From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 381 Initial Foundation Established
Yuanling Mountain has been operating for nearly twenty years and its incense is very popular. Over the years, it has also stored up a lot of supplies.

Therefore, upgrading the first few levels of these buildings was relatively easy, and You Ming upgraded most of them to level five, six, or even seven in one go.

Within the entire cave, the branches and leaves of the Azure Divine Tree rustled, and profound spiritual energy was continuously drawn from the depths of the tree roots, then dispersed into the void, condensing into patches of clouds and mist.

At this moment, the buildings within the entire cave have transformed into a complex of buildings.

The vast cave dwelling, constructed of both green wood and stone, has a deep foundation and imposing stone pillars that support countless palaces with upturned eaves. The tops of each palace are surrounded by green wood vines, and the roof tiles, like spiritual crystals, emit a faint green light.

The main hall sits in the center, surrounded by dozens of palaces, pavilions, and courtyards. Each palace has a sacred spring in front of it, with a light mist floating on the water, as if entering a quiet and sacred fairyland.

The corridors and courtyards between the palaces are connected by spiritual bridges, like flying white rainbows, allowing one to reach any place in an instant.

[Level 6 Cave Dwelling]

Cultivation efficiency +30%, mana/mental recovery +50%.

Special Effect 1: [Tranquility] When in seclusion, the cultivator in the cave will enter a state of mental immersion within ten breaths.

Special Effect Two: [Enlightenment] When comprehending a method/supernatural power/spell, there is a certain probability of triggering a sudden enlightenment effect.

Special Effect 3: [Guardian], can actively activate the Yin-Yang Hunyuan Grand Array.

After upgrading to level six, the overall effect of the [Cave Abode] becomes quite remarkable. Not only are the stats in all aspects increased, but it also gains three special effects at once.

Cultivating in a cave of this level allows even someone with dull aptitude to quickly catch up to an excellent level.

Upgrading the [Cave Abode] to level seven requires quite a lot of precious resources.

"Myriad Spirit Spring, Primordial Gold Stone, Condensed Crystal, Starlight Sand..."

There are six kinds of spiritual materials in total, but You Ming has basically never heard of any of them.

However, a level six cave dwelling is more than enough for ordinary cultivators, even those who have cultivated to the [Dharma Aspect] level.

In addition to the cave dwelling, the other buildings have also been upgraded.

Two fire veins surged from the ground, flowing into the alchemy room and the weapon-refining room respectively. Inside the alchemy room was an ancient alchemy furnace, its walls made of ancient bronze and inlaid with mysterious runes. Each rune was constantly flowing, as if it had a spirit, and the furnace body emitted a gentle golden light.

The weapon-refining room resembled an ancient iron fortress, with dark and sturdy stone walls. Five elements of spiritual fire floated within, and runes were inlaid on the surrounding pillars. The runes flowed under the light of the flames, like intertwined lightning.

Rows of enormous furnaces stood in neat rows, their flames dancing like blazing stars, seemingly capable of melting any spiritual material.

In the nearby herb garden, a cloud always hangs over it, and rich spiritual energy falls like rain, permeating the air and allowing spiritual herbs to grow.

Even within this small nursery, it seems that the laws of time have been incorporated.

All spiritual plants planted here not only have their medicinal power increased by 20%, but their maturation time is also shortened by 30%.

But the most magical of all is the [Scripture Pavilion].

The Sutra Repository is the highest-level building among all buildings, and it is now at level seven.

It soars into the clouds, resembling a sacred tower, its body woven from ancient wood and bluestone.

From the outside, it was only about thirty feet tall, but the interior space was extremely spacious, with countless bookshelves displaying all kinds of books categorized and placed in different places.

These books did not appear out of thin air.

Instead, it directly manifests You Ming's cultivation insights and the books he has read from his memory.

Fortunately, You Ming had spent three months in the River Goddess's treasury reading extensively, so his [Scripture Pavilion] contained a vast collection of books. The effects of a level seven [Scripture Pavilion] were naturally astonishing.

In addition to a 40% increase in learning efficiency and a 50% increase in focus, there are three other benefits.

Effect 1: Intelligent Echo

When readers browse through any book in the library, they will actively immerse themselves in the writer's state of mind at the time, making it easier for them to gain insights.

Effect 2: Talent Perception
Reading books that align with one's talents will generate strong feelings of joy and grant an additional efficiency bonus of approximately 1-20%.

Effect 3: The Blessing of Knowledge
While reading, there is a small chance to receive the blessing of the [Library Pavilion], which not only doubles all bonuses but also permanently increases comprehension/spirituality.

The last effect, in particular, is extremely valuable to cultivators.

Comprehension and spirituality almost determine a practitioner's aptitude, and the effect of this "blessing of knowledge" is equivalent to permanently enhancing that aptitude.

Even if a person only has one chance in their lifetime, it is still incredibly precious.

Standing on high ground, You Ming looked down at all the buildings and felt quite satisfied.

Although his current grotto-heaven is not yet top-tier, with these buildings, it is no less capable in training disciples.

With this grotto-heaven, I can now begin constructing the divine hierarchy.

He is now a seventh-rank deity. Although his rank was raised due to special reasons, the number of people in his jurisdiction did not increase. However, a seventh-rank deity is now truly qualified to establish his own government and recruit advisors.

Based on his current authority, he can recruit approximately sixty deities ranging from the ninth to the seventh rank under his command. Although this is not comparable to the city god of a county, it is still a considerable number.

As for divine officials, there are no restrictions set by the authorities.

Because the divine officials are not part of the official system of the divine way, the higher-ups will not concern themselves with such details.

However, the divine officials also need to be offered incense. Even with the current prosperity of Yuanling Mountain, the maximum number of divine officials is only three thousand.

You Ming could not possibly raise that many.

Even including the divine people, the population of Yuanling County is still less than 200,000, so 3,000 divine officials would be too bloated.

You Ming decided to promote twenty new gods in the initial stage, while keeping the number of divine officials to three hundred.

We will conduct selections later when we have the capacity to continue expanding.

However, the development of a talent pool must keep pace with this.

Because he belongs to the [Department of Fertility], the Heavenly Realm rarely interferes in the lower realms. Although this gives him much more autonomy, to some extent, he has to cultivate these talents himself.

"Zhou Dacheng reported a few days ago that some monsters have advanced to the [Awakening] stage. All monsters with [Bright Qi] and [Awakening] stages can enter the cave after being identified."

“Some midwives who die of old age can also enter the grotto and teach the methods of ghost cultivation.”

"As for humans..."

"Humans imparting cultivation methods is a method of immortality, which is not suitable for the divine path, so let's leave it for now."

You Ming began to make plans in his mind.

(End of this chapter)