Chapter 928

Chapter 928: Fifty Million Disciples

“Never think it’s too few,” Xu Fan said thoughtfully.

Seeing Xu Fan’s expression, Shangling quickly responded, “Grand Elder, you don’t have to accept them all as inner sect disciples. Giving them an opportunity to become outer disciples is already a chance on the path of immortality, and it won’t consume too many resources to cultivate them.”

“I think Hidden Spirit Island should have at least 300 million inner and outer disciples to feel lively.”

“Let’s compromise at 150 million disciples; with this number, the Hidden Spirit Sect can hope to advance to an Immortal Sect.”

Noticing Xu Fan deep in thought, Shangling decided to add some fuel to the fire.

“Do all the guardian true immortals undergo assessments?” Xu Fan curiously asked.

“Of course we do. All of us guardian true immortals are under the jurisdiction of Star Moon City. If we fail to meet our targets every thousand years, we will be punished, and the worst part is being submerged in the Abyss of Weak Water for a thousand years,” Shangling said with some fear.

In the Immortal Realm, being a guardian true immortal comes with both benefits and risks.

“Is the risk of your job really that high?” Xu Fan frowned.

“Sigh, it’s hard to explain. If it weren’t for necessity, I wouldn’t want to be a guardian true immortal. But since I’ve taken on the role, I have to dutifully serve the city,” Shangling said with tears in his eyes, looking at Xu Fan.

“In some time, I will open the sect to recruit disciples; as for the number, I still need to think it over,” Xu Fan replied.

Joking aside, recruiting over a hundred million disciples at once would bankrupt the Hidden Spirit Sect just to feed them.

“Alright, in the Immortal Realm, whether it’s a sect or an Immortal Sect, once the sect is opened, they generally recruit at least millions or even hundreds of millions of disciples; you’ll get used to it, Grand Elder,” Shangling said before taking his leave.

“Grape, how many disciples do other sects usually recruit in the Immortal Realm?” Xu Fan asked.

“Shangling True Immortal spoke the truth; some sects open their gates and recruit hundreds of millions of disciples at once.”

“Sometimes they even sweep through several Giant Cities, recruiting all the slightly talented children,” Grape replied.

“To be honest, if it’s just about providing techniques and teaching, recruiting over a hundred million disciples at once isn’t a big deal,” Xu Fan said while stroking his chin.

All along, while the Hidden Spirit Sect appeared lively, its activities were limited to a few specific areas, with much of Hidden Spirit Island still in an undeveloped state.

“Grape, calculate how many disciples would be suitable for the sect to recruit at once,” Xu Fan suddenly said.

“Master, if we aim for a ratio of 10:1 between outer and inner disciples, recruiting 30 million disciples would be most appropriate,” Grape replied.

“Thirty million works,” Xu Fan nodded.

“Then let’s expand the Outer Sect Island and create a Mystic Realm specifically for teaching disciples; this will save on educational resources,” Xu Fan thought out loud.

“Understood!”

As soon as Shangling returned to Golden City, he received news from Xu Fan.

Shangling smiled.

“Thirty million is quite enough. With the thousand-year assessment approaching, at least I won’t face punishment now,” Shangling sighed in relief.

As Golden City declined, more and more sects departed. Now, the whole city only has a few random small sects, lacking inheritance techniques and making it impossible for them to recruit so many disciples.

The Hidden Spirit Sect that had come recently, in his eyes, was definitely a high-quality option among the sects.

This also meant his thousand-year KPI had come to rest on the Hidden Spirit Sect.

“Send out a message to all the mortal kingdoms and large cities within the range of Golden City, selecting suitable children with spirit roots to prepare for the Hidden Spirit Sect’s entry tests,” Shangling said excitedly.

For so many years, this was the first time he completed a task ahead of the thousand-year assessment.

“Understood!” the true immortal beside Shangling said respectfully.

As soon as the news spread, all the mortal kingdoms within Golden City’s range were thrilled. After thousands of years, they finally had a sect willing to open its gates wide, offering them a chance to step onto the path of immortality.

At that moment, in Xu Fan’s courtyard, Li Xingci, who had just advanced to Quasi-Immortal, was paying a visit.

“Master, your disciple has returned late,” Li Xingci said, bowing.

“Rise. I heard from Grape that you’ve been working hard lately, setting up an information network around the nearby Giant Cities for the sect,” Xu Fan said, helping Li Xingci up with a pleased expression.

“It’s my duty as a disciple.”

“The sect will soon open its gates to recruit 30 million disciples, so you’ll have plenty of hands to work with,” Xu Fan said.

“Thirty million? I think if we’re opening the gates wide, 50 million disciples would be more suitable,” Li Xingci suggested.

“Why 50 million?” Xu Fan asked, puzzled.

“While setting up the information network, I overheard that recruiting 50 million disciples at once slightly increases the chances of nurturing Golden Immortals.”

“Also, I’ve noticed that many sects that open their gates recruit above that number,” Li Xingci explained.

“Alright, 50 million it is. With the strength of our sect, there’s not much difference between 30 million and 50 million,” Xu Fan said with a smile.

The two sat in the courtyard’s pavilion, where Xu Fan brewed two cups of tea of the wide road, and they began to savor it.

“After exploring the nearby Giant Cities, what did you observe?” Xu Fan asked.

“Other than the people I met having slightly higher cultivation, there’s not much difference from the Feiyu Realm.”

“The only notable difference is that cultivators in the Immortal Realm value Immortal Jade more,” Li Xingci said.

“That’s natural. The Immortal Realm is vast, filled with countless miraculous herbs and treasures that can greatly enhance cultivation, all purchasable with Immortal Jade.”

“In the Immortal Realm, even someone with mediocre talent can reach the level of Golden Immortal with enough Immortal Jade.”

“So, it’s common for cultivators here to balance their training with Immortal Jade,” Xu Fan said, taking a sip of the Cycle Road tea.

Li Xingci nodded.

Three months later, Xu Fan gathered 10,000 disciples.

“This time, the sect will open its gates wide to recruit disciples. Each of you will go to a mortal kingdom to find qualified children.”

“Ages 3 to 16—bring back anyone who passes the sect’s assessment for the second round of tests.”

“Grape will then teleport you to your designated mortal kingdoms based on the tasks you receive,” Xu Fan addressed the over 10,000 disciples in the training hall.

“We promise to complete the task!” the disciples replied in unison.

Under Grape’s direction, the 10,000 disciples were teleported to their assigned mortal kingdoms.

Senior Brother Xiong Li led the team to Golden City, where the most mortals and cultivators gathered.

As Xu Fan watched the disciples leave one by one, he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Now that they’re in the Immortal Realm, they’re all Quasi-Immortals. Rewarding them with spirit stones doesn’t seem appropriate.”

“But giving Immortal Jade wouldn’t be enough.”

Once again, Xu Fan felt the pressure of the Immortal Jade shortage.