Chapter 104: All-Haven's completion
Yao Shen had known the day would be arriving soon, but even then, it was hard to contain the powerful, raw emotion that was threatening to sneak past the guard he almost always maintained. A clear head was important for a leader, the ability to distinguish between his own biases and critical thinking. He was not perfect and he was far from selfless, having chosen the former over the latter many a times but it was still important to be able to make that distinction.
He was overcome by a sense of pride at what he and the Modern Sect had accomplished together, as he gazed down upon the completed version of All-Haven from a vantage point high up in the sky. The cheers of exhausted disciples and even a few guardians punctuated the air, as they finally completed the task that had stretched out over a period of three long months.
They would be generously rewarded for it of course, by each of their respective divisions. Yao Shen knew that none of them truly understood the significance of what they had accomplished today- not the disciples, not the Guardians and not even the Elders. Perhaps they saw it as a whim of their new patriarch, who had rapidly proven himself too powerful to dethrone. Maybe they considered it a getaway for cultivators, run by mortals for their own convenience. After all, noble and virtuous mottos were a hallmark of the righteous path, but how many Legacy Families still adhered to the precepts left behind by their ancestors?
Barely any, if Yao Shen was to be frank.
Yao Shen took in the Apartment buildings, towering titans of earth and stone that would soon house thousands of families. He took in the heated pools and cheerful parks with a slight smile on his visage, remembering how nice it was to take a dip in the sweltering summer heat. The walks, yes, the walks as he got older, the solitude he had feared so in his youth became a companion whose company he occasionally enjoyed. Some days, he walked alongside his wife. Other days, he strode forward in solitude, allowing himself to contemplate in silence about life, about its meaning, about his struggles, his passions and his desires, for himself and for his children.
Yao Shen did not particularly enjoy reflecting upon his mortal life, for the pain in those memories still lingered. Even though he had lived two centuries without her, he felt both relieved and guilty for leaving the world, Earth, first. Relieved that he would not have to see his beloved die before him. Guilty, for he could not bear to leave her alone in the face of the whims of the world.
Yet, he could do nothing about it then and even with the strength of a Soul Emperor, nothing about it now.
His gaze shifted to the Martial Hall, where young children would be taught in the way of the warrior. Knowing how to defend yourself did not just sharpen the body, but it also sharpened the mind. Mortal or cultivator, by progressing through the same curriculum for the first seven to eight years of ones life would inevitably build a sense of camaraderie amongst the children. The Heavens would inevitably try to separate them and likely even succeed in most cases, but as long as a few bonds were forged in fire, the seeds of change would have irrevocably been sown.
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Yao Shen then lowered his altitude, even though he didnt require anything but his divine sense to examine All-Haven.
He examined the Mortal College of Spycraft and Warfare, seeing beyond its structure and into the past. He remembered the red-carpeted lecture hall, where eighty future graduates were held in check by a single, overworked professor. It was supposed to be a place of wonder and intrigue, but Yao Shen had found that most of his growth as a person had come outside of it. Dorm-rooftop debates that lasted hours at a stretch, discovering the passions and talents of his peers beyond their chosen majors, throwing himself into new and exciting, albeit challenging electives and the collective journey that allowed him to discover who he was in life and where he wanted to go.
That was not to say that Yao Shen was a poor student. Even then, he had been responsible enough to keep his grades a little above the pack as he worked on the first of his many business ideas and models.
Finally, his gaze turned to the Commercial District.
Commerce was the lifeblood of any economy and the world of cultivation was not different. Qi however was a very different form of currency in comparison to paper or even digital money. It could be measured, had innate value without being reliant upon a governing authority and the economy itself valued utility over comfort at every level.
Yao Shen hoped that the seemingly insignificant commercial district could serve as the catalyst for change. The Auction House itself was simply a ploy to drive traction, while the rest of the commercial district would try to market items that were traditionally seen has having little to no value from art, handicrafts and patterned ceremonial clothing to music, dance and theater. He wished to teach Ionea of the pleasures that existed beyond simple survival and cultivation and eventually, subtly tweak their messaging to impress upon the importance of kindness and compassion.
A kinder society offered to help when their neighbor was in trouble. A society that valued compassion stood strong when disaster struck.
When Yao Shen gazed down upon All-Haven a final time before departing, he saw the reason why he was sent to Ionea.
Perhaps it had been a cosmic accident. Or mayhaps there were others, thousands upon thousands of others from Earth that had died before attaining the Soul Emperor stage, never knowing their otherworldly origins.
Nevertheless, Yao Shen had found his purpose. When confronted with his own mortality, man seeks immortality. On Earth, a land where there was no Qi nor cultivation, this immortality came in other forms what you left behind for the world after you were gone. Contributions to science, art, literature, linguistics and the thousands of other fields humanity had unearthed and developed. The values you instilled in your children, the adults you had a hand in shaping.
All-Haven would be his and Yao Shen would die before he let the bastion that was meant to shape Ioneas future, collapse.
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