After the Saintess attack incident, some time has passed.
With such an important figure from their own being attacked, Sacred Immortal Mountain couldn’t just sit idly by.
Whether for venting their anger or for the sake of face, they had to make a show in front of the cultivators of the Qingzhou cultivation world.
An organization like the Nine Star Pavilion, which is a “cross-province underground organization,” sounds very formidable, as if it could unify the world.
However, its overall strength is at most on par with Sacred Immortal Mountain, and in some aspects, it might even be inferior.
The fact that the organization is spread across the Nine Provinces also means that its internal structure is loose, far less solid than that of an ordinary sect.
As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake.
In front of Sacred Immortal Mountain, the Nine Star Pavilion doesn’t even count as a dragon.
If they decided to take action, they would certainly teach the other party a significant lesson.
Sacred Immortal Mountain hasn’t disclosed much about the specific situation to the outside world, but there are rumors that similar underground forces in Qingzhou have suffered devastating blows and won’t be able to make any major moves in the short term.
As for the “demonic employers” lurking in the shadows, it seems they’ve also caught the attention of the true big shots in the cultivation world.
In short, the situation outside has calmed down.
With the year-end approaching, the atmosphere within Xuanling Sect has become much quieter than usual.
It’s often said that in cultivation, there is no concept of time or worldly thoughts.
Once you embark on the path of cultivation, you’re stuck in it for life.
However, that’s for high-level cultivators.
Those in the Qi Refining and Foundation Building stages, especially the younger disciples, can’t reach that level of detachment.
Many disciples of Xuanling Sect come from mortal kingdoms, cultivation families, and similar places.
They have family or people they care about.
Spending the whole year in the sect, it’s inevitable that at the end, they feel homesick and miss their loved ones.
Xuanling Sect doesn’t force its disciples to sever these worldly ties.
As long as they’ve accumulated enough “days off,” they can go home at the end of the year.
With people leaving, the atmosphere in the sect naturally becomes less lively.
“Sister, you still have us!”
“Get lost, who wants to spend the New Year with you!”
Cultivators don’t place much importance on the New Year.
Sometimes, they might be in seclusion and unknowingly let it pass.
So if they’re not in seclusion, seeing some people celebrating their year’s achievements in their own way and praying for good luck in the next year, a strange sense of inquiry arises in their hearts.
If I had to describe it, perhaps this feeling is…
loneliness?
Recently, even Shui Qiu, Su Ling, and Tang Xin have been seen less often.
“I heard from my master that Xuanling Sect has a tradition where personal disciples follow their master to worship the ancestral shrine on the first day of the New Year.”
“Although it’s not a written rule, and many elders and disciples don’t care, my master said that with so many bad things happening recently, we must worship properly this year…”
Only remembering the ancestors when something goes wrong, if the predecessors of Xuanling Sect knew, they might crawl out of their graves to teach these juniors a lesson…
This isn’t just the thought of Shui Qiu’s master, Elder Xuan Miao.
Almost all the core elders with disciples are preparing for similar things, even the usually indifferent Seventh Elder Linghua hasn’t missed out.
Before worshiping the ancestors, one must cultivate their body and mind, which makes the atmosphere in Xuanling Sect even more desolate.
“Sister, at least you still have us!”
“Then I’d rather die…”
Speaking of Xuanling Sect’s chief senior sister, she is a unique existence among the personal disciples.
Many disciples have been curious about one question: if Senior Sister Tang Xin encounters a problem in her cultivation, who does she turn to for guidance?
People like Su Ling, Yi Rou, and Shui Qiu can ask their masters for advice.
The advantage of being a personal disciple is the one-on-one mentorship they receive.
But Tang Xin seems to have no one to ask…
Even if the senior sister is a prodigy and rarely encounters bottlenecks in her cultivation, it’s impossible for her to have no problems at all, right?
So, if she encounters such issues, Tang Xin can…
Just casually ask any elder.
Yes, just anyone, it doesn’t matter who.
If the sect leader is around, she can even go directly to her.
That’s how she has been asking here and there, piecing things together, and cultivating to where she is now.
Simply put, Tang Xin has grown up on the collective wisdom of many.
Unlike some personal disciples, Tang Xin has a very special status known as the “Child of the Sect.”
A disciple who has been in the sect since birth and grown up under the watchful eyes of the elders and the sect leader is called a Child of the Sect.
There aren’t many like this in the entire sect.
Unlike cultivation sects, which don’t raise infants, they only select children who already show potential to train and guide them on the path of cultivation.
The status of a Child of the Sect is one of the reasons Tang Xin could later become the sect’s chief disciple.
Someone who has grown up right under their noses is naturally well-understood in all aspects.
Since she was born in Xuanling Sect, the question arises: What about Tang Xin’s parents? Didn’t they take care of her?
“So, does that mean…”
The senior sister of Xuanling Sect pondered this question.
“I was picked up?”
What a tragic background!
Picked up from outside, raised on the collective wisdom of many, became the sect’s chief, and still has to play the villain role to give the protagonist experience points…
Tragic, senior sister, truly tragic!
“Sigh,” sitting on the steps of the martial arts field, the senior sister let out a long sigh, “The more I think about it, the more heart-wrenching it is…”
“Sister, even if no one else wants you, we still will…”
“Are you done? Looking for a beating? Do you think just because it’s New Year, I won’t hit anyone?”
The martial arts field was in chaos.
Although it seemed no different from usual, the senior sister knew in her heart that she was venting her negative emotions.
No wonder the previous Tang Xin would turn to the demonic path; if such emotions are suppressed too much, it can easily lead to imbalance.
After beating up a few disciples who always provoked her, Tang Xin felt a bit better and prepared to pull herself together and continue working.
So what if she doesn’t have anyone?
Independence and self-reliance are part of the Xuanling Sect senior sister’s character, aren’t they?
“Tang Xin, the sect leader wants you to go to the main hall.”
What, working overtime during the New Year?
I was just starting to feel better!
After grumbling a bit, Tang Xin made her way to the hall.
“It’s not to give you more work,” Yu Lingzi replied before she could even voice her complaints, “it’s to meet someone.”
“Meet someone?”
Hearing that there wasn’t more work to do, Tang Xin breathed a sigh of relief.
“Who?”
At this time, even in a cultivation sect, people didn’t really like visiting each other.
Who could it be that she needed to meet?
“Your master.”
The sect leader said slowly.
“My master?”
The senior sister was taken aback.
“Wait, since when do I have a master?”
“Of course you have a master,” Yu Lingzi seemed to have anticipated Tang Xin’s reaction and couldn’t help but laugh.
“It was your master who brought you back from outside the sect.”
“Elder Guomeng, come out and meet your disciple.”
