Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Ping Daochuan's voice was placid, yet it failed to conceal his menacing intent. At his mere thought, the skies opened up in a downpour.

The might of a Fake Pill expert felt tangible.

This caused the hearts of both Pei Jingque and Zhu Ju to sink.

"Steward… Ping."

Pei Jingque pursed her lips, her voice slow.

"The Bright Void Sect will not shirk its duty to pay the Immortal Tax and support the Immortal Alliance in its fight against the Six Paths of the Demon Sect."

"But this tax…"

"It's just… far too high."

Although the Bright Void Sect's situation had improved compared to previous years, it was by no means prosperous. As the number of Sect Disciples grew, so too did expenditures, sometimes forcing them to live beyond their means.

They had few Spirit Stones on hand to begin with and simply couldn't shoulder such a heavy Immortal Tax.

"Sect Leader Pei must be joking."

Ping Daochuan said with a smirk:

"The Bright Void Sect has hundreds of disciples and three thousand vassals, the largest population of any Immortal Sect in the vicinity. If you can afford to support so many people, what's a trivial Immortal Tax?"

"Steward Ping." Pei Jingque's face went pale, her hands trembling as she held the Immortal Alliance decree.

"This Immortal Tax…"

"Is it calculated based on the number of people?"

"Correct," Ping Daochuan said.

"The amount of the Immortal Tax is determined by the number of Dao Foundation Cultivators and Qi Refining Disciples in an Immortal Sect."

"Sect Leader Pei."

He clasped his fists.

"The Bright Void Sect is the largest faction under my purview. The Immortal Tax cannot be short by even a little."

Pei Jingque swayed and took a sudden step back. She would have fallen if Zhu Ju hadn't caught her.

"Steward Ping."

Zhu Ju spoke:

"The Bright Void Sect couldn't bear to see the common people suffer, so we have been lenient in recruiting disciples. It is already a great struggle to support so many. A tax this heavy is difficult to accept."

"That is your problem." Ping Daochuan's brow furrowed deeply.

"Don't say I'm unreasonable. Out of consideration for our past dealings, I can extend the deadline for the Bright Void Sect's Immortal Tax payment by one month."

"If you don't pay by then…"

"The Immortal Alliance has its own enforcement squad!"

With that, he clasped his fists, shot them a meaningful glance, and transformed into a streak of light that soared into the heavens.

He left the two of them staring at each other under the curtain of rain.

After a long while.

Zhu Ju finally spoke slowly:

"It's only logical for the Immortal Alliance to provide material rewards to Cultivators who fight the Demon Dao on the front lines. Only then will Righteous Cultivators have the courage and willingness to confront the fiends of the Demon Dao."

"Proper rewards and punishments are the foundation of order."

Cultivators of the Righteous and Demon Daos clash. The fiends of the Demon Dao act without scruple, while Righteous Cultivators are more concerned with self-preservation.

And it's all because the Immortal Alliance is too weak.

If the Immortal Alliance offered substantial rewards for killing fiends of the Demon Dao, people would surely be willing to step up.

However… in Zhu Ju's opinion, it was a little too late.

If the Immortal Alliance had established these rules back when the Demon Dao was just gaining momentum, they could have suppressed its rampant growth.

Now, even with new rules to boost morale, the Righteous Cultivators are no longer a match for the Demon Dao.

"I know," Pei Jingque said with a bitter smile.

"I understand the principle, but such a heavy tax is simply too harsh. We can't come up with that many Spirit Stones on such short notice."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.

"Are we short by a lot?"

He hadn't been very involved in the Sect's management over the years, so he knew little about its current financial state.

Pei Jingque nodded slowly.

"Sigh!"

She sighed softly.

"Junior Brother, was I wrong?"

"It would have been so much better if I had listened to Junior Sister Liuu and Elder Zhai and kept the Sect's numbers under a thousand."

"What's done is done. There's no use talking about it," Zhu Ju said.

"The priority now is to figure out the Immortal Tax. I'm afraid the Immortal Alliance is looking to make an example out of someone to establish its authority."

"The Bright Void Sect absolutely cannot give them a reason."

Pei Jingque was silent.

"I still have the two Thousand-Year Spirit Elixirs I got from the Void Secret Realm last time," she said slowly after a moment of thought.

"They can be exchanged for some Spirit Stones."

"Senior Sister, you still have the Thousand-Year Spirit Elixirs from back then?" Zhu Ju looked surprised, then shook his head.

"Thousand-Year Spirit Elixirs are valuable, but that's just a drop in the ocean."

"Senior Sister."

He frowned and said:

"In Cultivation, a single person can hold off an army of ten thousand."

"If you were at the Late-Stage Dao Foundation, Senior Sister, the Bright Void Sect would have some leeway even if we were attacked by fiends from the Demon Dao."

"If you were Golden Core…"

"Ping Daochuan would never have been so arrogant, and today's matter would have been a triviality!"

'Pei Jingque is being too foolish,' Zhu Ju thought. 'How could she still be holding on to the Thousand-Year Spirit Elixirs?'

'She should have refined them into Elixirs and taken them long ago. Increasing her own strength is what's fundamental.'

"Junior Brother."

Pei Jingque's expression was complicated as she spoke slowly.

"I am not like you. I grew up in the Sect. The Bright Void Sect… is everything to me."

The two had vastly different attitudes toward the Sect.

Zhu Ju drew a clear line between his personal assets and the Sect's.

He didn't mind sharing a portion of the benefits he gained with the Sect's help, like the Spirit Wine business or spoils from Secret Realm explorations.

But if he obtained something without using the Sect's resources, then it belonged to him alone.

For example,

the spoils from killing Tribulation Cultivators, profits from business investments, and so on.

It was a relationship of mutual use.

Pei Jingque was different.

What was hers belonged to the Sect. What belonged to the Sect, of course, also belonged to the Sect. She would readily sacrifice her own interests for the good of the Sect.

It was because of this that even though Pei Jingque had reached the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation earlier than Zhu Ju and possessed greater Cultivation Talent, he had gradually caught up to her in Cultivation.

If she had been willing to use the Sect's resources to support herself, she probably would have reached the Late-Stage Dao Foundation long ago.

"What do we do now?"

Knowing that persuasion was useless, Zhu Ju asked:

"I do have some Spirit Stones. Why don't you take them, Senior Sister?"

"Forget it."

Pei Jingque shook her head.

"A small amount of Spirit Stones won't help. I'll go borrow from someone else. The Seeking Immortal Sect might be able to help."

The Seeking Immortal Sect had always been relatively wealthy, and with few disciples, paying the Immortal Tax wouldn't be difficult for them.

"Seeking Immortal Sect?" Zhu Ju thought for a moment, took a box out of his storage pouch, and handed it over.

"You can't go empty-handed."

"Oh!" Pei Jingque took the box, and her face lit up with surprise as she opened it.

"Foundation Establishment Pills!"

And six of them!

The value of Foundation Establishment Pills was climbing steadily. Six of them represented a considerable fortune.

"The Seeking Immortal Sect is desperate for Foundation Establishment Pills. With these, I'm certain I can borrow the Spirit Stones." Pei Jingque's face brightened.

"Junior Brother, thank you!"

"Once the Sect weathers this crisis, I'll find a way to repay you."

"Let's focus on solving this first," Zhu Ju said, waving his hand dismissively.

"After all, I'm also a member of the Sect."

"But the Immortal Tax is an annual affair. We can borrow Spirit Stones to get by this year, but what about the next?"

"Next year…" Pei Jingque sighed.

"By then, we should bring back some Spiritual Medicine from the Void Secret Realm. Maybe we can hold on for another year."

"We'll figure something out over the next couple of years. We'll manage to get through it."

Survive?

Perhaps they could survive, but Cultivation wasn't about just surviving.

Zhu Ju slowly shook his head.

*

*

*

GURGLE…

The teapot was steaming, its lid rattling continuously.

Zhu Ju reached out, grabbed the handle, and casually steeped the tea. He blew away the froth and took a small sip.

The crisp aroma filled his senses.

DONG…

A melodious bell tolled in the distance. He raised an eyebrow and, with a flick of his finger, sent a streak of light soaring into the sky.

Not long after.

An old man and a young boy were led to the stone pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu."

Patriarch Wuh Tian of the Wuh Family clasped his fists.

"Greetings."

"Fellow Daoist Wuh." Zhu Ju stood up to welcome them.

"What brings you to the Bright Void Sect today?"

The Wuh Family was on good terms with the Bright Void Sect and was one of the factions that went to the Void Secret Realm. However, on their way back last time, the Wuh Family was ambushed by Demon Cultivators and suffered heavy losses. Now, the entire family had only one newly advanced Dao Foundation Cultivator.

They even sold their slot for the Void Secret Realm to the Seeking Immortal Sect, a clear sign of their decline.

"Well…" Wuh Tian hesitated before speaking in a low voice.

"To be honest, I have come to borrow some Spirit Stones. The Wuh Family can no longer afford to pay the Immortal Tax."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju frowned.

"The Immortal Tax is based on numbers. The Wuh Family doesn't have many Cultivators, so your tax shouldn't be high."

"In theory, yes," Wuh Tian said with a bitter smile.

"Unfortunately…"

"The Immortal Alliance also has a minimum fee. Even for families and sects with few disciples, there is a set quota. For the Wuh Family, this amount is an astronomical sum we simply cannot afford."

"Is that how it is?" Zhu Ju looked surprised, then shook his head in resignation.

"Patriarch Wuh, the Bright Void Sect wishes it could help, but we are powerless to do so."

"Do you know where my Sect Leader has gone?"

"Hm?" Wuh Tian was taken aback.

"Where has she gone?"

"The Seeking Immortal Sect," Zhu Ju said with a bitter smile.

"To borrow Spirit Stones."

"…" Wuh Tian's expression was complicated. After a long pause, he sighed and pulled the boy forward.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu, this boy's name is Wuh Lei. Although he doesn't have an Innate Dao Body, his Talent is exceptional."

"He is thirteen years old and has already achieved the Innate Realm. He should be able to reach Nine Acupoints Perfection before he turns fifty. I wonder if he might be able to join the Bright Void Sect?"

"Oh!" Zhu Ju's eyes showed his amazement.

"An Innate at thirteen… At his age, I have no idea what I was doing. Truly enviable."

"However, the Bright Void Sect hasn't been recruiting for the past few years. Patriarch Wuh, why not try the Profound Clarity Sect or Star-Picking Tower?"

"How could an Immortal Sect of that stature take an interest in a child of my family?" Wuh Tian shook his head, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then took his leave.

Watching their retreating figures, Zhu Ju was lost in thought.

'The Wuh Family…'

'Are they planning to disband the family to evade the Immortal Tax?'

Wuh Tian wasn't a fool. He must have known he couldn't borrow Spirit Stones from the Bright Void Sect. His true purpose was to secure a future for the next generation.

The Bright Void Sect was not strong among the many Immortal Sects.

But its lineage was excellent.

One might even call it remarkable.

But at this time, the Bright Void Sect could barely take care of itself and was in no position to take in people from other families.

Moreover…

If the Wuh Family was truly planning to disband to evade the Immortal Tax, it might not even work.

......

「A few days later.」

Dong Yuelan of the Hundred Flowers Sect came to visit.

She took a large gulp of Spirit Wine, her face flushing red.

"Immortal Tax! Immortal Tax!"

"All I hear these days is 'Immortal Tax!' I don't mind the Immortal Alliance collecting taxes, but this is just too damn harsh!"

"Indeed," Zhu Ju agreed.

"How is the Hundred Flowers Sect faring?"

"The Immortal Alliance 'invited' us not to relocate south for now. They're probably afraid we'll skip out on the tax," Dong Yuelan said with a sneer.

"This year's Immortal Tax isn't the problem. The problem is that it's going to be like this every single year. That's what's going to be unbearable."

"Dammit…"

"This Immortal Tax has me so stressed lately, I've even considered selling my body for Spirit Stones."

"By the way."

She cursed, then turned her head to look at him.

"Fiends of the Demon Dao have been spotted nearby. The people from the Immortal Alliance made it clear: no protection for anyone who doesn't pay the Immortal Tax."

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