Douluo: The blue phoenix cries loudly, and the wind whistles through the air

“Those qualified to serve as temple masters are not ordinary people, but rather middle and lower-level elites. Not to mention, many of these temple masters may be under thirty years old.”

"Under normal circumstances, they will be under forty years old when their two terms end, and even if they have four terms, they will still be under fifty. Among these people, there are always some who can't stay idle. Without their official positions, if these people are allowed to unleash their potential, I'm afraid there will never be a peaceful day on the mainland again!"

Qian Renxue's concerns were not unfounded.

In all the peasant uprisings that have taken place on the Douluo Continent over the years, in which one did the peasants truly gain the upper hand?
So-called peasant uprisings are more often challenges launched by the lower-class elites against the upper-class elites, with the peasants merely tools mobilized by the lower-class elites. If an uprising were purely initiated by peasants, there is no doubt that it would be suppressed by government officials on the very day it began.

The Spirit Hall is an excellent platform for nurturing talent. Even those who do not advance to the rank of Hall Master have been trained on this platform and their strength should not be underestimated. Letting them become idle would have unimaginable consequences.

Wu Qi had certainly considered this issue.

He once said that Soul Masters are the foundation of the Spirit Hall, and these Hall Masters are themselves Soul Masters, whose influence should not be underestimated. They are definitely the group that Wu Qi needs to unite.

He replied with a smile, "Elder Judge, please don't be impatient. My Spirit Hall's administrative system cannot support so many officials, but that doesn't mean my Spirit Hall is incompetent in other aspects."

"This is what I'm going to talk about next, and it's also a plan that requires a lot of manpower."

Qian Renxue knew that Wu Qi was not one to speak without reason, so she couldn't help but be curious about what arrangements he would make next.

After a pause, Wu Qi smiled and said, "Gentlemen, turn to the next page of the white paper and take a closer look at its contents."

Starting with Qian Daoliu, the white paper was passed from hand to hand among the people.

According to Wu Qi's account in the white paper, it was indeed able to absorb most of the elite Soul Masters from the lower ranks who were "eliminated" from the officialdom.

However, there are considerable obstacles to pushing this plan forward. If the two great empires do not agree, the plan will be stillborn and will never even have a chance to come to fruition.

The organizational structure provided by Wu Qi was precisely the framework of the newspaper.

Newspapers are a means of controlling public opinion. This was not done in the past, not because no one thought of it, but because the cost of collecting and transmitting information across regions was too high. If the price of a newspaper was too high, no one would buy it; if the price was too low, it could not cover expenses and would eventually go bankrupt.

The Spirit Hall has fertile ground for "cultivating" newspapers, and its branch halls scattered throughout the continent are their unique advantage.

Using the Spirit Hall's internal communication channels, it wouldn't be difficult to gather the newspapers in Spirit City and publish them in a short time; it would simply require adding more manpower to the existing channels.

Even if the newspaper fails, the Spirit Hall can accept the sunk cost; if it succeeds, it can control the discourse power of the entire continent, so why not?
Qian Daoliu raised his concerns, "Your Holiness, I do not doubt the brilliance of your plan. However, what you have described is only a theoretical situation. The major powers are not fools. There will always be people who see through the clues in the newspapers and spread them all over the continent, which will be detrimental to the reputation of my Spirit Hall."

"Of course, what I described is only the mildest case. If it were a more serious case, the damage to my Spirit Hall would be immeasurable."

Wu Qi had certainly considered these things. Otherwise, could he have stayed up for a month just to prepare this white paper?
In the past, he might have seemed a bit theoretical, but after working with the Spirit Hall, he gained a deep understanding of the environment on the Douluo Continent, and the content of this proposal was tailored to local conditions.

"Please don't rush, everyone. Please turn to the next page. I have made detailed supplementary annotations. If there are any omissions, please point them out on the spot, and we will solve them together."

Qian Daoliu sighed softly, picked up the white paper, and continued reading. He finally understood why Wu Qi had targeted the redundant officials.

The problem of redundant officials remained widespread even during his years as Pope. But there was nothing that could be done; the Spirit Hall's core membership was Spirit Masters, and without providing some benefits to lower- and middle-ranking Spirit Masters, it would be difficult to maintain its current position.

Even so, given the Spirit Hall's financial situation, there shouldn't be any problems, as the Spirit Hall has many revenue-generating industries that are sufficient to cover these expenses.

Now, in order to promote the newspaper and gain hegemony over public opinion, Wu Qi has to invest a huge amount of money in it, and he really doesn't have the money to pay the salaries of these redundant officials.

But soon, Sendou Ryu's thoughts completely changed.

It seems that, under the framework set by Wu Qi, the newspaper will not only not lose money, but will also be a stable source of income.

In addition to reporting major events on the mainland, the newspaper also had advertising space.

Once successfully launched, the newspaper will undoubtedly become a sensation across the entire continent, providing an excellent platform for businesses lacking marketing expertise to showcase their products.

Furthermore, Wu Qi stated regarding layout that newspapers do not require strict page control. If there are enough advertisements, simply print more pages; the advertising revenue will be sufficient to cover the additional paper costs.

However, by the end, Qian Daoliu's gaze remained fixed on the newspaper's price.

"One copper soul coin per copy? Isn't that a bit too low? I did a rough calculation, and the paper cost and transportation cost of a ten-page newspaper are more than three copper soul coins. Even with advertising revenue, we'd probably still lose money, right?"

"In my opinion, a price of three copper soul coins is appropriate. It's cost-effective, and the remaining advertising expenses are our profit."

After he finished speaking, he handed the white paper to the other elders for circulation.

Not only Qian Daoliu, but other elders also held the same view.

Wu Qi shook his head and replied with a smile, "There are some ways to make money that I haven't written down here. Because the situation is a bit special, if the newspaper can implement it, I've decided to conduct a small-scale pilot program to see how it goes."

"As for your concerns, I will not answer them now. I have a question to ask you in return."

“Our Spirit Hall compiles information at the Spirit City headquarters and then distributes it throughout the continent. This back-and-forth distribution process is very costly. Take Heaven Dou City as an example. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School thinks our newspaper is profitable, wouldn't they also produce a similar newspaper?”

"They don't need to collect information from the entire continent. They can just create a Tiandou City Daily and report on the strange and interesting things happening in Tiandou City. Let's calculate how much that would cost them?"

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is a friendly force of the Spirit Hall, so naturally they wouldn't do such a thing. But Wu Qi's use of them as an example was quite apt.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has a deep presence in Heaven Dou City, and with its relationship with the royal family, it can collect news and interesting stories from within Heaven Dou City using its existing information channels, at almost no extra cost.

Their only cost was printing and selling the newspaper, which cost less than a copper soul coin. (End of Chapter)