Leo opened his eyes and was greeted by the beautiful face of Wang Xuanwei. Turning around, he found himself beside another striking figure, Chen Xuanfeng—his other summon, who had also been required to change her appearance to that of a beautiful young woman.
"The world is beautiful!" Leo smiled, stretching. After testing his new harem members the previous night, he could now confidently say they far surpassed his companions in his former world. There are many advantages, including their absolute loyalty, and thanks to Wang Xuanwei's remarkable transformation abilities, they are essentially custom-made. If Leo is ever dissatisfied with any aspect, he can simply instruct them to adjust their appearance to his liking.
"Master?" Wang Xuanwei murmured, her eyes fluttering open, a trace of worry in her gaze as though afraid she might have done something wrong; As an old man playing the role of a young woman, he wasn't entirely sure if he had done everything right the previous night.
"Get dressed, both of you. We're going to look around," Leo instructed. After a night of indulging in the heavenly milk produced by Wang Xuanwei, he had fully regained his adult 18- year old body and was eager to explore.
...
"There are five dynasties that govern this world: the Eternal Peace Kingdom, Celestial Mountain Empire, Vermilion Dragon Dynasty, Golden Lotus Kingdom, and the Eastern Cloud Empire," the royal teacher explained to Leo. "Each dynasty is protected by a half-step Celestial Ascension Realm cultivator. Besides these five forces, there are also smaller factions, but they are not comparable to the main dynasties."
"In addition to these dynasties, there are also sects," he continued. "Sects differ from kingdoms and empires. Dynasties are rulers, controlling land, setting laws, and acting as the top powers. Sects, on the other hand, aren't rulers; they are under the jurisdiction of the dynasty in which they're located."
"Sects essentially serve as the dynasties' barracks. They exist within each kingdom, and, in times of war, they are duty-bound to support the dynasty with their full strength. However, in peacetime, they often hold considerable influence locally, wielding authority over local governors, mayors, and so on. That said, the ultimate authority rests with the ruling dynasty; sects can only wield soft power within the boundaries permitted by the dynasty." the old man elaborated.
"The five major sects are the Heavenly Sword Sect, Celestial Spirit Sect, Earthly Flame Sect, Mystic Star Sect, and the Sacred Candle Sect. Each has at least one supreme elder at the peak of the Void Refining Realm," the teacher added.
Bored, Leo interrupted, "I don't need to know these minor details. Tell me something interesting!" With a cultivator already at the Ethereal Mastery Realm by his side, even though her power was limited to half-step Celestial Ascension in this world, Leo felt he didn't need to concern himself with sects only possessing Void Refining elders.
The royal teacher hesitated, uncertain of what might interest Leo. From his perspective, nothing could be more engaging than the world's power structure.
After a pause, he ventured, "There are three intelligent species: humans, elves, and beastmen. That said, we humans hold all the power, and the other species are typically used as slaves or servants. Elves, naturally beautiful, are the most sought-after by men. Beastmen possess strong bodies and are often utilized for manual labor."
"Wait, you still have slavery here?" Leo asked, eyebrows raised.
The royal teacher looked taken aback. There had never been a time in history without slavery. He pondered silently, "Do the immortals in the higher worlds not practice slavery?"
Thinking that immortals might not practice slavery, the royal teacher chose his words carefully. "We only permit slavery for criminals and non-humans," he explained.
Leo asked, "What kinds of crimes can lead to enslavement?" To him, this was a crucial question; he had no issue with the punishment of serious offenders but was wary of unjust laws.
The royal teacher responded, "Anything that goes against His Majesty's orders is considered a crime."
Understanding the situation, Leo replied, "Tell my father to change the law so that only those guilty of serious crimes face enslavement. Also, innocent non-humans should no longer be enslaved."
The royal teacher felt a surge of indignation; if the crown prince were an ordinary man, speaking this way could lead to severe punishment. After all, a crown prince was not yet emperor and couldn't simply dictate the laws. But knowing Leo's background as a fallen immortal, the royal teacher merely bowed, biting back his words.
"This should increase my karma value," Leo thought to himself. In this world, karma held significant power. Freeing countless slaves would create a substantial karmic debt to him. There was no harm in a good deed.
"Perhaps I should rename slavery in this world to 'involuntary servitude,'" Leo mused. Having lived his first life in a modern civilization, he was instinctively against "slavery," yet he saw "involuntary servitude" as a suitable consequence for true crimes. Of course, he could decide what constituted a crime, and in his previous world, he'd consigned many people to forced labor simply for belonging to trade groups his bandits had robbed.
"Now then, royal teacher," Leo said, shifting the topic. "Tell me about the top ten beauties list!" He had recently learned that there were two popular lists: the Beauties List and the Heroes List. Although not technically restricted by gender—men could appear on the Beauties List, and women on the Heroes List—traditionally, women occupied the Beauties List, while men filled the Heroes List.
Notably, The heroes list was limited to those without a cultivation base. Among ordinary mortals, strict gender roles prevailed: women managed family and household affairs, while men were the breadwinners. However, these roles didn't bind cultivators; in fact, two of the five major dynasties had women as their half-step Celestial Ascension protectors. Being a nation's protector was typically a male role in a medieval, patriarchal society, yet such distinctions vanished among cultivators.
Gender equality here was more advanced than one might expect in a medieval setting. While men dominated governmental roles, cultivators were split more evenly across genders. This meant that if a government attempted to oppress women, powerful female cultivators could overthrow it by force.
Of course, if the government discriminated against men, it was unlikely that male cultivators would intervene. In most places, women tended to support other women, while men saw each other as competition. Evolutionary theories suggested that men instinctively viewed each other as rivals, whereas women exhibited less of this attitude toward one another.
This situation had led to a trend where, in general, female cultivators had an easier time advancing than their male counterparts. High-level female cultivators often chose women as their disciples, and many high-level male cultivators preferred taking on talented and beautiful female cultivators. This resulted in women being more in demand than men. Of course, if someone had exceptional talent, they could join a prestigious sect regardless of gender. However, for those with only moderate talent, being a woman certainly increased their chances of success.
The royal teacher wanted to shake his head. His impression of fallen immortals from the higher realms had dropped significantly after just one day with Leo. Suppressing his frustration, he began explaining the top ten beauties list. "Number ten is Mei Lingyun of the Vermilion Dragon Dynasty. It's said she has the purest dragon blood and such beauty that many heroes have been captivated, even fatally so, after seeing her face just once. She has remarkable talent and has already reached the Core Formation stage at the age of 16."
"Number nine is Qiu Lanxiang of the Heavenly Sword Sect," the royal teacher continued. "She is renowned for her graceful sword technique, having defeated a Core Formation cultivator while only at the Foundation Establishment stage. At just 13, she is already at the peak of Foundation Establishment."
"Skip these kids under 18 and tell me about more mature beauties!" Leo interrupted. Though marriageable ages were younger in this medieval world, as someone from a modern civilization, Leo found the inclusion of such young individuals unsettling. His interest was in mature women.
The royal teacher felt exasperated; to him, this "fallen immortal" seemed more like a lustful youth than a grand immortal. Concealing his frustration, he took a deep breath and continued, "Ranked fourth is Bai Yushuang of the Eastern Cloud Empire. She is a master of ice techniques and has already reached the late stage of Core Formation at 28."
"Number one on the list is Yan Xiaohui of the Sacred Candle Sect," he went on. "Not only is she celebrated for her beauty, but she is also known for her intelligence. She is a chess master and has already developed an exclusive cultivation technique of her own. At 29, she stands at the peak of Core Formation."
While the Beauties List was not limited by cultivation base, it was restricted by age; only those under 30 qualified for consideration.
After some thought, Leo decided, "Let's visit the Sacred Candle Sect!" He was intrigued by Yan Xiaohui, a mature 29-year-old woman who was reputed to be the most intelligent on the list.