Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 971 - 827 Fertility

Chapter 971: Chapter 827 Fertility

Qing Dynasty.

Ever since the mortal nations on Falling Sky Island were taken over by Fang Xi, the Cultivators of Nine State Sect gradually couldn’t tolerate the troublesome scene of small countries and conflicting government orders. They began to consciously integrate the various dynasties.

First, based on the small countries, they formed the ’Greater Qing United Nation’ to reclaim economic and military power.

Next, they started to promote education, planning to achieve complete unification and modernize the country after three generations.

In this way, they also kept the promises initially made to those monarchs.

It could be said that higher-level Immortal Cultivators, owing to their long lifespans, possess such patience.

Three generations, just a mere sixty years...

But those mortal monarchs, they had long since died of old age or illness, one round or even several rounds, so this wasn’t just about abandoning them after using them up, and the resistance faced when implementing government orders was also smaller.

...

In a city, the citizens gathered under the notice board, watching as the authorities posted new announcements.

Thanks to the widespread establishment of schools, there were still some people among the populace who could read.

Immediately, someone read aloud:

"Birth Encouragement Order!"

"The royal edict declares: The people should multiply their offspring, to strengthen the vitality of the state and the Incense God Path... formally enforcing the previous laws... if a girl remains unmarried at eighteen, and a man remains unmarried at twenty, punish their parents with a fine of two ’jia’... Establish hospitals, mothers to enter the gynecology and obstetrics department..."

"Birth rewards doubled, if people have a son, reward three hundred catties of ’Fire Corn’, an ox, if a daughter, reward three hundred catties of ’Jade Corn’, a fat pig, those who have more than three offspring reaching adulthood, reward a lower-grade Spirit Stone... those who have more than ten offspring reaching adulthood, nominate a child to enter the ’Immortal Gate’!"

...

"This... this is divine grace from the court."

An old man, having heard this, dismisses the previous punishments with a snort. After all, in ancient times, girls were commonly married off at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and by eighteen, they were considered old maids.

As for men, they needed to marry early too, otherwise, how could they produce offspring?

Being childless... in ancient times, that was a great filial sin!

This was actually a difference in the mindsets of the Cultivators of the Nine State Sect, and since childbirth at too young of an age was actually detrimental to a smooth delivery, they had postponed the legal marriage age by a few years.

The so-called punishment orders hardly ever penalized anyone.

On the contrary, the reward orders were achievable by many!

Whether it’s ’Fire Corn’ or ’Jade Corn’, both are ’quasi-Spirit Rice’, or one could say ’semi-Spirit Rice’!

They are seeds promoted by the Nine State Sect. Although not considered as first-grade Spirit Rice, they have low requirements for spiritual energy, and mortals can cultivate and care for them in ordinary fields... and also, they contain a very slight trace of spiritual energy.

After mortals consume them, they can strengthen their bodies and be free from diseases.

They could even increase the likelihood of their offspring having superior Spiritual Root qualifications!

Not to mention the rewards of oxen and pigs, and even rewarding a Spirit Stone for having more than three children!

In this age, which family doesn’t have eight or ten children?

After the promotion of hospitals, the number of young children dying early has reduced, and nearly all of them can live to ’eighteen years of age’ and reach adulthood.

And once adulthood is reached by more than three, they could be rewarded with a Spirit Stone!

This currency is even more valuable than copper coins, gold, and silver; it could even be exchanged for many benefits from Immortals!

Upon the release of this order, many people secretly calculated whether they could afford to add a few more to the family.

Not to mention the qualification of recommending one among ten adult children to the Immortal Gate!

In this world, mortals are aware of the existence of Immortal Cultivators; they dream of granting their descendants an Immortal Fate to enter the gates of Immortality!

Now, just by raising ten adult children, you have a spot to enter the Immortal Gate?

Isn’t that a cause for fierce competition?

"Old man has heard... to cultivate Immortality, one needs at least a lower-grade Spiritual Root... if you raise ten children and none have a lower-grade Spiritual Root, what to do then?"

An old man, however, showed some worry on his face.

"Haha, Old Zhang, your son might not have it, but maybe your grandson will!"

Another familiar neighbor couldn’t help but laugh and say.

"Cough, cough..."

Beneath the official documents, a royal official coughed: "Don’t entertain wild thoughts, you all, the Immortal Gate has its ways... if all else fails, you could still turn to the God Path!"

"The God Path is good, the God Path is great!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang’s eyes instantly lit up.

Compared to cultivation, the God Path actually interacted more with the common people, and they were more aware of the benefits of the God Path.

Especially since... the God Path doesn’t require Cultivation qualifications, a point that’s enough to drive many mortals mad.

Now many mortal elites are fully cooperating with the royal government’s policies, seeking to be ennobled, their Yin Souls immortal after death, and they too convert to the God Path!

Indeed, even for entering the Immortal Gate to cultivate, the Nine State Sect is not without solutions.

After all, everyone has a Spiritual Root, it is only a matter of the grade, and the Nine State Sect’s standard for lower-grade Spiritual Roots is much lower than the Cultivation World’s standard.

Not to mention the existence of talent optimization serums.

However, what these citizens and officials think more about is still the God Path... they even feel that the God Path is better.

"Old man will go back and try hard to have another son."

Old Zhang’s eyes brightened; he had five sons and four daughters, most of whom were already adults.

Just a bit more effort, and would he not meet the requirements?

Doesn’t this mean the path to Long Life is right before his eyes?

To cultivate fortune and blessings from having many children?

Many people’s eyes flashed with ambitious fire...

...

"This Greater Qing United Nation is indeed quite efficient with its policies."

No one noticed that high above,

Fang Xi was sitting on a cloud bed, looking down below and praising with a remark.

At his side, a God Path official smiled ingratiatingly, "Indeed... Our Nine State Sect pays the greatest attention to ensuring that government orders are passed down smoothly."

It’s well known that the bureaucratic group has two major tactics for dealing with superiors: the first is to outwardly comply while inwardly defying, and the second is to exacerbate the situation!

To govern the people, one must first govern the officials. If the bureaucrats are not well fed or made compliant, even the best laws and decrees are hard to implement and may not even leave the imperial palace.

"Hmm... Compared to the local cultivation schools, our Nine State Sect truly excels in governing the populace."

Fang Xi silently nodded in agreement, knowing his choice was correct.

The God Path and The Nine States are indeed a perfect match.

The greatest achievement of The Nine States’ cultivation technology is not in cutting-edge innovation but in its proliferation!

For instance, ’Fire Corn’ and ’Jade Corn’ could be researched to a higher tier, but then the growth requirements would increase and at least a Spirit Farmer would be needed to cultivate them.

Fang Xi had plenty of high-tier Spirit Rice, even consuming seventh-tier Spirit Rice on a daily basis.

But he could not produce ’Half-Spirit Rice,’ which is suitable for ordinary people to plant...

Food is of utmost importance to the people!

With a surge in Spirit Rice production and good healthcare, a population explosion is just a moment away...

For an Immortal Cultivator, waiting for decades or hundreds of years is not long.

For those on the God Path, it is even more so.

"This matter... You’ve handled it well."

Fang Xi looked at the deity, "There’s no need for you to remain as the Prefecture’s City God. You are promoted to the State’s City God!"

"Thank you, Taoist Master!"

The Prefecture’s City God was overjoyed and prostrated himself.

He was originally a bona fide cultivator from The Nine States, with cultivation around Foundation Establishment, and ascended to the Earth Immortal Realm following venerable figures like Ghost Axe.

Then, during a ceremony, he inadvertently offended a big shot in the sect and it was rumored that he would be made into a Ghost Cultivator.

This man was resolute; he volunteered for the God Path experiment right away and came out on top.

Now he truly was a ’talented individual.’ As the Prefecture’s City God, his divine power was comparable to a Core Formation cultivator, and within the Divine Domain, even a Yuan Ying True Monarch would have difficulty defeating him.

And the Taoist Master’s promise to promote him to State City God meant breaking through the fifth rank’s ceiling, stepping into a brand new world of the fourth rank!

The golden divine power can nurture a portion of azure divine power, a true rise to the heavens!

"Do your job well and don’t repeat your last mistake,"

Fang Xi instructed before his figure transformed into a streak of light and vanished in a flash.

The ’talent’ stood there stunned, his already yang-transformed body producing a sheen of cold sweat, "The Taoist Master... still remembers..."

His decision to abandon the Immortal Path for the God Path was a significant one.

What he saw was that, at that time, there was little competition among his colleagues on the God Path and the potential for upward mobility was enormous.

Sure enough, in less than sixty years, he had easily ascended to the regular fifth rank of Prefecture City God, overtaking many of his peers.

Now, he was on the verge of breaking through to the fourth rank!

But as Fang Immortal Taoist Master increasingly shifted his focus to Falling Sky Island and even established a ’Mini Taoist Court’ to absorb all sorts of mortal talents without Spiritual Roots, this ’talent’ felt an intense sense of crisis.

How could the mortals lack heroes and champions?

It was only before, restricted by the Spiritual Root, that even those full of talent and intelligence couldn’t soar high.

Now presented with a slim chance in the God Path, how could he not cling to it desperately?

Even those low-order Immortal Cultivators with poor Spiritual Root aptitude joined in the excitement.

The God Path was like one pit for each carrot. Sensing the atmosphere growing tense, the Prefecture City God knew he had used all his strength to climb upward, barely managing to show his face in front of the leadership.

Yet, to his surprise, that leader still remembered his embarrassing incident.

This time, how could he not be anxious?

...

"The Greater Qing United Nation is doing well,"

Fang Xi surveyed his own territory and was very satisfied with the results.

Mortals might be like weeds, but they possess tenacious vitality.

With just a little nourishment from him, they immediately expanded at a frenzied pace.

In less than thirty years since the foundation of the Greater Qing United Nation, the population had multiplied several times over, and the Power of Faith flowed incessantly.

Even while his incarnation of the God Path lay dormant, he could feel this empowering force, and his various digestion speeds had increased significantly.

By the time he emerged from seclusion, he would possess Mahayana combat strength!

’Deities leaving their Divine Domain greatly diminish in strength...’

’Merely causing trouble on Falling Sky Island or within the Greater Qing Nation is not enough...’

’I must accelerate my research in this area.’

Fang Xi had already started to address the limitations of the God Path and had come up with several alternatives.

The simplest was to carry a Heaven Treasure and relocate the populace into it.

As for hiding within the Divine Domain? The nature of the Divine Domain is special; it’s suitable only for Yin Souls and not fit for Flesh and Blood beings to live in for extended periods or they might slowly transform into semi-human, semi-ghost entities.

The Way of the Earth Immortal, on the other hand, is a perfect match for the God Path, but Fang Xi did not want his true body to dabble in the Incense God Path and suffer the calamity of ’Lose me to the Spiritual Transformation.’

"At this rate, it’s still too slow... By the time the God Path incarnation emerges, it could take hundreds of years, by which point my true body might’ve achieved Mahayana, making the incarnation relatively useless,"

Fang Xi thought to himself, "Population growth also requires more land... A battle with the Alien races inhabiting Falling Sky Island is inevitable!"

"Or rather, the Alien races are not fools. Seeing the human race struggling so desperately to reproduce, even a fool would know to compete for living space! Right now, it’s only my reputation as the number one cultivator on Falling Sky Island that’s keeping things in check, with no major incidents. But once the God Path continues to climb and reveals its terrifying potential, even if there are conflicts, the Alien races and Demonic Beasts might well unite to attack me."

Fang Xi was keenly aware of the situation.

This was somewhat ironic: in the outside world, the Monster Clan was in alliance with the Alien Alliance, aggressively attacking the human and demon races, while the latter were forced into an alliance.

Meanwhile, on Falling Sky Island, it was the human race that faced the predicament of being besieged by all races.

All these choices were based solely on interests, nothing more...