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"There's a misunderstanding, Xiao Wu. Na'er and I were just exchanging elemental attributes."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Tang San stepped in to stop the two from escalating. He channeled a fist-sized ball of spatial power into Xiao Wu's body. Although Gu Yuena had given him only a little, with the Blue Silver Emperor's passive ability, he could amplify that small amount of spatial power a hundredfold.
Gu Yuena was astonished.
So, if she could just bring Tang San back to the Star Dou Forest, her true form might heal rapidly. However, Gu Yuena dismissed the idea.
Even with her true form's power, she wasn't certain she could take Tang San back. Moreover, she hadn't fully learned all there was to know about the human world.
Honestly, after spending so much time in the human world, she didn't want to go back. This place was far more interesting than the ever-unchanging Star Dou Forest.
"Zhuqing, what do you think of Spirit City?" Seeing that Xiao Wu had benefited and wasn't sulking at Gu Yuena anymore, Tang San turned to Zhu Zhuqing.
"Ah? Oh, it's very bustling, full of a vitality I've never seen in Star luo City." Zhu Zhuqing, who had been curious about Gu Yuena's identity and wondered if she was Tang San's daughter, snapped back to reality. She shared her views on Spirit City. "I thought Star luo City and Tiandou City were already prosperous, but they're nothing compared to the six outer cities of Spirit City. I can't fathom how they built it."
"It's a miracle!"
Anyone seeing the six outer cities for the first time would be astonished and wonder how Spirit Hall managed to construct such a vibrant city in just a few years.
Especially for nobles, it was incredible that commoners without spirit power could achieve such remarkable feats.
Nowadays, many people migrate to the six outer cities each year, including refugees and beggars, as Spirit City is in desperate need of people.
Rumor has it that the various kingdoms within the Tiandou territory have started restricting emigration to prevent their populations from flowing into Spirit City. After all, for a kingdom, its population is its true foundation.
The Starluo Empire is somewhat better off since it doesn't have as many kingdoms and duchies within its borders. The empire has a unified voice, that of the royal family.
It is said that Emperor Qinghe of Tiandou is also trying to unify his internal affairs, abolishing the autonomy of kingdoms and duchies to centralize power in the hands of the emperor.
"This isn't a miracle; it's just that the two empires have underestimated the power of the people. If someone can unite them, give them a tangible goal, and keep promises, their creativity is no less than that of spirit masters. Most spirit masters, aside from their strength, are useless." Tang San shook his head, revealing his disdain for most spirit masters today. "Spirit Hall was fortunate to achieve this. Without it, building such a city in a few years would have been a pipe dream."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't fully understand but comparing Star luo City and Spirit City, she began to grasp the concept. Yet, she knew she wasn't cut out for governance.
Nor was Tang San—
Despite her admiration for Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing knew that in management and governance, Tang San could only outline the big picture. His true strengths lay in research, forging, and combat.
Spirit City's development relied on the enlightened leadership of the Spirit Hall's Pope, who wasn't afraid of Tang San rebelling despite his power. She heeded his advice and even granted him the title of Holy Son, with grassroots personnel willingly executing her commands.
It was truly a united effort from top to bottom.
And the Starluo Empire?
Although the empire projects a unified voice, many families and officials still practice duplicity. Similarly, Spirit Hall has its share of corrupt individuals; when an organization grows large, there will always be those looking to exploit it. However, Spirit Hall swiftly roots out these parasites, unlike the two empires, where the complex web of interests makes it hard to eliminate deep-rooted corruption. They can only deal with surface-level issues, leaving the core problems untouched.
Therefore, Zhu Zhuqing admires the decisiveness of Spirit Hall's current pope.
The crucial difference, as Zhu Zhuqing sees it, is that the two empires rely on mutual interests and rally behind slogans like "For the Empire."
Before Bibi Dong became the pope, Spirit Hall's recruitment heavily relied on faith-based propaganda, which didn't resonate much with common spirit masters. Most spirit masters pursued cultivation for tangible rewards like wealth, power, and sensual pleasures, as well as spiritual recognition and admiration.
Spirit Hall's emphasis on faith over benefits didn't attract many.
However, after Bibi Dong ascended as the pope, she began appealing to people's interests, which led to Spirit Hall's rapid expansion. The downside was the uneven quality of personnel in its various branches, due to their high degree of autonomy, which hindered effective central oversight from Spirit City.
After Tang San joined, he provided Bibi Dong with substantial theoretical support. This transformed the core of their faith, maintaining the material benefits while increasing them. As a result, even though the workload increased, more people were smiling compared to before.
Zhu Zhuqing believed that Star luo Empire could never emulate Spirit City. The empire's intricate web of interests is deeply rooted and complex. The main issue is that Star luo Empire's citizens, officials, and families lack the faith and cohesion seen in Spirit Hall.
Their loyalty lies with their small families, not the empire as a whole. This is a profound tragedy.
Spirit Hall's success is unique and unreplicable. It already had a foundation of faith, which, when combined with tangible benefits for common people, led to its growth.
In contrast, Star luo Empire is like a mass of rotten filth. If Spirit Hall didn't develop, Star luo might persist for a while, but with Spirit Hall's rapid growth, Star luo can never catch up as long as it fails to unleash the creativity of its lower classes. The gap will only widen.
Zhu Zhuqing felt overwhelmed by these thoughts. Rubbing her temples, she decided to stop overthinking. She could reconsider once she returned. In this world, strength grants greater influence.