Modern Cultivation : The Strongest Couple Bonded by Vampire System-Chapter 687: Planetary Grades

Alex and Mingyue were now inside a spaceship, heading to the planet Proxima Centauri b to meet General Kael.

They already had new identities. Their old ones were registered as dead on Karthos Reach.

The system, and all three systems surrounding it, had been marked as a forbidden zone. That triggered a mass exodus from many planets to other worlds inside Empire territory.

Alex was surprised by how smoothly the process went.

Only a minority rejected the idea. Most people looked excited.

He typed and searched for information on the exodus.

"No wonder they agree," Alex muttered. "Not only can they move to higher-grade planets, their property also gets bought for double the highest market price."

"Wow," Mingyue said, looking out at the other ships flying beside them. "The Empire is really generous in cases like this. No wonder these people are excited."

They weren’t the only ones heading toward the Proxima Centauri system.

Star systems and planets in the Empire were graded from F to S.

People from higher grades could move freely to lower-grade worlds, but going upward was not that easy. They needed approval, and getting it was hard.

So an opportunity that allowed migration to a higher-class planet was a dream to most people.

Alex leaned back in his seat, eyes still on the screen. "What a control system."

Mingyue glanced at him. "Control?"

"With this system, people won’t flock to one specific area," Alex said. "Normally people gather in the most prosperous places. But most of them fail to compete."

After all, many want it, but the opportunity is limited.

"In the end, they become parasites on the system," Alex continued. "They turn into criminals, or they live through social aid."

Similar cases had happened before in Alex’s homeworld, before the dungeon break.

"Thus this system was created to control the population," Alex said. "To make sure they don’t concentrate in the same area."

He tapped the screen again.

"As for the money, paying double is cheaper than dealing with riots, rebellions, or people sneaking back in later," Alex said. "It also gives hope to those living in bad areas, that a miracle is possible."

Mingyue nodded slowly. "I see. It’s like our sect providing resources even to those without talent."

Sects did similar things. They gave out resources even to the weak to make sure they didn’t rebel. It was a way to buy loyalty.

"Bait, and a leash," Alex said.

Outside the viewport, a line of civilian carriers moved like a long river of metal, each one stuffed with families and resources. Some ships looked old enough to fall apart. Others were brand new, probably bought the moment the announcement went public.

Mingyue kept watching them. "Then what’s the difference between those grades? I keep hearing people talk like an A-grade planet is heaven."

Alex scrolled through the public registry, pulling up the grading explanation.

"F to D is basically survival," he said. "Poor infrastructure, weak security, low tech. Most of those worlds are mining pits, scrapyards, or frontier farms. Comfort barely exists there, and most jobs are dangerous. They only care about the output."

Mingyue frowned. "So like Karthos Reach."

"Yes," Alex said. "Those systems focus on mining specific resources, which limits opportunities for the natives."

For example, Karthos Reach focused on mining soul material. That meant all the planets around it existed only to support that process, limiting their growth and future.

He tapped the screen again.

"C and B are the middle," he continued. "Cities are real, markets function, laws are enforced, and there’s an actual economy. But you still see strict taxes and heavy surveillance. Still, their system allows those with talent to climb."

There were still many nepotism cases, but the Empire used exclusivity as a way to isolate it outside the public eye.

Many cultivator academies only accepted those from royalty, turning it into a special status. While in reality, the future there was more limited compared to those who walked the normal path.

In theory it was good, but Alex doubted it ran smoothly.

He doubted the nobles were so stupid that they couldn’t see where the real opportunity lay.

In Empire-owned academies, the rules stated there was no different treatment, hiding one’s background and such, but people always found ways to gain more benefits.

There was no way some teachers dared to fight against a local tyrant. As for real powerhouses, Alex doubted they would bother with small conflicts.

Still, he couldn’t deny the effectiveness. When real powerhouses spent their time teaching at the government academies to gain service points, there was no way they would let go of those with real talent.

They would surely bring them under their tutelage and pull them into their faction.

Mingyue’s eyes sharpened. "And A?"

Alex’s gaze shifted toward the route display.

"Proxima is A-category," he said. "That means high-grade atmosphere control, clean energy, stable orbit, high security, and full Empire services. Real medical pods. Real education. Real cultivator academies. People there don’t worry about food or shelter. They worry only about strength."

Mingyue’s lips parted slightly. "So it’s a paradise."

"Yes," Alex said. "Compared to most places, it’s paradise."

Mingyue leaned closer. "Then why is it so hard to get in?"

Alex flicked to another page. This one had the migration rules.

"Because A-grade worlds are where the Empire keeps its valuable population," he said. "Engineers, officers, high-output cultivators, researchers, high-tier merchants, genius cultivators, basically anyone the Empire wants to keep no matter what."

"Their families live in luxury," Alex continued. "With support from the government. Basically, even with no income, they can live in excess."

Mingyue read the numbers on the screen and went quiet for a moment.

"So they even grade each individual," she said.

"Everything is scored," Alex replied. "Merit, contribution, loyalty, family background, potential, even your social risk."

Mingyue’s jaw tightened. "How are they sure this number is real?"

Mingyue didn’t believe no one tried to modify it. Everyone wanted to be graded A.

"They use formations and technology," Alex said. "But of course, if you put in effort, you can modify it. Still, most of it is easily confirmed. People can only change it a bit before it becomes too obvious."

If someone faked their potential as S-grade but turned out average, they would be executed. The punishment for modifying records was harsh.

But small things like minor records are easy to cover up, and no one cares.

He swiped again, pulling up the last grade. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"S-grade is different," Alex said. "S-grade worlds are not for normal citizens."