Old Ancestor Cangwu fell silent.
Of course, he knew Zhou Xuan's logic held together.
The pressure passed down through layer after layer, ultimately landing on the lowest-ranking Cultivators.
But the crystal stones those Cultivators received were indeed the highest-grade cultivation resources within their reach.
In Central Province, where turbid qi ran rampant, they could not even maintain normal cultivation without those crystal stones.
Zhou Xuan had given them a path to survival.
Whether that path was easy to walk or wide enough was outside the scope of the discussion.
"One more thing." Zhou Xuan leaned back against his chair again, his fingers resuming their tapping on the table.
"The stick alone isn't enough. We need a carrot."
He turned his head toward Ji Chen.
"Add a clause to the new rules. Any sect that exceeds its quota in the first month gets an additional reward of top-grade crystal stones. The more they exceed it, the greater the reward. You draw up the exact amounts. No upper limit."
Ji Chen finished engraving the last stroke, then raised his head to confirm.
"So meeting the quota keeps them alive, and exceeding it makes them rich."
"Filthy rich," Zhou Xuan corrected.
"Let those old monsters do the math. Rather than huddle at home waiting for their supplies to be cut off, they might as well take a gamble on a bonus reward. Once they've worked out that calculation, they won't be able to sit still."
Old Ancestor Xuanming had been listening at the side for a while. Now his eyes lit up.
"Brilliant, Token Master! That's exactly what gets those old fossils moving!"
He slapped his thigh.
"Give them a taste of sweetness, and they'll push their disciples to go all out themselves. Once the sects start competing against each other, won't the