Cut Their Research Funding!

When Ning Fengzhi arrived in a hurry with his men, he saw his usually intelligent daughter looking completely bewildered.

"Rong'er?" Ning Fengzhi hurriedly went up to her.

Upon seeing that the sect leader had actually arrived in person, the Soul Saint guard quickly put Ning Rongrong down from his shoulder.

"Metropolitan..."

"No need for formalities. It was Rong'er who was impolite, how could she straddle the neck of a Soul Saint?" Ning Fengzhi said, looking at Ning Rongrong with a serious expression.

Unfortunately, he lacked prestige as a father in front of his daughter, and Ning Rongrong simply stuck out her tongue, attempting to get away with it.

Ning Fengzhi had his daughter late in life, and with the two elders he trusted most, Jian and Gu, they doted on her. Therefore, Ning Rongrong was rarely scolded, and none of them could bear to see her like that.

Seeing that the little girl was completely unafraid, he had no choice but to apologize to the Soul Saint on her behalf, who naturally declined the apology.

After going through all this, he finally had time to look at the research institute.

"I've heard there's something unusual about this place. What exactly is it?"

"It's that Lord of the Clouds..." the Soul Saint said hesitantly.

Ning Fengzhi thought to himself, "As expected." Seeing that Zhou You was not by Ning Rongrong's side, he roughly guessed that this disturbance might be related to Zhou You.

He knew the damaging influence of the title "Lord of the Clouds" among scholars.

When he recruited this group of scholars, he made it clear that everyone had to have read "Lord of the Clouds's" Thesis and at least have their own understanding of them.

It can be said that in this world, scholars who have read that Thesis and Thesis who haven't are two different groups. The former have more active minds and often come up with ingenious ideas, while the latter reveal a decadent quality of being abandoned by the times and only know how to recite the classics of their ancestors.

This distinct characteristic is also an important basis for distinguishing between the two groups of scholars.

However, this raises a practical problem: even though "Lord of the Clouds" has never appeared in public, an academic faction in his name has already been established in practice.

Some people admire the wisdom of "Lord of the Clouds," marvel at his thinking, and revere him like a saint.

Once they found out that "Lord of the Clouds" had actually come to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in person, it was normal for this situation to occur.

Ning Fengzhi had anticipated that Zhou You's age would dampen the enthusiasm of some scholars, but things seemed to be going differently than he had expected.

"What's going on here?" Ning Fengzhi stared blankly at the group of old scholars arguing heatedly, their faces red and necks thick with anger, spittle flying everywhere, their beards bristling.

"Uh, Sect Master, the thing is..."

"Let me speak!" Ning Rongrong raised her right hand, her voice clear and crisp.

Without waiting for Ning Fengzhi's reply, she began to speak on her own. The Soul Saint could only keep his mouth shut, interjecting only when details were missing to provide supplementary explanations.

Ning Fengzhi quickly understood the cause and effect, and was at a loss for words, feeling both amused and exasperated.

But at the same time, he was amazed by Zhou You's ability to "stir things up." He could create such a commotion without even revealing his identity. He truly deserves to be called the person who brought about an ideological revolution in the Soul Master World.

However, when he learned what topic Zhou You had used to guide these scholars' thinking, his expression changed immediately.

This topic is dangerous!

The issue of living space for Soul Beasts has always been a sensitive topic, and it's something that major powers have tacitly avoided discussing.

The reason, of course, is the issue of resource allocation.

For Soul Masters, the most important resource for cultivation is Soul Beasts. Whether it's Soul Rings or Soul Bones, they can directly enhance Soul Master's strength. Even daily food made from Soul Beasts is more beneficial than ordinary plants and animals.

However, most ordinary Soul Masters are unaware that this resource is actually monopolized by various powerful forces.

The higher the cultivation level of Soul Beast, the rarer it is. Not to mention that Soul Masters also need to consider the Soul Ring Configuration when Soul Hunting, and ambitious Soul Masters also have high requirements for the types of Soul Beasts they hunt.

This makes it difficult for ordinary Soul Masters to hunt suitable Soul Beasts, and it's not uncommon for them to waste several years or even more than a decade on this task.

Although most major factions have Soul Hunting Bases open to the public, these bases are not free and require an "entrance fee."

Furthermore, wilderness survival, hiring Soul Hunting teams, and purchasing medicine are also considerable expenses.

Soul Masters who are slightly strapped for cash will find it difficult to compete with Soul Master from powerful families. For one thing, the Soul Beast Illustrated Guide and information on the distribution of Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest are not things that ordinary people can access.

This is also one of the reasons why Zhou You agreed to join the Spirit Hall. "It is good to cultivate oneself in the public service," the old ancestor's words are truly a wise saying.

With the Spirit Hall as his backing, Zhou You's cultivation has become far less stressful than that of ordinary Soul Masters.

Speaking of this, one has to admire Huo Yuhao. Normally, with his starting point, entering the Star Dou Great Forest would have been a death sentence. Even if he threw Xiao San'er in, the casualty rate would still be quite high.

In conclusion, becoming Soul Master is a glorious achievement, but it also requires a huge investment and doesn't guarantee immediate returns.

Through his observations over the years, Zhou You discovered that the Soul Master community also follows the economic laws of general human society; having extraordinary abilities does not affect the overall structure.

The strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker.

However, ordinary Soul Masters cannot know about this, because injustice will breed discontent, discontent will lead to chaos, and chaos will make the team difficult to lead.

The number of low-level Soul Masters is hundreds of times that of high-level Soul Masters. The reason why they are so obedient is firstly because their strength is too weak to resist, and secondly because there is an even larger group of ordinary people who cannot cultivate to fill the gap.

This is similar to a caste system; as long as there are people at the bottom who can be looked down upon, each class can remain stable and content with the status quo.

But not being afraid of their resistance doesn't mean we can confidently tell them the truth. After all, people below can be respectful to your face but disobey you behind your back. Society loses its vitality, and the negative consequences will eventually spread to the upper echelons.

As the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the owner of the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce, which has expanded its business to all parts of the continent, Ning Fengzhi understands this principle better than anyone else.

So he quickly stepped forward, grabbed Zhou You who was arguing with someone, and deliberately raised his voice. "Mr. Lord of the Clouds, what are you doing here?"

Zhou You initially found it strange that Ning Fengzhi was calling him by his pen name again, and... the way you're talking makes it sound like I just arrived in Seven Treasure City today.

However, Ning Fengzhi's words quickly steered the conversation off-topic.

"Lord of the Clouds? You're Lord of the Clouds? You wrote that 'Five-Layer Body Thesis'?"

"Impossible! How old are you!"

"I think the Sect Leader is probably drunk. Where's Old Wei? Hurry up and help the Sect Leader sober up!"

Ning Fengzhi tried his best to maintain his composure, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

It's because he usually treats people with respect and courtesy that these old scholars, who lack emotional intelligence, dare to make such a fuss about him.

Next time, I'll severely deduct your research funding!