Chapter 632
The fluorescent light faded, revealing a woman as delicate as white jade, standing ethereally above the calculation array.
Her expression was cold, yet she radiated a soft glow as she gazed at the crowd.
Uncle Pang couldn’t help but ask Zheng Fa, “Is this the Jiuzhang Suanling?”
Zheng Fa looked at the woman and smiled, “Why don’t you introduce yourself and tell us about your abilities?”
“I am the Jiuzhang Suanling,” the woman introduced herself. “I am the spirit of the Jiuzhang calculation array, generated by consuming one thousand and eighty spirit stones.”
“I can control the calculation array, record, compute, and deduce.”
Listening to the Suanling respond with such fluidity, Sun Daoyu felt as if he were conversing with a living person, and he marveled at the intricacies of the array.
But what did this have to do with the future of the Jiushan Sect?
Zheng Fa turned around, his gaze sweeping over Sun Daoyu’s face, as if he understood his confusion. He smiled and said, “From now on, I will entrust all resource management of the Jiushan Sect to the Jiuzhang Suanling.”
Entrust it to the Jiuzhang Suanling?
At first, Sun Daoyu was puzzled, but then he suddenly grasped the meaning behind Zheng Fa’s words. His expression changed dramatically, and he stared at Zheng Fa in shock.
Some disciples were still unclear about the implications of this statement, whispering among themselves.
Zheng Fa continued, “Starting today, the distribution of tasks, the exchange of spirit materials, and the allocation of merits will all be handled solely by the Jiuzhang Suanling.”
“If there are any issues with the calculations, I will revise them with Sister Zhang and make the results public. I won’t interfere in this matter on a daily basis.”
“Not just me, but even the elders of the sect do not have this authority.”
Uncle Pang’s expression turned strange as he stared at Zheng Fa for a long time.
Elder Xiong and the others still didn’t understand, exchanging puzzled glances.
But some disciples, like Sun Daoyu, understood, and those who did were even more incredulous.
Facing their disbelief, Zheng Fa suddenly brought up another topic: “When I first joined the Jiushan Sect, I received a lot of support from my senior sister and gained many benefits.”
“But I know that there is deep resentment among the disciples.”
“At that time, the Jiushan Sect was divided, with internal strife and mutual grievances.”
“The two factions fought over resources, and the Jiushan Sect was on the brink of collapse.”
Uncle Pang pursed his lips, unsure of what to say.
“Of course, as I mentioned, the Jiushan Sect is now prosperous, and there aren’t as many petty squabbles. But I know that mere wealth is not enough.”
Zheng Fa paused before continuing, “What we need is fairness.”
These two words landed with the weight of a thousand pounds, silencing even the sounds of breathing on the island.
Sun Daoyu pondered over these words—fairness?
How could there be fairness?
Cultivators are the most unfair group.
With vast differences in cultivation levels, a high-level cultivator could easily crush a low-level one like stepping on an insect.
Where is the fairness in that?
Even among those of the same cultivation level, talent, mentorship, and combat power could create a hierarchy.
Even with his lingering admiration for Zheng Fa, he couldn’t help but feel that the sect leader was somewhat naive.
Demanding fairness too strongly felt a bit like robbing the rich to help the poor.
This made him uneasy, even a bit worried—after all, he was currently in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and had a respected elder.
If anyone belonged to the wealthy group, it was certainly him.
Such changes might jeopardize his interests.
“Of course, I’m not saying everyone must receive equal merits or the same spirit materials,” Zheng Fa continued. “What I mean is that for the same tasks, the same contributions, and the same technical achievements, you will receive equal rewards.”
“No one will be favored because of their higher cultivation, better talent, or more powerful mentors.”
“No one will be bullied or robbed because of their lower strength or lack of background.”
“Every month, the Jiuzhang Suanling will publicly announce the distribution results of various resources, and you can verify them yourselves.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Daoyu finally understood that the sect leader wasn’t as radical as he had thought:
After all, disciples with higher cultivation and better talent generally had stronger abilities and could contribute more to the sect.
He looked at the other disciples and saw that they seemed to have grasped the concept as well.
Most of their faces lit up with expressions of joy and even eagerness.
It was clear that at least the vast majority of disciples not only accepted but began to support and anticipate this new change.
Zheng Fa observed the quietly discussing disciples, then turned to Sister Zhang, sharing a smile.
The core of this reform was encapsulated in four words—distribution system.
From Zheng Fa’s perspective, all the sects he knew operated on one principle regarding resource distribution: favor the talented.
In other words, the higher the cultivation, the more resources one received.
This was not entirely without reason and could be said to align with the realities of the Xuanwei world.
However, such a system was extremely detrimental to sect unity and ill-suited for a research-oriented sect like Jiushan.
In fact, Zheng Fa believed that a resource distribution favoring the strong was essentially a model that rewarded the rich with more wealth:
You are strong, so you get more resources; with more resources, you become stronger, and thus you get even more resources… and so the cycle continues.
Such a sect might produce a few exceptionally strong geniuses.
But it did not meet the needs of the Jiushan world.
Moreover, most cultivators emerging from such sects would likely lean towards self-interest, prioritizing their own cultivation.
The internal strife in the Rune Pavilion back then, Brother Zhuang’s grievances, and even Han Qi’s extortion stemmed largely from this distribution system.
Now, the reform, to put it somewhat imprecisely, was akin to transitioning from the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty to the meritocratic system of the Qin Dynasty.
He certainly appreciated geniuses, but resource distribution had to be based on contributions.
Even if it was just a roundabout way, geniuses would still hold an undeniable advantage in this distribution system, but the implications would be entirely different.
Sister Zhang stood beside Zheng Fa, watching his slightly resolute expression, and couldn’t help but smile gently.
Uncle Huang furrowed his brow slightly and transmitted his thoughts to her: “Isn’t Zheng Fa’s reform too hasty? There’s never been a precedent in Xuanwei.”
Sister Zhang pondered for a moment before replying, “My junior brother explained this to me. This reform, aside from making the Jiushan Sect fairer, is primarily about allowing these disciples to benefit from the development of the Jiushan world.”
“Hmm?”
Uncle Huang was immediately puzzled.
“My junior brother said that although the Jiushan Sect has become prosperous, if these additional resources do not reach the hands of the disciples, then this prosperity means nothing to them. Even if they seem diligent now, they will become complacent in the future,” Sister Zhang explained in detail. “In fact, the merits we receive may not decrease, but as long as there is a relatively clear and fair system, these disciples will see…”
“See what?”
“The stronger the Jiushan Sect becomes, the more resources it has, and the better they live. Once they see this, they will naturally work harder. According to my junior brother, what it means to serve the sect leader is merely a moment of excitement. But if these disciples can see the endless benefits brought to them by the development of the Jiushan Sect… then their loyalty will likely grow stronger day by day.”
Uncle Huang was momentarily taken aback, then had to admit that her reasoning was quite sound.
“If I were in charge of the Jiuzhang calculation array, I doubt I could convince these disciples without any doubts,” Sister Zhang said, glancing at the Jiuzhang Suanling with a smile. “But the Jiuzhang Suanling is different; although the array is complex, the disciples can learn it if they wish.”
“If they understand it, they will be more convinced.”
Uncle Huang fell silent, unsure how to counter her argument, though his expression still showed doubt.
“Master, my junior brother is prepared. If anything goes wrong, we can revert back.”
“Ah? Revert back?”
“This is also why my junior brother chose to implement the reform now. First, the Jiushan world has just begun to develop, and the sect’s interests are not yet deeply entangled, so there isn’t much resistance. Additionally, my junior brother said that a small boat is easier to turn around; if we wait until later, the chaos caused will likely be much greater.”
After hearing this, Uncle Huang looked at Zheng Fa and slowly nodded after a long while.
In truth, she had avoided the world in her early years and hadn’t really managed the sect, unlike Elder Xiong and Sect Leader Song, who had genuinely been in charge of the Qingmu Sect.
At this moment, both of them looked at Zheng Fa with identical shock, even a sense of genuine admiration.
They understood better than Uncle Huang the potential effects of this reform.
Sect Leader Song also transmitted his thoughts to Elder Xiong: “The Jiushan world is already adept at cultivating disciples, and various technological advancements are progressing rapidly. In just ten years, we’ve seen such changes. After this reform, it might truly unify everyone’s efforts.”
Elder Xiong nodded silently, letting out a soft sigh: “Brotherly love, respect among siblings, kindness from elders, fairness and strictness, unity of purpose… now I feel like those words seem rather conservative in comparison.”
Hearing this, Sect Leader Song of the Qingmu Sect also nodded slightly, curiously asking, “Then why the sigh?”
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