Of course, I can’t go check out the other empty lands at the Ascension Gate; walking alone there at night is asking to bump into ghosts. They’re really just barren.

"Damn it, for the Ascension Gate to truly thrive, how many disciples will it take to sustain it? Right now, there are already fifteen disciples, but that’s just a drop in the bucket. I reckon each layer requires at least fifty disciples to even give a semblance of liveliness. That means four layers need two hundred disciples."

"Two hundred disciples..."

"Even if someday I muster up two hundred disciples, can I remember all their names?"

"Moreover, when the Ascension Gate ascends to a higher level, there’ll be more open spaces, and it won’t just be about the disciples anymore. Currently, only twelve disciples are cultivating, and my expenses for this year alone are in the hundreds of thousands. At two hundred disciples, how much will that cost? Not to mention, the higher the disciples’ cultivation, the greater the consumption."

"Isn’t this just skyrocketing?"

"It’s really about the Ascension Gate; it’s not the disciples ascending, but me ascending instead. I’ll die standing straight, and if one day I were to die, my eyes would be tightly shut, with a peaceful face. It’s just a game and a dream. I can finally be relieved." Yuchi laughed helplessly.

Of course, taking a closer look now, Yuchi thought there might be a flaw in his strategy.

"Normally, there should be more children like Miaoyu, and fewer like Qinghan. More disciples would learn pharmacology, practice alchemy and other moneymaking endeavors, and fewer disciples should focus on cultivation, like other sects with their Inner Sect and Outer Disciples."

"Outer Disciples earn money, Inner Sect Disciples focus on cultivation. Ten Outer Disciples supporting one Inner Sect Disciple is about right, but here I have three Outer Disciples supporting twelve Inner Sect Disciples, causing a major imbalance. So even if in my eyes they’re all the same without division between Outer and Inner, I can’t continue accepting cultivating disciples so casually."

"The Ascension Gate already has powerful figures. Qian Qun is already a Spirit Storage Stage monster."

"I need more doing side occupations. Right now, only three are planting Immortal Herbs: Miaoyu and the others. They’re consuming gold and silver now, so I can’t add more pressure on them; otherwise, it’ll be like a game wipe and restart. The stress on me as the Sect Leader is too great."

"Every day, waking up owing the Ascension Gate three thousand taels. Who can bear it? Plus, it doesn’t account for sect unforeseen expenses, like today’s setup of the Mountain Protection Array, costing a thousand taels a day. In other words, sitting still here, I lose four thousand taels a day. That’s four thousand taels, which in my past life is like waking up losing four million a day."

"It’s not like Netherworld Currency where you can just casually add zeros..."

The man scratched his head:

"Yes, I need to go to the State Capital to persuade Miaoyu’s sister to come over. That eldest sister should be a reliable person, right? Considering she’s Miaoyu’s sister, there shouldn’t be a problem!"

"Finally, a reason to go to the State Capital."

"Turns out Miaoyu is from the State Capital."

Thinking of this, Yuchi stood up and started heading towards the location of the third Immortal Tower in the bright corridor. He had seen Xiaoning and Miaoyu, now it was time to check on Sanqiu on the second floor of the third Immortal Tower, wondering if the girl had recovered after her rounds.

With so many senior and junior sisters taking care of them and unlimited elixir supply, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Yuchi had just entered the Hexagonal Immortal Tower. The first floor’s bedroom was empty, without Eryue’s shadow; did she leave to care for herself, not injured anymore?

Indeed.

Yuchi, after reaching the second floor, could see Eryue chatting with Sanqiu.

Phew, as long as they are fine... Yuchi approached with a smile: "I say, hi."

Eryue and Sanqiu immediately wanted to stand for a salute, but Yuchi signaled for them to stay relaxed, which was a million times better than any awkward salutation.

"How are you, Sanqiu? According to your sister Miaoyu, you got hit by hail and did a triple aerial turn?" Yuchi playfully remarked.

Sanqiu scratched her bandage: "Still okay, thinking back, it was pretty exciting."

"Haha."

Seeing even Eryue burst into laughter, Yuchi spoke sincerely: "I’ve already remodeled the Ascension Gate. From now on, your fields are kept inside the rooms, with corridors outside. Just a little attention, and this situation shouldn’t happen again."

Dammit, I shouldn’t think about this, as the more I do, the more I feel like a bastard with three disciples, to say nothing of myself. All other disciples, including myself, are cultivators, impervious to such harsh weather conditions, but Sanqiu and others care about it, enduring bad weather to go to the Immortal Grass Tower, something I never considered before. I really am a useless Sect Leader.

Sanqiu felt distressed, and quickly said to Yuchi: