins. However, Zhen Chan had also explained that most of the time, spirit stone veins were occupied by Great Sects. These Sects would consciously limit the outflow of spirit stones, with unlimited access restricted to core members of the Sect only. Yet this couldn't guarantee market stability. Ancient Method Practitioners needed spirit stones for cultivation, and it was unpredictable when they might need a large amount. Unlike on Earth, where currency couldn't be eaten or used directly—Earth People wouldn't tear up money just for the sake of fitness. Due to the fragile currency system, cultivators had always retained the primitive practice of bartering. However, to address this issue, the Immortal Dao had made adjustments in ancient times. The most typical situation was during the period when the Immortal Sects went into hiding. With no more than a hundred or so cultivators worldwide, resources were abundantly distributed per capita. Mortals merely heard of immortals, but none had ever seen one. But in doing so, the strength of the Human Clan was greatly weakened, with the Demon Clan occupying most of Shenzhou. Initially, the cultivator lords didn't care much. However, because the population was so small, many Sects couldn't find suitable disciples, eventually leading to the extinction of their lineage. The remaining few Sects then reverted to a "casting a broad net" method of cultivation training. Another solution was the Cultivation Dynasty. An imperial court formed by cultivating families governed all of Humanity and both the Immortal and Mortal realms. Only the Imperial Family, court officials, and soldiers were allowed to cultivate. Those outside the system weren't even eligible to cultivate. Upon finding anyone violating this rule, immediate execution would follow. This not only stabilized market prices but also preserved the Human Clan's strength against the Demon Clan, effecting a balance of benefits. But this system greatly fears the emergence of a "man-eating cultivator" demon. There have been three Cultivation Dynasties in history, two of which collapsed because several geniuses from the poorer classes, who practiced cannibalism, managed to reach Mahayana, leaving devastation in their wake. There was also an era caused by the collapse of Immortal Dao resulting in Demon Cultivators running rampant and practicing cultivation through cannibalism. During such times, mortal flesh largely replaced spirit stones. This was indeed a stable supply, and Immortal Dao flourished for a while because of it. However, Sects maintaining such practices severed their own legacy, and today they are no longer seen. Nowadays, the Immortal Alliance clearly possesses the means to continuously extract Spiritual Energy from the outer void yet these LARGE-SCALE methods are not widely applied due to this concern. Originally, the merit system was merely a military merit system created by the Immortal Alliance when it was founded to motivate its members. But after that technology was invented, the scope of the merit system was expanded, the value of items that merits could be exchanged for increased, and the exchange rate between merits and Spiritual Energy has been adjusted annually to prevent Cultivators from going bankrupt during fluctuations. Completing tasks required by the Immortal Alliance will grant you Immortal Alliance Points. Now, most items have a clear price on the Immortal Alliance's exchange list and the Alliance also allows members to trade with each other using merits. The core Sect of the Immortal Alliance itself can also adjust the number of merits available in the market through large-scale exchanges. Because the Immortal Alliance itself provides a guarantee, merits will one day replace the increasingly devalued Spiritual Energy as the most common currency in Immortal Dao. Having learned this, Wang Qi sighed, "The faction I belong to seeks long-term stability and ascending to immortality for all. It's certainly a good thing, but it also means I basically have no way to earn unrighteous wealth." Xiang Qi said, "It's not impossible to obtain a large amount of Immortal Alliance Points. Fortune comes with risks; you could go to Langde in the West Sea and join the battles against the Sea Demons, or search for remnants of Ancient Method Practitioners in the East Sea, which would rapidly rack up points." Wang Qi scoffed, "Senior Sister, please stop teasing me. Can a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator like me even do that?" "If you can gain the favor of a Great Grandmaster and join his team in exploring the Way of Heaven and Earth, earning merit becomes easy. The Immortal Alliance highly values this area, and earning points that way isn't less than fighting the demon clan or Ancient Cultivators," Xiang Qi genuinely considered her suggestion. "Since the Master of Calculation holds you in high regard, perhaps the Great Grandmaster of Wanfa Sect might accept you?" Wang Qi shook his head. He knew his own circumstances well. Xi Baiche probably found his simultaneous Cultivation of multiple Divine Skills interesting and recognized his talent, rather than his level of skill in mathematics. Wielding such flimsy leverage might cause Wanfa Sect to react adversely. Moreover, he harbored many secrets. Accepting public attention as a top student was already his limit; pushing further might lead to tragedy. Xiang Qi pondered, "How about trying to compile and submit to the Immortal Alliance your understanding of the Great Dao and deductions of Cultivation Techniques? The Immortal Alliance is particularly generous with its rewards in this area." At this suggestion, Wang Qi felt a slight temptation. The manuscript of Daoist of Uncertainty, one knew, held immense value; and his mind still held some of the most advanced results of Earth's physics. However, given that Daoist of Uncertainty held a universally condemned status within the Immortal Alliance, would handing over the manuscript lead to his demise, or his demise? And for the latter... what was the government's reaction on Earth when a middle school student suddenly produced theoretical results beyond their era? Besides, the known physical laws of the Shenzhou World had many similarities to Earth, but the physical quantity "Spiritual Energy" caused vast differences between the two worlds—who knew if the physical laws from his past life were still applicable at a deeper level? After rejecting several plans, Xiang Qi suddenly slapped her forehead, "How could I forget! You're still a new disciple at the Immortal Institute!" —————————————————————————————— Rolling around begging for recommendations! If no recommendations, I'll resort to acting cute!