Chapter 724: Chapter 723: Chen Tang City Now

Having experienced a new span of one hundred years, it’s apparent that the changes to Chen Tang City are not merely limited to the physical.

In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the present state of Chen Tang City, Li Jing chose to ascend to the "essence" of the city, the Sky City, which had been transformed into the "Office" central hall more than a hundred years ago.

When he left, it was just a bustling central hall functioning as an administrative office.

The once quiet Sky City was now filled with bustling crowds, and many halls had undergone modern transformation.

Everything was thriving. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

However, awkwardly enough

After arriving, Li Jing realized

At a glance, he did not recognize any familiar faces.

The same was true in the air.

As well as on the ground.

If Fire Phoenix and Blue Phoenix had not come out of the Zhenyuan Tower, he wouldn’t have been able to recognize even one familiar face.

It wasn’t because his memory was poor.

It was because there were just too many new faces in Chen Tang City.

Previously, he had attempted to survey the scene.

Not only could he not find anyone he recognized, but also, no one seemed to recognize him, the master of Chen Tang City.

Regretfully, his presence as the master seemed quite weak.

But it was no surprise.

After all, he had been away for over a hundred years.

In the span of a hundred years,

It was not just the people and material things within Chen Tang City that had changed, it was more complex than that.

Of course,

Saying that there was no one in Chen Tang City that Li Jing knew was simply because he had not run into them during his brief exploration.

Actually, all of his old acquaintances were around, just scattered throughout various locations within Chen Tang City, hence why he did not run into any of them.

Li Jing confirmed this with his divine consciousness.

Though, he did not sense Liu Sisi and the others in Chen Tang City.

In the end, he chose to go to the central hall.

Liu Sisi and Jiang Yini, who had returned before him, had disappeared somewhere, but most of his close aides like his deputy head Li Lingyin were still there.

Li Jing came to the central hall to look for Li Lingyin.

After all, she was Chen Tang City’s "workhorse" that he had personally appointed. In the past two hundred years, she had been in charge of all matters within the City.

If he wanted to understand the present state of Chen Tang City, going through Li Lingyin was no doubt the best choice.

As he entered the central hall, Li Jing initiated Silent Shadow.

He had no choice.

Although Chen Tang City didn’t have many rules, certain propriety was observed.

Li Lingyin’s office was at the furthest end of the central hall, a place not simply anyone could stroll into without reason.

With no one recognizing him and vice versa, if Li Jing were to be stopped, it would be awkward to ask "Do you know who I am?"

Doing less is better than doing more.

Especially on his own turf.

Once he reached the deepest part of the central hall, Li Jing stood in front of the master’s office, looking left and right to confirm there were no people around before deactivating Silent Shadow. Then he softly knocked on the door.

After two "knocks," Li Lingyin’s voice rang out from inside the office.

"Come in. *Burp*."

Hearing her response, Li Jing couldn’t help but smile.

Li Lingyin was still her old self.

She couldn’t go without her liquor.

Considering her burping while talking, she must have drunk quite a bit.

Without further consideration, Li Jing opened the door.

There were others in the office, not just Li Lingyin.

Essentially, this spacious office was not exclusively hers.

First, there was the position belonging to Li Jing, the leader, followed by seven other luxurious workstations.

Who these belonged to, Li Jing honestly didn’t know.

When he left, there were not so many workstations.

Only after he had appointed Li Lingyin, did Yulian, who had retreated to the secondary line, get one, and Ye Piaoran, whom he "picked up" and assigned as Li Lingyin’s administrative assistant, have one in this office.

At this point, the one who was with Li Lingyin in the office was none other than Ye Piaoran.

There was a time when Ye Piaoran, who was obsessed with transforming herself through the Formless Divine Skill, now seemed to have given up on this pursuit, sitting there in her true form.

This...

Hmm.

As always, she remained unflappable.

As Li Jing entered the room, Li Lingyin, who was slumped in her chair like a pile of mud with a wine gourd in hand, was taken aback, and so was Ye Piaoran.

After all, their Sect Leader had disappeared for over a hundred years.

Although they knew he was alive and well, and had learned from Gui Ya over the past few decades that he had gone to Earth, it was still a surprise for both Li Lingyin and Ye Piaoran when he returned unexpectedly.

Seeing the two women in the office staring blankly at him, Li Jing smiled.

"Lingyin, Piaoran, it’s been a long time."

At his words, Ye Piaoran and Li Lingyin responded in turn.

"Long time? It’s been over a hundred years, hasn’t it?"

Li Lingyin got up, turned and flopped onto the couch, patting the seat next to her.

Time has flown by, but the carefree Li Lingyin has never changed.

Compared to Li Lingyin’s casual attitude, Ye Piaoran exuded composure and steadiness.

She got up and gave a faint smile to Li Jing, then said in a low voice,

"Brother Li, please sit with Sister Lingyin for a while. I will go down to the tea garden to fetch some fresh Spirit Leaves to make tea for you."

"Sure."

Li Jing nodded with a smile, glancing at Li Lingyin who was sprawled on the couch exuding the smell of wine, and felt a bit regretful.

How did that saying go?

Without comparison, there’s no understanding of the extent of the damage.

Being unaffected by the ravages of time could be interpreted as staying true to oneself.

But Li Lingyin’s original intentions, in all honesty, might be better off forgotten.

Instead of sitting next to Li Lingyin, Li Jing sat down on the couch opposite her.

Li Lingyin didn’t seem to mind, and sat up straight to ask,

"What about Earth?"

"Spiritual Qi has revived."

Li Jing responded.

"Spiritual Qi revival?"

Li Lingyin raised an eyebrow.

Before she could ask further, Li Jing opened his domain and touched her with a finger.

Seeing this, Li Lingyin didn’t resist.

Consequently,

She received part of Li Jing’s memories from his time on Earth.

As for his identity as a world watcher and everything about the Divine Domain and the Top Three Items, Li Jing didn’t share these with her. He only shared what happened before and after the revival of the Spiritual Qi on Earth.

For Li Jing,

Being a world watcher and everything that came with this role was a burden.

No mention of his time on Earth.

In Chen Tang City, he didn’t want too many people to know about it.

Aside from a few originals in Chen Tang City, everyone else was just an ordinary cultivator.

Li Lingyin, for instance, was perhaps more superior and had a more complex background.

As for the world watcher, it was too far removed for them.

Li Jing didn’t want this identity to affect their interactions.

By giving Li Lingyin part of his memories from Earth, Li Jing was able to access fragments of Chen Tang City’s development trend over the past century from her mind.

It was fortunate that it was Li Lingyin.

If it were someone else, even if they cooperated fully, he wouldn’t be able to find the memories he needed so accurately.

Human memory is complex.

Over a span of more than a hundred years, a person can have many varied experiences.

Not so with Li Lingyin.

This one.

Was pure enough.

Apart from managing affairs related to Chen Tang City, drinking was all she had in her life...

Even if ordinary cultivators had secluded cultivation for a hundred years, they would at least have complex cultivation experiences and insights. However, she was different.

On one hand, for her, drinking alcohol was cultivation.

On the other hand, her Path of the Wine God, a rather unconventional Divinity Taoist cultivation, only awoke insights after extensive drinking leading to intoxication. Upon waking, Li Lingyin would forget all about them.

Of course.

Forgetting does not mean that these insights are entirely lost.

The uniqueness of the Path of the Wine God lies here.

All insights obtained during cultivation would manifest in the inherent instincts of the cultivator, easily absorbed without the need for deliberate digestion.

Having obtained Li Lingyin’s memories, Li Jing tried to eliminate unnecessary parts, digesting them as much as possible.

Over the past hundred years.

All aspects of Chen Tang City have developed quite smoothly.

Various businesses and activities which only achieved preliminary modernization in the Immortal Realm in the last century due to constraints flourished everywhere all at once.

It is necessary to emphasize.

The above was not due to gradual improvement in the modernization level of the Immortal Realm. Instead, it was because an increasing number of cultivators were ascending from the Blue Star.

They not only brought scientific technology far superior to that which Li Jing originally brought to the Immortal Realm, but they also brought various pre-existing devices, instruments, and other hardware. Combined with the technology developed by Chen Tang City, this facilitated a leap in the overall technology level of the Immortal Realm.

Because no cultivators had ascended from Blue Star for an extended period in the past, all those who have ascended in recent years without exception chose to settle in Chen Tang City.

They were not foolish.

Chen Tang City was already the most influential power in the Immortal Realm.

Staying in Chen Tang City guarantees safety, stability, and various substantial benefits.

Going elsewhere to develop, they might not even survive.

The presence of Chen Tang City has significantly altered the entire environment in the Immortal Realm.

However, only the living conditions had changed, not the cultural level.

The Immortal Realm still respected the strong.

Hostilities, power struggles, and disputes among the cultivators were still continuously happening in every corner of the Immortal Realm.

This was not something that Chen Tang City could change.

Even opportunities to cooperate with Chen Tang City are now the most fiercely contested in the whole of the Immortal Realm.

The related benefits are enormous, and everyone was tempted.

Chen Tang City was also a steady collaborator.

You don’t have to worry about betraying Chen Tang City or Chen Tang City betraying you.

Once a cooperation agreement is reached, to some extent, you can get the protection of Chen Tang City.

Setting these aside.

The increasing number of ascension cultivators from Blue Star brought not only various post-modern technologies to Chen Tang City, but also provided a massive amount of field-specialized talents to fulfill various operating needs.

Backed by Chen Tang City’s substantial efforts in cultivating talents, the various developments of the last hundred years can be described as ’success due to favorable conditions’.

Under such circumstances, Ji Qing long ago gave up the software development industry, entrusting it to professional practitioners who have ascended from Earth. She went ahead to establish the largest gaming company in the Immortal Realm, prioritizing mobile games with a secondary focus on online games.

Tong Xiaoxiao, in collaboration with businessmen who had ascended, broke the existing framework of the Ta Xue Trading Company. She brought the Blue Star’s influential spiritual object trading industry and online shopping platform to the Immortal Realm.

Advancing online and offline simultaneously, Tong Xiaoxiao fundamentally crushed all existing businesses in the Immortal Realm, forcing them to join into her trade.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

This is entirely normal.

They also have to make a living.

In the past, fierce business competition often resulted in assassinations and hiring of thugs. But when it comes to Tong Xiaoxiao, backed by the colossal entity of Chen Tang City, no one dared to contemplate outrageous ideas.

More importantly.

The spiritual object trading industry and online platform that Tong Xiaoxiao developed were irresistible.

With the enormous network provided by Chen Tang City, merchants were no longer restricted to their own shops or branches within the Earth Realm. It was easy for them to do business across the vast stretches of land.

There were many more incidents that changed due to the appearance of cultivators ascending from the Blue Star. Basically, while bringing profits to Chen Tang City, these events significantly accelerated the pace of the Immortal Realm’s shift towards a modern society.

Through Li Lingyin’s memory, Li Jing also found out.

Shortly after he left, Yulian ascended from Jiu Li and began to vigorously propel the development of the entertainment industry.

Not only did she return to her original career of pursuing her tool man, Jiu Li, but she also pulled in Liu Sisi and Chen Yuran. Moreover, she even reeled in the original corpse immortal, Ye Qingyu, as the mainstay artist of her company. Seventy years ago, she produced a series of movies starring him.

The lead actor, the original Corpse Immortal.

The drama, The Original Corpse Immortal.

Would you watch it, or not?

how many people in the vast Immortal Realm have seen the real original Corpse Immortal?

Yulian was ruthless.

She matter-of-factly had Ye Qingyu appear as the original Corpse Immortal.

When everyone came to know that there was a powerful and mysterious primordial existence in Chen Tang City, the reverence of the entire Chen Tang City in the Immortal Realm rose by countless levels.

A Primordial that stays in the open.

Compared to the elusive Fox Demon Empress Master Jiu, it exudes far more intimidation.

Now, Liu Sisi and others are not in Chen Tang City because they have taken the entire film crew to Beiming Immortal Domain to shoot the thirtieth installment of the Primordial Corpse Immortal series.

Jiang Yini, who came back about a decade earlier, is also with Liu Sisi now, and has even scored a role as the second female lead in the film.

Knowing all of this, Li Jing wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

He had expected Yulian to get back into her old line of work.

Money doesn’t matter, though.

Primarily, Yulian enjoys the entertainment industry.

Because he foresaw this, Li Jing had even prepared a role for her.

But as it appears now,

With a pillar like Ye Qingyu, it would be hard to compete.

Especially after the solidification of seventy years, the entertainment industry that Yulian fostered had reached its peak.

In the hundred years prior, Chen Tang City was doing "dominating businesses".

The key point was that nobody else had the ability to duplicate what they did back then.

But in the recent hundred years, due to the push of modernization, people in the Immortal Realm were gradually adapting to modern life.

The various aspects involved in Chen Tang City’s affairs provided the people in the Immortal Realm to step in, be it more or less.

The essence was not to persist in doing "dominating business", but to change the overall environment of the Immortal Realm, attracting more and more people to participate and achieve diversification in the related industries was what they wished for.

As for the entertainment industry promoted by Yulian, the importance of diversification goes without saying.

Even if Yulian expands the entertainment industry to its fullest extent, she could only produce three to five movies a year at most. The scripts could not merely be developed by Jiu Li alone.

It’s truly hard to boost the entertainment industry chain based on the effort of a single entity.

What deserves mentioning is...

Yulian, Liu Sisi, and Chen Yuran teamed up to dabble in entertainment, while not neglecting their cultivation.

Without Li Jing’s "assistant", the three of them had already stepped into the Fourteenth Realm through their innate talents, crossing over the Thirteen Realms.

In general,

Chen Tang City’s development has been very rapid over the past hundred years.

However, the actual...

The most reliable set of people around Li Jing has already joined the play......

Ji Qing delves into gaming as it is his hobby.

Yulian delves into the entertainment industry because it’s also her hobby.

Liu Sisi, Chen Yuran, and Jiang Yini are just going along for the ride.

Of course,

We can’t just say that they’re not doing any serious work. It is indeed needed to modernize the Immortal Realm.

One thing that needs to be discussed is.

The person who has made significant contributions to Chen Tang City in the past hundred years is Wina.

She quickly adapted to Chen Tang City after arrival and, with the support of Li Lingyin and Yulian (who was still in charge back then), she even founded the Li Space Passage Construction Company.

Wina, who possesses the Spatial God Power and has advanced to the Sixteenth Realm, can set up a spatial passage that leads to anywhere in the Immortal Realm.

Her appearance skipped the stage of establishing rapid transportation in the vast Immortal Realm and entered directly into the era of space travel.

How huge is the influence of this change on the Immortal Realm?

In the past, it was remarkable if some major city in the Immortal Realm had a teleportation array.

Not to mention the inconvenience of teleportation, there were also restrictions.

Often, they needed to teleport ten or twenty times to reach a distant spot.

The expenses it incurred were too much for many people to afford.

The specificity of the teleportation array determined that low-level cultivators or ordinary people cannot use it.

Aside from other matters,

The essence of using the teleportation array to leap across space relies on the connection between arrays, not purely on the spatial passage, and it will burden those who are teleported in the process.

For high-level cultivators, it’s trivial, but for low-level cultivators and ordinary people, it was too much to bear.

Thanks to the spatial passages established by Wina,

Even ordinary people can use it without any hindrance.

In the blink of an eye, they can reach the spot linked by the passage. What’s more, under Wina’s meticulous design, they can even get off halfway at specific "stations".

...