40: Chapter 40 Tianyu Federation

Recalling how he used to think such a world was unreachable when watching movies in his past life, he now had to survive in it. He forced a bitter smile inwardly, while feigning a look of unshakeable shock on the surface.

Mo Yufei nodded slowly, his eyes filled with the solemnity of accepting reality: "I understand. Thank you for telling me so frankly; otherwise, I would surely have invited trouble upon myself in the future."

He knew that from this moment on, he had to integrate into this world, solve the problems of identity and credit points, and figure out all the rules before he could establish a foothold.

Seeing that he had taken the advice to heart, Wang Chen's expression softened slightly, and he said calmly: "It is good that you understand. I will help you apply for an identity. You have a precedent; primitive humans have been found in other secret realms as well."

With that, Wang Chen walked to a metal table to the side and tapped the holographic screen on the desktop with his fingertips. Blue light flickered as he pulled up various basic documents of the present world.

Mo Yufei watched the holographic interface that required no touch and could be controlled from a distance, confirming the thought in his mind once again—everything was exactly like in science fiction movies.

Mo Yufei looked up, the confusion in his eyes gone, replaced by a sharpness that sought to look straight at the core: "Your technology is formidable, and your society is advanced."

"But I do not want to hear about superficial things. I want to know your true social structure, who the upper echelons are, and who holds the power."

"Also, what is the name of the country we are in now? How many countries are left on this planet in total?"

Wang Chen was slightly startled by these words, clearly not expecting this newly awakened relic of the ancient era to skip over surface phenomena and strike directly at the core of power.

He was silent for a moment, his tone becoming exceptionally cautious. Instead of a superficial introduction, he spoke of the essence of the world: "We are in a unified human federation, the Tianyu Federation. Three hundred years ago, the nations of the old era perished due to war and resource depletion. Top researchers, financial magnates, and AI teams joined forces to establish the Federation. Today, this planet has only this one sovereign entity; there are no other countries."

"The power core of the Federation, the Core Council—that is, the top of society—is composed entirely of financial magnate leaders, AI architects, and military commanders who control the lifeblood of the Federation. They hold the highest decision-making power, and ordinary citizens rarely see their true faces in their entire lives."

"And what truly maintains the operation of the Federation and controls the entire population is the super AI, Tian Shu. The Council controls the authority of Tian Shu, and Tian Shu establishes all rules, managing the identity, credit, and survival resources of all citizens."

Mo Yufei nodded slightly and asked further: "Apart from the Council, what other top factions are there?"

"The Federation appears unified, but in reality, it is carved up by the ten top factions across various fields. Each one has eyes and hands that reach the heavens; you must remember them well and not provoke them easily."

Wang Chen's tone was solemn as he counted them one by one: "First is Taixu Heavy Industry, a military giant that monopolizes the manufacturing of interstellar warships and the research and development of spiritual energy weapons. All military equipment in the Federation comes from them; they are the military pillar the Council relies on most."

"Second is Kunlun Biotechnology, the hegemon in the field of genetics. They control artificial spiritual root cultivation and biological prosthetic modification technology. Countless cultivators break their heads trying to beg for an artificial spiritual root."

"Third is Xing Shu Academy, the master of networks and AI. Relying on brain-computer interface technology to promote the 'Data Dao', they convert the spiritual power and consciousness of cultivators into data, claiming to control the new order of cultivation. This is the faction I belong to."

"Fourth is the Nine Nether Pawnshop, an underground financial black hand that specializes in interstellar usury. The chips are not gold or silver, but lifespan and destiny. Countless people have soared to success because of it, and countless others have fallen into eternal damnation."

"Fifth is the Danxia Chamber of Commerce, a resource oligarchy that monopolizes the production and sales of natural pills and synthetic spiritual energy, controlling the most core material supplies of the cultivation world."

"Sixth is the Mechanical Zen Monastery, an extreme ascetic sect that abandons the flesh to pursue full-body mechanical modification, attempting to ascend into a 'Mechanical Buddha' with a mechanical body. Their combat power is extremely fierce."

"Seventh is the Phantom Sound Pavilion, an entertainment empire that creates virtual idols. Through spiritual links, they harvest the wishes of the people and convert them into special energy. Their influence permeates the life of every ordinary person."

"Eighth is the Dawn Organization, grassroots revolutionaries who resist the monopoly of financial magnates and the Council. They advocate that 'everyone can cultivate immortality and everyone is equal', absorbing bottom-tier citizens. They are a thorn in the side of the Federation."

"Ninth is the Guixu Academy, an academic neutral faction focused on researching ancient runes and lost civilizations. They do not get involved in power struggles, yet they possess the most core historical truths of this world."

"Tenth is the Blood Killing Hall, a top assassin organization with no stance and no sense of good or evil. As long as the price is high enough, they will take lives according to the price. They are the most terrifying chaos creators in the Federation. That group of assassins just now belonged to this faction."

"These ten major factions, whether attached to the Council, remaining independent, or secretly opposing each other, constitute the entire power structure of the Federation."

"Citizens are also divided into three grades. First-class citizens are core elites of various factions and key scientific researchers, enjoying the best resources. Second-class citizens are ordinary laborers who have enough to eat but limited authority. Third-class citizens are bottom-tier marginalized people, lacking resources and at risk of being eliminated by society at any time."

Wang Chen looked at Mo Yufei, his tone cold and straightforward: "And you, with no identity proof, no credit, and no affiliation, are a person outside the Federation system. Once your special abilities are exposed, you will either be targeted and silenced by the Blood Killing Hall, or captured by Kunlun Biotechnology or Guixu Academy for research. No faction will protect you."

"You don't need to worry; although a Beast Master is rare, they do exist."

Mo Yufei listened quietly, keeping all the factions and rules firmly in his heart. He thought to himself that this was far more complex than the structure in the sci-fi movies of his past life; technology and cultivation were deeply bound, and financial magnates and factions monopolized everything. It was cold and realistic.

He remained calm on the surface and nodded slowly: "I have noted it. Thank you for telling me these survival essentials."

"It is good that you have noted it. When we go out, I will help you apply for a temporary identity." After Wang Chen finished his instructions, he turned to operate the holographic screen and organize his equipment.

Long after Wang Chen's voice faded, Mo Yufei remained silent. The fingertips hanging by his sides curled slightly, and the originally chaotic and confused eyes were beginning to glow with clarity.

He did not ask any more questions, but simply stood quietly on the spot, chewing over and sorting out every word and every piece of information Wang Chen had just said in his mind.

From the social structure without imperial power or martial arts sects, to the urban order where the super AI Tian Shu controlled everything; from the livelihood norm where machine-synthesized food solved the problem of hunger, to the cruel reality where laser weapons crushed immortal techniques; and then to the centralized system of the unified human federation.

The power-holding top structure, and even the ten top factions that were intertwined and carved up the world, were all engraved in his heart without missing a word.

At first, when he heard it, he only felt it was absurd and strange, full of incomprehensible dissonance. But as the information pieced together completely, those scattered fragments—the floating eyes in the sky, the intelligently controlled holographic screens, the flying swords combining technology and runes.

The strictly graded citizen system, the super AI controlling everything, and the Taixu Heavy Industry, Kunlun Biotechnology, and the Dawn Organization that each dominated a region... gradually connected in his mind, and a complete and clear picture of the world was slowly unfolding.

He was no longer a completely ignorant relic of the ancient era; he no longer treated this world as a blurry sci-fi phantom, but truly and realistically understood its operating rules.

This was a world that had completely abandoned the court disputes and sect fragmentation of the old era. There was no imperial power, but there was a colder and more rigorous order.

Technology and cultivation were deeply integrated, AI was the executor of the rules, financial magnates and top factions were the controllers of power, identity IDs and credit points were the foundation of survival, and citizen grades, faction games, and top-level centralization constituted the core skeleton of this world.

Immortal techniques were no longer the supreme power; technological weapons could easily make up for the gap in cultivation.

Food was no longer the core of competition; energy and technology were the keys to a foothold.

The so-called experts were no longer cultivators who could fly a thousand miles on a sword, but elites who controlled cutting-edge technology and belonged to top factions.

Under the unified human federation, there were no conflicts between nations, but there were more hidden class barriers. The ten major factions each guarded a corner, and their overt and covert battles never stopped. Bottom-tier citizens followed the rules under the control of AI and financial magnates, and a black-market person without an identity like him was the most dangerous anomaly in this rigorous system.

The sci-fi scenes in his memory completely overlapped with the reality described by Wang Chen. Those settings he originally thought were unreachable and existed only in movies had now become tangible realities.

Mo Yufei slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the confusion in his eyes had faded, leaving only calmness and understanding.

Without illusory imagination, without unnecessary resistance, his heart gradually calmed down, and all his shock and astonishment turned into transparency.

This world where technology and cultivation coexisted, and power and rules were intertwined, was no longer an ethereal illusion, but a real world with a complete system, survival laws, and factional games. Every detail and every rule appeared clearly in his mind, firmly remembered.

He knew that starting from this understanding, he had truly stepped into this world. Every step in the future would have to be taken according to the rules of this world, adapting to the brand-new order.