The Luotian Association's dispensation of rewards and punishments for this campaign was not particularly complicated.
Only a handful of people had made up the primary fighting force.
Luo Chen, Wang Yuan, Duan Feng, and Min Longyu.
Setting aside Luo Chen, the president of the association, the major rewards were distributed among the other three.
In terms of contribution, Min Longyu stood foremost.
He had held Danxia Peak, slain two Foundation Establishment cultivators, wiped out the Geng family, and breached the Divine Craft Sect—in all of which he had played a pivotal role.
Furthermore, through the formidable might of his formations, he had silently forced the watching rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators to depart in bitter frustration.
His rewards had already been underway from the start.
Geng Shuzhen's storage bag, and the Divine Craft Sect Grand Elder's storage bag.
In addition, Luo Chen had previously granted him Geng Lie's great hammer magic treasure.
On top of that, Sima Huiniang awarded him fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones in the name of the Luotian Association.
This bounty could hardly be considered anything short of lavish!
Were word of it to spread outside, countless rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators would turn red with envy.
Yet Luo Chen felt it was well worth the cost.
Nothing could have been more worthwhile.
Letting bygones be bygones and looking past Min Longyu's past attack on him had been one of the wisest decisions he had ever made in his life.
With such a master of formations at his side, every decision he made became far more composed and secure,
whether on the offensive, on the defensive, or in any other matter.
Min Longyu was personally thrilled with the reward.
The magic treasure and the fifty thousand spirit stones alone were already generous enough.
Moreover, there were two unopened blind boxes waiting for him.
Who knew what pleasant surprises might lie within!
After rewarding Min Longyu, it was time for Wang Yuan, whose contributions ranked second.
He had slain Lu Rong single-handedly, destroyed the Danyuan Sect, and joined in breaking the Divine Craft Sect.
With three great achievements combined, his rewards were equally impressive.
Lu Rong's storage bag was granted to him entirely, with no need to surrender it to the association.
Lu Rong's pipe magic treasure naturally became his as well.
In addition, the Luotian Association supplemented this with thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones and twenty bottles of Tier 2 pills suitable for cultivation.
Finally came Duan Feng.
Owing to the limits of his cultivation, he had taken part in only one battle.
With only the strength of the early Foundation Establishment realm, he had held off Fairy Miaoyu of the Yuzhen Daoist Temple and ultimately assisted Min Longyu in striking her down.
He had earned merit, though it was not excessively large.
His reward was straightforward: twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones and ten bottles of Qi Harmonizing Pills.
Furthermore, Luo Chen took it upon himself to bestow upon him the magic treasure furnace belonging to Fei Changqiu, the sect master of the Divine Craft Sect.
Or rather, it was not merely given to him, but allocated to the Artifact Hall.
That furnace could be utilized for weapon crafting.
It might help Duan Feng forge the two magic treasure embryos into finished treasures as soon as possible.
Faced with this merit-based distribution of spoils,
all three men accepted the results with peace of mind. Even though Min Longyu's reward was exceptionally lavish, Wang Yuan and Duan Feng voiced no objections.
Truth be told, even had the Luotian Association offered no rewards at all, none of them would have harbored grievances.
Over the years, they had long grown accustomed to life within the Luotian Association, which felt almost like home.
When defending one's home, did one still demand rewards?
Were the generous privileges they enjoyed on ordinary days given for nothing?
While the True Cultivators were handsomely compensated, Sima Huiniang focused the bulk of her attention on the Qi Refinement cultivators.
Sima Xian had led the cultivators of the War Hall to conquer Tianying Peak and the Yuzhen Daoist Temple, earning immense merit.
Bian Zhen and Qu Lingjun had led the Medicine Hall to bring back a vast bounty of precious medicinal herbs from the Danyuan Sect, and had even recruited two Tier 1 alchemists, which was also a commendable service.
Sima Huiniang and Gu Caiyi had held down the rear, deploying personnel and maintaining logistical support—another vital contribution.
Moreover, the outer sect cultivators had suffered somewhat heavy losses during the fighting, yet their fervor had remained high, making them well deserving of commendation.
Taking all of this together, Sima Huiniang drew up a complex, exhaustive plan of rewards and penalties.
It was the sort of document that gave anyone a headache at first glance.
It went far beyond simple gifts of spirit stones and medicinal pills.
It encompassed titles, stipends, merit accumulation, and much more.
What was more,
two individuals had accumulated enough merit points to exchange directly for a resource as precious as a Foundation Establishment Pill.
These two were Sima Xian and Murong Qinglian.
Nor were they the only ones.
According to the merit policy established earlier, Bian Zhen was also very close to amassing enough merit to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Sima Xian was not an urgent case, as his cultivation had yet to reach the bottleneck.
Bian Zhen, however, was already at the great circle of Qi Refinement and was in desperate need of one!
As for Murong Qinglian, after a year of recuperation, her health had almost completely recovered.
Factoring in the constraints of her age, she, too, had an urgent need for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
That brought up a glaring problem:
Where was the Luotian Association going to obtain so many Foundation Establishment Pills?
***
"You don't need to worry about this matter. I will handle it."
Faced with Sima Huiniang's inquiry, Luo Chen gave a reply brimming with confidence.
Seeing his certainty, Sima Huiniang pressed no further.
Instead, she brought up another issue.
"The Luotian Association currently stands at a crucial juncture. We have relocated numerous industries and assets from various factions, and every single one demands meticulous care."
Luo Chen understood. "Are we short on hands?"
Sima Huiniang nodded, then shook her head.
"A shortage of manpower is one issue, but the bigger problem is that responsibilities are ill-defined."
"Hm?"
Seeing Luo Chen's confusion, Sima Huiniang sighed.
She immediately offered several examples.
Beyond the Medicine Hall's own cultivators, more than half of its spiritual fields were being tended to by War Hall cultivators in their spare time.
The moment a battle broke out, those fields were left unattended.
Now Danxia Peak had acquired several new varieties of important spiritual plants that required dedicated caretakers.
These plants were not medicinal herbs, but held different economic value.
Furthermore,
the plumed eagles!
Barely a month had passed since their nest was moved from Tianying Peak, yet several fledglings had already perished due to improper care.
Every loss was an enormous waste!
There were several other examples just like that.
The rearing of the jade rush silkworms, the feeding of the azure-scaled arowanas... Problems were cropping up on every front.
Listening to all of this, Luo Chen felt his head swell.
Somewhat sheepishly, he said, "That was my oversight. I was so focused on dragging good things home that I neglected what comes after."
He had thought he had handled matters quite well previously.
He had never imagined that Sima Huiniang, having taken the reins for only a few days, would uncover such a mountain of issues.
To this, Sima Huiniang merely offered a soft smile.
"The president need not blame himself. A man of your grand vision and strategic foresight shouldn't be bogged down by such trivialities.
"It is my role to patch up these omissions."
Flattery at its finest!
Luo Chen was thoroughly pleased.
He smiled and asked, "What do you plan to do? Recruit more people?"
"It goes far beyond mere recruitment."
Sima Huiniang grew solemn. "The Luotian Association needs a reform!"
Luo Chen nodded in agreement.
He had long felt that the association's current structure was somewhat warped.
Yet as for how to reform it, he had not developed a clear plan, having only proposed a legacy system.
"From what I have observed, the system best suited to our Luotian Association is undoubtedly the mature, established framework of the great sects.
"If we liken the Luotian Association to a great tree,
"then the legacy system you proposed serves as the deep roots sustaining its vitality.
"Above the roots, the trunk is formed by us, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators!
"Beyond that, the proliferating foliage and branches must be pruned so that they may fully absorb nourishment."
That metaphor
was vivid indeed!
Luo Chen nodded in approval, quietly waiting for her to continue.
Under his gaze, Sima Huiniang laid out her thoughts in an orderly manner.
"The original Seven Halls of Luotian are no longer fit for our needs.
"I propose that, alongside the existing seven branches—Pill, Medicine, Artifact, Treasury, Merit, Law Enforcement, and the Outer Sect—we establish three new halls.
"A Farming Hall, a Beast Hall, and a Legacy Hall.
"To build the Farming Hall, I believe we can use the core cultivators of the Medicine Hall as a foundation. Yuan Dongsheng is a veteran spiritual farmer; he is fully qualified to lead it.
"As for the Beast Hall, it will primarily oversee the sudden influx of spirit beast husbandry. We cannot afford to be negligent in this area.
"When the time comes, we may need to offer generous stipends to hire seasoned beastmasters from Tianlan Immortal City.
"The Legacy Hall will serve to facilitate your legacy system."
At this point, Sima Huiniang paused, her eyes gleaming with faint light.
"After numerous major battles, our Luotian Association has gathered a great many cultivation methods.
"A mere library pavilion can no longer bring out the full advantage of so many manuals and scriptures.
"For instance, after I reached Foundation Establishment, I had to sift through numerous Tier 2 arts before settling on *Pavilion of Waters*. Had there been dedicated personnel managing the collection, it would have saved me an enormous amount of trouble."
The long explanation was enough to make one's head ache.
Yet Luo Chen understood the association's current state inside and out.
Taking those realities into account, he agreed that Sima Huiniang's arrangements were the most sensible course.
Splitting the Medicine Hall to create a dedicated Farming Hall, for example,
was entirely necessary.
For a long time, the Medicine Hall's duties had been poorly defined.
Its original role had been to support the Pill Hall, yet after multiple relocations, the Pill Hall still relied primarily on external purchases for its herbs.
The Medicine Hall itself had spent its time cultivating spiritual plants and tending spiritual fields,
which in turn required the War Hall cultivators to lend a hand during their idle hours.
Carving out a new Farming Hall would resolve many of these entanglements at a stroke.
Yet under such a design,
the association's current headcount of roughly three hundred people, great and small, was far too meager.
"So we must recruit?" Luo Chen asked.
Sima Huiniang nodded firmly. "Yes, we must recruit, and we must open our doors wide. Cultivation levels need not be high; early- and mid-stage Qi Refinement rogue cultivators will suffice. But for higher-stage cultivators, we must require specialized skills so they can contribute immediately.
"My goal is that, aside from the Legacy and Law Enforcement Halls, every hall must have at least a hundred members!"
Having said this, her brow suddenly furrowed.
She looked at Luo Chen, a look of hesitation crossing her face.
Luo Chen caught that hesitation.
"What is it?"
Sima Huiniang considered her words, then gritted her teeth. "In truth, I feel that during peacetime, the manpower of the War Hall is wasted by having them farm the fields.
"Meanwhile, the Law Enforcement Hall rarely finds opportunities to act.
"The tasks they handle could easily be entrusted to the War Hall.
"Their functions overlap to a considerable extent."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "You want to merge them?"
Not daring to meet his eyes, Sima Huiniang simply nodded to convey her stance.
Seeing her reaction, Luo Chen instantly realized where her hesitation came from.
The War Hall was headed by Sima Xian, her elder brother.
The Law Enforcement Hall was headed by Zhou Yuanli, Luo Chen's former bodyguard and his trusted confidant.
In fact, most members of the Law Enforcement Hall had been handpicked by Zhou Yuanli from the Qi Refinement cultivators who had once guarded Luo Chen.
Even if the Law Enforcement Hall usually operated quietly and drew little attention,
no one from any hall in the entire Luotian Association dared cross them.
They were a blade in Luo Chen's hand—
a blade turned inward!
For Sima Huiniang to suggest merging them was undeniably a bold move.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned delicate.
Yet this tension did not last long.
A light chuckle from Luo Chen shattered the uneasy silence.
"The Law Enforcement Hall was never meant to be formal to begin with. It was merely a temporary post I set up for Zhou Yuanli after I achieved Foundation Establishment.
"A merger is only natural!
"As for how to arrange things for Zhou Yuanli...
"Go ahead and carry out your plans with a free hand. You have my full support!"
Hearing these words, Sima Huiniang let out a long breath of relief.
Her mind worked swiftly, and she soon formed a foundational idea.
"I intend to fold the Law Enforcement Hall into the War Hall, without disbanding the enforcement unit itself."
"You mean they will coexist?" Luo Chen asked, intrigued.
Sima Huiniang nodded heavily. "Not only coexist—I also plan to establish an intelligence squad within the War Hall."
Here, her expression grew solemn.
"President!
"Looking back at the troubles our association encountered this time, the warning signs were actually visible long beforehand.
"Yet we lacked dedicated personnel to gather those scattered pieces of intelligence and analyze them one by one.
"In the end, that blind spot allowed the rogue cultivators to build up designs against us."
When she put it like that,
Luo Chen suddenly recognized the paramount importance of intelligence.
Had it not been for Li Jinhuang's warning and Xing Zonghan's message, he likely would have led Wang Yuan and the other True Cultivators to the Qinhua River to hold the line.
Had that happened, the Luotian Association's headquarters would have been left dangerously defenseless.
Intelligence...
"The new War Hall will still focus primarily on combat, while drawing loyal and capable personnel to form two auxiliary units: enforcement and intelligence.
"That is my initial conception. What does the president think?"
Without hesitation,
Luo Chen tapped his fingers in praise. "A fine idea. I believe it's entirely feasible."
Receiving Luo Chen's approval, Sima Huiniang's expression relaxed.
"In that case, we won't have ten halls, but nine."
Halls...
After hearing "hall" this and "hall" that for so long, Luo Chen felt calluses forming on his ears.
He murmured the word a few times.
Amid Sima Huiniang's puzzlement, he spoke up.
"Since we're changing things anyway, let's change the title of 'hall' as well!
"The term sounds too secular, far too reminiscent of a mortal martial gang."
Sima Huiniang was rendered speechless.
The Luotian Association's various halls had inherited their organizational framework from the old Mountain Breaker Gang.
To call the Mountain Breaker Gang secular was impossible to refute.
After all, it had originated as a rough-and-tumble gang of rogue cultivators.
Now that the Luotian Association was charting a course toward becoming a proper sect, such titles, while harmless, did sound somewhat crude.
"Let us call them 'palaces' instead!" Luo Chen said.
"Palaces?"
Sima Huiniang silently ran through the new titles of the halls.
"The Nine Palaces of Luotian?"
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Doesn't that sound good? When the name Luotian Association was chosen, it carried the meaning of the Nine Heavens of Daluo—the highest and the vastest."
Put that way, it was undeniably fitting.
Sima Huiniang naturally would not quibble over such minor matters; so long as the president was pleased, that was all that mattered.
As their discussion drew to a close,
Luo Chen suddenly remarked, "Didn't you say earlier that dense foliage needs pruning? How is it that after all these plans, we've ended up with two extra departments instead?"
Sima Huiniang offered a gentle smile.
"Pruning branches must wait until the tree is truly thick with leaves. Right now, the Luotian Association is still merely a sapling. What it needs is not pruning, but wild, unchecked growth until it pierces the heavens!"
*Wild growth until it pierces the heavens!*
Luo Chen's eyes lit up, and he struck his hands together in admiration once more.
"Well said!"
Chapter 298