Chapter 2: Li Jianzhou

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Li Jianzhou

When the many elders and disciples of the Dao Yi Sect heard Chen Sha voluntarily mention the fifth disciple, Li Jianzhou, none of them showed it on their faces, but their hearts grew remarkably complicated.

The fifth disciple should have been the most suitable candidate to succeed as Sect Leader.

Yet, in the end, it was no match for the old Sect Leader’s designated choice.

The Dao Yi Sect was ranked as the number one Major Sect in the world. The status and power represented by the Sect Leader’s identity were no less than that of the Imperial Dynasty’s Emperor at the foot of the mountain. In fact...

There was a period when even the Emperor of the Imperial Dynasty had to fear the Dao Yi Sect.

The reason was a rumor from over a decade ago. It was said that Chen Canxuan had personally ascended the Golden Hall Jade Steps of the Imperial Dynasty and taken the head of the ruling Emperor himself.

This matter had once caused a massive uproar across the entire realm.

However, it seemed that the two parties involved—the succeeding Emperor of the Imperial Dynasty and Chen Canxuan—neither admitted nor denied the event, remaining entirely noncommittal.

Overall, the succession of the Dao Yi Sect’s Sect Leader was comparable to the continuation of the imperial throne.

For any ambitious man, it would be impossible not to experience a quickened heartbeat at the prospect of such a high position. Furthermore, a fiercely proud man like Li Jianzhou had long believed himself to be the most fitting candidate for Sect Leader.

And in truth, before today, it genuinely seemed that way.

Inside the hall, the elders harbored inscrutable emotions.

Chen Sha swept his gaze lightly over these people. He was well aware that at least seventy percent of the mountain favored the fifth disciple to take over as Sect Leader. They believed that only his fifth senior brother could maintain their status as the world’s number one Major Sect after his father’s death.

In their eyes, Chen Sha still lacked the necessary seasoning.

Finally, Chen Sha shifted his gaze to the naive old Martial Uncle Santong.

"I’m afraid Martial Uncle Santong is the only one here who doesn’t think about any of this," Chen Sha thought. "He will unconditionally support me in accordance with my father’s dying words."

The person with the most profound power on the mountain was Zhou Santong. Even if Dao Yi’s Six Disciples attacked him together, they wouldn’t be enough for this old child to suppress with a single hand.

Even the elders of the same generation couldn’t possibly be his match.

Logically speaking, Chen Sha didn’t need to worry at all about Li Jianzhou returning to cause trouble. With a powerhouse like Martial Uncle Santong unconditionally supporting him and holding down the fort, no one on the mountain could turn the skies upside down.

Indeed, Chen Sha wasn’t worried about Li Jianzhou returning to usurp the position.

To him, having been born into this world with the "Southern Heavenly Gate" inside his body as a guarantee, even if he didn’t become this Sect Leader, he would still be able to look down upon the world in ten or twenty years.

It was just...

"It’s already mine. No one else should think about it, touch it, or move it," he mused.

Chen Sha remained calm.

Calculating the time, his fifth senior brother, Li Jianzhou, still had a few days before he returned. These few days would be enough for him to deepen his power several times over within the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Currently, his biggest supporter on the mountain was Martial Uncle Santong.

But what Chen Sha truly relied upon was himself.

One’s own belongings had to be held firmly by one’s own hands.

"These few days will be enough," he concluded.

These calm thoughts drifted through his mind. Then, he looked at the elders present.

"With my father’s passing, according to funerary customs, his casket must be kept in the hall for seven days. As his only biological son, I should guard his spirit and cannot leave. For the many chores up and down the mountain over these next few days, I will have to trouble all of you elders and senior disciples."

"It is only right. You just focus on standing vigil for the old Sect Leader," an old elder sighed. "Nothing will fall into chaos. You shouldn’t grieve too much either. Even with martial arts protecting our bodies, people of our generation can easily fall ill from sorrow. You must take care of your health."

This old elder happened to be someone close to Chen Sha.

Chen Sha gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Subsequently, the old Sect Leader Chen Canxuan’s remains were placed into a coffin. The location for the wake was set in the Sect Leader’s Hall, with funeral wreaths, elegiac couplets, and other appropriate items arranged on both sides.

At the same time, while the Major Sect on the mountain was busy preparing for the old Sect Leader’s funeral—keeping the entire mountain awake for most of the night...

WHOOSH.

The night wind howled, the gale blowing through the wild grass.

A swift column of horses trampled past, their speed fiercer than the wind, kicking up a flurry of dust.

Finally, as dawn approached ahead, a faint glimmer of light gradually appeared in the sky.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out across the vast wilderness. FWEEEET.

"Elder Wei Dashan is waiting ahead. He was also near the borders of Jin Country previously. We both received the news of your Ancestral Master’s passing at the same time, so we arranged to meet him here..."

The leading man held up a hand, signaling the horse caravan to halt.

He had a handsome, spirited appearance with sharp, imposing eyebrows, but at this moment, his face was covered in the dust of travel.

This was none other than Li Jianzhou, who was rushing back to Dao Yi Mountain from the borders of Jin Country for the funeral. He let out a long, echoing cry toward the path ahead.

"Jianzhou."

Less than five breaths after Li Jianzhou’s call, a middle-aged Daoist rode forward across the wilderness. He had a square face, currently twisted in grief.

"We are unfilial! We couldn’t even see Master for the last time..."

Li Jianzhou’s expression was equally sorrowful. "Don’t say such things, Dashan. If we travel through the night, we can still make it in time for Master’s burial."

The middle-aged Daoist on horseback was none other than the fourth of Dao Yi’s Six Disciples, Wei Dashan, a man of honest and sincere character.

Wei Dashan wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, only then noticing a young man and woman beside Li Jianzhou, both around sixteen or seventeen years old. "Who are these two...?"

Li Jianzhou closed his eyes to mask his emotions. "Two unpolished geniuses I met in Jin Country. I originally intended to report to Master upon returning to the mountain and have them officially join my tutelage. But let’s not talk about this now. We need to hurry."

After collecting his feelings, he took the lead and spurred his horse onward.

The pair of teenagers gave Wei Dashan a curious, unfamiliar look before quickly spurring their horses to follow closely behind Li Jianzhou.

"Taking disciples..."

Wei Dashan blanked for a moment.

"I forgot that Jianzhou became an Upper Three Grades Grandmaster a few years ago," he thought. "He really does have the qualifications to start taking in disciples now."

Martial arts practitioners in the world were divided into Twelve Levels.

The Upper Three Grades and the Lower Nine Streams.

From the Ninth Stream up to the First-class Experts, ninety percent of all martial arts practitioners in the world fell into this bracket.

Even among the six disciples of their generation in the Dao Yi Sect, five were only at the level of First-class Experts. Only Li Jianzhou, at just over thirty years old, had ascended from the Lower Nine Streams to the Grandmaster Level of the Upper Three Grades.

Thinking of this, in normal times, Wei Dashan couldn’t have helped but feel proud of his fellow disciple. He would have boasted that their younger generation was inferior to no one. With someone like Jianzhou acting as the face of the sect, he would hopefully take charge in the future... and definitely wouldn’t tarnish their Master’s prestige.

Yet, as fate would have it, just a few months after descending the mountain, they received an urgent letter: their invincible Master had suddenly passed away.

And the one succeeding him as Sect Leader was...

Chen Sha, their youngest junior disciple, whose aptitude and prestige couldn’t even compare to Li Jianzhou’s.

"...Master."

Riding behind, Wei Dashan watched Li Jianzhou’s back as he urged his horse forward. He could almost see an immense unwillingness mixed within the man’s boundless grief.

He vaguely anticipated that after returning to the mountain this time, the final conclusion regarding the Sect Leader’s position would likely not be resolved easily.

What worried him even more was...

The possibility of Li Jianzhou causing a scene directly in front of their Master’s coffin.

"Master," Wei Dashan murmured in his heart. "With your wisdom, how could you not have foreseen the hidden dangers of this decision? It might very well tear the Dao Yi Sect apart. Yet, you still passed the position to Chen Sha. Just what... were you thinking?"