Chapter 35 : The Sect Master Was a Good Old Man

Chapter 35: The Sect Master Was a Good Old Man

Standing in the most conspicuous spot, the Sect Master’s gaze was as calm as an ancient well, yet the exhaustion and resentment between his brows—so dense they were almost tangible—were impossible to hide.

That was hardly surprising.

A behemoth like the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect naturally did not choose its Sect Master the way small sects did—by simply appointing the strongest or most senior individual.

Instead, the position was the result of repeated power struggles and compromises among various factions, eventually producing a spokesperson.

This person did not need to satisfy everyone, but he absolutely could not offend any single side.

That alone was extraordinarily difficult.

Simply put, the Sect Master had to be a smooth, universally agreeable good old man—someone who could speak with anyone, and even if there was no personal connection, certainly no enmity.

His strength could not be too weak either; Late Golden Core was the minimum threshold, otherwise he would not be able to save face.

Most fatal of all, once seated in this position, it meant pouring all one’s energy into the endless daily affairs of the sect—essentially equivalent to cutting off one’s own immortal path, admitting that Nascent Soul was hopeless, and willingly becoming an ox and horse for the sect.

Therefore, major figures at the Nascent Soul level or above would never take on such a thankless task, and the sect would not bear to let them be distracted.

As for Nascent Soul seedlings like True Person Zhiying and True Person Mingzhu, they were cherished and allowed to focus solely on breakthroughs; charging toward Nascent Soul was their greatest contribution to the sect.

Thus, although Sect Master Zhuge Jingde’s strength was not top-tier, his chances at Nascent Soul were slim, and he was constantly driven to distraction by piles of trivial matters, from Nascent Soul True Lords down to menial disciples, everyone maintained considerable respect for him both openly and in their hearts.

Everyone understood that this colossal sect—formed from the merger of three major sects—would very likely fall into chaos without this helmsman.

Long Tao had already seen this Sect Master when he first entered the sect, and he had even felt a bit of sympathy for this big shot.

He was a genuinely good old man.

Back when their batch of menial disciples entered the sect, this Sect Master had actually taken time out of his schedule to come and offer words of comfort and encouragement, without the slightest hint of condescension.

“Zhiying,” Sect Master Zhuge finally spoke, his tone steeped in helplessness, sounding nothing like the awe-inspiring leader of a great sect, but rather like an elder who had been worn down by an unruly daughter.

“You are no longer that lawless little girl from back then. Now that you are a Peak Master, something as important as taking a personally transmitted disciple—shouldn’t you at least have informed the sect first?”

“Please calm your anger, Sect Master Uncle,” True Person Zhiying replied with a forthrightness that was almost brazen, even carrying a touch of righteous confidence.

“It was truly because I felt an exceptional affinity with this child. In a moment of delight, I simply completed the disciple acceptance ceremony outside.”

The moment these words fell, an uproar erupted around them! Accepting a personally transmitted disciple was a matter of utmost gravity; the disciple acceptance ceremony was always held within the sect, under the witness of elders and fellow disciples.

This True Person Zhiying was indeed as unrestrained as the rumors claimed—she even dared to break such a rule!

“You—! Sigh… forget it, forget it,” Sect Master Zhuge looked as though he had been left utterly speechless.

He let out a heavy sigh.

“We’ve never really been able to control you anyway. But this child’s foundation—surely the elders and I should at least take a look at it? That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

True Person Zhiying shrugged indifferently, gently pushing the girl beside her half a step forward.

Her expression clearly said: Look all you want—this disciple was as good as taken.

The girl instantly became the focus of the entire scene.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a slightly oversized standard Inner Sect disciple outfit.

Her shoulder-length short hair was neat and tidy, but since she was facing the Sect Master and the elders, Long Tao and the others could only see a slender back.

“Hey! Old Dong!” Long Tao jabbed Dong Jiayuan excitedly.

“It really is a girl! Looks like it really is the Zhu Family’s Second Young Lady!”

“That’s what I thought…” Dong Jiayuan squinted hard.

“But isn’t her hair a bit too short? I’ve never heard that female disciples had to cut their hair when entering the sect.”

Amid the buzz of discussion, Sect Master Zhuge began the routine questioning.

“Child, where do you come from? What is your family background?” Since the person before him was very likely a future sect genius, he deliberately softened his tone.

“Yes! Sect Master…” The girl’s voice was crisp, carrying an entirely natural nervousness—and… a kind of habitual humility? “This—this disciple came from Qinglin Town. I—I was a maidservant of a small sect family.”

A maidservant?!

Those two words were like droplets of water splashed into boiling oil, instantly exploding among the surrounding disciples! Many people seemed to be transported back more than two years earlier, to the day when Nan Yuchen—then a household servant—had been tested and found to possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

The elders seated high before the hall, however, all remained calm and composed.

To those who had truly stepped onto the immortal path, mortal identities were no different from dust.

Even a Princess, if her temperament and talent were lacking, would still have to sit at the same table as beggars.

Once one entered the immortal sect, only talent and temperament mattered.

Standing beside the Sect Master, Elder Wang of the Discipline Hall silently raised an ancient-looking small bronze mirror.

Faint light flowed across its surface as it was aimed at the girl in the center.

Everyone understood—lie detection had begun.

This was the step the higher-ups cared about most.

If she truly was a clean-background mortal girl, that would be ideal.

Forget a maidservant— even if she were truly a little beggar, they would still accept her without hesitation.

What they feared was a hidden stake planted by demonic or unorthodox forces.

Of course, this was only a preliminary screening.

The methods various powers used to plant spies within rival factions were endlessly varied; memory erasure and personality reconstruction were standard procedures, capable of making the spy themselves believe they were an ordinary new disciple, only to be awakened at a specific time through special means.

Waging this unseen battle against such pervasive espionage had always been one of the sect’s core responsibilities.

Just as Elder Wang focused on observing the mirror, True Person Zhiying impatiently waved her hand.

“Rest assured, Sect Master Uncle. On the way back, I already tested her with the ‘Questioning-the-Heart Sword.’ This child’s memories are clear, her divine soul is clean, with not the slightest trace of false memories or hidden personalities. She is simply an utterly ordinary little girl. There’s no need to trouble Elder Wang to expend his mental energy further.”

Her tone was firm, carrying a sharp edge that brooked no doubt.

Hearing this, the elders all revealed helpless, wry smiles.

They were naturally aware of True Person Zhiying’s “Questioning-the-Heart Sword”—one of the sect’s strongest methods for questioning the heart and detecting lies.

With her words going that far, continuing to press the matter would be nothing but a waste of time.

Sect Master Zhuge also seemed to have set down a heavy burden, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he prepared to slip away—this pile of troublesome matters could finally be wrapped up.

Before turning to leave, out of procedural habit, he casually added one more question.

“Since that’s the case, we’ll leave it at that. Oh, right… child, what is your Spiritual Root aptitude?”

The girl seemed even more nervous.

Her head dipped lower, her voice as thin as a mosquito’s buzz, trembling as she spoke,

“I—it’s… that… this disciple has… five… Five Spiritual Roots…”

Boom—!

The words struck like a thunderbolt on level ground, instantly overturning the entire scene!

The onlooking disciples, who had only been whispering moments ago, could no longer restrain themselves.

Gasps, cries of disbelief, and sharp intakes of breath rang out all at once! Even the elders—who had been sitting calmly, faces as still as ancient wells—were now visibly shaken, their expressions filled with shock and incredulity!

On the cultivation path, it was true that as one advanced to higher realms, the influence of Spiritual Root quality gradually diminished, yielding to temperament, comprehension, and even fortuitous opportunities.

But! That applied to Golden Core cultivators who had already stepped firmly onto the Dao path! In the starting stages of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, Spiritual Roots were the very key to opening the immortal gate—their aptitude grade almost determined everything!

A Peak Master, a future Nascent Soul seed of the sect, had actually taken… taken a Five Spiritual Roots disciple as a personally transmitted disciple? This was simply inconceivable! Unheard of! To put it bluntly, such aptitude would rank at the very bottom even among outer sect menials!

Sect Master Zhuge, after all, was the head of a sect, with formidable composure.

He forcibly kept the shock from surfacing on his face, though the corner of his mouth still twitched almost imperceptibly.

He took a deep breath and precisely tossed the hot potato back.

“Zhiying… this… perhaps you should give a bit of an explanation.” His tone was filled with powerlessness, as if saying, “What new stunt are you pulling this time?”

Faced with the questioning gazes and hushed murmurs from all sides, True Person Zhiying remained utterly unruffled.

There was even a hint of an aloof smile at the corner of her lips—one that seemed to say, What do you ordinary folk know? She stepped forward, her voice clear and ringing, carrying an unmistakable decisiveness as it spread across the entire square:

“Sect Master Uncle, elders—Spiritual Root aptitude has always been the least valuable thing to me!”

Her gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on the girl beside her, who was so nervous she looked ready to shrink into herself.

Her tone was firm, suffused with an unshakable certainty.

“The reason I have set my sights on this child, the reason I insist on taking her as my disciple, is very simple…”

She paused, every word enunciated with crystal clarity.

“She listened to my explanation and demonstration only once, and already achieved a preliminary understanding of my heart method and sword intent! This level of comprehension is one in ten thousand! I, Zhiying, have searched for a hundred years—and today, I have finally found a successor! This disciple is mine, without question!”