Evolution - Chapter 23
Chapter 23
With a slap, Chu Ci flipped the short paper facedown on the desk, drew her longsword, and began to slowly and meticulously polish her life-bound sword. As she was wiping it, the steward of Lingyun Peak—the male disciple who had been by her side during recruitment—entered. She glanced up at him coolly. “Siyang, is something the matter?”
Siyang, who had just entered, froze, his eyes fixed on his Big Sister slowly polishing her sword. He regretted with every fiber of his being his decision to report on matters at this particular moment. As a junior brother who had been thoroughly beaten into shape by his Big Sister for over thirty years, finally becoming capable of managing the affairs of Lingyun Peak, he was all too familiar with one of her most obvious tells: whenever she was deep in thought, she liked to slowly polish her treasured sword.
When she finished, it meant she had thought the matter through and made a decision. But if she was interrupted during the process of polishing her sword—during her process of deliberation and decision-making—the consequences could be dire.
Today, however, his luck was exceptionally good. His Big Sister didn’t explode. She merely frowned in displeasure before her brow smoothed out. “Alright, if it’s nothing important, go and bring Ji Changqing and He Yi to me.”
Having escaped disaster, Siyang wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he retreated. Hmm, Big Sister seems to be in a decent mood? She wanted to see Ji Changqing and He Yi. Was it because of the things those two little ones had asked him to pass along earlier?
Whatever the reason, as long as Big Sister was happy, everything was fine.
By the time Ji Changqing and He Yi arrived, Big Sister had already sheathed her sword. She dispensed with the pleasantries and got straight to the point. “Tell me, what are your plans?”
He Yi’s eyes lit up, and she was about to speak when Ji Changqing naturally took a step forward.
They had that much of a rapport. He Yi swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and looked at her, slightly puzzled.
Ji Changqing smiled at her, signaling for her to be patient, then bowed respectfully to their Big Sister. “The two of us have average spirit root aptitude, so we were thinking that diligence could make up for our lack of talent. We wanted to squeeze out more time for cultivation, which is why we were looking for a shortcut and stumbled upon these discoveries.”
Chu Ci gave her a deep, noncommittal look, though her words were merciless. “Don’t give me that nonsense. Since you submitted this, you must have a plan in mind. Speak plainly.” The implication was, stop bullshitting me and just tell me what you want. You're wasting my time.
Ji Changqing obligingly offered a little more. “The modified array can summon clouds and rain on a set schedule according to the needs of the crops. It also repels insects, protecting the spiritual and medicinal fields from pests. It consumes only half the spiritual energy of the original, yet it can save everyone a great deal of time they would have otherwise spent in the fields. If the entire peak were to use it…”
Chu Ci gestured for her to stop. She flipped over the short paper on the desk and tapped a few places with her fingertip. “I have never seen this method used to express and argue one’s point of view to others.”
Ji Changqing and He Yi stiffened, cursing inwardly. Who knew that the content would be fine, but the format would be the problem?
“There’s no need for this sort of veiled probing.” Big Sister waved her hand. “I don’t care how you figured this out. It’s very good—clear, concise, and even someone with only a passing familiarity could understand the gist of it at a glance. It’s just that… these things shouldn’t appear just yet. Hmm, wait a year or so. Frame it as something you figured out in the process of teaching and learning, to help the senior brothers and sisters on Lingyun Peak who don't have as strong a foundation or aptitude. Understand?”
Ji Changqing and He Yi bowed deeply. “Understood.”
Not wanting to deal with Ji Changqing’s roundabout nonsense any longer, Big Sister gestured to He Yi. “You speak.”
What could He Yi, who had just been startled, do? Forgive her, of course! Researchers are just that pragmatic.
“We’ve consulted many records. For the past ten thousand years, the limit of cultivation has been steadily declining, from Mahayana and Tribulation Transcendence all the way down to the current Soul Formation. The reason for this is nothing more than the dissipation of spiritual energy and the depletion of resources. We won’t delve into whether that’s the true cause for now, but the situation we currently face is a shortage of resources.”
This opening was truly terrifying. Chu Ci’s eyelid twitched. She hadn’t wanted to listen to Ji Changqing beat around the bush, but she never expected her junior sister to drop such a massive bomb right from the start.
She held up a hand to pause, clutched her chest, and added several more layers of wards before taking a long, deep breath. “Continue.”
He Yi grunted in acknowledgment and continued dropping bombshells. “To solve this problem, we can either develop new resources or conserve existing ones. Let’s set aside resource development for now. According to our research, there is significant room for conservation. As the data above shows, we’ve calculated that by improving the existing arrays, Qi Refinement cultivators can reduce their spiritual energy waste by at least half, and Foundation Establishment cultivators by thirty to forty percent. If it’s feasible for arrays, then it’s feasible in other areas as well. We just need enough personnel and time to invest in the research. Hmm, a rough estimate suggests that with comprehensive improvements, we can conserve at least thirty percent of our resources.”
Big Sister nodded in approval. Her face remained impassive, but inside, her mind was reeling.
Thirty percent! If the entire sect could save thirty percent of its resources without affecting everyone’s cultivation, and if one took a long-term view, this thirty percent, slowly accumulated, would mean they would have more patience and capital than other sects to wait for thousand-year or ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs to mature. It could produce several more Soul Formation cultivators. Perhaps they could even use these saved resources to advance beyond the Soul Formation stage.
Because Big Sister’s posture for listening to a research report was so proper—so proper it would bring joy to any researcher’s heart—He Yi was no exception. Getting carried away, she even grabbed Ji Changqing, who was standing by like a wooden post, and urged her to quickly present the concepts they had discussed.
Their ideas primarily consisted of three parts. The first focused on conservation, emphasizing comprehensive improvements that were refined, standardized, and replicable. A rough calculation suggested this could save about thirty percent of resources.
The second was resource development. This didn’t mean snatching resources from other sects, but rather addressing the cultivation world’s singular reliance on spiritual energy as its core power source for everything. The idea was to try using other energy sources to replace spiritual energy as a driving force, especially for everyday things like transportation, lighting, and so on.
The third was to attempt to analyze how to promote the growth of spiritual energy—just as on Blue Star, where deforestation and emissions led to a decline in air quality, one could find ways to increase green spaces, produce more fresh oxygen, and focus on environmental protection to reduce pollution.
Conservation would come first, as its effects would be immediate and visible to the naked eye. The time required would be measured in decades.
Next would be resource development. This would require repeated experimentation and testing to solve issues of conversion and output. If successful, it would further reduce the consumption of spiritual energy and spiritual materials. The estimated time frame was in centuries.
Finally, finding ways to promote the growth of spiritual energy would be a very long process, with changes that would be difficult to perceive in the short term. A time scale measured in centuries would be the bare minimum; more likely, it would take millennia to see any significant effect.
Even Chu Ci, who had tried her best to have a high estimation of her two junior sisters, was still shocked by the sheer scale of their grand vision. All this time, her thoughts and actions had been based on Lingyun Peak, focused on the long-term development of the sect. But these two junior sisters were looking at the entire realm, seriously contemplating how to change it.
Not changing people’s hearts, not customs or morals, not the distribution of benefits, but the entire environment.
What was most stunning was that they had already begun to act and had achieved results—even if what they had produced so far was perhaps not even one ten-thousandth of their overall vision. And their concepts were still quite crude, little more than ideas. Putting them into practice would undoubtedly be fraught with countless difficulties and problems. But no matter how crude, it was already enough to capture one's imagination, to make one sincerely hope that the world they envisioned could one day become a reality.
It was good to have a dream, and wonderful if that dream could be realized. But before it was, most dreams, once spoken, were more likely to be seen as a joke by the majority.
Chu Ci was clear-headed. Just because she was delighted by it didn’t mean others would be. She said calmly, “Move into my place. Make a list of any requirements you have for your living quarters, what personnel you need, and what resources you need to requisition. The Deacon Hall will give you its full cooperation. You can make all the arrangements yourselves.”
Ji Changqing and He Yi couldn’t help but show their delight. Latching onto Big Sister’s thigh was indeed the right move! She supported their research, gave them people, money, and resources, and didn’t meddle—she was the absolute dream investor! There was no one better!
Seeing their overflowing joy, Chu Ci couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, for now, try remodeling Lingyun Peak according to your ideas. That, at least, is something I have the authority to approve.”
Naturally, Ji Changqing and He Yi had no objections. They were quite familiar with this approach. For reform, you start with a pilot program. Once you have a successful model, you slowly expand and promote it. By controlling the scale, the cost of trial and error remains manageable. Rushing headlong into a massive project could lead to mistakes with consequences no one could afford.
Since Big Sister had arranged for them to remodel the entire Lingyun Peak, she naturally took them on a flight around it, bringing Siyang along to provide a running commentary.
For the first time, Ji Changqing and He Yi had a direct sense of how extravagant the cultivation world was—vast lands with a sparse population. During their day-long flight around Lingyun Peak, they finally erased the impression of “Lingyun Peak” as “a small mountain peak” and solemnly relabeled it as “a continuous mountain range, with a single peak the size of a provincial capital's administrative district.”
It was their own ignorance to blame! That was why they had excitedly said it would probably take a year or two to remodel Lingyun Peak. Looking at this scope now, it was a real slap in the face.
Who knew that the boundary of Lingyun Peak wasn’t the mountain-protecting grand array? The array only marked the border of the inhabited areas. Beyond it was a huge, undeveloped territory, yet the entire population of Lingyun Peak was only about ten thousand people.
The 108 peaks of the Tianyi Sect were not just 108 individual mountains, but 108 mountain ranges of varying sizes. Although Lingyun Peak was just one of the 108, it was in fact a vast mountain range. It had once ranked in the top three of the 108 peaks in terms of area, but after nearly a thousand years of decline, neighboring peaks had encroached on much of its territory. Even so, it still ranked as mid-sized.
The terrain was also quite complex, with majestic and perilous peaks, rolling hills, plains, basins, canyons, forests, babbling brooks, and sparkling lakes…
He Yi didn’t let it bother her. Hmm, their division of labor was clear: she was only responsible for research and experimenting with different ideas. Everything else was Ji Changqing’s problem. So, upon discovering that the “small peak” was actually countless small peaks, she was shocked for a moment, then felt a pang of sympathy for Ji Changqing, though not with much team spirit, before happily continuing to enjoy the magnificent scenery.
Ji Changqing also adjusted quickly. A pilot program first. Once the pilot showed results, she could mobilize the masses to join in the work of building a beautiful home. If that wasn’t enough, she could always post tasks and invite fellow disciples to come over as short-term labor. As long as the pay was good, the construction team could always be expanded.
Do as much as your manpower allows. Nothing wrong with that!
The first to be conscripted were the other four members of their entrance exam team. Ji Changqing spent a whole night weaving a silver-tongued narrative, tailoring her words to her audience. To the fangirl, she spoke of doing their utmost to alleviate Big Sister’s burdens. What burdens? Lingyun Peak was famously poor throughout the sect. Everything they were doing was to lift Lingyun Peak out of poverty and make it prosperous, so that Big Sister would have no more worries and could focus on her cultivation. And of course, a rich and leisurely Big Sister would naturally have more time to stay in the sect. Maybe she’d even offer some hands-on teaching?
After Ji Changqing’s flowery speech, the highly vigilant and exceptionally rational young Luo Mingsheng was sold.
With Luo Mingsheng joining the research and construction team, what could Luo Gengjiu do? Join with her, of course!
To little Shen Guiqing, she said, “He Yi really likes you, you know. She especially hopes you’ll come help her. Xiao Guiqing, you…”
“Okay, okay!” Not yet ten years old, Shen Guiqing’s little face flushed pink with excitement. She instantly felt incredibly important to He Yi and nodded eagerly, agreeing to come and do research together.
To the only male, Gu Jiawen, Ji Changqing was direct. “The little gadgets for the medicinal and spiritual fields, you found them useful, right? Alchemy should also be researched for improvements. You can handle that, right? A team needs to be complete, after all.”
Gu Jiawen suppressed a smile and nodded, pretending not to hear the threat in her words. Of course he was willing to join. He had been interested in the things He Yi and Ji Changqing had come up with before, but since they hadn’t mentioned it, he felt it was awkward to ask to join. Now, it was exactly what he’d been hoping for. Who could refuse?
He Yi, who had watched the entire recruitment process, nearly died laughing on the spot. She pinched Shen Guiqing’s soft little cheek, all the while plying the little one with effusive praise to keep her happy. “Xiao Guiqing is the best! Big Sister likes you the most. You have to help Big Sister a lot, okay?”
Early the next morning, everyone on Lingyun Peak was suffering and celebrating in equal measure. The suffering came during physical education—their morning sword practice. Big Sister graced them with her presence, then proceeded to swat nearly eighty percent of them away. She ordered that for the next month, everyone had to practice their sword for an extra hour each day.
The joy was twofold: first, they got to see Big Sister. Second, just as everyone was worrying about how to squeeze out an extra hour for sword practice, Big Sister handily solved the problem. After demonstrating the new product, she announced, “Anyone who needs one for their spiritual or medicinal field can register and pay at the Deacon Hall. Whichever area has the most people sign up will be the first to have it installed.”
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