The Sacred Land Is Going Bankrupt, I Invented a Mobile Phone!圣地要破产，我发明出手机！

What would you do if every breakthrough in your cultivation realm required thousand and millions of spirit stones? Well, our dear protagonist, Ye Chen (MC) is faced with this very problem. This is a story of how capitalism combined with online internet services changed a naive and unsuspecting Cultivation world

The Sacred Land starts of somewhat in medias res short time after the MC has taken the sect master position of a prestigious sect, also called a Holy Land. The problem is that the resources that the sect used to generate wealth before have been depleted and as such they are now on the verge of bankruptcy. Luckily, the MC has discovered that their Holy Artifact is akin to a quantum computer and with this trait he was able to develop a magic ring that cultivators can wear. This ring grants functions like a modern day intrrnet connected cell phone. Que a money printing machine story, where the MC has to "invent" apps and services, such as Weibo (Twitter), TikTok, online banking, etc, for cultivators so that he can continue to breakthrough.

The story generally focuses sect development but also has a decent amount of focus on characters and their interactions to keep things fresh. What makes this story fun, in my opinion, are the characters with unique personality traits and their interactions, but also reading about the interesting ways in which apps impact regular cultivators. For example, there's a narcissistic beautiful Holy maiden who's convinced that the MC is in love with her because he comes to rescue her sect when it is overrun by a beast stampede. But the fact is that the MC just wants to resolve the issue because it is affecting his profits in the area. Another example is a rival sect master who just seems to have a series of bad luck every time he encounters the MC, so much so, that he develops a type of stockholms syndrome and becomes an ardent fan of the MC - in his mind the MC is omnipotent.

The Sacree Land will remind some people of Black Tech Internet Cafe to a certain extent, but there are large differences. The Sacred Land has a broader view of the Cultivation world and we often see reactions from random unrelated characters as their lives are directly or indirectly impacted by the MC and his efforts to make money. As I mentioned before, there is also a decent amount of story development happening where the focus is on the MC as he meets people and develops relationships.

Overall, I'm a big fan of these types of novels - there is little to no face slapping, the MC is overpowered but cautious, likes to think of ways to makes apps so he can fuel his ever growing need for resources, and doesn't feel like a 2d character. Supporting side-characters also have their own unique traits and personalities which makes the story feel more alive and fun to read.

In conclusion, I feel that The Sacred Land is under-appreciated and is definitely worth a read. I rate it a B+ or 4.5/5*

Happy reading!