A martial saint, a practitioner of the second highest level of martial arts, is far beyond ordinary people. With a lifespan of 10,000 years, they probably can no longer be considered the same species as humans. In fact, some scientists of this world have already claimed to prove that pure mortals cannot produce children with individuals whose strength surpasses the Radiation Realm.
Technically speaking, it is practically extremely difficult for people with such a vast difference in strength to engage in intimate relationships or produce offspring, for obvious reasons. When involved in such relationships, a single wrong move or moment of carelessness from a martial artist of the Martial Saint realm could completely crush their partner into a pulp. Even if they suppress their cultivation level when engaged in the 'practice' of the art of yin and yang together, once 'practice' ends, the consequences could be devastating; a single sperm from a martial saint can be deadly to a woman with a low or no martial arts realm. The difference in power is so immense that the full strength of a pure mortal pales in comparison to even a single sperm from a martial saint. Not to mention, after the end of the yin-yang practice, there would be far more than a single sperm.
If the roles are reversed, with the female partner being the martial artist, the outer shell of her egg would be too strong for a pure mortal's sperm to break into it.
Even imagining a scenario where all of these challenges are overcome through advanced techniques, a more fundamental issue remains—the DNA of martial artists is no longer the same as that of pure humans. Through intense cultivation, their bodies have undergone immense changes, altering even their DNA.
Spices whose DNA is different cannot produce offspring together; this is a proven fact in this world.
Even if the DNA issue were to be resolved, pregnancy remains impossible. In the case of a male martial artist and a female pure mortal, the fetus would require a tremendous amount of resources, which a mortal mother simply cannot provide. In such a case, the fetus would likely drain the mother dry, resulting in the death of both mother and child within days.
A fetus with a powerful martial arts father has DNA that makes it extremely powerful when born, but to reach that level, the mother must be strong enough to be able to produce the necessary resources.
If the female martial artist were to carry the child of a pure mortal, the fetus would fail even to reach the 10th week; the body of a strong martial artist is not something a weak fetus can survive in; massive high-level energy and resources are beneficial for features produced by two powerful martial arts, but for a pure mortal fetus, it's like fire, extremely deadly.
In general, the children of martial artists are born privileged. From birth, they are usually as strong as an innate master; the offspring of Martial Gods may even possess the strength of a Radiation Realm practitioner from the moment of birth.
However, the chance of giving birth decreases as one ascends and gets stronger. As a result, most high-level martial artists remain childless.
At the level of martial gods, one can easily change one's gender and sex; at that level, being male or female is a choice; the soul is neutral, without gender; therefore, once one changes one's physique, that person can be considered to have their gender without any flaw; it is also possible for them to have a child with themselves; from this, it can be said that the issue with martial saints and martial gods not having children is not lack of partner, but lack of interest..
...
Mike, now a martial saint, nodded to himself. It was time to travel to the capital.
"Are you really leaving?" Eryndor asked, sadness evident in his voice. Since Mike had stayed in his room, Eryndor had come to like him—not just as a source of money, but as a friend.
Mike was quiet and caused no trouble. Losing such a companion was indeed a sad event.
Mike nodded and said, "I plan to explore the forests for a bit. Don't worry; I'll most likely come back here at some point." Mike had grown fond of the peaceful environment, and he decided to return whenever he planned to make a breakthrough.
...
Even with his near-infinite lifespan, Mike still hated wasting time. He took out the map he had bought from the caravan and started walking.
The forests of the southern continent were known to be dangerous. Aside from a few residential areas, most regions were infested with powerful monsters.
Travelling through the forest without at least a Nascent Soul or Martial Saint guard was considered suicide. Fortunately, Mike met that requirement. As a martial saint with no one to protect, he could at least escape any danger if he couldn't defeat his opponent.
...
The government of the southern continent was one of the most complicated governing systems in the world—possibly the universe!
The capital, known as Wide Forest City, housed the executive branch, the spiritual branch, and the monarchy. Meanwhile, the neighbouring summer capital, Peak City, housed the military branch, judicial branch, senate, congress, and the House of Elders.
The winter capital, Beach City, located far from both the main capital and the summer capital, housed the parliament, the Supreme Appeals Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, and the Supreme Constitutional Court. The parliament was part of the legislative branch, but the courts were each considered independent branches of the government.
In addition, many states had their own parliaments. Any law passed by a state parliament applied not only to that state but to the entire country—unless the prime minister challenged it in both the constitutional court and House of Elders, and at least one agreed and paused implementation, or if two-thirds of congressmen voted against the law after the president challenged it.
If two legislative bodies pass contradictory laws, the law passed by the higher authority takes precedence. For instance, a law passed by Congress overrides one passed by a state parliament. However, Congress could also be overridden if the Senate and the parliament, located in the summer capital, voted against it by an absolute majority.
The prime minister was selected by the parliament, the president by the senate, and the king by the Congress and the House of Elders. Executive power was divided between the three, making the system so complicated that only a few insiders and expert lawyers truly understood who controlled what.
The Supreme Constitutional Court was half-selected by the parliament in the summer capital, one-quarter by the president, and one-quarter by the king. However, parliament could only choose from a list of six candidates sent by the Senate. If parliament rejected all six, the matter went to Congress, which would have full authority to select whoever they wanted. The Supreme Administrative Court's members were chosen solely by the prime minister, while the Supreme Appeals Court's members were selected by the president.
The judiciary, located in the main capital, had the authority to adjudicate criminal and civil cases. It had its own court of appeals and supreme court. However, appeals in civil matters were sent to the Supreme Appeals Court in the summer capital.
All of the above was only the most straightforward part of the government. Things became much more complicated at the lower levels.
Each ministry had its own appointing committee. For example, the Minister of Interior's appointment committee consisted of two people chosen by the king, three by the president, three nominated by the prime minister, three appointed by the judiciary, and four appointed by the military. Additionally, two people were selected randomly from a pool of supernatural masters above the Nascent level, plus any supernatural masters with the power of the Perfection Realm or higher. The two nominees from the prime minister had to be confirmed by parliament. If parliament failed to confirm them, the appointments went to the president.
The appointing committee had the power to appoint the minister, but the minister did not take orders from the committee. Instead, they answered to the prime minister, with approval from the president and consent from the king. Even if the minister refused to comply with their orders, none of the three had the power to remove them.
Each ministry also had its own 'firing commission.' For instance, the Interior Ministry's firing commission consisted of five people appointed by the president, five by the king, and eight nominated by the prime minister. However, the prime minister's nominees required confirmation from parliament.
By design, the firing commissions were only active one month per year, and the membership rotated annually to prevent abuse of power. Positions below the minister also had their own sub-commissions. For example, the hiring sub-commission for the Ministry of Interior was responsible for recruiting personnel. It had ten members appointed by the minister, five by the Ministry of Government Administration, and six others appointed by three other ministries on a rotational basis.
In conclusion, the government of the southern continent was as efficient as a wind turbine placed in the depths of the ocean.
...
"What a mess!" Mike thought. He had arrived at the capital a few days ago and inquired about the government. What he found astonished him. He wondered how such an inefficient system could even survive.