Chapter 288: Sect Internal Affairs
Immortal Spirit Valley.
Inside the wooden cabin.
Xiao Chen stood respectfully to the side, his face showing not the slightest trace of arrogance befitting a top-tier sect. This was because the person before him was someone he genuinely revered, a mentor to him, yet also like a father.
"Chen'er, look at this."
Chen Chang'an tapped his fingertip, and a light screen slowly unfolded in the void, revealing the current scene of the Spirit Realm.
Majestic mountains were shrouded in clouds and mist. Spiritual springs cascaded down cliff faces, refracting seven-colored rays of light under the sun.
On the plains, the vegetation was lush, and a few spiritual deer were lowering their heads to drink, faint spiritual energy coiling around their antlers.
"This is..." Xiao Chen asked in confusion.
"This is the so-called secret realm that Xingcai and the other two went to previously."
"This is... Kunlun?" Xiao Chen was surprised. He was naturally very familiar with the experience Han Yu and the others had back then.
But didn't Second Junior Brother say that place was not a secret realm? How was it now with Master?
"That place has been subdued by me. It now forms a realm of its own," Chen Chang'an said, his words astonishing. "I call it the 'Spirit Realm'."
"However... the Spirit Realm is newly formed and still needs the nurturing of living beings and all things." Chen Chang'an lightly flicked his sleeve, and the scene on the light screen changed to reveal a fertile river valley.
"In the future, if its rules can be completed and it becomes a true Small Thousand World, it can serve as the sect's foundation, far surpassing the so-called Immortal Venerable Secret Realms."
Xiao Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Only then did he learn that his master had actually completely refined Kunlun and even evolved it into a higher-level Spirit Realm.
This kind of method, even though he was still far from the Saint Realm, he could be one hundred percent certain that it was a height unattainable by the Saint Realm.
"This disciple understands." Xiao Chen understood with just a hint: "Master means... for me to... relocate mortals?"
"You are teachable." Chen Chang'an nodded in satisfaction.
A gleam shone in Xiao Chen's eyes. "That is simple enough. Since the fall of the Great Zhou, the Cultivation World and the mortal realm have gradually drifted apart."
"Many mortal kingdoms have now naturally appeared in various regions, and among them, those with tyrannical rule and where the people cannot make a living are not few."
"Then we will just pack them up and take them away. Let them make their way in the Spirit Realm."
Chen Chang'an said with a smile, then took out a green jade token: "The laws of the Spirit Realm are under my control. Once you have relocated enough mortals into it, I will accelerate the flow of time to evolve the world."
"I have temporarily fixed the entrance to the Spirit Realm within Immortal Spirit Valley. With this token, you can enter and exit freely."
On the light screen, a new lake was forming.
The lake water was crystal clear, and spiritual fish could be vaguely seen swimming within.
Chen Chang'an suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, right, remember not to allow cultivators to enter for now. The newly born Spirit Realm is still fragile and cannot withstand cultivators running amok within it."
Xiao Chen nodded solemnly.
Afterward, he suddenly sat up straight and proper: "Right, this disciple has another matter to report to Master."
Chen Chang'an raised an eyebrow. Seeing this usually steady eldest disciple actually show a rare hint of hesitation, he couldn't help but smile: "Speak freely."
"Among the inner court disciples, there are many with outstanding talent," Xiao Chen unconsciously rubbed the edge of the teacup with his fingertips.
"My junior brothers, junior sister, and I have discussed selecting the most outstanding among them for promotion to True Inheritance."
The teacup paused at his lips. Chen Chang'an was slightly taken aback.
In a trance, the image of a stubborn young man who had fought his way out of his family appeared—his tattered clothes covered in bloodstains, yet he stubbornly jumped off the bed and said: "Master is here, please accept your disciple's bow."
—gradually merging with the figure of the steady young man before him.
"Chen'er..."
He subconsciously reached out to rub that head that was always held high, but halfway through, his hand changed course and landed gently on Xiao Chen's shoulder.
The warmth from his palm suddenly made him realize that the thin young boy from back then now had shoulders capable of bearing the weight of a sect.
"It is, isn't it," Chen Chang'an said with a smile and a shake of his head. "You are all at an age where you can take disciples."
Xiao Chen listened blankly to his master's sigh. Amidst the curling tea steam, he was suddenly startled to realize that so many years had passed, and his throat felt inexplicably tight.
"These matters..." Chen Chang'an looked at the flowing sea of clouds outside the window, his voice carrying a relieved smile, "Actually, you don't need to ask me. You can make the decisions."
"I respectfully obey Master's command."
Xiao Chen performed a solemn bow.
Chen Chang'an waved his hand, watching Xiao Chen's departing back as the teacup was gently placed on the desk.
Outside the window, a few fledglings were flapping their wings, chasing the female bird returning at dusk.
"They've all grown up..."
...
As he left the wooden cabin, Xiao Chen couldn't help but look back.
In the morning light, his master's back gradually overlapped with the phantom image of the mountains and rivers of the Spirit Realm, like a deity.
He suddenly recalled the records in ancient texts—the god of creation, who created all things.
To what realm had his master's cultivation reached?
He couldn't help but secretly long for it in his heart.
...
Afterward, Xiao Chen returned to the great hall of the Immortal Spirit Sacred Land and immediately issued a summons that only he and his few martial brothers could receive.
Soon, Xiao Chen was seated in the main position, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall—Han Yu stood holding his sword, Jiang Che leaned against a jade pillar, Ji Lingxiu was still in her plain white dress, and Li Hanzhou stood quietly in the shadows at the corner of the hall.
Although Li Hanzhou was not Chen Chang'an's disciple, after so many years of day-to-day interaction, they had long regarded him as a true martial brother.
"Master has agreed to the establishment of True Inheritance disciples." Xiao Chen's voice echoed in the great hall. "Therefore, I have decided that in addition to the five youths we favor, we will add another slot, to be determined by the merit of relocating mortals."
"Relocating mortals? Why?" Everyone was immediately puzzled.
Ji Lingxiu added, "Eldest Senior Brother, the mortal population in Immortal Spirit City already exceeds ten million. Further relocation is truly unnecessary."
"Although the relocation is to a place like Immortal Spirit City." Recalling the shock he had just received, Xiao Chen revealed a smile, then laid out everything about the Spirit Realm.
"So that's how it is..."
Han Yu and Jiang Che exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
Jiang Che even murmured, "To create a world... with such means, I'm afraid Master has already reached the Immortal Venerable Realm."
"Using the relocation of mortals as a trial, you might as well think carefully about how to set the standards. This way, the first batch of True Inheritance disciples will be exactly six people." Xiao Chen tapped his finger lightly on the jade desk. "The selection will begin in three days. Does anyone have any objections?"
Everyone shook their heads, each lost in thought.
Everyone could imagine that for the sake of a True Inheritance slot, the inner court, where competition was already fierce in secret, would be thrown into turmoil.
It was not until the meeting ended and everyone had left one by one that Xiao Chen noticed Ji Lingxiu's brow still held a trace of unresolved sorrow.
"Third Junior Sister." He called out to Ji Lingxiu, who was about to leave. "Have you encountered a difficulty?"
Ji Lingxiu stopped and turned back.
She hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Eldest Senior Brother, if one encounters a close relative who once betrayed them... what should one do?"
Xiao Chen was slightly taken aback.
He really wanted to tell his junior sister that when he was down and out, the close relatives who betrayed him were as numerous as carp crossing the river.
But after thinking it over, he still said, "Since they are close kin, there must be a reason for the betrayal. I would first investigate the truth before discussing right and wrong."
Ji Lingxiu froze, and then the fog in her eyes suddenly dissipated. She smiled as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders: "That's right, I was just letting my concern cloud my judgment."
As she turned, the hem of her skirt fluttered, and her steps were much lighter than when she arrived. "Thank you, Senior Brother."
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