Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

156: Trial beginsThe members of the Lin Family listened with bright eyes, their breathing growing heavier. For these low-level Cultivators, they didn’t ask for much; as long as they could live in peace and their children had a future, it was a tremendous blessing.

Lin Jingyu looked at those faces, now vivid with hope, and felt a slight warmth in his heart.

He cleared his throat, his voice carrying a hint of gentle Mental Energy, clearly reaching everyone’s ears: ”Quiet down, there is more good news.”

The crowd instantly quieted down, and even Little Ash perked up its ears.

”The third point...” Lin Jingyu’s voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable weight: ”The ’treasure’ I mentioned earlier that can increase the yield of the Spiritual Plant fields will be arranged shortly, so rest assured.”

He paused, scanned the crowd, and dropped a real bombshell: ”The final point: starting from today, the Elder Council system that has continued in the Lin Family for a hundred years is abolished!”

Inside and outside the ancestral hall, there was instant silence. Even the wind seemed to have stopped.

”From now on,” Lin Jingyu’s voice was exceptionally clear in the silence, ”All affairs of the Lin Family will be changed to ’Universal Deliberation’! Every Cultivator of our Lin Family shall have the right to offer suggestions and participate in discussions!”

”Boom!” After a brief shock, the crowd completely erupted; this news was even more shocking than the previous ones.

”What? We... we can also manage the Family’s major affairs?” A Cultivator who looked like an old farmer opened his mouth wide, doubting his ears were working properly.

A young man nearby rubbed his hands excitedly: ”Oh my god! Does this mean... we are all ’Elders’ now?”

”That’s right!” someone chimed in excitedly, ”If any old dog like Lin Chenghai wants to cover the sky with one hand in the future? No way! We can make our voices count now!”

”But... but will this work?” A cautious Elder looked worried, ”In the Cultivation world, whoever has the biggest fist is the boss. Won’t doing this cause chaos?”

Lin Lingshan stood behind Lin Jingyu and sighed almost imperceptibly. He had fiercely opposed it at first, feeling it was too idealistic and not suited to the rules of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak.

But Lin Jingyu insisted: ”Class solidification and lack of communication between top and bottom are the roots of the Family’s decline! Let’s try it this way first. When the Family grows stronger, it won’t be too late to elect representatives to deliberate.”

Even after much explanation, Lin Lingshan still only reluctantly agreed.

Lin Jingyu could only ignore the sigh behind him and continue to push forward.

He announced new job appointments and adjustments with swift and decisive action.

Key positions such as the Family Guard and the Cultivation room guards were directly appointed by him and Lin Lingshan with trustworthy, solid Cultivators. As expected, Lin Lingkuang took the position of Captain of the Guard.

Even if his cultivation was slightly weaker, having him guard the Family made Lin Jingyu very at ease.

At the same time, with a wave of his hand, he decisively cut away a large number of redundant and idle positions. Empty titles like ”Spiritual Plant Overseer” or ”Warehouse Assistant” were all abolished.

These positions were useless to the Lin Family. The few Spiritual Plants and treasures in the Family could just be kept in the Family Head’s Storage Pouch. These positions could be added back once the Family grew stronger.

”From now on, the Lin Family must be efficient in everything it does!” Lin Jingyu said with a firm tone, ”We will not support idlers, and we will not engage in empty formalities!”

Next was the practical interest that everyone cared about most—the allocation of Spiritual Plant fields. The dozens of acres of Spiritual Plant fields confiscated from Lin Chenghai and Lin Chengyuan became highly sought-after prizes.

The two of them had used trickery and force to get many of the low-level Cultivators’ Spiritual Plant fields into their own hands.

”These fields will be rented out to clansmen for farming! The Family will collect a thirty percent rent!” Lin Jingyu announced.

He had decided from the very beginning that the Family needed to provide more benefits to the lower-level members to increase their sense of happiness and belonging.

Although the rent was ten percent higher than ordinary clan fields, it still couldn’t stop everyone’s enthusiasm! These were Spiritual Plant fields! A thirty percent rent was simply too low. Planting one more acre meant seventy percent more harvest of spirit rice.

For them, being a little tired or working a little harder was nothing. After all, they were Cultivators, and their bodies could handle it.

”I’ll rent! I’ll rent three acres!” ”Save two acres for me! My Family has many people and we have strength!” ”I want three acres, my Lesser Cloud Rain Technique has already been Cultivated to the Intermediate stage.”

The crowd scrambled, arms raised high. Even Lin Jingxia squeezed into the crowd, her face flushed red as she jumped and shouted: ”Brother! Brother! I want some too! Even one acre is fine!”

Watching his sister’s excited appearance, Lin Jingyu felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He spent his days running around and scheming, while all these Spiritual Plant fields at home were managed by his sister, exposed to wind and sun.

He silently decided that he must find new ways for the clansmen to make money as soon as possible; they couldn’t just rely on digging food from the soil.

In the end, for the sake of fairness, Lin Jingyu made the final decision: ”Divide it by household! Ensure every Family can rent one or two acres!” This finally calmed down the scrambling.

Everyone in the Lin Family who received a Spiritual Plant field couldn’t help but have a smile on their lips.

After dealing with these exciting ”happy events,” the atmosphere in the ancestral hall suddenly became grim and heavy. The real main event had arrived. The trial of the sinners!

Lin Jingyu stepped back slightly, yielding his position to the Family Head, Lin Lingshan. Lin Lingshan’s burly figure stepped forward, his tiger-like eyes containing authority, and a biting Evil Qi from his return from the battlefield naturally radiated from him.

His icy gaze was like a physical blade, scraping across the faces of the few Cultivators pressed and kneeling on the cold stone floor. They trembled like chaff, their faces devoid of color.

”You few, do you know your crimes?” Lin Lingshan’s voice exploded like muffled thunder, carrying suppressed anger.

Everyone’s gaze instantly focused on those few people, the air seemed to solidify, and the heavy pressure made it hard to breathe.

In the corner, suppressed discussions arose, not loud but clear: ”...Hmph, Lin Lingju, you have today! Where is that ruthless energy you used to snatch my Spiritual Plants back then?”

”...Lin Lingbao is actually okay; two years ago when my mother was critically ill, he secretly lent me three Spirit Stones to save her life and didn’t charge interest...”

”...Followed the wrong master, serves him right! That old dog Lin Chenghai should go to the eighteenth level of Hell!”

”None of these people are any good. If they hadn’t embezzled our Spirit Stones, could they have Cultivated to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage?”

Lin Lingshan and Lin Jingyu heard these whispers clearly. Lin Lingshan already had a distinction in his heart regarding how to deal with these few people.

He looked around at the crowd, his voice resounding with determination: ”These four people are obstinate and unrepentant, following the traitor Lin Chenghai to the death; their crimes deserve death! Today, right here in front of this ancestral hall, we shall execute them according to the law!”

He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the clansmen: ”However, since we have implemented the system of ’Universal Deliberation,’ their final punishment shall be decided by all of you! Tell me, how should these sinners be punished?”

”Kill!” ”Kill! Pay for their crimes with death!” ”Forgetting their roots and ancestors, stepping on the ancestors’ faces—they must pay with their lives.” ”...Sigh, just expelling them from the Family is fine; there’s no need to cause such great killing karma.” ”Right! Kill them! Sacrifice to the ancestors! Comfort the clansmen who died unjustly!”