Longevity Fairy: Sister, Please Wait A Little Longer

Chapter 17: 017: Is it wrong for a menial disciple to want to live?

Aunt Nan once said that she is an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

But that was obviously just to scare Chu Bai.

Afterwards, Chu Bai asked around a bit to learn more about the Law Enforcement Hall. From top to bottom, the Law Enforcement Hall has one common characteristic: they have no friends.

Enforcement is a very serious matter, and personal emotions can easily affect fairness.

There is no absolute fairness in the world, no matter where you are.

But every instance of unfairness will affect the credibility of the Law Enforcement Hall.

If the Law Enforcement Hall loses its credibility, it becomes nothing more than a decoration.

So Chu Bai believes that the probability of this Aunt Nan being an elder of the inner or outer sect is higher.

And now, Aunt Nan has confirmed it herself.

Chu Bai, being in the inner sect for many years, is unaware of the ambition of the higher-ups in the outer sect.

It is not wrong for the elders of the outer sect to desire prosperity for the outer sect.

Upon hearing this, Chu Bai immediately fell into contemplation.

He didn't ask Aunt Nan why she wanted to listen to his opinion.

The help that Aunt Nan has given him alone is enough for Chu Bai to seriously consider the matter.

Azure Cloud Sect is divided into the inner and outer sects.

The inner sect consists of elite disciples. Excluding Chu Bai, the lowest cultivation level is Qi Refining 7th layer, the kind that can definitely reach Foundation Building within a few years.

The outer sect is more complicated. As far as he knows, any mortal with decent aptitude or some connections can directly enter the outer sect of Azure Cloud Sect to cultivate.

Below the outer sect disciples, there are menial disciples.

If there is a certain chance of breaking through to Foundation Building and enjoying three hundred years of life in the outer sect of Qingyun, then it would be considered very good for menial disciples to be promoted to the outer sect and accumulate some wealth for their descendants...

On the other hand,

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Nan Gongli felt a bit amused seeing Chu Bai deep in thought.

She wasn't laughing at Chu Bai, but at herself.

Several Gold Core Perfected Beings who have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, plus a Nascent Soul, couldn't solve the problem that Nan Gongli is hoping a Qi Refining stage kid can solve.

Perhaps the four words "Son of Heaven" were too resounding.

It was also the impact of the realization of the Heavenly Dao that had not yet subsided for Nan Gongli, which led her to have such absurd thoughts.

"This matter is not urgent, how about giving you a year?"

Elder Nan Gong waved his sleeve and said, "Let's stop here for today. If you can't complete this test within a year, I won't spare you."

He even used the term "won't spare you," and Nan Gongli was ready to leave.

As mentioned before, using methods of suppressing based on identity and status is the worst kind.

Just like when the emperor assigns tasks to his ministers, he always has to shout. It's a wonder the country can function properly.

In a few days, there will be a gathering in the outer sect, and Nan Gongli needs to prepare in advance.

It was at this moment that Chu Bai changed from kneeling to sitting, sitting cross-legged on the ground, and then raised his face and said, "Aunt, I think what you said is more difficult from top to bottom. After all, there are too many people in the outer sect, but what if we start with the menial disciples who are the easiest to control?"

"Hmm?"

Nan Gongli, who had already turned half of her body, frowned slightly, "Menial disciples? There are very few menial disciples in Azure Cloud Sect who have reached the Qi Refining 1st layer. Do you think they can make the outer sect prosper?"

Chu Bai calmly said, "It's just an idea for now, Aunt."

"Let's do the math first. After excluding the cultivation families related to the inner sect, and then removing the people sent out, the number of disciples in our sect is in the four digits. I'm not sure of the exact number, but it must be in the four digits."

"What about the outer sect?"

Chu Bai looked at Nangong Yiniang, whose face was still blurry and invisible.

Nangong Li said, "Over a hundred thousand. According to your calculations, there are over twenty thousand disciples in the outer sect, and nearly a hundred thousand miscellaneous disciples."

Wow, over a hundred thousand people, that's like a county town.

The Azure Cloud Mountain Range stretches for three thousand miles, so it's normal to have over a hundred thousand disciples living there.

But still, Chu Bai has always lived in the inner sect and knows little about the outer sect. He was surprised to hear that there are nearly a hundred thousand miscellaneous disciples.

Chu Bai said slowly, "I know that the Spirit Vein mine of the Dao Sect is mined by the miscellaneous disciples in rotation."

That's right, it's not an exaggeration to see the sect as a small country, let alone a top-level sect like the Azure Cloud Sect.

Without going into other details, Chu Bai spent over a hundred and eighty Low Grade Spirit Stones in one month of cultivation.

He's only at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

His cultivation relied on the Innate Cave Mansion, but there are still Foundation Building, Gold Core, and Nascent Soul above him. How much do they consume?

Chu Bai leads the outer sect disciples with a monthly salary of ten Low Grade Spirit Stones. With twenty thousand outer sect disciples, that's two hundred thousand per month and two million four hundred thousand per year.

These Spirit Stones cannot be created out of thin air, so the Spirit Vein mines that stretch for three thousand miles in the Azure Cloud Mountain Range are of utmost importance.

For sustainable development, the Azure Cloud Sect's attitude towards these veins is to mine them in rotation.

A certain mine is mined for ten years, sealed for several decades or even centuries, and when the sealing time is up, a brand new Spirit Vein will be nurtured, and so on in this cycle.

Basically, most of the mines follow a similar mining strategy.

And the manpower required for mining is extremely large, which is why the miscellaneous disciples with uncertain prospects are arranged just right.

"So besides the mining miscellaneous disciples, do they only do miscellaneous tasks?" Chu Bai asked.

Nangong Li said, "Human resources are limited. The miscellaneous disciples responsible for mining are also on a rotation system. The Azure Cloud Sect is not a demonic sect."

Chu Bai nodded, he understood this.

Being a miner is a job that overdraws both physical and vital energy. To support the sect, batches of people are sent to their deaths, no different from a demonic sect.

"What about the cultivation techniques for the miscellaneous disciples? Are they all treated equally, with the Body Refining Technique?" Chu Bai asked.

Nangong Li looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"The techniques cannot be easily passed on. Although the Body Refining Technique is not a profound technique, if everyone were to cultivate it as you said, who would do the work?"

Chu Bai waved his hand, "I didn't mean that, Auntie. For example, only teaching the first level of Qi Refining in the Body Refining Technique."

"The miscellaneous disciples are either miscellaneous Spirit Vein or pseudo Spirit Vein!"

"They have no future, right?"

Yes, if not, how could they become miscellaneous disciples?

"Auntie, please listen to me. If you were a miscellaneous disciple and knew that you had no hope of advancing in your whole life, with only a one in a thousand chance of going from an ordinary person to the first level of Qi Refining, would you still obediently follow the sect's arrangements?"

Nangong Li frowned again, "The fact that the Azure Cloud Sect can accept them is the good fortune they have cultivated over several lifetimes. There is no Qi Refining technique, but every miscellaneous disciple has a copy of the Body Refining technique."

Chu Bai agreed, "But if I were a miscellaneous disciple, at first I would be grateful for the gift given by the heavens, but as time went on, I would find that I have no hope of Qi Refining, and the Body Refining technique I cultivate is just for the sect to make me work more. The people around me can hardly live past forty. I definitely wouldn't dare to resist the sect, but if I exerted a little less effort every day, I would still contribute to the sect, and I could live a few more years. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Survival is a human instinct.

Is there anything wrong with wanting to live?

Nangong Li was stunned.

She remembered that at today's council meeting, someone questioned the management of the mines. Clearly, more manpower had been added, but the output remained the same as last year!

So that's where the problem lies!

(End of this chapter)