Sea Cultivation: Giant Ships and Heavy Artillery Knock on the Door to All Races

Chapter 304 The Transition Between Old and New, Chaos Begins

At the beginning of storm season,
Lin Qianfan, who was secretly training eagles in the midst of a storm, suddenly received bad news:

Uncle Gui and his wife, who were both very old, passed away on the same day!

Although I had long anticipated this day, I still felt a little regretful that I couldn't see them one last time.

"They are blessed, there's no need for them to be sad!"

The clansmen who were in charge of arranging their funerals comforted Lin Qianfan.

According to the normal lifespan limit, they should have passed away a few years ago, but with Lin Qianfan's tireless help and their own positive attitude, they not only had a good old age, but even lived a few more years.

Uncle Gui and his wife originally had no children, but their half-apprentice and goddaughter were very filial. In their later years, they even took care of their grandchildren, which can be considered as fulfilling all their regrets.

"Another old friend has left."

Other elderly neighbors remarked on this.

Indeed, time flies. Since the family split into North and South, many of the older generation of ordinary clansmen have passed away one after another. New people replace the old, and some old conflicts have dissipated in the wind.

Because the Lin family has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, all members have benefited. Even those who were punished in the Wind Spirit Secret Realm have seen their treatment gradually improve. Furthermore, the decision-makers are trying their best to avoid new conflicts between the Northern and Southern branches.
Therefore, the new generation of Lin family members are very harmonious and get along well. When working together, they rarely make a distinction between Yanglong Bay and Xiancheng Lin family, treating them as two different cradles of the Lin family. This has laid a certain foundation for future mergers.

After observing mourning for Uncle Gui for several days, Lin Qianxue came to find Lin Qianfan. She had previously been in charge of the Tianji Wheel and traveled in the Western Regions for two years. After accumulating some experience, she stepped down and handed over her position to Ninth Master. Now she is assisting Elder Tao in managing the entire Yulong Islands.

She had two reasons for seeing Lin Qianfan today. Firstly, she hadn't seen him in a long time, and although their relationship could be considered a romantic one, she had missed him after so long, so she wanted to take this opportunity to see him.
On the other hand, there was something important to discuss with Lin Qianfan: whether the family should reduce subsidies for newborns.

In recent years, the Lin family's population has continued to expand, doubling several times. Now, most of the clan members are relatively young. Although the number of enlightened cultivators even accounts for more than 20% of the total population, this is an unhealthy proportion, and the population is too young.

Moreover, the desire for procreation among ordinary people remains strong, with ordinary families often having several children. Those without spiritual roots are sent to mortal towns, while those with spiritual roots are supported by their families, purely for the purpose of enjoying blessings. Obviously, this situation will continue for a considerable period of time in the future.

If the Lin family could expand indefinitely, that would be fine; having more people would naturally bring more benefits. However, it is clear that they cannot expand indefinitely. If they want a smooth merger in the future, they must first eliminate the hidden dangers.

There are three main reasons for this:

First, the environment of the archipelago is now too suitable for survival, and the reproductive instincts of ordinary people are actively expressed, with everyone willing to have more children.

Secondly, there is policy encouragement. Having children does not burden a young family, since the expenses for children are basically borne by the family. The family can nurture the child from birth, from testing their spiritual roots to adulthood.

Thirdly, there's the prevailing atmosphere. A similar trend of "more children, more blessings" has quietly formed within the Lin family, with lower-ranking members openly and secretly competing to see who has more children and better spiritual roots.

"The instinct to reproduce is deeply ingrained, and the lower one's cultivation level, the more affected one is. As long as the Lin family does not decline, this cannot be changed."

Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators cut off their cultivation path early on and can only place their hopes on their offspring. Given the opportunity, they will naturally have more children; this is a biological instinct that is difficult to change and suppress.

It's not just humans; other creatures do the same. When conditions are better, they want to have more children, and there's nothing wrong with that.

"But the policies and customs associated with the family can be changed!"

“I think the current trend is very bad, and even has gone astray. Although Yunshang Secret Island shares the pressure, there are many uncertainties in the future. I think we should tighten some restrictions.”

Lin Qianxue expressed deep concern about the current population structure of the Lin family, not only because the excessive number of underage cultivators was putting enormous pressure on the family's internal training system.
The sudden influx of a large number of young people who have just come of age and lack practical experience into the archipelago ecosystem, and who are taking on many key positions, is also a hidden danger. It's not hard to imagine that they have already caused some problems, but these problems have been masked by the apparent prosperity.
The reason they've reached this point is that they lacked a proper transition period. In the past, newly adult children would be mentored and guided by their elders for several years to ensure they were competent in their positions.
But things are different now. The older generation is gradually passing away, and there is a severe shortage of manpower. They simply cannot manage so many young people. Moreover, the Lin family is expanding rapidly, and when it comes to hiring, they prioritize their own family members. This will result in many people who are good at theory being given important positions.

So, without realizing it, the Lin family already had a new hidden danger!
"To adjust the population structure, we need to reduce the birth rate. I think the next key step should be to promote eugenics and improve the training mechanism. One eugenic elite can be worth three or five useless ones. In the past, we relied too much on centralized family education and neglected family education. Now we need to pick it up again."

Clearly, Lin Qianxue had thought about the issue carefully before coming.

In fact, Lin Qianfan had considered this issue, but he knew that developing the Rainbow Sea would require a large number of people, and these people would definitely have to be mainly from the Lin family to keep the secret, so he did not pay much attention to this issue.

But since Lin Qianxue brought it up today, it must be because a very serious problem has occurred, prompting her to think about it and pay attention to it.

"What happened?"

"Yes, the trouble is on Yundu Island..."

It turned out that a member of the Lin family, who was stationed on Yundu Island, had committed a crime there, which even alarmed Zhang Quansong, the Golden Core cultivator of the Zhang family, who personally brought the offender back.

Zhang Quansong has been at the peak of the ninth level of Foundation Establishment for some years and should be making final preparations for Core Formation, but he was asked to personally send people back, which means something terrible must have happened.

Lin Qianxue took it very seriously and immediately intervened in the investigation. She investigated all the personnel stationed on Yundu Island and found that these people were really doing nothing right on Yundu Island. They were swaggering around and doing all sorts of bad things because the Zhang family had submitted to the Lin family. Even the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was in charge of them was involved.

You must understand that they represent the Lin family's reputation when they are out in the world, and their behavior reflects the Lin family's style to a certain extent. They are disgracing the Lin family's honor and feng shui.

Severely punishing them is only a temporary solution; the root cause lies in the fact that many of the younger generation in the Lin family are too impetuous, which is why change is needed.

"It seems we really did overlook these issues before!"

Lin Qianfan immediately thought of the elegantly dressed young man he had killed a few days ago. What was the difference between the behavior of these Lin family personnel and that elegantly dressed young man? They were pretty much the same; they were all courting death.

"It's time for some cleanup! Otherwise, it might affect us one day!"

The two then discussed many specific details and finalized them one by one. Since the Golden Core Supreme was not involved in specific administrative affairs, Lin Qianfan and Lin Qianxue could get things done as long as they reached a consensus.

Finally, the two established three new internal policies for the Lin family:
The first is to establish a new supervisory body called "Yulongtang".

The Fish and Dragon Hall is specifically responsible for monitoring the Lin family members, especially those who hold power and status and control key interests, in order to prevent them from going astray and to establish a new family style.

The power of the Fish and Dragon Hall will surpass that of many ordinary institutions, and it will be autocratic. Its operation will be different from the passive operation of the Punishment Hall. It will take the initiative from time to time and handle matters independently.

The operation of the Fish Dragon Hall is not affected by ordinary Foundation Establishment elders. It is only under the command of Lin Qianxue, who is in charge of managing the entire Fish Dragon Islands. Others have difficulty mobilizing or interfering with them.

As for the composition of the Fish Dragon Hall, they are all selected from the Lin family academy, who are still uncorrupted, sincere, of good character, and energetic new generation. They are not afraid of offending anyone.

The second new policy was to implement "family planning" within the Lin family.

Lin Qianfan told Lin Qianxue that he had discovered a sizable, high-quality resource-rich secret realm, but it was not located locally and could only be developed on a large scale when the time was right.
Therefore, the issue of new population growth cannot be addressed with a one-size-fits-all approach, and maternity benefits cannot be abolished. A certain level of growth still needs to be maintained, but some restrictions can be added on the existing basis to achieve the goal of effective control and eugenics.

For example, one cannot conceive another child before the previous child has been tested for spiritual power. The reproductive cycle for multiple pregnancies can be extended to at least eight years. Violation of this rule will result in the confiscation of spiritual stones and some family benefits.

For example, strengthening the proportion of family education in the training mechanism, encouraging parents of children to take the initiative to guide their children through the transition before they enter society, and implementing certain quantitative assessments.

The purpose of setting these thresholds is to reduce the fertility desire of lower-class people to a certain extent, thereby promoting eugenics.

The third new policy is "universal military service".

The traditional practice was to assign different jobs directly based on different performance and special skills after completing tribal studies. Now, a step of serving on a ship has been added before starting tribal studies and entering the workforce.

Regardless of their origins or whether they are direct descendants of Foundation Establishment cultivators, whether they are Foundation Establishment seeds or have no future among the Five Elemental Roots, they must serve on the Demon Hunting Ship for two years upon reaching adulthood.

Anyway, the Lin family has plenty of demon-hunting ships now, enough to hold them all. They need to suffer a bit to realize that the peaceful life on the islands isn't so easy. Two years will not only teach them some skills, but also temper their will and temper their temper, reducing the chances of them causing trouble in the future.

"That's about it. Let Elder Tao give me his corrections."

The person in charge of the entire Yulong Islands is the Supreme Elder Lin Datao. This new policy of the Lin family has a great impact, so it would be best to let him take a look.

"Hmm, where's the silver scale?"

"I sent it to that secret realm to train."

"Isn't it unsafe?"

"It's clever, unlike the docile Mo Qilin."

Lin Qianxue's jade unicorn has grown very quickly and is now at the early stage of the second tier. Although it has an exceptional bloodline, it has been raised by Lin Qianxue since it was a child and cannot easily show itself to others, so it is somewhat weak.

"It's temporary. It will be fine once we reach the Core Formation stage."

……

Cloud Garment Secret Island

Cloud and Mist Immortal City, ruled by the Ma family.
"Ancestor, something has happened at the Cloud and Mist Marsh!"

"what happened?"

"According to the latest news, there are signs that a demon beast is undergoing the third stage of tribulation in the depths of the Cloud and Mist Marsh. Combined with the many strange movements of demon beasts in recent years, this time it should be true."

"Transcending tribulation? This is a good thing. This audacious fellow actually dared to advance in front of my Ma family. He's simply courting death."

At first, he was startled, then delighted. Then, the Ma family patriarch summoned another, younger Golden Core cultivator from the Ma family and gave him instructions:

"Xin'er, the newly promoted Demon King's realm is not stable and his strength is not strong. Go and kill him! This is a rare opportunity for him to hone his skills in actual combat!"

"Such a good thing? I'll be right back!"

When the Yunshang Alliance withdrew, they found three small families, each at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, and entrusted them with the joint management of Yunshang Secret Island and Yunyan Great Swamp.

Later, as the beast tide rose, many things happened. In particular, after the New Merchant Alliance made several unsuccessful attempts to seek help from Wangtian Pavilion, the remaining influence of the Yunshang Alliance was basically gone, and it slipped out of control.

Because the Ma family patriarch possessed a powerful treasure, and because a Golden Core cultivator had recently joined the Ma family, the balance was disrupted, and the original situation of three families jointly managing the family became one where only the Ma family remained.

The other two companies either withdrew voluntarily or were wiped out by it.

However, the continuous decline of Yunshang Secret Island is an undeniable fact, as is the further decline of Yunyan Immortal City. Therefore, Yunyan Immortal City's control over Yunyan Great Swamp is far less than before.
Especially during the annual storm season, demons run rampant in the depths of the Cloud and Mist Marsh, and the Ma family is powerless to protect them. This year, the situation is even worse, with demonic beasts undergoing tribulation inside.

Deep in the misty marshes,

The purple thunderclouds that had been pushing aside the storm gathered, indicating that the guy who had been hiding here to advance had reached the most crucial moment of his tribulation.

Rumble~
Even from a great distance, and despite the obstruction of clouds and mist, illuminated by the lightning of the tribulation, Ma Jiaxin was still able to identify the other party: a purple lightning eel undergoing tribulation and advancing in rank.

"What a magnificent purple electric snake eel! How come we never noticed it before?"

Ma Jiaxin was puzzled. The Ma family had a general idea of ​​what kind of late-stage second-tier demonic beasts were in the Cloud and Smoke Great Swamp. They kept them to wait for the right opportunity to harvest them, such as when they had just advanced to the third tier. However, this Purple Lightning Serpent Eel was not on the Ma family's records.

"Never mind, prepare to die!"

This purple lightning snake eel already possessed excellent attributes, making it suitable for undergoing the tribulation of lightning. Coupled with good luck, it easily succeeded in overcoming the tribulation. Just as it was about to establish a firm foothold, absorbing the gifts of heaven and earth, and completing its final transformation, Ma Jiaxin, who had been waiting in the shadows, suddenly made his move and struck at its vital point.

"It was a human sneak attack... Damn it!"

Enraged by the disruption and interruption during its absorption of the gifts of heaven and earth, the Purple Lightning Serpent Eel immediately gathered lightning all over its body to defend and counterattack.

"A mere trick! The Condensing Light Finger!"

Although Ma Jiaxin was only at the first level of the Golden Core stage, he firmly held the advantage, especially by making full use of the advantages of his magic weapon, which pleased the Ma family patriarch who was hiding further away.

“Xin’er used to be low-key and lacked practical combat experience. This time, she independently killed a newly promoted demon king, which can be considered as completing her baptism.”

Just as the Ma family grandfather and grandson were confident of success, two extremely dangerous snake heads emerged from the thick clouds and smoke of the Great Swamp. One had an imposing and dignified appearance, while the other had a cunning and treacherous look.

"Hiss~ What a great opportunity! Twin Fangs!"

A pair of barely perceptible blue fangs silently pierced through the battlefield, heading straight for Ma Jiaxin's back. The timing and angle were perfect, clearly indicating that the attacker was a seasoned veteran who enjoyed ambushes.

"Oh no, there's also the Demon King!"

(End of this chapter)