Chapter 689 - 146: Preparations for the Grand Assembly of Return

"Disciples have already been sent to retrieve the others, but we need all three Command Tokens. To open these light barriers without damage, we must perform a kind of reverse-engineering on the tokens."

Fang Qing paused and looked at Zhang Deming, who was frowning. "Don’t worry, Senior Uncle," he said. "Ancestor Dang instructed us to handle this with care. The gist of it is that we are to preserve all of these spatial anchors.

We even hope to use the sole remaining Grotto Heaven Attribute preserved in this Geng Metal Secret Realm, fuse it with other Secret Realms, and fully activate the Sect’s network of Teleportation Gates.

So, this teleportation entrance won’t be closing anytime soon. And our department won’t be relocating these spatial anchors without at least half a year of research and processing.

After all, while our Sect has opened plenty of entrances to Secret Realms, no one has ever created a multi-anchor Teleportation Gate. Not even our director would dare to make a move without a thorough investigation.

So, if you give us the Command Token, Senior Uncle, and you happen to need the Teleportation Gate anytime soon, the disciples of the Array Department will absolutely accommodate you, no matter how busy we are.

And whatever our research on these items yields later, Sect rewards aside, our department won’t shortchange you either, Senior Uncle. I will make sure to give the director a clear and detailed report of the contribution you’ve made to our department."

Zhang Deming paused. ’This is the Sect for you,’ he thought. ’A Sect rife with departmental politics!’

Since Fang Qing had laid all his cards on the table, Zhang Deming decided not to hide it any longer. He flipped his hand, and the Command Token appeared. Staring at it, he told Fang Qing, "Remember your words. I’m not someone you can just rip off!"

Fang Qing smiled. "If it were any other Senior Uncle, and we hadn’t cleared it with the director, I wouldn’t dare make any promises.

But you, Senior Uncle... with that waist pendant of yours, not even the Sect Leader’s own faction would dare to take credit for your achievements, let alone our overworked and under-appreciated Array Department."

Zhang Deming glanced down at the Peak Master’s Identity Jade Pendant at his waist, then looked up. "Alright, then."

As he spoke, Zhang Deming tossed the Command Token to Fang Qing.

As Fang Qing caught the Command Token, Zhang Deming suddenly said, "If things don’t work out for you in the Array Department, you’re welcome at my Flying Spring Waterfall Tower."

Fang Qing, holding the Command Token, paused for a moment before smiling. "Thank you for your generous offer, Senior Uncle. If that day ever comes, I will certainly consider it."

Zhang Deming nodded. It had been a spur-of-the-moment thought, so he hadn’t really expected a firm answer.

"Well, I’m off to Pann City to take care of my own business," Zhang Deming said.

"If you need to use the Teleportation Gate during this time, Senior Uncle, just come straight here. We in the Array Department will ensure you have passage, regardless of whether we’re working on it or not," Fang Qing said.

"Right, understood. I’ll be on my way," said Zhang Deming.

"Farewell, Senior Uncle!"

"Farewell, Senior Uncle!"

...

Zhang Deming turned and left. Fang Qing and a few stewards from the Array Department watched until he disappeared from sight.

A moment later, someone behind Fang Qing spoke up. "Senior Brother, is that him? The most famous freeloader Senior Brother in the whole Sect?"

"But how did he suddenly freeload his way into becoming a Peak Master and our Senior Uncle? Did Senior Sister Ling’er have some huge breakthrough in the Spirit Nurturing Holy Land? Did she light up a Celestial Lantern for the whole world to see or something?" another person chimed in.

"Tsk, tsk. It just proves the saying going around the Sect these days: Hard work can’t beat talent; talent can’t beat a good family background; and a good family background can’t beat having a capable wife! Why couldn’t I have a childhood sweetheart?"

"Ha! Are there not enough senior and junior sisters from your year in the Sect? That’s just you being useless! That guy managed to climb this high coming from a bunch of lonely bachelors in the Spirit Farmer division.

You guys over in the Array Ceremony Department are surrounded by a flock of lovely ladies, yet I don’t see you managing to raise a childhood sweetheart of your own, do I?"

"It’s still better than your Array Research Department—a total sausage fest with no sweethearts in sight. At least we have a flock of senior and junior sisters to hang out with all day."

The disciples of the Array Department had always been on the cutting edge, very progressive. Now, influenced by the culture of the Celestial Universe, they were even more so. And so, they started bickering, of all things, about gossip.

"Shut up! Do you really think someone can become a Peak Master of Spirit Nurturing Peak just by freeloading, like the rumors say?

The entire Spirit Nurturing Peak had only three Peak Masters before this. What kind of standing do you think they have?

To be on equal footing with the three elders of Spirit Nurturing Peak, without being ostracized by them—do you even need to guess what that implies about his own status? Are you all brainless?" Fang Qing said, turning to look at his fellow disciples.

"Senior Brother Fang, are you saying... he’s a Spirit Nurturing Master?" one of them asked in astonishment.

Wang Chengke, who, like Fang Qing, hadn’t joined in the gossip, now spoke up. "Those new shops that suddenly popped up in the Sect selling Low-Level Spirit Nurturing Pearls—where do you think they came from?

Do you think the three elders of Spirit Nurturing Peak were so bored they decided to just hand out pearls for the lower-level disciples to play with?

As Array Cultivators, it’s fine to follow current events and stay on the cutting edge, but you also need to pay more attention to the stories behind these events.

For example, that junior from the Tea Dao who opened a shop under the Miscellaneous Affairs Department? He used to hang around some forgotten corner of Little Qing Mountain. And that Transformation Dao cultivator from Spirit Nurturing Peak who opened a shop? He used to be at Little Hui Peak.

All of these individuals have deep ties to him. Do you even need to guess where the Basic Spirit Nurturing Pearls in their shops came from?

If it weren’t for all this, on top of a few other matters... with Senior Sister Ling’er’s fame, why do you think he has this ’freeloader’ reputation all over the Sect, yet he’s able to live such a peaceful, almost reclusive life at the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower?

Just compare it to Senior Sister Rushuang’s courtyard. The moment the slightest rumor about her gets out, which of the senior brothers involved can ever live so peacefully?"