Chapter 215: Chapter 206: Expand and Strengthen, Reach New Heights
According to common sense, there should be a substantial “verification period” between the arrest of a suspect and the conviction.

The Immortal Sect is a place that values reasoning; one can’t convict someone without evidence, right?

But the “Capital Exorcism” case was different because the captured Demonic Tao cultivators weren’t fleeing to a factory for refuge; they brought their treasures (evidence) with them.

Such things as Demon Sect disciple rosters, meritorious service records, sect meeting minutes…

Including various unaccounted for Spirit Stones, Magical Treasures, and Elixirs…

And of course, illicit Cultivation Techniques, Formations, and Talismans…

Naturally, the most explosive find was that many Demon Sect disciples liked to keep diaries.

They say normal people don’t keep diaries, so the abnormal ones have to.

“On such and such a year, such and such a month, such and such a day, because of something, I did something terrible, ultimately leading to such and such a result. Today was very fulfilling, tomorrow I must continue to strive.”

More detailed than any recorded confession extracted through torture.

Of course, torture still has to be applied, otherwise, it seems like the Enforcement Hall’s process is not very professional.

This time, the captured cultivators from the Capital’s Demonic Tao had all sorts of incriminating evidence, dazzlingly comprehensive.

Not only detailed but also authentic.

There was simply no worry about their inability to establish guilt.

The only thing the Enforcement Hall of Gen Mountain Sub-sect had to consider was what to do with Demon Sect disciples who committed too many crimes.

Take a Qi Cultivation Stage disciple from the Hehuan Sect as an example.

He had committed various crimes like “forging identity,” “bribing Immortal Sect elders,” “cheating on exams,” “illegally obtaining sect’s cultivation methods,” “destroying sect unity,” “overstepping sect rules,” “indecent acts towards a female fellow disciple,” “forcing relations with others,” “participation in a murder,” “inciting others to transfer sect property,” and so on.

Although what he “ruined” and “transferred” were all rules and assets of the Hehuan Sect.

But the Immortal Sect’s Enforcement Hall doesn’t care about these things; transferring Hehuan Sect’s assets also counts as “transferring sect property,” violating Tongtian Sect’s rules, and warrants severe punishment!

So, the issue arises.

This person, although guilty of many crimes, none of them warrant the death penalty.

The cumulative fixed-term imprisonment exceeds more than two hundred years.

But this person’s cultivation level is at the Qi Cultivation Stage, and he has only a hundred years of lifespan.

All things considered, after his death, he will still owe Tongtian Sect prison a hundred years’ worth of imprisonment time.

“Tricky!”

Enforcement Hall disciple Zhou Ziyu of Gen Mountain Branch sighed.

Every year their prison receives many similar Demon Sect disciples.

Causing the prison’s time served deficit to grow larger and larger.

Once, a smart warden came up with a method, turning the time-owing Demon Sect disciples into specimens to continue their time in prison.

This resolved the prison time deficit, but widened the fiscal deficit. The prison had an additional expense for making the specimens.

Later, an even smarter warden came up with a foolproof plan.

He had the Demon Sect disciples in prison learn to make specimens themselves, then promote a spirit of mutual aid and turn their well-related fellow inmates into specimens.

This solved the fiscal deficit of the prison.

The fiscal deficit was solved, but a new problem promptly emerged: does mutual specimen-making among the prisoners count as fighting and brawling?

After all, only the losing side ends up as specimens.

The winning side typically takes charge of making the specimen.

After deliberation by the Enforcement Hall Elders, mutual specimen-making among prisoners was not deemed to be “fighting and brawling.”

It was considered murder.

Murder can be sentenced to death.

In this way, the issue of non-discipline in the prison was also resolved.

It is a bit of a waste of wardens though.

Because the warden was judged by the Enforcement Hall to be the “mastermind.”

With this lesson in mind, later wardens never again entertained the idea of making specimens.

But that intractable problem—the prison time deficit—has resurfaced.

The Immortal Sect might be powerful, but when a Demon Sect disciple’s lifespan is up, surely they can’t be prevented from dying, right?

But what to do with the prison time that’s not been served upon a Demon Sect disciple’s death?

“Catching Demonic Taoists is a good thing, isn’t it? Zhou, why the long face?”

Gao Miao, along with Jiang Cheng, found Zhou Ziyu of the Gen Mountain Branch.

Zhou Ziyu sighed and shared the difficulties of their prison with Gao Miao and Jiang Cheng.

After pondering for a moment, Gao Miao said, “Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural laws, indeed unsolvable.”

Zhou Ziyu replied, “Isn’t that the truth? It’s tough on us law enforcers. The prison deficit keeps growing every year, with no bonuses to give out.”

Gao Miao asked, “Is it possible you simply don’t want to give out the bonuses and it has nothing to do with the prison deficit?”

“Why would you say that, Brother Gao?”

Gao Miao casually said, “Oh, because I often find excuses to deduct my subordinates’ bonuses.”

Zhou Ziyu:…

Jiang Cheng:…

“I do have an idea that Senior Zhou could try out back home,” said Jiang Cheng.

Zhou Ziyu looked at Jiang Cheng, thinking to himself that even they at the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages had no solutions, so what reliable idea could he, at the Qi Cultivation stage, possibly have?

But out of respect for Gao Miao, Zhou Ziyu responded, “Let’s hear it.”

Jiang Cheng analyzed, “Look, the problem with your prison is that prisoners have too short a lifespan, right?”

“Exactly.”

“But in our Cultivation World, there is a way to extend life and help prisoners serve their full sentences.”

Zhou Ziyu felt uneasy, “What way?”

“By increasing their cultivation level!”

“What?” Zhou Ziyu’s eyes widened: “You mean to say, our prison should help the prisoners increase their cultivation level?”

“Precisely.”

“Is this what, a prison stay or a sabbatical?”

Jiang Cheng sternly stated, “Senior Zhou, who says prisoners can’t make progress? There’s no rule within the Immortal Sect that states prisoners can’t increase their cultivation level. What’s not forbidden is permitted, and by not forbidding it, the Immortal Sect tacitly agrees you can do so.”

After hearing Jiang Cheng’s words, Zhou Ziyu felt his brain wasn’t quite functioning.

“However, even if they are cultivation geniuses, they need resources to increase their cultivation level. But who will provide the resources for the prisoners? If our prison covers it, wouldn’t the fiscal deficit be even greater than the cost of making specimens?”