Cultivation begins in the endless sea.

Chapter 34 Reform and Innovation

"Therefore, let's look at a picture first."

With a wave of his hand, Lin Qing unfurled a long scroll of Xuan paper in mid-air, appearing before everyone.

Lin Sheng, who was closest to the scene, looked up and observed carefully.

Three "strange" shapes were drawn on the rice paper with a brush.

The first diagram is the easiest to understand. It lists the names of those who reached the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining over nearly fifty years, forming the first column. The second column lists their descendants with spiritual root aptitude. The third column shows their total stipends.

Upon seeing the first picture, those with quick minds began to speculate about Lin Qing's plans.

Some people stood by with their arms crossed, watching indifferently. For example, Lin Shengyuan, who was over seventy years old and at the seventh level of Qi Refining, adhered to the principle of self-cultivation and had been alone for decades.

To his surprise, the news Lin Qing uttered caused his expression to change slightly.

"As you can see, there are many older generation cultivators, but less than three out of ten of them have the spiritual roots to pass down to future generations."

"If the population is small, there will be no successors. If the spiritual roots are weak, the clan will have no successors."

"Past mistakes will not be punished, but new rules will be established:"

Immediately afterwards, Lin Qing issued new regulations, which were roughly to encourage childbirth, and those who gave birth to children would be given cave dwellings, pills, and spirit rice!

Ordinary people who give birth receive subsidies, while cultivators who give birth receive resources!

All children with spiritual potential are sent to Tingyun Mountain, where the clan establishes a special spiritual school for their training.

A special position will be created to find talented young men and respectable women, and the best candidates will be publicly announced to increase opportunities for mutual understanding.

"This is a long-term plan that will last for a century."

Sitting in the corner, Lin Shenghong looked at his son Lin Qing in the main seat and couldn't help but nod with satisfaction.

The older generation of cultivators had their own difficulties. For example, Lin Shenghong waited until he had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage before getting married and having children after he turned sixty.

Firstly, the success of Foundation Establishment has almost become a mental obsession, haunting two generations of the Lin family, with the entire clan putting in their best efforts to help a new Foundation Establishment cultivator break through.

Secondly, although family cultivators far surpass independent cultivators, they still struggle to make ends meet. The cost of training a cultivator is extremely high, so having a family to cover most of the expenses is naturally a great advantage.

Thirdly, the importance of a Daoist partner is self-evident. They are arguably the closest people to each other, and how can one easily get along with someone who doesn't know their background or anything about them!

"Does that female cultivator receive the same treatment?"

The female cultivator Lin Shengyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

Upon hearing the question, Lin Qing perked up and quickly replied, "Women are exempt from military service for two years during their pregnancy."

"Not only that, but they can also enjoy clan subsidies."

"If a child with spiritual roots is born, resources such as pills and spirit stones will be rewarded."

Before long, the first new regulation was initially finalized, but its full implementation will take some time.

"The second point."

Lin Qing paused, then pointed to the pie chart in the picture and explained, "We randomly selected the salary of a disciple at the seventh level of Qi Refining as a reference, and almost all of his salary was used for cultivation resources."

"As you can see, the entire white area is used to purchase cultivation resources such as pills and spirit rice. Everything else is used sparingly."

Secondly, Lin Qing made a fuss about the largest expense in the family's finances: the salary.

"Starting next month, a salary system combining spirit stones and family contribution points will be implemented."

"What are family contribution points?"

A cultivator below couldn't help but ask, "I have no interest in having children, but my salary is what I care about most."

Lin Qing patiently explained, "One spirit stone is equivalent to one contribution point, and contribution points can be exchanged for various resources!"

"For example, the commonly used Featherfall Pill costs ten low-grade spirit stones for three bottles, but the clan's internal supply price is nine. It will be even more cost-effective to exchange it with contribution points in the future, costing only eight!"

"really?"

The person asking the question was Lin Yunyi, a member of the Yun generation. He had just broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining and had very few spirit stones left. He urgently needed pills to improve his cultivation.

"In this council chamber, not a single falsehood will be uttered!"

Seeing this, the other members of the tribe also began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"Chief, besides the salary, how are contribution points obtained?"

Lin Shengyang is the family's animal tamer; he was the one who hatched and tamed the blind snake egg.

Lin Qing nodded with a smile: "Special cases can be handled on a case-by-case basis. For example, Uncle Yang cultivated twelve blind snakes out of the original six, far exceeding the quota, so he can be awarded fifty family contribution points per snake!"

"That…"

They chatted back and forth, asking about the details, and before they knew it, they had been discussing it for more than an hour.

As the murmurs subsided, Lin Qing raised his hand and gestured for silence, instantly silencing the council hall.

Beside the green bamboo in the backyard, Lin Canglan surveyed the agenda with his divine sense. Seeing Lin Qing using both kindness and severity in an orderly manner, he couldn't help but smile slightly, stroked his short beard, and turned to return to his cave for quiet cultivation.

Inside the council chamber, Lin Qing's expression gradually became solemn, and he slowly began to speak: "Now let's talk about the third point, which is the location of the blank plaque in the picture."

"Starting today, a clan affairs task list will be established!"

"In the past, the clan's spiritual fields, low-level spiritual veins, spiritual lakes, and idle cave dwellings were all distributed in a general and equal manner. Those who worked diligently did not necessarily get more, while those who were lazy and negligent occupied the resources and neglected to manage them."

"From this day forward, all spiritual fields, spiritual veins, and cave dwellings of the entire clan will be uniformly registered and placed under the clan's jurisdiction. They will no longer be privately distributed according to seniority, but will be allocated based on contribution points, clan achievements, and cultivation level!"

Immediately, a commotion arose below. Some were hopeful, while others were making their own plans.

Lin Shengmao, who has long worked in the spiritual fields, has dark, shiny skin, but he is full of energy.

"Clan leader, if we earn merit through our own abilities, we will naturally be able to receive a larger share of the spiritual fields and blessed lands?"

"Exactly." Lin Qing nodded. "This approval isn't something I can decide alone. The clan needs to establish a review panel of at least three people."

"Currently, I suggest that the three of us—the Ancestor, myself, and Reber—should take on this role!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shenglei, who had been watching the show with his arms crossed, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flickering, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"I agree," Lin Shengkui was the first to chime in with a smile.

Lin Shengkui knew perfectly well that Lin Shenglei's son, Lin Yunfeng, had successfully established his foundation within the Starry Sky Sect.

The previous demon-slaying operation can be used as an opportunity to ease tensions.

"This young man is quite capable."

Lin Shengkui, who is often away from home, commented in his heart.

The three of them had the highest cultivation levels among the family members, and no one had any objections.

Finally, I want to say—

"Contribution points, merits, and cultivation levels are all used to create special exchange points."

Previously, contribution points could only be exchanged for basic resources such as common pills and magical artifacts.

"But if you can accumulate enough special exchange points, you can not only exchange them for advanced cultivation techniques, but also ask the clan elders for guidance, etc."

"There are also unexpected opportunities."

"For example, the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

"What?"

"Foundation Pill!"

The elders were instantly shocked, their expressions filled with astonishment. They knew all too well how rare the Foundation Establishment Pill was.

If it is true that merits and contribution points can be exchanged, it means that as long as you do your best for the family, everyone has a chance to fight for the opportunity to build a foundation!

"Of course, there are limitations. For example, each person can only redeem it once in their lifetime."

"The cultivation level must be at least at the late stage of Qi Refining."

"The required special exchange points are currently fixed at 10,000 points!"

While everyone was still processing this bombshell news, Lin Shenglei slowly spoke up, "The clan leader has considered everything thoroughly, and the rules are clearly established. However, I have another question."

"Foundation Establishment Pills are rare treasures, and the clan has promised to exchange them. Do you have a reliable channel for them, or do you have a reserve of these pills?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had been extremely excited just moments before, suddenly understood and all turned to look at Lin Qing, who was sitting in the center of the hall.