Although Confucianism wasn't the main path, one would still have a few extra means, something no one would reject.
At least in your territory, you would have a certain protection, and your mortal clan members would live better.
As for focusing on Taoism – this was a different matter.
There are endless opportunities to become a cultivator, but to become an official, the requirements are too strict, and the number of officials is too little.
In the end, this is all a matter of different systems and different families.
But generally, even in a cultivation family, there are only so many elder positions and only one family head.
Other members can't cultivate Confucianism no matter what they do, so they will just take the path of Taoism.
Grand Ministers and Immortals aren't different, it's just a matter of different systems, so it didn't matter what you did.
If you insist on learning more things, then you have more than enough paths in Taoism.
Creation arts, such as alchemy, weapon refining… fighting arts, such as weapon intent, spell masters… unorthodox arts such as music, poison, and so on.
These thoughts quickly came and went, and Lianyu walked forward, bowing to the old man "Greetings to the old ancestor!" she said respectfully.
The old man nodded pleased and said "I guessed the little ones would choose you in the end!
Well, it's good you are ready!"
Then he became solemn and serious "Alas… it would have been better if you had at least enough time to become a foundation building monk…"
"Ancestor…" Lianyu was hesitant to speak.
Hearing this, the ancestor didn't hide anything "Indeed, I am seriously injured. If it weren't for the secret technique of our family to quickly absorb medical materials to heal faster, I would have already died.
This is a normal matter, I'm already old and when you were born, I thought we would have a secure inheritance and with your third brother, we should have enough leeway to advance steadily!
But it seems heaven and earth don't favour us any longer!"
"Ancestor, was the matter really a stroke of misfortune?" Lianyu asked with a face full of suspicion.
One of the confucian arts was to supress luck and ensure safety.
At least the fortune of the family wouldn't deviate so much that they suddenly experience a disaster.
Without such arts, even if dynasties were full of strong people, they could still be destroyed when their fortune flowed out all the time.
This is why supreme powers of the confucian path are said to be the longest lasting – after all, if your fortune is supressed, you will ensure a steady inheritance and generally shouldn't suffer too many setbacks.
For cultivators, fortune and misfortune come hand in hand, but for forces, it's fine if you don't have good fortune, but u absolutely can't have misfortune!
As for their Xu family… well, a confucian inheritance is too rare and they didn't have it when they were at their peak.
Only when they declined did they get it, but it was too late, so they still declined to this day.
The ancestor nodded slightly and said "Well this is also my guess, after all, this is too suspicious!
But, we can't do anything about it for now…" as he said this, he saw the unwillingness of his granddaughter.
He sighed and explained "Let me tell you about our families situation. Now that you are the… matriarch, you indeed deserve to know things!
As you know, our family has a deep spiritual farming inheritance and our spiritual gardens as well as spiritual fields are very profitable.
On top of this, like all the families of the Southeastern Territory, we also own a special resource point. Our Green Spirit Lake creates Green Spirit Water, which is full of vitality.
Not only is it the best irrigation for spiritual plants, long term consumption will ensure a healthy body and might even enhance the lifespan slightly.
Generally, every year, the generated water is barely enough to irrigate twenty acres of spiritual garden or two hundred acres of spiritual field.
A long time ago, we have already decided to irrigate ten acres of spiritual garden and eighty acres of spiritual field, leaving twenty acres of spiritual field worth of water.
This is basically enough to fill two hundred bottles of green spirit water.
Basically, a clan member receives one bottle, elders and guardians receives three, while the family head and all grand elders receive five.
Currently, have thirty-four clan members, three guardians and three elders, and finally you and me, our total usage every year is hundred and thirty bottles of green spirit water.
Previously we had more clan members and only a few bottles left over, if we had any at all.
It wasn't rare to lower how much everyone would get, at one time, only late stage qi refining members were eligible to receive a bottle.
Anyways, sometimes we sell the left over, which brings huge profit.
Outside, a single bottle is worth ten spiritual stones.
The yearly income of an early-stage qi refining cultivator is just half this amount!"
Lianyu listened and nodded – a qi refining member who farmed would generally get around 20 spirit stones yearly.
As far as she knows, when she learned in the clan school, this was one of the matters discussed.
The general rule for rogue cultivators was that half of the plant they were planting was the cost of the seeds, a quarter was gone for the rent and such, and in the end, you only kept a quarter of the income.
A low-level spiritual rice such as white pearl rice would bring in around twenty spiritual roots per acre – a low-level cultivator could usually only take care of one acre.
This meant that if you kept 25% of 20 spiritual stones, you would get 5 spiritual stones.
With expertise and slightly higher cultivation in the early stage, it's not difficult to ensure that the rice finishes a cycle in three months.
Meaning, an early-stage cultivator would earn around 20 spiritual stones yearly if nothing went wrong.