Chapter Nineteen: Transplanting the Fate Cluster

Lan Yi had already accomplished seventy percent of the first phase goal in Artificial Divine Realm 1909. Though the river civilization region of this world lacked proper technical talent and industrial foundation, martial arts defied all logic—no matter how battered its people were, as long as method and spiritual energy were correct, martial cultivators could be swiftly selected and trained.

Four martial cultivators of the divine path, paired with over a hundred—and soon more—martial practitioners, allowed Lan Yi to effectively control Puhae, a port city with a population exceeding one million. He mobilized the myriad classes and trades within the city for his own purposes, greatly facilitating the smooth progress of his first phase goal.

Lan Yi's initial objective was simple, expected to take three months: to wield the power of martial artists and substantively rule over multiple provinces in the south. These extraordinary individuals would forcefully integrate their homelands and lands anew, crushing any who dared to stand in their way with overwhelming power.

Even the foreigners had been subdued. How could mere spineless local tycoons pose any threat?

Lan Yi cared little for anything else; any resistance hindering his progress would be met with ruthless force. Even if blood were to flow like rivers, the martial group would execute his will without hesitation, for now, every martial artist's innate energy was firmly controlled by Lan Yi himself.

Once all southern coastal port cities were under his command, the flow of goods, manpower, capital, and technology would endlessly pour into his designated construction plans.

Electricity.

Lan Yi needed vast amounts of electricity—stable, enduring power and solid industrial products—not only to support his rapid progress through the cultivation phase of Fate Cluster Refinement, but also to resolve a series of issues plaguing the decaying nation and to provide a future source of spiritual energy for martial artists.

For all his enigmatic prowess as an immortal master, Lan Yi could manage the battle consumption of a few hundred martial artists, but if their numbers grew to thousands, even tens of thousands, daily cultivation alone would demand everything he had. He’d be reduced to nothing but a living battery on a golden throne until death.

As for the consequences over the next decades, they were of no concern to Lan Yi. So long as river civilization wasn't destroyed and things were improving, that was enough.

Severe illness demands drastic medicine; correcting excess requires going to extremes.

Spiritual cultivators were not saints—Lan Yi already counted as principled. Even if he were to destroy the world, some time-traveling locusts releasing bioweapons and meme contamination everywhere would be committing a far worse crime.

Control the ironclad ships, control the armories, control the armies, control water and electricity, control communications, control key personnel, make examples, seal the foreign concessions, display the extraordinary power of the martial artists.

In just one day, the tasks Lan Yi set out were executed in meticulous order. This was the terrifying aspect of martial artists: able to draw people from any profession to become practitioners who mastered production, stabilized themselves, and quickly quelled chaos. The martial artists held unmatched reverence and loyalty for Lan Yi, the immortal master who had forged this new order.

Among them, party members like Nong Jinxun and Chen Qimei actively assisted Lan Yi.

Unprecedented power, unprecedented loyalty, unprecedented efficiency.

Any command from the immortal master Lan Yi would be fulfilled on time in Puhae—every person and resource he designated would be there as arranged.

Bribery? Seeking profit?

Martial artists were eager for ignorant local bullies to appear, so they could prove their loyalty to Lan Yi and win his favor, swiftly rising to the ranks of the Four Heavenly Generals—divine martial cultivators.

The Four Heavenly Generals was the honorary title for Lan Yi’s four divine martial artists.

Shadow General, Zhao Sikong: The Dongyang concession fell silent for an entire day because of him. It was said that when he left, the scent of blood lingered in the air, and every surviving man never dared touch a gun again; even seeing one terrified them into trembling and losing control.

Fierce General, Zhao Jian: With the strength of a bear and tiger, he stormed the old imperial army camp, faced down artillery before thousands, seized the armory, and tore apart several staunch adversaries who had disrespected the immortal master.

Ghost General, Geng Liangchen: Commanding hungry ghosts, he clung to warships and compelled the new army to obey, initiating the blockade and inspection of foreign vessels in the port.

Martial General, Huo Yuanjia: He was a friend to the immortal master—nothing more needed to be said.

All this transpired within forty-eight hours.

Outside Puhae, the world had yet to react to these upheavals, some even doubting their authenticity. Even the Dongyang headquarters, most sensitive to every shift in the Starhan, was perplexed about Lan Yi’s true nature; many scholars interpreted the name “Lan Yi” as a secret code for some imperial plot.

Meanwhile, Lan Yi enjoyed a rare moment of rest.

He finally had time to transplant “Prison Suppression” onto himself.

Identifying Fate Clusters, harvesting Fate Clusters, transplanting Fate Clusters—

This was a compulsory lesson for every spiritual cultivator. No one is born with every Fate Cluster they desire; to cultivate a Fate Map, one must transplant clusters from elsewhere onto oneself.

In this, the Conquest Space—a system with little presence—provided tremendous convenience to early cultivators.

Once a spiritual cultivator gained full control over a target, they could request identification of spoils from the Conquest Space. If a Fate Cluster was present, the cultivator could obtain its information, choose to transplant it, or store it—the storage function was so advanced and reliable it was jokingly called “fresh-keeping” by cultivators.

Of course, transplanting Fate Clusters was never so simple. It involved rejection, compatibility, fate cluster psychosis, and complex interactions.

The Conquest Space only handled the transplant. The rest was up to the cultivator’s own judgment.

Without direct prompts and little understanding of Fate Maps, many early cultivators would transplant any cluster they found onto themselves, leading to a wave of fate cluster psychosis. Later, when they needed to remove clusters to refine their Fate Maps, the discomfort was beyond words.

Lan Yi’s “Prison Suppression” cluster, now in storage, was an original, untouched cluster—not yet activated by spiritual energy nor cultivated. Its owner was still an ordinary person when it was harvested, so interference after transplantation would be negligible.

As for compatibility and cluster interactions, Lan Yi the immortal master declared: “Small matters—all can be overcome with willpower.”

“Having fully controlled Puhae, it’s time to put spiritual energy converters and detectors on the agenda. More martial artists will arrive soon, and I’ll have to deal with that lucky one in Dongyang next.”

Lan Yi stared expressionlessly at the star-filled sky. In the next moment, blue light flashed at the nape of his neck, and “Prison Suppression” was already transplanted. Immediately, “Canghua” seemed summoned, activating automatically—countless glowing white threads visibly wriggled beneath his skin, quickly spreading toward his neck.