Aynur Hoshur
"I can detect divine sense probing me the moment I step through the portal. Normally, I would say that is just rude and the sect is pretty much provoking an aggressive response. However, this is not a normal time for the sect. We can't have spies infiltrating Eldorin and sending intelligence back to their superiors. The security I can understand. What do you mean the sect no longer needs the help of cultivators to activate the gateways? More importantly, did I mishear what you just said? Did the sect manage to invent a new method to produce spirit energy?" Aynur asks in doubt. Normally, she wouldn't even entertain such possibility but Conrad has been consistently revealing information that she would have in the past thought impossible.
"I originally plain to explain everything in details later but since we are already on the topic, I might as well satisfy your curiosity." Conrad answers. "Yes, the sect managed to come up with a new array called the energy conversion array. The logic behind it is simple and should be quite obvious now that I am aware of it but I can say the same thing when it comes to the logic behind spirit batteries. Anyway, the energy conversion array is based on the idea that since you can convert spirit energy into producing fire, lightning, water and all sort of other effects, why can't the same be done in reverse?"
That statement confuses the hell out of Aynur. How is the logic obvious?
Seeing the confusion, Conrad immediately realize his mistake. He has gotten so comfortable to all the unorthodox mindset and unconventional way of doing things introduced by the Earthlings. He had been equally amazed by all the new novel ideas when he managed to hitch a ride back to Eldorin with his disciple, Igor Kozlov more than a year ago. On a side note, the Kozlov clan has been thriving since settling here.
"Sorry, I got so comfortable with how things are being done nowadays that I forgot Eldorin is an abnormality to the rest of the cultivation world." Conrad quickly clarifies. "All the novelties you will be seeing all over Eldorin is made possible by all the new disciples the sect has been recruiting over the past decades. Before you start asking what makes these new disciples special, I can tell you it can all be attributed to the world they came from."
Aynur has already half suspected the sect has managed to find itself a new world to recruit disciples. A new world that has never been part of the cultivation world.
"The sect's new disciples came from a world called Earth. Yes, the world's name is plain and unexciting. I have the same thought when I first hear it. Earth is unique for a number of reasons. Foremost of all, the world is devoid of any spirit energy. Although the sect managed to mark Earth's coordinate, even the sect's best experts in spatial immortal law can't tell whether Earth is in the lower realm, immortal realm of perhaps even in another unique realm of its own. The only thing we know for certain is Earth is located in a region of the great void where immortal laws are in total chaos. Even the grand elder can't come with any plausible explanation for all the anomaly. Even now, the connection to Earth is tenuous as best and the disciples are brought here using special method."
"Don't discount Earth's importance just because it is devoid of any spirit energy though. No spirit energy means no cultivators, right? You might be thinking what great civilization can a bunch of powerless mortals built right? It is in fact because there are no cultivators that the mortals on Earth have developed their civilization in an entirely different direction."
"When the sect first found Earth, it has a population size of more than eight billion mortals. That's a very impressive number when placed among the rest of the human worlds. Even the most prosperous human world in the immortal realm only had a population of slightly more than two billion. So, it sounds farfetched right? A mortal civilization is able to feed so many mouths when the high and mighty cultivation civilization couldn't do the same. Some has argued that Earthling could pretty much convert any suitable lands into farmlands on their world due to the lack of spirit beasts. Back here in the cultivation world, opening the wild and turning it into human habitable space is far more challenging. Any new claimed lands need to have the ability to defend against spirit beast outbreaks that happens every few years."
"In my opinion, that argument has no merit. For the same land size, Earth farmland is far more productive than ours. On average, each acre of farmland on Earth produces four to five-fold more food. If you really drill down to the root cause, it is actually us cultivators that is to blame."
Aynur finds the last statement confounding. How are cultivators to be blame here? Before she can ask, Conrad elaborates.
"Immortals law is an enigma to mortals. Even to us cultivators, only those that managed to reached the peak of the fourth major realm will study immortal laws. And that is only at the surface level because it is needed to elevate their cultivation to the fifth major realm. In pursuit of higher cultivation realm, cultivators don't care about anything else outside of cultivation. Even when they used their immortal law comprehension to improve something, it is always things related to the cultivation world. Inventing stuffs that only bring benefits to mortals? When was the last time you ever heard of such an invention or noble deed?"
"In the cultivation world, most natural disasters can be overcome as long as cultivators step into the picture. If it is a drought season and the crops are dying, a spell to bring in rain solve the problem. Too much rain and the river is about to burst, flooding settlements and farmlands? Just use a spell to move the rain elsewhere. Ideally to an area that needs more rainwater. A plague has broken out in a village? Healing spells will solve it. The cultivation world sees a whole set of problems but the mortals has always relied on cultivators to intervene. If cultivators can't be found or refused to intervene, then tough luck. "
"Since Earthlings can't rely on cultivators to solve their problem, they had to learn how to overcome such disasters on their own. They have come up with a systematic way to study the underlying principles behind immortal laws. Sounds ridiculous right?! Mortals studying immortal law. They managed to make it work and called it science. They split it into multiple multi branches with biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics being some of the most important pillars. Let's just say their grasp on some of the basics of immortal laws are so well studied and documented that even the sect's vast libraries fall behind them in some areas. Their mastery over these basic principles are what allowed them to fly in the sky, explore the deep ocean, feed larger amount of population and treat illness without relying on cultivators."
"Even right now when they have access to cultivation, Earthlings didn't abandon their old way of doing things. They just see spells and runic script as a shortcut or cheat code to replicate the desired outcome. Ultimately, their goal is to produce the desired outcome without needing to rely on cultivators to do so. A very divergent mindset in comparison to the cultivation world."
"You can say Earthlings mindset didn't shift drastically because of their ability to cultivate. Here in the immortal world, a cultivator social status is way above that of a mortal. Even a loose cultivator is seen in great lights. Earthlings are different because every one of them has decent cultivation talent. Even the worse of them has a grade seven talent and those are in the minority. When everyone is special, no one is."
That last few sentences shocked the hell out of Aynur. Almost nine out of ten mortals in the cultivation world only had a grade nine talent. That makes them unsuitable to cultivate unless their family is ridiculously wealthy and don't mind being wasteful with cultivation resources. Even then, there is a limit how far a grade nine talent can ever achieve in their cultivation realm. Historically, the third major realm is the highest that has ever been achieved and even then, they are the weakest among their peers. These group of cultivators are so inherently weak that some talented second major realm cultivators can even achieve the legendary feat of defeating an opponent cross-realm.
Aynur has to clarify in case she suddenly develops hearing problem. "What do you mean when you said all Earthlings has decent cultivation talent?! The worse of them had at least a seventh grade talent and they are in the minority? Am I currently trapped in a massive illusion array?! Did i finally got caught by the sect's enemy!?"