The Magistrate: Chapter 79 (Patreon)

Chapter 79

The First Step

A little over a year and a half after Peace Master So began altering 1st Emperor’s hidden realm, Tobias wandered through hundreds of gardens inspecting the final results through a dense layer of chi mist. Each garden was perfectly balanced with harvestable spirit herbs and shielded by a chi gathering array so that it did no disturb neighbouring gardens. Tens of thousands of core realms spirit herbs, over a thousand nascent soul realm spirit herbs, and hundreds of sage realm spirit herbs dotted the landscape to stabilise the sage realm chi saturation. For those in the foundation realm and below there was no place that was better to cultivate, and Tobias had thousands already signed up for a chance to enter.

With so many tribulations and sage realm spirit herbs, the hidden realm had an otherworldly feel. Tobias could not get over the feeling that it was not a place where mortals should tread, but one reserved for gods. Whispers of universal secrets fluttered at the edges of his hearing, and images danced at the corners of his vision, causing him to turn and try to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond his sight.

Peace Master So had told him not to pay them any thought. They were a side effect of forcefully strengthening a sage realm over a year rather than centuries. The effect would fade in time.

Tobias had long since collected all the sword dao insights hidden in this realm, but Peace Master So had continued until the end, slowly reinforcing his dao enlightenment. Tobias's inability to form comprehensions had long since stopped bothering him as Peace Master So's disciples took their places as test subjects.

All the disciples had achieved dao enlightenment through their research, becoming living swords, and changing their dao paths. Tobias still believed the method he'd created for gathering dao insights and forming comprehensions was rudimentary, but he lacked the divinity to take his understanding further. It didn't matter, though. Peace Master So was more than happy with the results.

Tobias ended his inspection in the centre of the realm beside the central gardens, which housed the majority of the sage realm spirit herbs. At their heart sat the focal point of the realm, a spot where the chi concentration was so high that an elephant-sized sphere of liquid chi floated within. It glowed with a soft white light, illuminating the entire realm.

Tobias watched as Peace Master So stepped out of the liquid chi sphere and placed a small bowl below the centre of the sphere, before walking over and stepping through the sage realm barrier. "I've discovered another minor issue with the realm."

Tobias folded his arms. "What is it this time?"

"It's generating too much chi. Many of the peak core and nascent soul realm spirit herbs are unable to ascend, yet continue to produce spiritual energy. This spiritual energy is being released into the realm via the barriers they create. The excess is being gathered at this focal point, but the focal point can only hold so much."

"I assume this can be offset by cultivators gathering chi in here and releasing it outside the realm."

Peace Master So nodded. "The treasure below the sphere will begin to fill when the realm becomes oversaturated. If the chi mists disappear, it is undersaturated. The bowl functions like a storage ring, so even if no one removes chi from the realm for decades, it won't be a problem.

Tobias blinked. "This sounds like an actual minor problem. Not just something you claim is a minor problem.

"Senior is not as funny as he thinks."

Tobias unfolded his arms and chuckled. "Are you leaving?"

Peace Master So nodded. "I'm going to check on my realm before I pay the khans another visit. My first disciple tells me they've almost finished rearming their forces. I think I'll amuse myself by watching them turn them back into farming implements to the khans' frustration."

Tobias chuckled.

The khans had come to kill him while he was ascending, so Tobias wouldn't be surprised if this was how Peace Master So relaxed for the next few centuries. It had the added benefit of strengthening his dao comprehension, which was extremely important for a sage to reach immortality. Now that Peace Master So was a sword saint, he might even be able to force the khans to turn their own weapons into farm tools.

Peace Master So grinned. "When are you coming back to my realm to cultivate?"

Tobias's eyebrows creased with amusement. "Why would I need to do that? I have a perfectly good place to cultivate in The Three Kingdoms thanks to you."

Peace Master So chuckled. "Yes, but I won't charge your disciples to visit."

Tobias laughed with him. "It will be a few years. The Divine Council will come out of hiding once you leave, so I'll be able to begin implementing the changes they asked for."

"And the ones they haven't."

Tobias raised an eyebrow."

"Senior, I'm a sage realm cultivator. I'm aware of everything that happens within the Imperial Palace. I know you've been using your position and some of the old laws to make changes to The Three Kingdoms. I just don't understand what you're trying to achieve."

Tobias wasn't going to insult his intelligence by trying to lie. "I'm trying to bring cultivation to the masses to make The Three Kingdoms more productive."

"In what way?"

"In all ways."

Peace Master So frowned. "Why?"

"My understanding of cultivation tells me that with the right training, most mortals with a divinity of three can open between six and ten body meridians. That many open body meridians will quadruple a farmer's production capacity and allow them to work until they are close to one hundred years old. If I can make farmers that productive, then The Three Kingdoms will no longer suffer from famines. It will also free other farmers up to pursue professions to produce more goods. If I treat these craftsmen the same way, they will also become more productive. If I can maintain this, everyone in The Three Kingdoms will be as well off as successful merchants are right now."

Peace Master So frowned. "What about those with a divinity of four?"

"Many of them can reach the initiate realm without needing many resources. Initiate realm cultivators can become gatherers, alchemists, artificers, talisman artists, array experts, and formation masters. They won't be the best, but they will produce everything the mortals can possibly need and live like wealthy merchants because of this. They can also refine spirit stone, which makes them valuable to higher realm cultivators."

"They would also become a threat to the Great Clans and sects."

Tobias shrugged. "Only if they view them that way. I would rather they view them as a boon. A way to rapidly rush their children through the lower realms at little cost. A way to give them access to more resources. A way for them to no longer have to be concerned about sending their clans or disciples to fight and die to protect The Three Kingdoms. So much of their wealth is devoted to that when it doesn't need to be. And then there are the other benefits, like the restoration of The Three Kingdoms' chi saturation and the return of a wider variety of spirit herbs and beasts. The wilderness is still a hollow shell of what it once was."

Peace Master So sighed. "They'll see what you're trying to do. Maybe not immediately, but they'll notice eventually."

"I'm reestablishing the Imperial Sect. I've studied the cultivation methods the Imperial Sect taught and redesigned them to be more effective. Those who join will receive vastly superior training to those who came in the past."

"The Great Clans and sect won't send their children and disciples."

"They don't need to. I already have sons and daughters from all the second- and third-tier noble clans ready to join. I also have nineteen thousand cultivators, with ages ranging from sixteen to eighty-seven, who have been assessed and trained by my professors. They are ready to set out for this realm the moment you leave. My professors will travel with them, and upon arrival, they will serve as their instructors. There are gaps in their knowledge, which is why I've reached out to other skilled artisans to teach beside them."

Peace Master So groaned. "They're going to kill you."

"They might. They might not. I can be very convincing."

"They banished you."

"And then made me 1st Minister."

"You're trying to take away their power again."

"They only need that power to keep their clans safe, and if I can ensure their clans' safety, the need for that power becomes unnecessary."

"That's not how cultivators think."

"But it is how the cultivators of The Three Kingdoms think. The Divine Council grew up in the longest age of peace and decency this continent has ever seen. They are not bad people, and they have held their clans to the same standard. Nothing I wish to do will harm them, only free them of their obligations to pursue their cultivation as they wish."

Peace Master So sighed. "You are far too idealistic, Senior." He held out his hand, and the Three Pigeon treasure appeared. "Take this. I'll collect the one your first disciple's father has. If you're ever in trouble, call me through it. I don't care if it's a false alarm. You're not allowed to die until after you've figured out how my father and I can become immortals."

Tobias chuckled. "I thought you wanted to keep me around for my intellectually stimulating conversation."

"I can have more than one reason for wanting you alive."

Tobias raised his hand, and an ornate box filled with Three Towns Tea appeared. "This is my parting gift."

Peace Master So smiled as he took the box. "This is only four generations removed from the original."

"My grandpa will be happy to know that."

Peace Master So held out his hand, and a more ornate box appeared in it. "I visited The Three Step Hills after I visited your family compound. These are the seeds of all the tea varieties that managed to survive in the wilds. They're far removed from their original flavours, but your grandfather seems more than up to the task of restoring them. I've included their names so you can study them in the Imperial Archives, so he's not working blind."

Tobias was more moved by this gift than by anything else Peace Master So had given him. It was a deeply personal gift and one his clan would cherish for generations.

"Thank you, my friend. I could not ask for a more perfect gift."

"Your wedding gift is even better."

Tobias frowned. "I'm not even betrothed. Why do you have my wedding gift prepared?"

Peace Master So rolled his eyes. "When you have the perfect gift, you wait for the occasion. It's not that complicated, Senior."

***

It had taken two days for the Divine Council to confirm that Peace Master So had left The Three Kingdoms and begun tormenting the khans, so on the morning of the third day, they summoned Tobias to appear in the 1st Emperor's Hall.

Tobias spent his morning facing the throne while laying out everything he had accomplished over the past year. The census was complete, along with the tax evaluation, the purging of corruption, the formation of a new law enforcement ministry, and the conversion of the 1st Emperor's hidden realm. The demolition of the outer palace was a third complete, with the area closest to the Imperial Palace having been rebuilt to receive and entertain several thousand guests. This was technically the only task Tobias had not completed yet, but building a small city in a year was impossible.

Tobias had also established a working legal code and system, built on The Three Kingdoms' previous system, and determined which national projects could be reinstated and at what price. Everything was ready to proceed the moment the Divine Council gave permission.  

With each successfully completed task, the Divine Council grew quieter. The only one who regularly asked questions was Patriarch Lee. He dove into everything Tobias had done, trying to find faults, forcing Tobias to pull on everything he had learned from both himself and his clone, which he'd absorbed when Peace Master So left. His questions never stumped Tobias, but he came close on several occasions.

Tobias waited patiently as the Divine Council discussed the changes to the law and the programs he wanted reinstated. They did so behind their auras, so he had no clue what they were saying behind his back.

Tobias knew they couldn't fault his work, so the obvious target would be the thousands of cultivators who were living in his compound. After that, they would likely question the contracts that he'd signed with the second and third-tier clans. Then there would be a critique of the brutality of his corrupt purge or the spreading of his cultivation knowledge. Tobias had answered for anything they threw at him.

However, none of those was the question that they led with.

"What did you promise Peace Master So in return for converting and then restoring the 1st Emperor's hidden realm?" Patriarch Shen asked.

"I allowed him to extract the sage realm dao impressions that no one in The Three Kingdoms could extract in return for converting the realm. They were going to be destroyed when the realm was converted, and they would have faded by the time anyone in The Three Kingdoms broke through to the sage realm, so they were useless to us, but very valuable to him. The restoration of the realm was a byproduct of his own experimentation. He was unwilling to experiment with his realm for fear of being unable to cultivate for centuries, but he was perfectly happy to do so with the 1st Emperor's realm and personally bore the cost. The results were a full restoration to its previous existence and then a strengthening of the realm." 

"Why have you amassed an army of cultivators in Cloud City? Our assessments put their numbers at close to twenty thousand."

"My disciples have been travelling to the villages across The Three Kingdoms to find disciples for the Civil Sect. Less than a thousand will be staying to join my academy. The rest will be heading here the moment you approve its restoration."

Patriarch Shen turned to the other councilmembers. "Does anyone have any issues with these answers?"

They all tapped their left knee with their fan.

"Then I motion to approve everything the 1st Minister has proposed."

"I second this motion," Patriarch Wei replied. "All for?"

They unanimously agreed.

The motion has passed.   

The patriarchs' marks floated from their belts and were quickly applied to all the necessary documentation. There was no fanfare or ceremony. It was over in ten seconds.

Patriarch Shen gathered the documents and sent them to Tobias. "You may proceed with the Divine Council's approval 1st Minister Finch."