Chapter 34: To Take a Disciple or Not?

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: To Take a Disciple or Not?

Peacock listened as the young master spoke of that woman, lowering her head slightly.

"But after she helped us establish the First-Grade Hall, she left for the Southern Border to handle her own affairs. Even if we send her an urgent message, she won’t be able to return right away."

The woman they spoke of could be called the most talented sword practitioner in the Jianghu in the last fifty years.

The Immortal Sword currently hanging in the First-Grade Hall had reappeared because, by a stroke of fate, it had actively sought out that woman.

However, she didn’t seem to value this world-renowned Immortal Sword at all. Not only did she refuse to use it as her personal weapon, continuing to use her own Iron Sword,

she even generously gifted the Immortal Sword to Young Master Qing.

"It’s alright. My body can hold on for a while longer."

Young Master Qing looked at the divine doctor and said, "Right, Elder Zhong?"

The old doctor nodded immediately. "I will do my best."

"Then go and ask Dongfang to come. Quickly."

Young Master Qing then changed the subject. "At the same time, regarding Dao Yi Mountain, I’ve thought of someone else who might be of use to me."

Peacock asked, "Who?"

Young Master Qing slowly sat up in bed. "Li Jianzhou. The one who crippled his own Martial Arts and limbs on Dao Yi Mountain three months ago."

Peacock said in surprise, "Him? He’s a cripple. What use could he be?"

Young Master Qing gave a cool smile. "It was precisely because of Chen Canxuan’s unfair succession that this once-famous disciple of Dao Yi Mountain ended up in such a state. He must harbor a deep hatred for Dao Yi Mountain. Don’t be fooled by the fact that his Martial Arts are crippled and his limbs are broken. When it comes to who understands Dao Yi Mountain the best, besides those Daoists on the mountain, he is now the only one left in the world."

Peacock immediately said, "I understand. I’ll have someone find him right away."

......

......

「On Dao Yi Mountain.」

「Inside the Sect Leader’s room.」

Seven days had passed.

His consciousness withdrew from the Peach Blossom Island Chapter of the Cosmic Light Fragments.

Ever since the sect’s gates had been breached, he no longer went into seclusion in other parts of the mountain, to avoid a situation where his disciples couldn’t find him.

"Sect Leader, the Half-Baked Doctor has talked. He revealed a list of some of the experts within the First-Grade Hall."

As he spoke, a Daoist walked in from outside, holding a list.

"After getting the list, the Elders used the sect’s influence in the Jianghu to investigate the general situation of these experts. Take a look."

The Daoist who entered with the list was Zhang Liting.

Chen Sha stood up, took the list, and glanced at it. On the paper was written:

"The First-Grade Hall has a total of seven Great Grandmasters, thirty-six Grandmasters, and nearly a hundred first-class experts. It now has branches throughout the nations of Zhao and Yuan, and secretly controls ten major sects, including the Raging River Gang, the Ghost-Slaying Gate..."

He turned to the second page.

It detailed the names, Martial Arts, and specialized skills of those Great Grandmasters.

Blood Sword Yan Kai

[The number one swordsman of the Zhao Country. Thirty-four years old, Great Grandmaster Realm. A martial prodigy born with unique gifts and unparalleled comprehension. When it comes to swordsmanship, he can learn any technique instantly and master it just as quickly. He was once praised by Wen Liangjian, the ninth-ranked master under heaven, as a great talent with the potential to reach the First Grade with his sword. His personal weapon is the Divine Weapon ’Blood Sword’, which originated from the Evil Extreme Dao of the Six Demonic Paths. He holds the stunning battle record of ’slaying seven Grandmasters with a single strike’.]

Xiao Sheng, Who Kills No One

[Claims to have never killed a soul in his life. Forty years old, Great Grandmaster Realm. Unmatched in the current era for his Acupoint Pressing and Lightweight Skill. His Lightweight Skill is so remarkable that after once offending the God Catcher of the Zhao Country’s Six Gates—a master with First-Grade Cultivation—he was pursued for over three months, yet the God Catcher failed to bring him to justice. Instead, Xiao Sheng drifted away effortlessly, cementing his legendary name.]

Liuu Shengmen of the "Godslaying One-Stroke Slash"

[An overseas swordsman who arrived by boat, he is in the Great Grandmaster Realm. Within half a month, he defeated sixteen sword sects in Jiangnan, breaking sixteen famous swords. He uses only a single strike against any opponent.]

The "Four-nothing Divine Monk," Iron Tree

[Great Grandmaster Realm, a former monk of the Pure Land Zen Monastery, disciple of Master Yinke...]

The "Evil Daoist," Guo Chaoyang

...

Chen Sha reviewed the files on these Great Grandmasters one by one, then glanced at the introductions for some of the Grandmasters that followed. He couldn’t help but remark with some admiration:

"From what I know, the First-Grade Hall is an organization that only emerged in the last three years. To amass such a formidable force in just three years—seven Great Grandmasters, thirty-six Grandmasters... This depth of expert power is already comparable to the top Major Sects of the Black and White Paths."

Top Major Sects included the likes of the Dao Yi Sect, the Queen Mother Sect, the Celestial Demon Sect, and the Evil Extreme Dao.

Zhang Liting added, "Moreover, just like the major righteous and demonic sects, they have a First-Grade Great Innate master overseeing their headquarters. They can be considered a prime example of a ’great power’ that has risen meteorically in recent years."

Chen Sha raised an eyebrow. He scanned the papers in his hand a few more times and asked, "There’s no information on the Great Innate expert behind the First-Grade Hall?"

Zhang Liting shook his head. "Elder Xu used every method he could think of, but the Half-Baked Doctor still claims he doesn’t know. He also said that nearly ninety percent of the people in the First-Grade Hall have never even seen that Great Innate master. We know nothing about this mysterious expert."

Chen Sha’s brow twitched. He asked again, "Have you found out why the First-Grade Hall wanted to rescue Ancient Transformation Dragon?"

Zhang Liting said, "The Half-Baked Doctor seems to only know that it’s related to the First-Grade Hall’s Chief Shopkeeper, ’Young Master Qing’. The Extraordinary Nine Monsters came up the mountain on Young Master Qing’s personal order. They know nothing else."

Chen Sha mused, "Just a single command was enough to make the Extraordinary Nine Monsters have the audacity to charge up my Dao Yi Mountain. Did this Young Master Qing pay them an exorbitant price, or does he truly possess such great charisma that he can make these Grandmasters risk their lives for him without a second thought?"

Zhang Liting said, "Other factions also know very little about Young Master Qing’s identity. Before he founded the First-Grade Hall, he had no reputation in the Jianghu whatsoever. It’s as if he just popped out of a rock. Furthermore, in the few appearances he has made, he always wore a mask. No one has seen his true face. All they know is that he has a pair of green eyes."

"Green eyes..."

Chen Sha pondered this feature.

"Third Senior Brother, do you think the First-Grade Hall will continue to provoke us on the mountain in the short term, now that the Extraordinary Nine Monsters have been completely wiped out?"

Zhang Liting said, "I can’t say for certain about other things, but with you, Junior Brother Sect Leader, holding the front of the mountain, and our Young Martial Uncle guarding the back, we fear no provocation or invasion from any Jianghu faction."

Chen Sha smiled.

Zhang Liting was full of confidence.

This incident with the Extraordinary Nine Monsters had once again shown them a hidden side of Chen Sha’s true strength.

In just three months, his power had changed so dramatically.

Now, it wasn’t just him; even Song Yu and the other Elders felt that this young Sect Leader had probably possessed unfathomable Martial Arts for a very long time.

He hadn’t even used his real abilities when he taught the fifth-ranked a lesson that day.

And just how deep their Sect Leader’s secrets ran, probably only he himself knew.

When Chen Sha saw the look of trust in his Third Senior Brother’s eyes as he watched him, a look completely different from a few months ago, he thought to himself, ’This is the change that comes with strength.’

Just as he thought Zhang Liting was about to leave after saying his piece,

Zhang Liting spoke again, "Oh, right. There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Junior Brother Sect Leader."

Chen Sha looked up and asked, "What is it?"

Zhang Liting gave a wry smile. "Well, the sect’s expenditure of Silver Coins has been a bit high recently. We need to increase our income and reduce our expenses."

The reasons for the recent expenses were quite simple.

Setting aside the funeral rites for the late Sect Leader Chen Canxuan, just the casualties among the disciples from the Extraordinary Nine Monsters’ full-scale assault, the cost of medicinal soups for the injured, and the pensions for the fallen disciples amounted to a huge expense.

Zhang Liting said, "But the most important reason is more fundamental. After Master’s passing, within just a few short months, some of the family clans and factions that were originally friendly with us have stopped contacting us. This has caused a large drop in the sect’s income of Silver Coins."

Chen Sha was speechless.

The truth was, his father had died, and some of the sects and family factions that had wanted to cling to the Dao Yi Sect’s coattails were no longer coming to offer gifts. Without this regular source of extra income, and relying solely on the incense offerings on Dao Yi Mountain, the sect was now feeling a bit stretched thin after suffering such an invasion.

"Does Senior Brother Song Yu have any ideas?"

Chen Sha truly had no experience when it came to making money.

Making money was one of the hardest things in the world.

It was a common saying that even a hero could be stumped by a single coin.

Fortunately,

Zhang Liting’s answer allowed Chen Sha to breathe a sigh of relief.

Zhang Liting said tentatively, "Half a month ago, the sect received a letter from the Southern Martial Arts Alliance Leader of the Zhao Country. He wants to send his son and daughter to Dao Yi Mountain to become disciples. His meaning is that it would be best if they could become your personal disciples. If we can build a good relationship with the Southern Martial Arts Alliance Leader, it would bring in a large sum of Silver Coins."

Chen Sha raised his brows. "The Southern Martial Arts Alliance Leader... Besides the Queen Mother Sect, he’s the first major power to proactively seek good relations with us since my father passed away."

Zhang Liting gave a bitter smile. "But their motives aren’t pure."

Chen Sha arched a brow. "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Zhang Liting explained, "Twenty years ago, this Southern Martial Arts Alliance Leader came up Dao Yi Mountain, wanting to become Master’s disciple, but Master didn’t accept him. For the past twenty years, this Alliance Leader Lin has never been able to forget our Dao Yi Sect’s Sect’s Divine Skill, the *Great Yellow Court*. He has tried to become a disciple many times but never had the chance to come up the mountain. Now that Master is gone and you, Junior Brother, have taken over, he probably thinks the requirements for accepting disciples are not as high. However, it’s absolutely impossible for him to become *your* disciple, so he came up with the idea of having his children try instead."

Chen Sha thought for a moment, then said, "Accepting disciples is not child’s play. We can’t judge based on family background alone. We must also look at their heart nature and character. And finally, talent is very important."

’If their character is trustworthy, then I should only accept geniuses!’

If he wanted to revitalize the Dao Yi Sect, he couldn’t be like the protagonists in some web novels from his previous life, who only valued heart nature and not talent.

On the path of martial arts, talent was, of course, very important.

Otherwise, Dao Yi Mountain might once again face a future with no worthy successors, a story of mediocrity.

Zhang Liting immediately said, "First Senior Brother and the Elders discussed it. They just suggest we have the Lin Family send the children up the mountain for a look. The decision will be up to you, Junior Brother Sect Leader. You can decide whether to accept them as disciples after you’ve met them."

They had learned their lesson from Chen Sha’s stubbornness once before.

Last time, in front of people from a sister sect like the Queen Mother Sect, he had unhesitatingly uttered the two words "break engagement."

If they dared to say they had arranged disciples for him on their own authority for the sake of the sect, they feared it would only displease Chen Sha again. That’s why they only suggested letting Chen Sha see for himself.

Chen Sha nodded. "Alright."