Chapter 91 : So Now There Was a Master

Chapter 91: So Now There Was a Master

The flames of this war were, in all likelihood, not going to spread to the sect’s heartland, yet Long Tao’s heart still felt heavy.

Historical experience, both from his past life and this one, reminded him that once the intensity of a war exceeded expectations, the consequences often became impossible to predict.

Within the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect, his own safety was naturally assured—but his family was still out there, in Qinglin Town!

Qinglin Town in particular, though it lay within the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect’s sphere of influence, had historically been traditional territory of the Wuyi Sect.

Among the deeply entrenched family forces in the town, there was no shortage of factions that openly or secretly supported the Wuyi Sect.

Once open war truly broke out, what would happen in the city was anyone’s guess.

Carrying this deep unease, Long Tao arrived at the grand sect main hall.

As an ordinary disciple, he had come here many times before—after all, all kinds of sect celebrations and large-scale events were held here, and he often came just to watch the excitement.

But opportunities to truly enter the interior of the hall were few and far between.

Aside from the special review during the last secret realm incident, he normally had neither the status nor the reason to set foot in this core area of the sect.

This time, he first respectfully asked the disciples on duty at the entrance, then followed their directions and entered the side hall area where the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion was located through a small side door.

His luck was good.

The moment he stepped into this office space, suffused with a faint scent of ink and dossiers, he immediately spotted Senior Brother Bonade—holding a cup of spiritual tea, gaze unfocused, apparently and unabashedly slacking off.

“Senior Brother Bo! What a coincidence—running into you the moment I arrived,” Long Tao hurried forward to greet him.

“Junior Brother Long!” Bonade smiled when he saw him and set down his teacup.

“Have you finished your mission report?” His tone carried a hint of anticipation; subconsciously, he already regarded this junior brother as a potential ally who could share his workload in the future.

“Yes, I finished it overnight.

I didn’t dare delay,” Long Tao said, producing the sealed report.

Then he lowered his voice and cut straight to the point.

“By the way, Senior Brother, on the way here I saw the sect’s Floating Island warship deploying! This time, with the Wuyi Sect… are things really going to escalate to this extent?” With his family’s safety weighing on his mind, he dispensed with pleasantries and asked the question he cared about most.

As Shi Manyu’s personally transmitted disciple, Bonade naturally knew far more of the inside story than Long Tao.

Seeing Long Tao’s anxious expression, and knowing such a major matter could not be kept secret anyway, he simply revealed some information, his tone relatively relaxed.

“Oh, you mean that.

It’s not quite that serious. The sect’s original plan was primarily deterrence—recover some face and stop there. However… something unexpected happened, so the higher-ups decided to deploy the Zhaoye Jade.” “But most likely, it won’t really turn into a full-scale war.”

“Something unexpected? What happened?” Long Tao pressed.

Bonade leaned closer, his voice dropping even lower.

“It’s those towns and mid-sized forces around the Azurewood Demon Forest that were originally on the fence. This time, the Wuyi Sect actually cooperated with heretical cultivators like the Withered-Bone Elder and Xin Wushe. That completely crossed the bottom line and chilled everyone’s hearts. Xin Wushe aside, the Withered-Hand Elder had killed who knows how many people in that region. Those guys who originally wanted to play both sides have now made up their minds to throw in with us. The sect sent the warship mainly to stand behind them, stabilize morale, and ensure they can smoothly submit.”

Hearing this, Long Tao suddenly understood.

He had not expected the “notoriety” of the Withered-Bone Elder and Xin Wushe to be so effective, directly forcing a reshuffling of regional allegiances.

Bonade continued,

“The Wuyi Sect must have been desperate this time to resort to such a move, temporarily seeking cooperation with those two. Sigh… but if their plan had succeeded—if they had truly seized the Yaoguang Azure Phoenix and killed a few of our prodigies—then even losing the support of those towns would still have been a huge gain for them. Unfortunately… man proposes, heaven disposes.”

Because he mentioned the sensitive matter of the “Azure Phoenix,” Bonade’s voice dropped to a whisper.

Still, Long Tao could clearly hear the faint trace of sarcasm in his tone—and he deeply agreed.

After all, he himself had personally experienced the dangers of the secret realm, nearly becoming a sacrifice to the Wuyi Sect’s ambitions.

Even so, a lingering doubt remained in Long Tao’s heart.

Even if it was just to back the newly affiliated forces, was it really necessary to deploy a Floating Island warship—essentially a strategic weapon equivalent to a Nascent Soul True Lord personally arriving? Wouldn’t that be like using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken, risking escalation of the situation?

Then again, on second thought, since the sect’s upper echelon had made this decision, it must have gone through thorough consideration.

The weighing of pros and cons was far beyond what a small fry like him could fathom.

Worrying about it here was nothing but a waste of brainpower.

“Oh, right. Master is usually working in that room, and she’s there now as well. You can go straight over and give it to her. Let me rest a bit more—if she sees me, she’ll definitely assign me more work,” Bonade added.

Long Tao forced a suitably bitter smile and, following Bonade’s directions, arrived at the door of Shi Manyu’s office.

To his surprise, the door was not tightly shut but left slightly ajar.

Peering through the gap, he saw that the room’s furnishings were simple and elegant—only a few necessary pieces of furniture and bookshelves, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls.

The overall atmosphere was tranquil and focused, nothing like the ostentation one might expect from a top-tier sect administrator.

Shi Manyu was still dressed in the same neat attire as yesterday, her short hair meticulously arranged, fully focused on the work before her.

Though she was not a stunning beauty like Bright Candle True Person, as a Golden Core True Person, the refinement, confidence, and sense of control that radiated from within her already brought her unique charm to its peak.

“Oh, you’re here. Earlier than I expected,” Shi Manyu said calmly, not even lifting her head.

Long Tao immediately understood.

From the moment he stepped into the main hall, he had likely already been under this True Person’s divine sense.

That remark was probably meant to ease the atmosphere, so he wouldn’t feel constrained by being constantly observed.

A true Golden Core True Person’s work style was naturally nothing like a mortal’s—sitting miserably at a desk reviewing documents.

Instead, she sat cross-legged, gracefully suspended in midair at the center of the room.

At least a dozen jade slips and paper documents floated around her, orbiting slowly as if alive.

Her gaze was sharp as lightning, rapidly scanning each document.

From time to time, she would extend a slender finger and lightly tap one file, which would then deftly fly back to the shelves by the wall to be filed away.

At the same time, new documents would immediately fly in from elsewhere to fill the vacant spot.

The entire process flowed like clouds and water, so efficient it was astonishing.

As for the report in Long Tao’s hand, the moment he stepped into the room, it was drawn away by a gentle yet irresistible force, slipping neatly from his grasp to join the stream of documents circling the True Person.

“All right, I’ll read the report later,” Shi Manyu said directly.

She was even able to multitask, handling official duties while precisely catching Long Tao’s subtle emotional fluctuations.

“However… you seem to have something on your mind? If it’s a cultivation issue, you can speak now.”

“Ah… you saw through me,” Long Tao said a bit embarrassed.

He truly had many worries at the moment—the sect situation, his family’s safety, system tasks—all tangled together.

But the only thing he could reasonably talk about seemed to be his cultivation.

“It’s just… this disciple has just broken through to the Qi-Refining Sixth Layer and feels that my previous cultivation methods are no longer suitable. It really is time for guidance from an elder. It’s just that… knowing my own mediocre aptitude, I fear I wouldn’t easily catch any True Person’s eye.”

“That, huh,” Shi Manyu said.

Her movements paused slightly, and she turned her head to glance at Long Tao.

The corners of her lips seemed to lift into an extremely faint curve.

“Heh… since you’ll most likely be coming to work at the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion in the future anyway, you can first take a name and become my registered disciple. I spend most of my time here regardless. Guiding a Qi Refining cultivator like you won’t take much effort.”

This—!

Long Tao almost thought he had misheard.

He froze completely.

This… this was far too direct, far too sudden! Shi Manyu, not to mention her esteemed status as the Sect Master’s Deputy, was herself a genuine mid–Golden Core cultivator, with mid-to-high-grade Golden Core quality and proven combat achievements—not the kind of elder who only specialized in production paths like craftsmanship or alchemy.

Someone like her… was actually taking the initiative to offer to take him in as a registered disciple?

Though it was not a personally transmitted disciple, the status of “registered disciple” was already an immense honor and opportunity for an ordinary outer sect disciple like him.

It meant that from now on, he had a relatively formal lineage and a reliable guide on his cultivation path!

The overwhelming joy left Long Tao a bit dazed, but he did not hesitate.

He immediately suppressed the surging excitement in his heart, stepped back, straightened his robe, and performed a standard, respectful bow.

“This disciple, Long Tao, thanks the True Person for your regard! I will diligently cultivate and not fail your expectations!”

“Mm,” Shi Manyu seemed quite satisfied with his reaction, her tone still calm and practical.

“After dealing with you a few times, you should know my temperament. In the future, speak directly if you have matters—no need to hesitate. As for your current cultivation, proceed step by step. Circulate your qi and breathe as usual, stabilizing your realm. When you feel stagnation in the circulation of your dantian qi sea, come seek me again.”

“Yes! This disciple understands!” Long Tao responded loudly.

A huge weight finally lifted from his heart, and a warm current spread through his entire body.