"Of course. One moment."
Jiang Ding took some time to finish handling the various administrative matters.
He moved through it all with practiced ease, dealing with every issue at remarkable speed. With a soul comparable to a Void Refining cultivator's, the Central Array-Spirit Computer assisting him, and the Immortal Sect's efficient bureaucracy, the work presented no real difficulty.
"Teacher, how has public opinion in the Immortal Sect changed since the inaugural address?"
Jiang Ding asked.
Outside the military, forms of address were casual. There was no need for such strictness.
"It's been all right."
"Most citizens approve. That's a credit to the Immortal Sect's education," Bone Forest said with a smile. "Of course, the policy won't affect most citizens' interests much in the short term. That's an important reason too."
"That's good."
Jiang Ding nodded slightly. "In another ten years, after a vote by the Citizen Assembly, the Immortal Sect will introduce policies to encourage childbirth. Its population will then grow rapidly. We expect it to stabilize at around one trillion in a thousand years."
"The education department has a heavy task ahead. You must pay particular attention to it."
"Educating our citizens is a matter of life and death for the Immortal Sect. It concerns everyone's Dao Path and our shared fate. No amount of attention is too much."
"Understood!"
Bone Forest's breath caught.
One trillion people!
That would multiply the Immortal Sect's population by thirty-three or thirty-four times!
It sounded staggering, but spread over a thousand years, the pace seemed fairly slow—less than a doubling every century on average.
The Immortal Sect's highest-ranking cultivators had reached a consensus.
The Immortal Sect's foundation—its number of citizens—had to grow to one trillion. Otherwise, forget setting their sights on the Ancient God Domain; they would not even have enough people to