Upper District, Base Level.
Walking through the streets of the Upper District, taking in the scenery and ambiance of the Base Level, Shi Feng found none of the rumored opulence along the way. Aside from the residential quarters, which were dotted with tall skyscrapers, the rest of the area lacked such high-rises. Instead, the environment had a much more relaxed feel—there were plenty of restaurants, training halls, gyms, and other fitness establishments everywhere.
Yet compared to the carefree life outside, everyone here seemed perpetually busy. Every person walked around with their nerves taut, not a trace of relaxation on their faces.
The competition in the Upper District was simply beyond what anyone on the outside could imagine. It was no paradise at all.
According to what Shi Feng had learned, the total population of the Upper District across all of Origin Sky City was fewer than three hundred thousand.
Nearly a quarter of them were employees of Green God Company in various capacities. The vast majority of the rest were relatives and friends that various conglomerates had pulled into the Upper District through every imaginable means during its earliest days. Then there were those who had been born and raised here from the start, and only a small fraction had entered through special selection or reserved quota.
And once you were in the Upper District, life was nothing like the free and easy existence everyone imagined. The pressure was immense—far greater than on the outside.
The cost of living in the Upper District was truly staggering, and even just the matter of eating made Shi Feng's head ache.
A basic meal set cost thirty Credit Points. On the outside, such a price would be unthinkable, but here it was the cheapest, most bottom-tier option available…
And even that was just a minor issue. The real trouble was the various training resources. Longevity wasn't simply a matter of living in the Upper District—it required all manner of training regimens and potions as well, all of which cost a fortune. Without sufficient wealth and resources, one simply couldn't sustain a life here.
Those who had been born in the Upper District could live comfortably until the age of twelve, after which they would be subjected to a series of assessments all the way until fifteen. If they failed those assessments, they would be unceremoniously expelled from the Upper District.
Even those who passed Green God Company's basic evaluation could only work at the company's lowest tier day in and day out. Unless they passed the Path of the Spirit before the age of twenty, or made a significant contribution to Green God Company, they would not earn any real standing. Only then would they be considered an ordinary citizen of the Upper District.
To live longer, to enjoy a better life in the Upper District—mansions, influence, freedom, the adulation of all major factions—one had to reach the Middle District. Otherwise, one was nothing more than an ant crawling along the Base Level.
The average lifespan on the Base Level was a hundred and fifty years, but not everyone actually lived that long. More importantly, it was about youth and the vitality of the body. Even with all the resources available in the Upper District, maintaining a body brimming with vitality topped out at around fifty years of age. After that, physical vitality would steadily decline until, past a hundred, one became as feeble as any old person.
Only life in the Middle District brought a qualitative shift. One could maintain a youthful appearance at eighty—looking like a thirty-year-old—and stay in one's prime around forty even up to the age of a hundred and twenty. In other words, one's youth was nearly doubled compared to those on the Base Level.
A temptation like that?
Who wouldn't go mad for it?
After wandering around for a while, Shi Feng boarded one of the Upper District's free intelligent hovercars. After a ride of roughly twenty minutes, he arrived in front of the Green God Tower.
He had to admit—the Upper District truly was the Upper District. All forms of public transportation were completely free, and the cars were fully AI-navigated. You simply spoke your destination, and it would drive you straight there.
From there, Shi Feng made his way directly to the seventh floor of the Green God Tower—the floor within the Base Level where all Green God Company resources and items could be exchanged.
Whether it was converting Credit Points into Credit Points (the internal currency), trading rare resources that Green God Company needed in exchange for contribution points and Credit Points, or redeeming Green God Company's various potions and items, everyone on the Base Level came here.
The moment he stepped onto the seventh floor, he found that the lobby—large enough to hold eight basketball courts—was already packed with several thousand people, incomparably busier than the registration hall from his first visit.
The vast majority of these people were wealthy young heirs looking to convert Credit Points into the internal currency.
Although the major conglomerates could get their hands on a fair number of resources, they were organizations and family groups that had been operating for over a century. Their membership rolls were enormous, and for many families, simply getting a woman into the Upper District was already a challenge. Moreover, the resources Green God Company demanded were all exceedingly rare. For the sake of their long-term prospects in the Upper District, the conglomerates would never allow their young heirs to frivolously spend those resources on Credit Points.
As a result, once the younger generation of the major conglomerates entered the Upper District—aside from those already confirmed as heirs—the rest had to earn their own way. And since most of them lacked the ability to earn Credit Points and contribution within the Upper District through their own merits, they could only come here every single day to convert Credit Points into the internal currency. The Green God Company's Credit Points exchange counter was perpetually busy, with its multiple windows staffed and serving customers nearly twenty-four hours a day…
In short, Green God Company's daily exchange hall in the Upper District was raking in money by the fistful. Every day, crowds of wealthy young heirs lined up to hand over their cash.
If word of this scene ever reached the outside world, it would absolutely drop every last jaw.
The young heirs standing in line here were none other than the young lords and princesses of every major conglomerate. On a normal day, let alone standing in line—just a single word from them and countless people would scramble to do their bidding.
Yet here, they had no choice but to act like ordinary people, and not a single one of them felt anything was wrong about it, nor did anyone dare cause a scene.
In contrast, the contribution exchange counter had only one window, and that window almost never had a queue. Anyone who walked up could make an exchange right away.