Chapter 488 - 351: Sect Recruitment Expansion
Elder Yu Chuanze informed Sect Leader Duan Qingyun that the sect’s Spirit Vein could be upgraded.
Duan Qingyun then notified all the Supreme Elders.
Among the sect’s Supreme Elders, Fang Yun, who was often in secluded cultivation, happened to be out on this particular day.
A Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Vein was to be upgraded into a Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Vein.
This was a momentous occasion for the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Fang Yun was determined to come and observe the Spirit Vein upgrade. At that moment, his avatar was refining the Second Tier pill, the Spirit Ascension Pill.
"Speaking of which, the cultivation of the sect’s Spirit Fields is nearing its limit. This Spirit Vein upgrade is happening at the perfect time."
"That’s right. Once the Spirit Vein is upgraded from Tier Three Middle-Grade to Tier Three Top-Grade, the sect can create many more Spirit Fields. Even if another thirty Elders were to join the Spirit Field Institute, we would have enough Spirit Fields to go around."
"Thirty early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t be an issue, but thirty mid-stage ones are another matter entirely."
The gathered Core Formation experts soon began to chat amongst themselves, their conversation drifting from the Spirit Vein upgrade to the cultivation of the sect’s Spirit Fields.
Compared to their early-stage counterparts, the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Elders in the Spirit Field Institute could tend to higher-grade Spirit Fields. The more advanced the Spirit Field, the more Spiritual Qi it required.
The highest-grade Spirit Fields the sect had established so far were Tier Three Middle-Grade.
It wasn’t the Spirit Vein that limited the grade of the Spirit Fields. As long as it was a Third Tier Spirit Vein—even a Tier Three Lower-Grade one—a Spirit Vein Master could regulate it to create Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Fields.
The current bottleneck in developing higher-grade Spirit Fields was the sect’s lack of talented Spirit Plant Masters.
At present, the best Spirit Plant Masters at the Spirit Field Institute found it difficult to care for Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Medicine, let alone Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Medicine. As a result, the Celestial Cloud Sect did not yet have any Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Fields.
「By midday.」
Under the watchful eyes of the sect’s Core Formation experts, the Spirit Vein Master, Elder Yu Chuanze, began the procedure to upgrade the Spirit Vein.
The ability to upgrade a Spirit Vein was a prerequisite for becoming a Spirit Vein Master.
Yu Chuanze was now situated at the very core of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Vein.
As Fang Yun watched Yu Chuanze work, he suddenly posed a question.
"Sect Leader, does Elder Yu have an apprentice?"
"Not at the moment." Duan Qingyun shook his head.
"So, our sect currently has no disciples with the aptitude to become a Spirit Vein Master." This was clearly not good news.
When a sect lacked a Spirit Vein Master, it could borrow one from another, much like how other Core Formation Sects currently sought him out to refine Golden Core Pills.
’A proper Core Formation Sect must be well-rounded to ensure faster future growth,’ Fang Yun thought.
’Foundation Establishment Influences are too small to have such high requirements; having a single specialty is enough for them.’
"I believe our sect’s strategy for recruiting disciples needs some adjustments," Fang Yun said after a long period of contemplation.
At his words, most of the sect’s leadership turned their gazes toward Fang Yun.
"Elder Fang Taishang, do you have a good idea in mind?"
"The sect is no longer short on Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills. As long as someone has talent, we can lower our requirements for Spirit Roots. Even those with Five Spirit Roots, like myself, shouldn’t be an issue. This should apply to all Cultivators, not just those with existing ties to our sect."
Fang Yun himself, with his Five Spirit Roots, had only been accepted as a disciple because of his considerable Planting Talent and, importantly, the fact that his parents were Outer Sect disciples of the Celestial Cloud Sect.
"Within our sect’s domain in the Earth Realm, we should give them all a chance to join us, whether they come from the Foundation Establishment Influences directly under us or the Spiritual Qi Refining Influences indirectly affiliated with us."
Simply put, Fang Yun’s idea was to broaden the sect’s recruitment scope.
Those who came from affiliated forces would essentially have two identities.
His idea was one thing, but actually implementing it would require formulating specific strategies and policies.
"We should guide Loose Cultivators with Five Spirit Roots to explore the Hundred Skills of Cultivation and see if they have any hidden talents. This will also give them more hope..."
He had quite a few thoughts on this matter.
"Elder Fang Taishang is right. As the sect grows, some things will need to change."
"I’ll add one thing," said Sect Leader Duan Qingyun. "We can also lower our standards for what we consider ’talent.’ Perhaps some disciples’ gifts aren’t obvious at lower Realms."
As soon as he spoke, everyone understood what the Sect Leader was implying.
Fang Yun’s own talent had been just like that.
A formal meeting of the sect’s leadership hadn’t been called, but since they were all present, it was essentially the same thing.
With no opposition from the leadership, the ideas Fang Yun proposed were approved.
The concrete implementation would begin in due course.
The entire process would take some time.
「Three days later.」
Elder Yu Chuanze turned to the sect leadership and announced:
"Sect Leader, Supreme Elders, the preliminary upgrade of the Spirit Vein is complete. The concentration of the sect’s Spiritual Qi will now gradually change. In about one to two years, the Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Vein will become a true Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Vein."
"Excellent. Thank you for your hard work, Elder Yu," Duan Qingyun said with a smile.
He could already feel the subtle changes in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Once the Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Vein fully upgraded into a Tier Three Top-Grade one, the Spirit Vein Essence that Yu Chuanze had placed within it would be completely absorbed.
During the three-day procedure, he had only managed to preliminarily integrate most of the Spiritual Materials into the deepest core of the Spirit Vein.
He would still need to return from time to time for follow-up work.
According to the standards of the Spirit Vein Master Realm, after this procedure, the Spirit Vein could already be called a Tier Three Top-Grade Spirit Vein.