Time passed quickly as Lin Qianxuan fished.

Suddenly, the bells within the Feixia Sect rang, prompting elders from each peak to rise and head swiftly to the assembly hall.

Lin Qianxuan and Ling'Er each directed an incarnation of True Thought there.

Inside the hall, the Sect Master of Feixia Sect, Zhuang Feng the Saint, sat at the head, his aura somewhat chaotic, and the usually concealed saintly pressure now unabashedly spread forth.

Soon, over twenty elders at the Cultivation Realm level arrived one after another.

The Vice Sect Leader, Gong Qing, was the last to arrive. Upon arriving, he anxiously looked at Zhuang Feng and asked, "Senior Brother, weren't you out gathering Fire Mushrooms? Are you injured?"

"It's a long story," Zhuang Feng shook his head and said. "I was injured by a beast. I thought it was unclaimed, but from the looks of it, the beast was likely raised by someone. Someone must have beaten me to it, and I was the one who came later. Fortunately, I still got the Fire Mushroom; the trip wasn't for nothing."

"Why have you summoned us all?" Gong Qing asked.

"The injuries this time are severe; it might take decades to recover," Zhuang Feng said. "During this time, I'll trouble you all with the sect's matters."

"Rest assured, Sect Master, we will certainly devote ourselves to maintaining the operation of the sect."

The Law Enforcement Elder was the first to pledge loyalty.

The other elders also responded, some raising their hands to salute.

"I still have faith in all of you," Zhuang Feng nodded slightly, looking at Gong Qing, and took out a Token, "This is the Array Token of our sect. If foreign enemies arrive..."

Gong Qing's hand reached halfway when suddenly a voice said, "The Vice Sect Leader is often outside handling affairs. If foreign enemies invade while he isn't in the sect..."

Zhuang Feng thought about it; his junior brother was usually busy handling external matters and establishing sect alliances, rarely stationed at the sect. If he left and someone invaded, the Sect Grand Array couldn't be activated—wouldn't that be disastrous?

"Junior Brother, what do you think?" Zhuang Feng asked Gong Qing.

"Perhaps I should defer some of the sect's other matters..." Gong Qing said.

"Not appropriate. Without the Vice Sect Leader's diplomatic work, the sect's cultivation resources might be drastically reduced."

The voice sounded again.

Gong Qing's expression didn't change, but his peripheral gaze swept downward, landing on the newly joined Lin-named Honored Guest Elder of the sect.

A killing intent surged secretly in his heart.

But it was instantly suppressed.

After all, his senior brother was a Saint; he didn't want to expose his plans before they had matured.

"Since that's the case, who do you think would be suitable?" Zhuang Feng asked.

"The Law Enforcement Elder?"

"Not appropriate, not appropriate. The Law Enforcement Elder often leads disciples down the mountain to eliminate demons..."

"The Instructor Elder?"

"The Instructor Elder also often takes disciples to various Secret Realms for training, which doesn't seem suitable either..."

This time, it wasn't Lin Qianxuan who spoke.

"The External Affairs..."

"The External Affairs Elder is out purchasing for at least half a year..."

....

After much consideration, Zhuang Feng's gaze fell on Yan Yunlai, the Elder of the Pill Hall.

If he remembered correctly, the Pill Hall Elder had stayed within the sect for over a hundred years without any significant movement.

The farthest he'd been was no more than a hundred miles from the Pill Hall.

"Then Elder Yan shall hold the Array Token," Zhuang Feng said.

This time, no one objected.

Yan Yunlai took the Token, feeling no joy but rather trouble in his heart.

Holding this Token didn't bring any additional power but instead added a new layer of responsibility.

Besides, the real authority over the Sect Grand Array still lay with Zhuang Feng.

If he didn't divulge the real secrets of the Array, the Token would forever have only secondary authority, usable only when Zhuang Feng was in seclusion for recovery—and not recklessly.

Unless Zhuang Feng died.

Only then would the Token hold sole authority.

Subsequently, Zhuang Feng discussed other arrangements and then dismissed the meeting, allowing the elders from each peak to return to their duties.

Yan Yunlai returned to the Pill Hall, took out the Token for a glance, and then casually placed it by his Pill Furnace, ignited it, and refined a batch of Pills. Inexplicably, he forgot about the Token, failing to store it away in time.

Meanwhile, Deputy Sect Master Gong Qing contacted him again.

He hurriedly went to meet Gong Qing.

In a pavilion within the sect, Gong Qing and Yan Yunlai exchanged toasts, calling each other brother, discussing how Yan Yunlai had secluded himself in the sect for years, refining pills and concocting medicines, indifferent to the outside world's splendor, and how admirable his temperament was, contributing so much to the sect—how rare.

Yan Yunlai was flattered and, unable to resist, drank a couple more cups, getting slightly tipsy.

"Brother Yan, you must keep the Array Token carefully. If lost, it would be troublesome," Gong Qing reminded him.

"I put it in my Storage Pouch... Oh no... I left it by the Pill Furnace..." Yan Yunlai slapped his forehead and said.

Gong Qing was speechless, thinking that even if it was just an emergency item, to be treated like this showed how careless this person was.

"Brother Yan, it's about the sect's safety. How can you be so negligent?" Gong Qing frowned and said.

"It's my oversight; I'll be sure to keep it safe," Yan Yunlai quickly said.

"Alas, Senior Brother is truly... Brother Yan, I think you should hand the Token to me. You should focus on alchemy daily, and we will handle the sect's matters," Gong Qing said.

"Then, I'll trouble you, Brother Gong!" Yan Yunlai said with visible joy, clasping his hands.

He didn't enjoy handling such matters anyway. As someone engaged in technical research, being tasked with security oversight never made sense.

"No trouble at all. Brother Yan, go get the Array Token. To prevent any mishaps, if a disciple stumbles upon it and activates it, alarming Senior Brother, it'd be quite bothersome," Gong Qing said. "Grab the Token, and then we'll continue drinking."

"Alright, alright. Brother Gong, wait here. I'll be right back...."

Yan Yunlai nodded and immediately turned back, using his body technique to return.

.....

"What kind of fruit is this?" Xi Meng said, her face flushed red.

Just now, Lin Qianxuan had given her a Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruit. After eating it, her qi and blood surged uncontrollably.

"Who told you to eat it all in one bite?" Lin Qianxuan chuckled.

"It's so hot, I can't take it. I need to go back." Xi Meng said anxiously.

With that, she hurriedly made her way towards the Pill Hall.

Bypassing the front hall, she headed straight to her teacher's Alchemy Room, recalling that her teacher had previously crafted an elixir to harmonize qi and blood.

"Where is it?"

She quickly searched through a shelf stacked with jade bottles.

Her qi and blood rushed to her brain, driving her almost to madness.

"Found it!"

She was about to open the pill bottle and swallow its contents.

Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of a token beside the pill furnace.

As she stepped forward to pick it up, a voice sounded from outside.

"Xi Meng, you're rummaging through my things again...."

Startled, Xi Meng's hand brushed against the protruding pattern on the pill furnace, accidentally cutting a finger. Her already surging qi and blood shot out as pure blood and splashed onto the token, which absorbed it quickly, thereafter healing her wound.

At this moment, Yan Yunlai also walked in.

Seeing Xi Meng holding the elixir with a face flushed as if she had been roasted, he sighed, "I'll talk to you later."

He then glanced around, found the array plate on the ground, picked it up, and left.

Xi Meng took a deep breath, opened the jade bottle, swallowed the elixir inside, and felt her internal qi and blood slightly calm down, finally allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

Yan Yunlai quickly returned and handed the token to Gong Qing.

After receiving the token, Gong Qing did not continue drinking with Yan Yunlai.

Once he confirmed the token's authenticity, he made an excuse and left.

.....

Outside the Feixia Sect.

Gong Qing, holding the token, met with a middle-aged man dressed in purple.

"Luo Yu Saint, your calculations are indeed astute. He greedily went to the place of the Fire Mushroom, and now he's wounded by the Flame Beast, leaving him with less than a tenth of his strength. The token is now in my possession. Next, all we need is for the Saint to subdue him, and the entire Feixia Sect will be ours," Gong Qing said with a bow to the middle-aged man.

Luo Yu paid no heed to Gong Qing's probing and merely spoke indifferently, "Rest assured, I am not interested in your Feixia Sect. I only seek the piece of 'Divine Blade' within the Wish-fulfilling Banner."

It can be said that summer insects cannot discuss ice.

The Feixia Sect's small territory neither has great mines nor qualifies as a superior cultivation ground. Even sparing it another glance felt disdainful to him.

A man who has been cultivating in the Cultivation Realm for almost three hundred years without a breakthrough—his potential nearly exhausted, yet still not advancing—how high could his ambitions be?

The Saint is certainly not his end goal.

If he could obtain that Divine Blade and comprehend the immortal realm within it, there might be a chance to break through to the level of Great Saint in the future and continue to forge ahead until reaching the immortal stage.

The Feixia Sect, oblivious to its treasure, merely considers that Divine Blade an unmatched sharp guard weapon of the sect—what a waste of a natural gift!

.....

Elsewhere, by the Spirit Lake.

Lin Qianxuan, thinking of the events about to unfold, couldn't help but feel delighted.

The token, now stained with the blood that Xi Meng had inadvertently activated, effectively acquired partial authority as if refined by blood. Gong Qing will have quite a show to manage afterward.

He chuckled softly, feeling both amusement and reflection.

Back when his cultivation was low, the Eyes of the Muddled Heaven, while seeming remarkable, didn't appear particularly powerful.

Now, it's a different story.

Countless lines of causality wove and displayed before his eyes; with just a gentle nudge, he could guide the world in the direction he desired.

Utilizing the ability of Spiritual Enlightenment to discern information, everything seemed to be under his control.

"More fish!"

With a flick of Lin Qianxuan's hand, another fish was hooked; his cultivation also took a significant leap, directly increasing by more than forty percent.

With an additional Sound Talisman, his chance of catching high-quality fish increased.

Lin Qianxuan thought that perhaps in another decade or two, he might try heading to the Celestial Court to weigh the true power of supremacy.

This time, possibly, without relying on the strategy of the String of Destiny, just casually fishing, he might clear it.

The speed of this advancement is indeed extraordinary.

"Lin Qianxuan." Ling'Er suddenly turned to Lin Qianxuan and said, "I'm hungry."

At this level, do they feel hunger?

At least Lin Qianxuan hadn't felt hunger for a long time.

Unless he wanted to feel "hungry."

"What do you want to eat?" Lin Qianxuan smiled.

"Anything but fish, or anything that looks like fish," Ling'Er said.

She clearly expressed her likes and dislikes.

Because over the years with Lin Qianxuan, she had tasted quite a lot of "fish."

Feeling the deepening human traits in Ling'Er, Lin Qianxuan couldn't help but nod with a smile, "Alright, let's have something else then."

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