My Master Only Breaks Through on the Edge of Death

"Don't be shy about accepting a smaller number~" Xu Fan thoughtfully said.

Seeing the way Xu Fan looked, Upper Immortal quickly said, "Great Master, there's no need to accept them all as Inner Sect disciples. Offering them the chance to become Outer Disciples is enough to give them a stepping stone on the Immortal Path. Nurturing them won't consume too many resources."

"I believe that Hidden Spirit Island must have at least 300 million disciples within and outside the Sect to give it a lively atmosphere."

"Let's split it in the middle and go for 150 million disciples. By this ratio, the Hidden Spirit Sect might have a chance to advance to an Immortal Sect."

Seeing Xu Fan deep in thought, Upper Immortal decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Upper Immortal, as a Guardian True Immortal for your Sect, is there any kind of test?" Xu Fan asked curiously.

"Of course, there is a test. All of us Guardian True Immortals are under the jurisdiction of Star Moon City. If we don't achieve our targets every millennium, we face punishment. The worst of which is being sunk into the Weak Water Purgatory for a millennium," Upper Immortal said with a hint of fear.

Being a Guardian True Immortal in the Immortal World comes with both pros and cons.

"Is the risk of doing your job that high?" Xu Fan said with a furrowed brow.

"Ah, it's hard to explain. If I wasn't in a desperate situation, I wouldn't want to be a Guardian True Immortal. But since I am one, I must fulfill my duties and serve the community," Upper Immortal said, looking at Xu Fan with teary eyes.

"In a while, I'll open up the Sect to recruit disciples. As for the number, I still need to do some thinking," Xu Fan said.

It was a joke to think about recruiting hundreds of millions of disciples at once. Just the cost of feeding them would bankrupt the Hidden Spirit Sect.

"Good. In the Immortal World, be it a Sect or an Immortal Sect Holy Gate, once the Sect opens its doors, at least tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of disciples are recruited. Great Master, you will get used to it." Upper Immortal said before excusing himself and leaving.

"Grape, how many disciples do other Sects in the Immortal World generally recruit?" Xu Fan asked.

"The truth is, as Upper Immortal said, some Sects recruit hundreds of millions of disciples at once when they open their doors."

"Sometimes they even sweep all of the slightly gifted children across several Giant Cities," Grape answered.

"Honestly, if it's just giving out the Cultivation Technique and instruction, there's nothing wrong with recruiting hundreds of millions of disciples at once," Xu Fan suddenly said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

All this time, the Hidden Spirit Sect seemed lively, but its activities were limited to just a few specific areas. The larger part of Hidden Spirit Island remained undeveloped.

"Grape, calculate how many disciples would be appropriate for the Sect to recruit at once," Xu Fan suddenly said.

"Master, if we keep a ratio of 10:1 for Outer to Inner Sect disciples, it would be most suitable to recruit thirty million disciples," Grape replied.

"Thirty million? That works," Xu Fan nodded.

"Let's expand the Outer Sect's islands a bit, and create an Illusion Realm dedicated to teaching disciples. This way we can save on teaching resources," Xu Fan said after thinking about it.

"As you command~"

As soon as Upper Immortal returned to Golden Device City, he received a message from Xu Fan.

Upper Immortal broke into a smile.

"Thirty million, that's considerably acceptable. With the millennium assessment approaching, at least I won't have to face punishment," Upper Immortal withdrew a deep breath.

With Golden Device City in decline, more and more Sects began to leave. As of now, only miscellaneous, wild small Sects exist in the entire Golden Device City,

They have no inheritance of Cultivation Techniques, not to mention the ability to recruit so many disciples.

Hidden Spirit Sect, which arrived a while ago, was considered a boutique among the Sects in his view.

And thus, his millennium KPI fell onto the Hidden Spirit Sect.

"Notify all the Mortal Kingdoms and Giant Cities within Golden Device City's boundaries to select gifted children of apt age who have Spiritual roots. Prepare them to take part in the Hidden Spirit Sect's Sect Entrance Test," Upper Immortal announced excitedly.

For the first time in many years, he was facing the millennium review and had completed the task ahead of time.

"Yes, Sir!" The True Immortal by Upper Immortal's side respectfully said.

Once the news was released, all the Mortal Kingdoms within the range of Golden Device City became excited. Having waited for thousands of years, they were finally given an opportunity to embark on the Immortal Path by a Sect that was willing to open its doors.

At this point, in Xu Fan's Courtyard, Quasi-immortal Li Xingci who had just recently advanced, was paying his respects.

"Master, your disciple has kept you waiting~" Li Xingci said, bowing.

"You can stand up. Grape has reported back to me. You've been working really hard recently, constantly on the move through the neighboring Giant Cities to set up intelligence networks for the Sect," Xu Fan said, helping Li Xingci up with a satisfied smile.

"It's all part of my duty as a disciple."

"The Sect will soon be opening its doors to recruit 30 million disciples. This will give you plenty of manpower to work with," Xu Fan said.

"30 million? I thought it would be best to recruit 50 million disciples if the Sect's doors were to be opened," Li Xingci suggested.

"Why 50 million?" Xu Fan asked curiously.

"While I was building the intelligence network, I accidentally heard that if we recruit 50 million disciples at once, the probability of cultivating a Golden Immortal becomes slightly higher."

"I've also observed that many Sects recruiting a large number of disciples tend to aim for figures higher than this," Li Xingci explained.

"Fine, 50 million it is then. After all, with the foundation of our Sect, there isn't a significant difference between 30 or 50 million disciples," Xu Fan said with a smile.

The two of them sat in the Pavilion in the small courtyard, where Xu Fan had brewed two cups of Reincarnation Tea. They were quietly enjoying their tea.

"Having toured several Giant Cities recently, what are your thoughts?" Xu Fan asked.

"Apart from the people here having higher cultivation levels, there isn't much of a difference compared to the Feiyu Sword."

"The only slight difference is that cultivators in the Immortal World value Fairy Jade more," Li Xingci said.

"That's very normal. The Immortal World is vast, and there are countless arrays of elixirs, holy medicines, and all sorts of heaven-defying Spiritual Treasures that can boost cultivation levels which can all be purchased with Fairy Jade."

"In the Immortal World, even someone of average aptitude can smoothly cultivate to become a Golden Immortal, provided they have ample Fairy Jade."

"So, it's completely normal for cultivators in the Immortal World to regard both cultivation and Fairy Jade as important," Xu Fan said, taking a sip of the Reincarnation Tea.

Li Xingci nodded.

Three months later, Xu Fan summoned 10,000 disciples.

"This time the Sect will be opening its doors to recruit many disciples. Each of you is needed to visit a Mortal Kingdom to recruit gifted children."

"From ages 3 to 16, anyone who passes the Sect's examination should be brought back for a second screening."

"Afterwards, Grape will arrange for teleportation to your assigned Mortal Kingdoms based on the tasks you've been given," Xu Fan addressed the 10,000 or so disciples in the dojo.

"We guarantee to fulfill the mission!" the over 10,000 disciples vowed in unison.

The disciples, under Grape's instructions, were then teleported to their respective assigned Mortal Kingdoms.

The Senior Brother Xiong Li then led a team to the Golden Device City, which held a gathering of the highest number of mortals and cultivators.

Watching these disciples depart one by one, Xu Fan couldn't help but sigh.

"They've all come to the Immortal World, and the disciples are all Quasi-immortals now. It seems unsuitable to reward them with Spirit Stone Points anymore."

"And yet, I don't seem to have enough Fairy Jade on hand to give out instead."

Once again, Xu Fan felt the strain of a Fairy Jade crisis.