326. Sect elders

Hong Yi stared at the sect leader as he declared words that could either change the sect or start its downfall.

After all, they were very boastful. Could a single day truly change the trajectory of a sect that much?

He really, really doubted it.

Though what he did know was that Sect Leader Chen had gained a great haul from the pagoda. Even while Hong Yi had been busy with his puppets, he had heard plenty about the pagoda from everyone else. He also knew that Sect Leader Chen had done well inside it.

But even if he had done well, how much could that really change the sect?

At the very least, the man seemed to have brought more cultivators back with him.

Hong Yi appreciated that quite a lot, if only because it meant that if his former sect ever came looking for him, there would be more people around to defend him.

Out of the four new faces Sect Leader Chen had brought, the twins seemed the easiest to get along with.

Heck, Hong Yi even found the female twin attractive enough to consider asking her for dual cultivation sometime.

But Hong Yi was not really confident in his appearance anymore. It had only gotten worse with how much time he spent making puppets. His long hair was untidy, his robes were often stained, and he looked a little too much like a beggar for his own liking.

Maybe he should fix that before approaching her.

Though even if he did approach the twins, he had no intention of doing the same with the other two. Honestly, both of them fascinated and scared him in a way he could not quite describe.

It was a strange feeling that he had never felt before.

First of all, both fo them were strong.

It was hard for most people to tell. Feiyu, who stood to Hong Yi’s right, did not seem to have grasped it at all since the two strangers did not show even a trace of qi. But from their posture and the aura around them, Hong Yi could tell.

They were strong.

Maybe even stronger than the cat he had slowly come to fear.

It was only instinct, of course. He did not know for certain. But Hong Yi trusted that feeling enough to stay away from them.

At the same time, both of them made him want to get closer.

He did not know why, but they gave him the same feeling his puppets did. It was strange because they were clearly not puppets, but his instincts overpowered his reasoning. He kept glancing at them, caught between curiosity and fear, until his focus finally returned to Sect Leader Chen.

The murmurs around the courtyard slowly died down after the declaration.

Only then did Sect Leader Chen speak again.

“I know you must be confused as to how this will be possible,” he said. “After all, what can change a sect so much?”

A few people nodded at that.

Sect Leader Chen continued, “In my opinion, many things can change a sect. But more than anything else, it comes down to resources and people. Before I talk about the former, however, I would first like to say that our sect has gained more cultivators.”

Then he pointed toward the twins.

“Li Qingfeng and Li Qingxue will be part of the Divine Coin Sect from today onward,” he said. “I hope all of you will treat them well.”

At once, everyone looked at the twins.

Li Qingfeng and Li Qingxue looked a little bashful under all those gazes, but before the attention could stay on them for too long, Sect Leader Chen spoke again.

“But they are not the only ones,” he said. “We are also getting elders.”

Hong Yi immediately froze. Elders? He knew every sect needed them, and their sect already had Yalan and Senior Qing He filling that role, even if one of them was a cat. But were there more elders now?

His gaze turned toward the two strangers standing to the side, both of them looking far too aloof for normal cultivators.

Then Sect Leader Chen spoke again.

“Not only one or two,” he said. “From now on, our sect will have fifteen elders.”

Hong Yi’s eyes widened.

“Of course, they are strong and ancient cultivators,” Sect Leader Chen continued. “Because of that, you will not see much of them. But they are now undoubtedly part of the Divine Coin Sect. In fact, two of them are present here today.”

He gestured toward the two strangers.

“Please welcome Elder Shrey and Elder Yorren to our sect.”

At once, Hong Yi and every single person in the courtyard looked at them.

One of the two seemed to enjoy the attention. The other only frowned.

They certainly had the aura of elders, but Hong Yi had no idea how strong they truly were. At the same time, he could not help wondering whether Sect Leader Chen had lost his mind.

Fifteen new elders?

Even established sects did not have that many. And he had gotten all of them out of nowhere.

Had he met them in the pagoda? Had Hong Yi joined a sect that was actually a branch of some hidden power? No, he did not think that was the case, but what was happening in front of him was still something he could not comprehend no matter how much he thought about it.

It was extremely strange, and he was not the only one who thought so. Feiyu even looked as if he was wondering whether he was still in the right place.

Ignoring all their reactions, Sect Leader Chen continued, “I understand this is a lot for you to take in right now.”

The murmurs died down as he continued.

“But I think this was going to happen sooner or later. We are a unique sect, and we have truly started to make our mark in the pagoda. Now, the time has come for us to take the next step.”

Sect Leader Chen looked across the courtyard.

“With this many new elders and new cultivators, I believe we will be able to recruit even more people. We will also be able to turn the entire sect ground, and even the village, into something the empire will look at with envy.”

He paused slightly. “But for that, we need resources, right?”

Hong Yi nodded before he could stop himself. “We need a lot more than just resources. It would take enough to bankrupt an established sect.”

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Sect Leader Chen caught his words and smiled.

“Hong Yi is right,” he said. “After all, the reason the established sects and guardian sects are so imposing is not only because of their names and history. It is also because of their sect grounds. It is because of how many resources they are able to give even their worst disciples, simply because they have enough to spare.”

The courtyard grew even quieter.

“They look imposing from the very beginning,” Sect Leader Chen continued. “And from today onward, we are going to transform not only the Divine Coin Sect, but also Meadow Village, into something like that.”

More murmurs erupted at those words. The mortals especially looked both excited and worried by the prospect.

Hong Yi could understand that reaction well. Until now, the sect had only protected and helped them. But if it wanted to grow, it was bound to engulf the village in some way.

Still, even though Hong Yi doubted Sect Leader Chen’s words, if what he said was truly going to happen, then Hong Yi was sure the man would listen to the villagers.

He did not seem like the type to upset them for no reason. He was simply the type to get along with others.

Sect Leader Chen continued, “Do not worry. I will discuss everything with Chief Muyang first. It is going to take time, but once we transform the area around the sect, even the mortals here will have longer lifespans and more energy.”

At that, one of the mortals raised her hand.

“How are you going to do that, Sect Leader Chen?”

Sect Leader Chen smiled at her. “Well, the lands around us are not bad. They are fertile, but they do not have enough qi to make this place truly suitable for cultivators.”

He paused for a moment.

“So, we are going to create a qi vein.”

Hong Yi blinked. A qi vein?

For a second, he wondered whether Sect Leader Chen had actually lost his mind.

Qi veins were not something one could simply create. They were natural occurrences formed when ley lines beneath the earth converged in a way that produced a place rich with qi. Making something like that artificially was—

Before Hong Yi could even finish that thought, Sect Leader Chen pushed qi into his spatial ring.

The very next second, every empty spot in the courtyard was filled with herbs, plants, roots, and strange stems of all kinds.

A large amount of qi seeped into the air at once. Hong Yi couldn’t help taking in a sharp breath.

The qi that entered his body was so pure that his mood felt refreshed almost instantly. Only after a few more deep breaths did he look properly at the herbs and realise he had no idea what most of them were.

But when he turned toward Luo Feng, their earth cultivator and farmer, the man looked like he was about to die. The man was brimming with pure happiness.

Luo Feng was already taking small steps toward the herbs as if he could not help himself. It was clear that they were extremely rare and filled with qi.

Hong Yi stared at them.

Did the pagoda have things like this too?

Maybe he should have gone there as well.

As he was thinking that, Sect Leader Chen continued, “As you can see, this is only a sample. These are rare herbs, some of them even extinct, and every single one of them is filled with potent qi. I have many more resources like this in my spatial ring.”

He looked across the courtyard.

“With all of them, we are going to transform the entire area around us into a paradise for cultivators and mortals alike.”

Hong Yi had not believed Sect Leader Chen’s words from the start, but now, for the first time, he wondered if it was actually possible.

Sect Leader Chen was not the type to lie.

He was sly, yes, but that was different.

And seeing so many herbs here made Hong Yi wonder just how much more the man had hidden inside his spatial ring. For a moment, he could even imagine how the sect might look after the transformation.

The others seemed to be thinking the same thing, because quiet discussions began spreading through the crowd.

Sect Leader Chen let them talk for a few breaths before continuing.

“More than that, after we transform our sect grounds, we are going to ask for more from the empire.”

Feiyu immediately asked, “What are we going to ask for, Sect Leader Chen?”

Sect Leader Chen smiled in response, almost as if he had been waiting for that question.

“When all of you joined our sect, we were nothing,” he said. “Just a group of cultivators and mortals with nowhere to go, but all of us wanted more than what our birth had offered us.”

His gaze swept over them.

“And in the next few months, we will ask the empire for something greater than anything we have received until now.”

The courtyard went still.

“We are going to promote our sect from emerging to established.”

Hong Yi’s eyes widened at that.

Honestly, he was not the only one.

More than a few people in the courtyard had the same reaction. After all, becoming an established sect was not a joke. Hong Yi had once been part of one, so he knew that better than most.

Even if Sect Leader Chen could transform the entire area around them, he could not just declare the Divine Coin Sect an established sect without facing a lot of trouble.

But then another question entered Hong Yi’s mind.

What if Sect Leader Chen actually succeeded?

Hong Yi could not simply ignore that possibility. Not because he wanted it to happen, though a part of him certainly did, but because when he looked at Sect Leader Chen’s face, there was only certainty there.

***

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