Chapter 101: The Loan Begins, Global Debt

Time flowed like a river, and before one knew it, three months had passed.

By now, the world had already changed beyond recognition.

Everyone was learning the language of the Celestial Empire.

Everyone was waiting for the dramas.

And as for the forbidden lands, every so often one would be exposed, after which large expeditions would go in to clear them.

There were joys, there were sorrows, and there were casualties as well, dousing much of the public’s fervor with cold water.

What astonished people most of all was the exposure of the cultivation world.

Whether a heritage still endured or had already been severed, evidence was brought forth, and in return the government granted favorable treatment.

What was frustrating, however, was that these traditions had also begun to teach. Yet the results were pitiful. Tens of thousands accumulated to pursue cultivation, and for months not a single person had sensed spiritual energy, not even in the very places where spiritual energy had been born.

It was obvious that the path of immortals was, from the start, a great road chosen by only one in a thousand. Even with talent, one needed comprehension, and one had to begin from childhood, building foundation and accumulation over time; otherwise this road could not be traveled at all.

So if the immortal path would not open, then the martial path was all the more anticipated.

After all, in films and television dramas, there were few immortals, but martial artists were everywhere.

Even if they were not as overwhelming as cultivators, it was still a transcendent road.

From the things already revealed, one could tell that if martial arts were trained to the extreme, they too could become great divine powers.

Amid such expectation, several martial dramas, all worked on day and night, were quickly filmed to more than a dozen episodes each, and the early editing and special effects were completed.

Zhang Kai seized the momentum and had these dramas submitted for review first.

And this time, the review would be scored by the broad audience. Everyone registered in Earth Home could vote, but each person only had one vote. The one with the most votes and the highest praise would take the crown.

The moment this was announced, the onlookers immediately grew interested.

Anything, once people are allowed to take part in it, is enough to arouse their enthusiasm.

And such a historic event, one that could leave a mark on the annals of time, was even more thrilling.

The schedule was set, and the broadcasts would all be carried by the national film and television channels of each country.

This was destined to surpass the viewership of any age before it.

Time passed step by step, and at last, when everyone’s anticipation had reached its peak, the dramas went on air.

There were six in all.

All of them bore the name of martial arts.

Yet their contents were different, and each unfolded in its own way.

The first three episodes aired back to back, with audience interaction and a voting page set up as well.

Zhang Kai was watching too.

All six played at once, and he observed them in silence.

Very soon, however, he set aside the other five and focused on one in particular.

This one had a strong flavor of old Hong Kong and Taiwanese martial arts films. The combat was not limp and feeble; the techniques were sharp, the movements fluid, and the special effects especially pleasing, not gaudy or excessive. It made Zhang Kai think of the Commander of the Left from A Chinese Ghost Story.

Only something like this truly matched Zhang Kai’s standards for martial arts.

Looking closer, Zhang Kai smiled.

Sure enough, most of the characters in this drama were veteran actors from the old martial arts dramas and films of the past. Each had a style of his own, perfectly displaying martial arts that suited their individual natures. It was a pleasure to watch.

Then Zhang Kai checked the ratings, and sure enough, the public’s eyes were sharp.

From the very beginning, this drama had pulled far ahead of the others.

By the time the first three episodes ended, it had become a dark horse and left the rest far behind.

Seeing this, Zhang Kai also instructed Bone-Melting Dragon to release the martial arts system that had long since been prepared.

Health cultivation as the foundation; the Five Elements as the basis; Daoist, Buddhist, demonic, and uncanny arts as branches and veins. It was a complete system, within which were many well-known martial techniques.

There were also paths of magic, battle aura, beast taming, and martial soul cultivation.

In an instant, this system stole the spotlight from the dramas, and countless people rushed in, eyes red with excitement.

But very soon, everyone was left dumbfounded.

A cultivation system, exchangeable on credit?

The basic categories were open only to nations. Any country could borrow ten billion points and exchange them for the corresponding basic manual in a given category.

Beyond the basics, individuals could then exchange for attribute-specific martial arts. Yet all the martial arts cultivation methods revealed carried rules: those who exchanged for them were forbidden to privately pass them on to anyone outside their immediate kin. Once discovered, the offender would have nine generations of family and three generations of descendants locked out, barred from receiving any benefit from Earth Home, and even denied the right to log in.

The capitalists simply wanted to block the road before they could make money.

As for whether anyone believed it, they would know once they tried. After all, with an artificial intelligence of Bone-Melting Dragon’s caliber, monitoring the entire world was as easy as looking at the lines in one’s own palm.

Moreover, all martial arts-related items Zhang Kai provided came with point requirements if they were useful, and there was also a reputation value system. It was effectively the national credit system being borrowed for use. Those with low reputation would also be shut out by Earth Home and could only watch others grow strong.

Now that Earth Home stood alone in overwhelming dominance, no one could control it. Naturally, it would set its own rules. If someone was dissatisfied, they need not use it. As for moral coercion, they could say whatever they liked.

Sure enough, after the announcement, the world erupted. Countless people cursed Earth Home, with every manner of accusation flying in all directions.

Love runs deep, and hatred cuts deep as well.

They had shown people hope, and then pulled this stunt. Had they not promised to let humanity play along? Was this how they meant to play? This was outright cheating.

Some, in an agitated state, even openly provoked Earth Home, asking the Ultraman race what it meant. Was this an attempt to enslave the human race?

Bone-Melting Dragon gave a direct reply: “The Ultraman race does not interfere in human development. If humanity has a need, it may come to exchange for it. This is the rule of giving and return; it is a transaction, and neither side owes the other. Any influence this has on human development is a matter of good and evil for each to bear alone. This is the fairest principle in the universe. If you think otherwise, do as you please. Indeed, Earth Home can even offer a choice: if more than half of all people are unwilling to accept trade with the Ultraman race, then the Ultraman race will immediately withdraw everything, leave Earth, and absolutely will not forcibly interfere with human self-development.”

The moment this was said, everyone fell silent.

Moral blackmail?

Please.

To humans, chickens and ducks were merely livestock. To the Ultraman race, humans were no different from chickens and ducks.

That they were willing to produce cultivation methods that could benefit humanity was already an act of grace. And yet people still wanted them to give it away for free? Had they no shame at all?

Perhaps there were still many who felt self-righteous and wanted to argue further.

But before Zhang Kai’s side even needed to act, each country moved on its own and began arresting people in the real world.

Damn it. It was one thing to be a keyboard warrior online as in the past, but something that could affect a nation’s future, and they still dared to spout nonsense? Did they really think that using a pen name would make them impossible to find?

If you did not want to cultivate, others did. If you delayed the nation’s great affairs, then straight to a permanent little room you went, with free food and lodging for your retirement.

Compared with ordinary people, the higher levels of government naturally saw farther.

That very day, all nations chose to exchange.

Not just one exchange, but every type they could, so that development could proceed in a comprehensive way. As a result, every country immediately incurred debts of hundreds of billions of points.

Fortunately, each nation also had its own arrangements. Teaching basic martial arts would certainly require tuition, and tuition, of course, had to be paid in points. One student alone might not amount to much, but with many students the points would add up. There might even be a profit.

In addition, if a student showed exceptional talent, tuition could naturally be waived, but once that student grew, he would have to serve the nation in order to make up for it. In this way, the nation would also be helping itself identify talent.

Right after the exchange, the Ministry of Education issued an order on the Celestial Empire’s side: schools were to add martial arts classes, and all unnecessary homework and subject categories were to be removed in order to give children more time for martial cultivation.

The nation would also provide a certain amount of cultivation aids for the schools’ martial arts classes.

Naturally, these cultivation aids were also exchanged from Earth Home, and they were the real big-ticket item. A single Great Rejuvenation Pill, one that could increase the inner force of an entire family, cost fifty thousand points. It could forge a master, but for a population of over a billion, it was far too few. Yet if diluted and used by a group of children to lay foundations, it could select true martial prodigies and build reserves of martial talent, and that was far more worthwhile.

Especially after obtaining the basic martial arts, people came to understand that to contend with the inhuman, inner force was only the beginning. Only true qi, above inner force, possessed real killing power.

And a Spirit Pearl, capable of converting inner force into true qi but lasting only one month, cost one hundred thousand points each.

These were all things that had appeared in the dramas. To take things from dramas other people had filmed and then sell them back to those same people—the conscience of a capitalist was indeed bright red.