Mysterious mirror hanging high

"Speaking of spiritual roots... Taoist Chongyun!"

A middle-aged male cultivator wearing a Taoist hat and a Tai Chi robe looked stern and stepped out from the crowd: "I'm here!"

Zhao Yuanxi stared at the Taoist with a bad look on his face: "Why are there fewer spiritual roots this year?"

“This…” Taoist Chongyun said hesitantly, “I…I don’t know.”

"Spiritual roots come from two sources: one is the union of cultivators in the Immortal City Market, and the other is obtained by searching for spirits in the mortal world."

"Needless to say, the cultivators in the Immortal City Market who have reached the Foundation Establishment Stage are mostly dedicated to the Dao. They don't easily have children, and often only establish families and expand their family lines when they are nearing the end of their lives. Therefore, the main force of reproduction should be Qi Cultivation cultivators."

"Where's the detailed list of all the children born to Qi-cultivating cultivators in the major immortal cities and towns? How do you manage to be the head of the Immortal Registry Office?"

Zhao Yuanxi said bitterly, "Also, the chance of mortals giving birth to spiritual root children in the Mortal Dynasty has always been the same, and the efficiency of finding them has not changed much. The only thing that has changed is the number of mortal births. As the number of mortal births decreases, the number of spiritual root children will naturally decrease as well..."

"But why are there fewer mortal births? Is it famine caused by frequent natural disasters? Or is it man-made disasters like war that have led to the mass death of young and middle-aged people of marriageable age? Or is it the corruption of the imperial bureaucracy and the heavy tax burden that has made it so common people can't afford to have children? You haven't investigated any of this?"

"Just give me a number! And it's still wrong!"

A jade slip hit Taoist Chongyun in the face. Zhao Yuanxi gritted his teeth and said, "Look carefully. The number of spiritual root people registered in Wushan Market this year is [One Hundred and Three]. But according to my undercover investigation, the number of naturalized people in Wushan Market this year is only [Ninety-One]!"

"Where are those twelve spiritual roots? Have you, Master Chongyun, refined them into human pills?"

"Deputy Alliance, calm down!"

Taoist Chongyun's knees softened, and he knelt directly on the ground: "This... I was also deceived by the local chief. Once I have a thorough investigation... I will definitely give the deputy alliance an explanation!"

A sneer curled up on Zhao Yuanxi's lips. "The Wushan market alone reported twelve more spiritual roots. How many more people would the rest of the markets and immortal cities report?"

"It's already this late, and you're still trying to whitewash the situation..."

Taoist Chongyun pressed his forehead to the ground, hardly daring to get up, his back completely soaked with cold sweat.

"Stand up," Zhao Yuanxi waved his hand with a dull expression. "Next topic, the two groups of talented people sent by the major powers to Zhongzhou for further studies have already arrived, right?"

"Reporting to the deputy alliance leader, the study tour is once every twenty years. Now forty years have passed, and two groups of talents have indeed gone. Now the third group of talents will soon set off on the ship that travels between the two domains." A female cultivator in red stepped forward and said with a stiff upper lip.

"How many people are there in the two groups?"

"One hundred and twenty-six in all."

“How many came back?”

The red-robed female cultivator hesitated for a moment, then said honestly, "Forty-one people returned, and the rest of the talented people almost all stayed in Zhongzhou..."

"What?" Zhao Yuanxi's face darkened. "I thought at least half would come back, but I didn't expect less than a third."

The red-robed female cultivator said with a bitter expression, "Deputy Alliance... The spiritual energy in Zhongzhou is far richer than in Yunchuan. There are almost Nascent Soul training centers everywhere... The cultivation conditions in our Yunchuan region are incomparable."

"Plus, with its abundant resources, long-standing heritage, and numerous profound and profound Taoist traditions, and countless righteous True Lords from Penglai stationed in Zhongzhou...it's understandable that they don't want to return."

"We cultivators cultivate immortality simply to seek a path to immortality. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell where the best place to seek it is."

Zhao Yuanxi shook his head. "That's not the way to say it. As the saying goes, 'It's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.' Zhongzhou is indeed a treasure land for cultivation, but Yunchuan also has its advantages."

"They don't want to come back, it's simply because they don't have enough spiritual resources."

"Increase the spiritual subsidies for returning monks! Money can move people's hearts, and I don't believe they won't be tempted."

The red-robed female cultivator asked, "Deputy Alliance... where does the money come from?"

Zhao Yuanxi fell silent for a rare moment, seeming to be extremely troubled by this matter.

"Deputy...Deputy Alliance, how about reducing some of the agricultural subsidies for spiritual plant farmers?" At this time, Taoist Chongyun was eager to redeem himself for his crime and came up with a bad idea.

"Chongyun, I think you want to die."

Zhao Yuanxi said coldly, "The annual subsidy for farmers in Yunchuan Territory who cultivate spirit plants in the early stages of Qi training is only one spirit stone. Are you going to cut it further and split this spirit stone in half?"

"Spiritual plant husbandry is one of the least profitable professions among the hundred arts of immortal cultivation. Its advantage is that there is no threshold. As long as one draws energy into the body and gains mana, any cultivator can obtain a few acres of spiritual farmland to make a living. If even the subsidy of a piece of spiritual stone is reduced, how many cultivators will still be willing to honestly farm for us?"

"Deputy Alliance Leader, that's not what you said. A hundred years ago, spiritual farmers didn't even have this subsidy of spiritual stones, but they were still enjoying farming, weren't they?" Taoist Chongyun said with an embarrassed smile.

"You're quite right," Zhao Yuanxi said slowly. "According to what you said, even a hundred years ago, the cultivators within the Xiaoyao Alliance didn't have such a good annual salary. So why not cut the annual salary of the Alliance's deacons and use it to subsidize these talented students?"

"what?"

Taoist Chongyun said anxiously, "This... absolutely cannot be done, Deputy Alliance Leader!"

"The annual salary of cultivators within the Xiaoyao Alliance is limited. Although they have no worries about food and clothing, it's not easy to live in the Immortal City. They can't save a few cents in a year. It's hard to make ends meet for one person to practice, let alone start a family! Nowadays, the prices of caves in the Immortal City have skyrocketed, and it's difficult for cultivators within the alliance to make ends meet..."

"All the deacons of the Xiaoyao League have caves for cultivation allocated by the Immortal League. Although they are a bit simple, the concentration of spiritual energy is also [Xuan Level]. The foundation-building cultivators in the Immortal City do not have such treatment. No matter how high the price of the caves and courtyards in the Immortal City is, what does it have to do with you?" Yuwen Yundan frowned.

"Young Master, what you said is meaningless. The cave allocated by the Immortal Alliance is indeed rich in spiritual energy, but it is really difficult to live in. It is just a palm-sized [stone cave]. How can it be as comfortable as the small courtyard in the inner city?" The female cultivator in red also echoed.

"Bah! It's good enough to have a place to practice, but you're still picky..." Yuwen Yunfu spat and said angrily: "I, Yuwen Yunfu, am willing to give up all my annual salary and provide it to the deputy alliance for overall planning!"

"Young lady, why don't you just eat meat? You are born into a noble family, a member of the dignified immortal clan. You don't know the plight of people like us who come from humble backgrounds. Young lady, even if you give up your annual salary, you still have the support of your clan. If we give up our annual salary, do we still have to go to the Yuwen Mansion and beg for food?"