This meant that, provided they didn’t lack cultivation techniques or resources, the four of them had a chance to reach the True Pill Realm in the future. Reaching the Golden Core Realm, however, would depend on luck.

After all, the Feiyu Sea Region was vast enough that before its unification by the Ling Family of Changqing Continent, there were hundreds of minor powers at the Foundation Establishment Level, and even more Small Clans at the Qi Cultivation Level.

This was especially true for this group of young women, who had been meticulously selected from a population of hundreds of billions of mortals. Naturally, their qualifications in all aspects were not lacking.

With careful selection, the number of seedlings in the mortal world who possessed Spirit Roots and were suitable for Cultivation was far greater than one might imagine. The key was whether anyone was willing to discover and support them.

Small Clans and Minor Sects lacked talent and had shallow foundations not because they truly couldn’t find people, but because their resources were limited.

Cultivation was an extremely resource-intensive process. For those Foundation Establishment powers, even the children of the Patriarch would struggle to obtain sufficient resources to advance, let alone anyone else. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Limited resources and an abundance of cultivation prospects—this made allocation a difficult problem.

Theoretically, if there were an unlimited supply of Cultivation Resources, Ling Changqing was confident he could nurture all several thousand young women present into Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

But that was only in theory; in reality, it was impossible. Even the Ling Family, which now controlled all the resources of the Feiyu Sea Region, could not accomplish this at present.

Only if the Ling Family continued to expand and conquer in the future, acquiring more territory and resources, could such a grand feat be considered.

Ling Changqing scanned the crowd but didn’t immediately reveal his stance. Instead, he silently returned to the high platform.

"Have you seen them all, Husband?"

Ling Qiyue asked using her Divine Thought.

"Yes,"

Ling Changqing responded. "Do you think we should keep all of them, or just thirty to fifty percent? After all, the family’s resources are quite strained."

Ling Qiyue pondered for a moment before continuing:

"I’ve considered this issue carefully as well. The family will have to expand outward in the future anyway, and we can never have too much manpower.

Rather than waiting until then to start training new people, it’s better to get started now. What do you think, Husband?"

The problem of strained resources wasn’t without solutions. Besides accelerating the development of the Spirit Ore on Changqing Continent and its surrounding islands, they could also have the family’s Pearl Gatherer teams continue their work at sea.

If things got really dire, they could even take out a loan from the Xingyun sun Commerce Association using the ownership of the entire Feiyu Sea Region as collateral. They could just pay it back slowly in the future when their financial situation improved.

In the Cultivation Realm, borrowing to fund development was a common practice anyway. Even behemoths like the Nine Great Families of Yuzhou had examples of borrowing from higher-level powers.

Ling Changqing contemplated for a few breaths and finally said, "Let’s do that, then. Starting a few years early has more pros than cons. We’ll keep them all."

In truth, in the vast and boundless Cultivation Realm, far too many Immortal Seeds who possessed Spirit Roots were buried in obscurity, undiscovered and unsupported, forced to live out their lives as ordinary people.

Ling Changqing’s decision undoubtedly changed the destinies of all the young women present, ensuring they would no longer be trapped in the mortal world, toiling day in and day out just to survive.

In the end, Ling Qiyue publicly announced the news that all the young women could stay, instantly drawing cheers from the entire crowd.

Then, an Elder arrived with Stewards and servants to lead the fortunate young women away, arrange their accommodations, and assign guards.

Their immediate families also had to be properly settled. From now on, they would all have to reside on Changqing Continent and could not remain outside, lest they be captured and exploited by enemy forces in the future.

These matters were detailed and tedious, but they couldn’t be handled carelessly. Otherwise, a single unintentional oversight now could become a hidden danger years later.

Several days later, once Ling Qiyue finally had a moment of leisure, Ling Changqing came to the Inner Study and handed her a Jade Scroll.

The Jade Scroll contained a list. It recorded the hundred-plus young women who had a chance at Foundation Establishment, especially the four at the top who had the potential for the True Pill Realm.

"You have a good eye. Is it all arranged?"

Ling Qiyue took it and gave it a quick scan. She raised a delicate eyebrow and spoke with a teasing smile.

Ling Changqing’s expression was calm. "Their current residences are all arranged near my Cave Mansion Hall. It will be more convenient to meet in the future.

Specifically, Xiao Meiniang, Yang Yunfei, Chen Zihan, and Li Hanyou have already moved into my cave mansion."

Why were they arranged near his Cave Mansion Hall? The reason was self-evident.

There was nothing to hide. Ling Changqing had already made things clear to Ling Qiyue beforehand, so there was no possibility of misunderstanding or jealousy.

The best seedlings naturally had to be personally nurtured by the Patriarch and him. Once they matured, they would become the Patriarch’s Direct Lineage, a force that absolutely could not be touched by outsiders.

Ling Changqing now also held considerable authority over resource allocation, and he unceremoniously claimed all these Female Cultivators for himself, which even earned some grumbling from a few Ling Family Elders.

But Ling Changqing couldn’t be bothered with that. ’If I see it, it’s mine. I will absolutely not allow any outsiders to take a piece of the pie.’

’Only children have to choose. I want them all!’

Sitting beside him, Tang Qiu Yao’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she said casually:

"I’ve seen those four girls. They’re true natural beauties, so exquisite it would make anyone’s heart ache. You’re a lucky man, Husband!"

Ling Changqing chuckled, wrapping his arm around her smooth, soft waist and nuzzling her gently. He said warmly:

"As long as I’m the one to personally train them, their future achievements can be raised by an entire level. Reaching the Golden Core Master Realm won’t be a problem."