Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 530 The Predicament Under a Prosperous Era
The illusory image of the moon hangs in the void, its cool light shining like a searchlight onto the mountain peak.

When the beautiful passage of light disappeared, all the Golden Core cultivators rode the clouds and flew away.

Ji An lagged slightly behind the others. When he arrived above Chaoyang Peak, he immediately felt the completely ethereal stone tortoise merge into his body and then enter his dantian.

Li Haoran stood proudly atop the mountain with a smile on his face, and a moist glow emanated from him from time to time.

That was a flying sword that had been tempered by six tribulations of lightning, transforming into a natal magic weapon.

Master Yuxiao looked at the neatly groomed cultivator and said with some envy:
"Congratulations, you are the most composed cultivator I have ever met."

He pointed to Ji An and the others and drew a circle around them, saying, "The way they looked after their breakthroughs was more and more miserable than the last."

Ji An scratched his head. Who could be worse off than him? In terms of the intensity of the lightning tribulation, no one here should have suffered a worse fate than him.

Li Haoran smiled gently. "Before returning to the sect, my understanding of sword intent improved again."

He has now integrated the two sword intents he has mastered, possessing both the unparalleled sharpness of the metal element and the continuous flow of the water element. The two sword intents complement each other perfectly.

Sword cultivators do not have strong defenses because, for them, offense is the best defense.

If your attack power is strong enough, then the enemy is the one you need to defend against.

Everyone offered their congratulations, and Master Zhengyang sighed softly, saying:

"Once the merchant ships from Central Continent arrive, the sect will purchase the Golden Core cultivation methods of sword cultivators."

He suddenly realized that the resources accumulated by the sect over thousands of years were not so abundant. Purchasing Golden Core stage cultivation techniques and various inheritances would require a massive amount of resources.

Li Haoran's expression turned serious, and he said:
"It's all up to Senior Brother Sect Leader. The Heavenly River Sword Technique that I cultivate was purchased from a cultivator in Central Continent."

According to them, this sword technique even contains methods at the Nascent Soul level.

Master Zhengyang nodded slightly. "You went with me when we bought the cultivation technique. How are you feeling now?"

"Very good, I did not suffer too much damage during the breakthrough, and all the injuries have healed after the breakthrough."

"What you need most right now is to stabilize your cultivation level. Come to the Wuji Hall in three days so we can discuss the future of the sect."

Master Zhengyang turned around and said again:

"Go back now. Everyone must go to the Wuji Palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM) three days from now."

A few days ago, they were supposed to discuss the future of the sect, but Li Haoran happened to return to the sect, so he didn't bring up the topic again.

"Congratulations, Haoran. See you later."

Seeing that Li Haoran was alright, everyone said goodbye and left with relief.

Apart from the few cultivators who didn't need to leave Chaoyang Peak, Ji An was probably the first person to return to his cave.

It only requires two transfers, which is incredibly convenient and fast.

He returned to the quiet room, sat cross-legged on the futon, and focused his mind on the stone tortoise in his dantian.

[Master: Ji An]

[Tao Yun: Gold 28.8, Water 27.4, Wood 24.3, Fire 22.8, Earth 20.2]

This was the third time the stone tortoise had managed to fleece someone, and Ji An was able to discern the intensity of a cultivator's tribulation from the Daoist aura he had obtained.

The stronger the lightning tribulation, the deeper the cultivator's accumulation, thus revealing the cultivator's potential. While not necessarily accurate, it is a valuable reference.

Neither Lin Jiuxiao nor Lin Qiubai have yielded such great results.

Li Haoran is very strong, surpassing others in every aspect. From another perspective, his expertise in the metal and water elements surpasses that of Ji An.

Ji An exclaimed in admiration:
"Truly worthy of a Heavenly Qualities, truly worthy of a Metal Element Body!"

Let alone fellow disciples, even if it were an enemy, he would praise them for providing so much Daoist essence.

Who wouldn't like tangible benefits!

Without hesitation, he grabbed the gourd-shaped stone pendant and gave the order:

"Refine all the Dao essence and upgrade the grade of the small world."

The stone tortoise appeared in my hand, swallowed the gourd-shaped stone, and the Bagua pattern on its shell was dark and heavy.

Wuji Palace.

The group discussed and decided to hold the Golden Core Ceremony for Lin Qiubai and his disciples in half a month.

Looking at the assembled crowd, Master Zhengyang felt his worries completely dissipate.

He coughed and got straight to the point:

“I never thought that having too many Golden Core cultivators was a burden before, but after careful consideration today, I realized that the sect’s existing system cannot support too many Golden Core cultivators.”

He looked troubled and continued:
"The purpose of this meeting is to pool our wisdom and discuss the future path of our sect."

Regardless of the cultivation level, cultivation requires the investment of various resources, but the sect's resources cannot support so many Golden Core cultivators, so it can only be described as a sweet burden.

He paused, glanced at everyone, and said with a wry smile:
"The sect originally only had two Golden Core cultivators. The rule was that every five years they could receive fifty high-grade spirit stones and one pill corresponding to their cultivation level to maintain their cultivation."

The current method for calculating salaries is not detailed enough and cannot meet the needs of each Golden Core stage. A new set of detailed rules needs to be developed.

The sect currently has six Golden Core cultivators, and necessary cultivation techniques need to be purchased. This cannot be avoided, as it requires a considerable amount of resources.

I made a trip to the Central Continent, where I consumed a large amount of my sect's resources in order to purchase Golden Core pills and various inheritances.

A few days ago, I carefully examined the sect's treasury and found that if salaries were distributed according to the original regulations, the sect simply could not afford it.

The shortfall in spirit stones is relatively small and can be raised with some effort, but the cost of elixirs is enormous and completely insurmountable.

The scene was somewhat quiet, and everyone was lost in thought.

The sect's current situation is due to the sudden influx of too many Golden Core cultivators. It's like cultivating too many high-level spiritual plants in a spiritual field, exceeding the field's capacity.

If left unchecked, it will inevitably draw upon the earth's ley lines, causing these high-level spiritual plants to slowly wither away.

Master Yuxiao cleared his throat and said in a deep voice:
"The merchant ships of Zhongzhou make a round trip every thirty years. The sect has six Golden Core cultivators, and each transaction requires the purchase of thirty-six pills."

In addition, the salary owed for the past few years also needs to be made up, which requires more than a dozen pills.

Based on this calculation, the sect is short of more than fifty pills.

Whether the merchant ships from Central Continent will have left with so many pills when they arrive here is another matter entirely.

These past few days, the sect leader and his senior brother discussed his salary with him, and the result was shocking.

They came to the conclusion that it was almost impossible to rely on lower-level disciples to support the cultivation of Golden Core cultivators.

Lin Jiuxiao said softly:

"The solution to this kind of situation is simply to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Do any of you senior brothers have a plan?"

The problem with pills is indeed very serious, because the sect lacks the ability and materials to refine pills for the Golden Core stage.

It's simply unrealistic to acquire enough pills through purchase.

Pills that enhance cultivation are a form of hard currency in the trade among cultivators, regardless of their cultivation stage.

Master Yuxiao sighed, "You're right. It's simply a matter of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, cutting the ration of pills from one every five years to one every ten years."

He had discussed this decision with others, and he felt he had to be the one to voice his opinion and gauge everyone's reaction.

It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. They used to enjoy this treatment, but now it's going to be reduced, which might cause resentment among the people.

However, without doing so, the sect's foundation could not be maintained for many more years.

Lin Jiuxiao spoke:

“When I was in the Enforcement Hall, I often encountered this situation.”

I agree that reducing market share can only solve the immediate problem.

However, if a better solution cannot be found, it will cause more conflict.

Master Zhengyang nodded, "Yes, that's why I've invited everyone here to discuss the future of the sect."

I no longer need to improve my cultivation level, and my share of the pills requires no expenditure or other compensation.

Let's all express our opinion on reducing the market share. Raise your hand if you agree.

Ji An did not hesitate and immediately raised his hand to show his support.

The sect's resources are not abundant, and it cannot afford to produce so much. Even if the share is not reduced, turning it into an IOU would be meaningless.

Not only him, but everyone raised their hands.

To become a Golden Core cultivator, everyone must have a broad perspective.

Master Zhengyang smiled with satisfaction and said:

"Thank you all for your understanding. The sect has now purchased the Golden Core level pill formulas, which can be used to refine pills for the early and middle stages of the Golden Core realm."

However, formulas alone are meaningless; a stable supply of medicinal herbs is necessary.

The predecessors planted the trees so that the successors could enjoy the shade. These spiritual herbs have been handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture for cultivation, but it will be several hundred years before they mature enough to be used for alchemy.

What we need to discuss is how to get through this difficult period.

Lin Qiubai pondered for a moment and said:

"There are two sources of pills at the Golden Core level. Since growing medicinal herbs is not a quick fix, why don't we organize a hunt for Golden Core level demonic beasts?"

According to intelligence, there are Golden Core stage demonic beasts residing in the Mingfeng Mountain area. It's not too deep into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so it's worth a try.

Li Haoran smiled and said, "I think it's feasible."

The sect has six Golden Core cultivators, plus two guardian spirit beasts, possessing the combat strength of eight Golden Core cultivators.

Although four of them were at the first level of the Golden Core stage, together they could easily deal with enemies at the third level of the Golden Core stage.

Master Yuxiao gently shook his head. "Something is not right. The fact that the Golden Core demon beast did not return to the third-tier spiritual vein inside the Ten Thousand Mountains to cultivate is itself strange."

I suspect that a higher-level demonic beast issued some order, forcing them to hold their ground there.

What he didn't know was that his guess was the truth.

Lin Qiubai spread his hands, "Then I can't think of any other way."

Neither he nor Li Haoran were cultivators with any skills to rely on; if they didn't engage in fighting and killing, they would be out of a job.

Ji An said in a deep voice:
Is it feasible to purchase materials and train alchemists to refine pills?

"As long as we can withstand the consequences of the first few failed batches, the situation will quickly improve."

Master Zhengyang said in a deep voice:
"The medicinal materials for refining Golden Core level pills cannot be purchased with spirit stones; they must be traded using third-tier spiritual items."

In that case, the secret database needs to be activated.

But this practice cannot last long. Alchemists must quickly master the techniques of alchemy, and I worry that we won't be able to train such alchemists.

Refining third-tier pills is a huge loss for every batch of materials lost.

Ji An sat up straight. "I'm willing to give it a try."

(End of this chapter)