Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

"Moreover, even if you become a martial artist, it doesn't mean you can continue down that path forever."

"Do you remember the two great barriers I mentioned before, the Five Internal Organs and the Marrow Refining Realm? Those two barriers are the real insurmountable chasms. More than 90% of martial artists are stuck in the Bone Refining Realm for their entire lives, unable to move forward."

Sun Hong picked up his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and exhaled a breath of alcohol.

"So, you're asking me if there are countless evolved beings in the Huayan Republic? I can only tell you that if we're talking about absolute numbers, given the Republic's population of billions, then there are indeed many. But if we're talking about proportions, then they're extremely rare, practically nonexistent."

"As for martial artists, there are indeed many of them, you can find them everywhere. But the vast majority are stuck at the Bone Refining Realm, working as ordinary employees, security guards, or foremen like me for various forces."

"As for the Body Tempering Realm... there are actually quite a few of them, although this realm is not very difficult to cultivate."

"The reason is simple: body tempering potions are not expensive, but transforming from the seventh level of body tempering perfection into the 'evolution potion' used by martial artists is not so simple. Making that kind of potion requires a relatively precious material, which is strictly controlled by the authorities."

"only……"

At this point, Sun Hong lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"...I heard that the government and other major forces deliberately set the price so high in order to consciously control the number of low-level martial artists and maintain the stability of the social structure."

"After all, resources are finite. Before resources are truly abundant, having too many martial artists in society may not be a good thing. They might exhaust the resources before the overall level of life can leap forward. Moreover, human desires are endless. Once people become stronger and enjoy the good things, they want to become even stronger. When resources are insufficient, conflicts will inevitably arise."

That's not something the authorities or those powerful forces want to see.

"However, becoming a martial artist ultimately means greater power and a longer lifespan, which can be considered as completing the first transformation of life."

Moreover, even if one cannot turn one's life around, at least one can have offspring under better conditions to continue the family line.

With genes being optimized generation after generation, there is always hope for the future.

Besides, who knows, maybe if we're lucky...

Sun Hong seemed to have thought of something, but then shook his head.

"In short, there are still countless ordinary people who are willing to spend most of their wealth to have a chance to become a martial artist."

"As for the ordinary people you perceive..." Sun Hong thought for a moment and said, "After so many generations of genetic optimization and reproduction, newborn children can almost all start cultivating directly after reaching a certain age, without needing additional injections. It can be said that the standard for ordinary people in this era has long been raised. These ordinary people may be able to reach the first or even second level of Body Tempering after reaching the designated age."

"So, in short, there are indeed plenty of Body Tempering Realm cultivators and martial artists. But Evolvers are still at the top of the pyramid, extremely rare."

After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the private room.

Although Zhao Dele and the others were mentally prepared, they knew that there would definitely be a lot of martial artists in Yuncheng.

But listening to Sun Hong reveal so much information, they still felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

In Yangon, they were the elite of the Exploration Department, the strongest beings besides the nobles.

But here, maybe the uncle who runs the stir-fry shop next door is a martial artist...

At this moment, Zhao Dele, Suoguli, Cheng Mingyuan, and Tu Nan all had different expressions on their faces, but they all shared a similar sense of heaviness.

Sun Hong noticed this, but didn't pay much attention to it. In his opinion, Zhao Dele and the others would get used to it after a while in Yuncheng.

"Then, I'll talk to you about work. I know you're all young, and you're all driven by ambition, wanting to continue your cultivation and strive for advancement. So you're looking for jobs that allow you to balance your cultivation with your work."

He sighed and pointed to himself.

"But after all that I've said, you should understand. There are tons of martial artists out there, why would I give you that kind of good job?"

"Of course, major powers sometimes recruit promising martial artists for training. But what kind of people do they recruit? They recruit those who are teenagers or in their twenties, with exceptional talent, solid foundations, and promising talents whose future can be seen at a glance."

"But what about you..."

Sun Hong didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning behind it was already self-evident.

Zhao Dele and the others understood.

They grew up in the distorted system of Yangon, their foundations were already damaged, and some of their potential was overdrawn. Perhaps it wasn't much, but in Cloud City, where martial artists were as numerous as hairs on a cow, this flaw could create a huge gap.

In the assessments of those major powers, they probably wouldn't even meet the threshold of being "worth cultivating".

They are, in a sense, defective products.

For a moment, Zhao Dele and the others looked at each other, seemingly somewhat "helpless".

But it was just a helpless situation.

And the next moment, Zhao Dele cursed and then laughed: "Damn it, it makes us sound like some kind of stunted beast in the wilderness."

The others in Suoguli laughed when they heard this. Their laughter was genuine and unpretentious; they simply found it amusing.

In fact, they were not as pessimistic as one might imagine.

So what's there to be pessimistic about?

They all crawled out of Yangon, a place that devours people, so even if things get worse in the future, they won't get too bad off.

Seeing this, Sun Hong was impressed by their optimistic attitude and raised his glass again:

"Haha, I knew it, you guys are all great."

Well then, I won't say those comforting platitudes.

"Alright, alright, I won't say any more, and you all shouldn't overthink it! Your temporary ID cards haven't even come through yet, why are you thinking so much?"

"We'll talk about the future later! As the saying goes, there's always a way out. Who knows what the future holds for you? Come on, let's drink, keep drinking!"

Zhao Dele and the others raised their glasses and clinked them with Sun Hong's, then drank them down in one gulp.

About half an hour later, the dinner party was finally coming to an end.

Just then, Zhao Dele spoke up, "I need to use the restroom."

With that, he left his seat, but Zhao Dele did not actually head towards the restroom. Instead, he called for a waiter outside the door.

"Cook a few more dishes for our private room, but we want them to take away. Also, calculate the total cost of our meal; I've already paid in advance."

Back in the resettlement area, Zhang Lin and the others have been eating that kind of relief food. They eat better food outside, so we should at least bring them some.

Besides, although Sun Hong had said he would treat them to this meal, Zhao Dele didn't really care about saving face or making a scene. The main issue was that they had been troubling Sun Hong, so Zhao Dele felt that if they could afford it, they would pay for it.

However, at that moment, Sun Hong pushed open the door and walked out, patting Zhao Dele on the shoulder.

"Dele, you little rascal, I knew it!"

Watching all this, Sun Hong's admiration for Zhao Dele deepened. This kid is thorough in his work, considerate of his comrades, and a man who can get things done.

Zhao Dele was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Brother Sun, I..."

Sun Hong waved his hand: "I already said this meal is on me, so don't argue."

Then, the waiter handed over the bill, and Sun Hong paid without hesitation.

"Alright, it's getting late. Sit a little longer, and I'll take you home once those dishes are cooked."

Sun Hong patted Zhao Dele on the shoulder, and the two went back to sit for a while. Soon, the waiter brought over the packed dishes, and everyone left the restaurant at that moment.

(PS: The general world-building of Cloud City has been laid out. Now, let's get to the main topic.)