188: Chapter 188 The Theory of Population

The Elders couldn't help but look sideways at the young man speaking eloquently before them, wondering what other good ideas he would come up with next.

"I believe the Family should implement policies to encourage clan members to have children and increase our population. Once the population grows, we can sift through the masses to find a few members with exceptional talent. If we Cultivate them, within fifty years, they will surely become the pillars of the Family." Ye Yisong's voice seemed to carry a certain magical charm, captivating the Elders.

"Encourage reproduction? You little rascal, don't tell me you want to... Hahaha." Among the uncles present, Training Instructor Ye Jiechen had the closest relationship with Ye Yisong, so he had no qualms about teasing him.

"Hahaha, that little rascal from back then has grown up." Hearing Training Instructor Ye Jiechen's words, the other Elders chuckled, alleviating some of the sorrow left by the war.

It was no surprise that everyone had this thought!

In this world, almost everyone of the Human Race possesses a Spiritual Root; those without one are fewer than one in a hundred.

However, having a Spiritual Root and having the talent to Cultivate are two completely different things.

Since Ancestor Ye Erhu founded the Family, the Ye Family has had a Legacy spanning over eight hundred years. The population has surged from a few hundred in the beginning to over five hundred thousand. If not for the fact that most of the Family's Martial Artists had no interest in procreation, this number would be even more staggering.

One must know that with an Advanced civilization like martial arts cultivation, the lower classes of the Human Race in this world do not suffer from hunger or cold. Especially within the territory controlled by their own Family, as long as one is slightly diligent, one will never worry about making a living.

In other words, there is no need to worry about being unable to support children, and they can be raised very well.

Yet, among these five hundred thousand Ye Family members scattered throughout every corner of Cangjiang Prefecture, only about ten thousand have achieved a Breakthrough to the Martial Master Realm, and fewer than twenty have reached the Martial Sect Realm. Even during the Family's peak, there were only twenty-six Elders in the Family.

Most clan members, until they grow old, still linger between the Martial Apprentice and Martial Artist Realms, unable to make any progress!

Therefore, the Elders in the clan teased the idea proposed by Ye Yisong, thinking that Ye Yisong had simply grown up and wanted to get married himself.

"I know what the Elders are thinking, but I still believe the Family should spend Spirit Stones to vigorously encourage reproduction." Ye Yisong was not embarrassed or angry by the teasing from the Clan Chief and Elders; he continued to speak eloquently.

"Respected Elders, I believe you must know the number of Martial Ancestor experts in the two major families, the Wei Family and the Wang Family."

"The Wang Family, excluding those Martial Ancestor experts hidden in the shadows, has thirty-seven exposed, which is twice as many as us. The number of Martial Ancestor experts in the Wei Family is even higher; there are fifty-eight exposed to the public eye, which is almost four times our number." Without waiting for anyone to answer, Ye Yisong stated the data directly.

"But, respected Elders, you could never imagine just how many ordinary clan members the Wei Family and Wang Family have?"

"Oh? Do you know?" Concerned about the grand cause of the Family's future development, Ancestor Ye Rongming leaned forward and asked.

"The Wei Family has eight million, and the Wang Family has six million," Ye Yisong said without playing coy. "Of course, this is just a rough estimate, but the accurate figures will not be too far off from this."

"Where did you get this data?" Clan Leader Ye Tuanhui asked.

"A year ago, I had my father secretly investigate the personnel offices of the various county government offices in Cangjiang Prefecture," Ye Yisong replied. This was not a major secret; the data was recorded in the personnel offices of each county, and with an acquaintance or a few Spirit Stones, it could be easily checked.

"You have been thoughtful," Ancestor Ye Rongming nodded and said.

Hearing this, all the Elders present were shocked, as if they had realized where the problem lay. The Wei Family and Wang Family had set up such a grand scheme.

To actually use population to trade for the final victory!

Although an increase in the total number of clan members does not necessarily guarantee the birth of a Disciple with extraordinary talent, the probability increases exponentially.

"Give birth! We must give birth! I don't believe that the Ye Family's bloodline is inferior to the Wei Family or the Wang Family. The children born will definitely be stronger than theirs. Our clan's prosperity is just around the corner!" Ye Jietie said in a loud, resonant voice.

Ye Yisong being able to discover this was thanks to an unintentional complaint by Ye Jiexin, who said that among the five hundred thousand people in the Family, one couldn't find a few clever ones, and the few reluctantly selected were uneven in talent and had no value for cultivation.

Ye Yisong felt something was wrong as soon as he heard it. The Family had been developing for over eight hundred years, with no shortage of food or clothing, yet the population was only five hundred thousand—are you kidding me?

If the citizens of the Great Xia were given these conditions, never mind eight hundred years, even in three hundred years, they would easily produce a population of tens of millions. Do you believe it?

No wonder the Family's talent was not flourishing; there were no people!

After having his father investigate the total population of the Wei Family and the Wang Family, Ye Yisong became even more certain of his thoughts, but he had been delayed by other matters.

Now, he finally had the opportunity to speak his mind.

"Come here." Ancestor Ye Rongming beckoned, called Ye Yisong to his side, patted his little head, and said with a smile, "You are worthy of being my Ye Family's Qilin."

"Indeed, indeed." The Elders all responded in unison. If anyone was the happiest, it was Grandfather Ye Tuantu; he was grinning so wide his back teeth were almost visible.

"Tuanhui, you must implement this matter as soon as possible. The sooner we have children, the sooner the Ye Family will become more prosperous," Ancestor Ye Rongming instructed.

"Yes, Old Ancestor," Clan Leader Ye Tuanhui replied respectfully.

"Is there anything else?" Ancestor Ye Rongming looked at Ye Yisong with doting eyes and asked.

"I think the Family should expand the scale of Disciple cultivation in each hall, giving those with poor talent more time to learn and train. Perhaps there are some pearls buried in the early assessments," Ye Yisong suggested. Having the history of five thousand years from later generations, he had truly heard too many examples of late bloomers.

The Family's current method of selecting and cultivating people was still too crude, completely selecting the best of the best and not giving the late bloomers a single chance, which inevitably led to omissions.

"Then how do you think the Family should avoid this situation?" Ancestor Ye Rongming bypassed the Elders and returned the question directly to Ye Yisong.

"Junior believes the Family can add a task to the contribution point task board: exchange contribution points for guidance from the Elders of the various halls. This would give those late-blooming Family Disciples hope, and also give the Family a chance," Ye Yisong said, stating the answer he had long thought of.

"Agreed." Ancestor Ye Rongming directly agreed to Ye Yisong's suggestion and continued to ask, "Is there anything else?"

"Old Ancestor, no more. That is all I have thought of." Ye Yisong stopped himself from continuing to offer suggestions, leaving some room for the other Elders to develop. Ye Yisong had proposed three suggestions today, all of which were accepted, already causing the other Elders to look at him with surprise. Too much is as bad as too little!