Chapter 139 - 138: Go Big or Go Home.
Upon hearing this,
Xuanqing couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Being called “Young Master” was a bit too melodramatic, but calling him “Sir” felt awkward as well.
At this moment,
he was genuinely conflicted about how he should be addressed.
Seeing this,
Elder Jingde had an idea and asked, “Since you intend for me to be the spokesperson, what should our power’s name be?”
Power?
Xuanqing pondered.
The old Daoist had a point. Once their operation got bigger, they would need an external title for their power; they couldn’t let Qingping Traditional Culture Co., Ltd. take all the credit, right?
“Since I am now the Taiji Right Palace’s Immortal Official… How about Taiji Palace?”
“No, if we call it Taiji Palace, people who know us will call you Palace Master, while others may think you are a Princess.”
With that thought in mind,
“I intend to establish the Taiji Hall, and you shall be the first elder,” Xuanqing said solemnly.
“Great!”
Elder Jingde clapped his hands and felt the blood rush to his head.
Immediately, he knelt down on one knee, raised his fists, and exclaimed aloud:
“Elder Jingde greets the Temple Master!”
For some reason,
ever since he experienced the Ginseng Fruit, which extended his life by 360 years, not only had his body rejuvenated, but his mentality seemed to have returned to that of a young man as well.
Perhaps, in biological terms… this would be called the influence of hormones on a person’s character.
“Excellent!”
Xuanqing gave a slight nod.
Now that Elder Jingde… no, he should be called Elder Jingde, had become one of their own, some things could be revealed.
“Elder Jingde, there are some things that you could know now.”
“All of Taiji Hall’s future actions will have one goal: to collect as much faith incense power as possible while maintaining stability.”
“So… 1 plan to elevate you to the position of Heavenly Master and use the authority of Heaven, along with incentives, to summon all the Taoists in the world to collect incense power for me.”
For Xuanqing,
every power-consuming thing, such as Absolute Holiness Abandonment of Wisdom, time acceleration, or the most recently updated System Mall, could be considered a huge spending item for Ingots.
Reliance on income from branch operations alone was insufficient to meet his expenditures on incense power, unable to keep pace with his progress.
“Of course, before that, 1 will first pass on the True Method to you. Your current practice of the Taoist Basic Breathing Exercise can indeed condense mana, but it is too inefficient.”
“Here, I have the ‘Basic Breathing Technique’. Let it be the method for you to step into the doorway of True Method!”
Xuanqing smiled slightly, and took out the ‘Basic Breathing Technique *T awarded from opening the Newbie Gift Pack last time from his Game Backpack.
Upon seeing this,
Elder Jingde breathed heavily.
The True Method was right before his eyes, and it seemed like there was light shining in his pupils. He was trembling continuously, finally… finally able to step into the door of practice.
Receiving this “Basic Breathing Technique” secret book from young friend Xuanqing… No, it should be from Temple Master now,
he opened it to have a look.
Huh… Why are there no words on it?
“Temple Master, there are no words in this ‘Basic Breathing Technique.’ How do 1 practice it?” Elder Jingde asked, feeling baffled.
“This Basic Breathing Technique is a True Method, different from ordinary items. Simply slap it onto your forehead, and you’ll learn it!” Xuanqing explained.
Elder Jingde suddenly understood.
That’s right, this was the secret book for unlocking the True Method in practice, and it must have magical aspects to it, setting it apart from regular books. It all made perfect sense.
So,
he took the Cultivation Techniques book and slapped it onto his head.
The next moment,
The entire “Basic Breathing Exercise” cultivation technique turned into specks of starlight.
Elder Jingde felt an influx of information about ‘cultivation’ in his mind.
And his body seemed to have muscle memory as well, being able to subconsciously control the flow of mana to practice.
He had gained enlightenment!
So this is cultivation, this is the true cultivation technique!
Elder Jingde excitedly kneeled down on one knee again. “Thank you, palace lord, for opening the door to cultivation for this subordinate!”
This time.
Xuanqing did not stop him and accepted Elder Jingde’s gesture of respect.
“You may sit down. As for the collection of incense belief, I still have to discuss it with you in detail.”
“Yes, palace lord!”
Next.
The two of them discussed how to collect incense beliefs faster and more efficiently while maintaining stability.
Of course.
Elder Jingde was a clever man and naturally knew that the lord’s miraculous abilities might be related to the incense beliefs.
However, precisely because he was a clever man, he had no idea about the incense beliefs and only thought about how to complete the task better and improve his own value.
This… is what a smart person would do.
During the conversation.
They quickly confirmed what to do at the moment.
Before Elder Jingde became a Heavenly Master, they wanted to move all the Taoist temples in Changling City to nearby towns or villages in the city.
There was no choice; traditional Taoist temples were generally built in remote mountain forests, and the most prosperous ones were probably located on the outskirts of a village.
In this process, substantial benefits would be given to the heads of these remote Taoist temples, and even if they performed well, it was not impossible to reward them with a Serenity and Soul Calming Jade Charm.
“Elder Jingde, how many Taoist temples are there in Changling City?” Xuanqing asked in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this.
Elder Jingde pondered for a moment.
“Palace Lord, there are three hundred and twenty Taoist temples in Changling City. More than half of them are remote and empty temples, and a small portion belongs to the Spring True Sect. Although nominally they belong to the Dao Association’s administration, they operate independently.”
“In general, only about eighty temples can be called upon, and most of them are located in remote areas.”
In a provincial city, there were only eighty temples, which was undoubtedly far less compared to Buddhism.
Eighty temples?
Xuanqing nodded and had an idea.
“Then let’s start with these eighty temples. Any temple owner willing to move out will have their salary increased to 10,000 yuan a month.”
“And all Taoist temples will charge two yuan for incense, and they can provide a free meal for incense guests in need.”
Although this may lead to some people taking advantage of free food and drinks, it is insignificant compared to the increased faith of incense fire.
Don’t you see that in some West God Church, when you go to the church for worship, they even give away eggs and vegetables? Neither in terms of being a person nor a sect can one be too stingy.
Afterward.
They discussed some details, such as the uneven quality of the temple owners in various places. Those who graduated from the academy were fine, but there were also many Descendants’ Temples that were inherited.
Although the purpose was to collect incense beliefs, they could not tarnish the reputation of the Taoist sect, so they needed to formulate some reward and punishment system based on this.
They had been talking for a long time.
It was not until the sky darkened that they realized it was already late.
“Alright, let’s settle on this plan for now.” Xuanqing nodded.
“Yes, palace lord. By the way, the production line you ordered has been set up.
When do you want to send it over?”
“Tomorrow!”