Qian Guran was in the newly arranged Vice President's office, receiving two elders from the Magic Sect, one being Wan Zhongle, and the other Tier Five Sorcerer Yu Shangzhen from the Heart Plate Sect.

The organizational structure of the Magic Sect in recent years is even more scattered than He Kao imagined, not only due to the evolution of historical inheritance, but also because of the latest changes in the era.

Thousands of disciples are distributed across the country and even worldwide, and communication and supervision are still conducted in the traditional manner, known as the "Direct Branch Master" system.

The so-called Direct Branch Master refers to using direct lineage as the thread, such as disciples taught by the same master, and their disciples and grand-disciples, all belonging to this branch, with the master being the Branch Master.

If the master is gone, then the senior disciple becomes the Branch Master, if he is gone, then the second senior disciple, and so on...

This forms a large tree-like branching structure, with branch masters for each sub-division. The Branch Master's responsibility is to convey orders from the Magic Sect and the Ancestral Hall, and oversee the conduct of disciples in this branch.

Every twenty years, each Magic Sect will adjust the disciples' registry, reconfirming the branch masters. In case of sudden changes, theoretically it should be promptly reported to the Magic Sect for registration and adjustment.

The advantage of this form is that theoretically, one can always find a responsible person to relay orders. But if this responsible person has a problem, the disciples he oversees might be temporarily affected.

For instance, Qian Guran's branch was theoretically originally headed by Gu Yunteng. If Gu Yunteng were still alive, could these two men have handled this?

After Gu Yunteng passed away, Qian Guran was shocked to discover that he had become the Branch Master of this subdivision. Among the disciples he supervises, aside from Yao Shaolan, there are five other Sorcerers.

But Old Qian was always a Lone Wanderer, seldom communicating with peers, seldom participating in Magic Sect affairs, let alone managing and supervising Magic Sect disciples.

He was not familiar with the five Sorcerers at all, having never even met three of them.

The so-called Lone Wanderer, also known as Carefree Wanderer, is a nickname created within the Magic Sect to describe situations like Qian Guran's, where one rarely has contact with peers and floats around independently.

There is also an objective situation that cannot be avoided, where a Branch Master may not have the highest cultivation among the Sorcerers in the branch.

Yet a Sorcerer's cultivation naturally represents his ability and his status and responsibilities within the Magic Sect. Can a Tier Two Broker manage a Tier Five Pity the Good? Probably not even aware of what the other is doing.

Fortunately, with the advancement of the era, communication has become increasingly easier, everyone can readily form a group. Thus, the Magic Sect has been attempting to reform the organizational management style recently.

For example, establishing dedicated supervisory institutions, directly transmitting orders from each Magic Sect and the Ancestral Hall to each disciple, and vertically overseeing each disciple's conduct.

Gradually transitioning organizational structure towards regional division, grouping individuals from certain areas, managing them in layers, with no more than three levels, striving for flatness, replacing the traditional branching system.

Resistance certainly exists, because no matter how it is changed, the core of the Magic Sect remains the inheritance of techniques, with the tightest bonds maintained through the master-disciple and peer relationship.

Masters impart techniques to disciples, while also being responsible for their behavior.

Thus, the Ancestral Hall's plan is to integrate these, preserving the traditional Direct Lineage Control System, with the two systems running parallel, complementing each other.

This time the Ancestral Hall ordered a comprehensive "disciple status census", clearly determined to implement it, unable to procrastinate like in previous years, needing a swift and decisive approach.

All missing disciples are temporarily expelled, indicating the determination of the Ancestral Hall and the higher-ups of each Magic Sect.

A month has passed, and among the registered disciples of each Magic Sect, totaling four thousand eight hundred seventy-nine, eighty-six are confirmed deceased, but the Ancestral Hall had not timely grasped the situation.

This time supplementary recordings were done, and adjustments were made to branch master positions accordingly.

More importantly, a total of one hundred twenty-two disciples are missing, which is an excessive number!

They couldn't have all been eliminated by Huang Xiaopang and He Kao; that night they only managed to deal with ten or so Sorcerers, the rest have each their own reasons.

For instance, some went abroad, changed lifestyle, even gradually altered their views and values, seeing inheritance supervision as a constraint, gradually severing ties.

Others might be engaged in something less visible, or even committed offenses, thus choosing to hide their identities completely, naturally becoming unreachable.

Some indeed have legitimate reasons, like undergoing training in the wild, entering seclusion, or executing secret tasks, leading to temporary disconnection.

When the Ancestral Hall's order first came out, there were hundreds of disciples without contact, but most gradually had their whereabouts confirmed, and re-established contact with their branch masters.

Now, the temporary expulsion list only has one hundred twenty-two names left.

So according to regulations, they will be treated as expelled, if someday any of them emerges, reevaluation will determine if their disciple status is restored.

Among these one hundred twenty-two individuals is Yu Honglian, the son of Yu Shangzhen.

In detailed discussion, Yu Shangzhen was previously a staunch reformist, firmly supporting the Magic Sect's reform proposals led by Earth Master Gu Chun.

He also believed that the current state of the Magic Sect no longer adapted to the times, and that management needed adjustments and strengthening.

Yu Shangzhen greatly disliked the conduct of many disciples in the Magic Sect, believing they lacked respect for tradition, insufficient reverence for techniques and eminent figures in the sect, and were too wanton in their actions.

A significant reason is his discontent with his own son, thinking that Yu Honglian is careless in his deeds, often flaunting his techniques without considering the consequences.

An individual is largely influenced by the surrounding environment, and with the current poor atmosphere of the Magic Sect, Yu Honglian might also be led astray by those undisciplined disciples... hence the sect must be rectified!

When the latest order from the Ancestral Hall was released, Yu Shangzhen was elated and loudly advocated, believing his propositions had gained recognition from the Ancestral Hall, finally seizing the discourse authority in the upper echelons of the Magic Sect.

But he was soon dumbfounded, for his son Yu Honglian was not just simply being led astray; he had indeed gone missing!

Actually, Yu Shangzhen had previously guessed that his son had gone to Qi Yuan, because Earth Master Gu Chun had issued orders forbidding all Tier Four and above sorcerers from venturing into Qi Yuan or participating in Hidden Moth matters.

Upon getting this information, he briefly mentioned it to his son, then Yu Honglian vanished without even a goodbye.

Initially, Yu Shangzhen did not worry too much. In his view, since Tier Four and above sorcerers could not go to Qi Yuan, Yu Honglian's cultivation as a Tier Three Traveler was enough for self-protection.

Magic Sect disciples of the Heart Plate Sect: Tier One is called Harvester, Tier Two is Knight, Tier Three is Traveler. Within the Seven Great Magic Sects, they are most adept at combat, tracking, concealment, and finding various clues.

Even if Yu Honglian encountered sorcerers of high cultivation, having his father as support, they'd somewhat show face. Competing for opportunity, relying on one's skills, as long as there's no result, no one would go as far as to kill.

Yu Shangzhen didn't truly believe Yu Honglian could obtain the Hidden Moth object, as he clearly knew that if it were truly seizable, it should've been taken by experts over a thousand years ago. How could it wait for Yu Honglian?

But he couldn't say these things. Even if advised, Yu Honglian wouldn't listen. Young people armed with unique skills often feel they're invincible; there's a saying: "A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers."

This time, letting Yu Honglian suffer a loss might be beneficial, at least to learn a lesson... but Yu Shangzhen never expected the lesson would be so severe, rendering his son's loss altogether.

In truth, Yu Honglian wasn't killed by Huang Xiaopang, but by He Kao personally. On that day, He Kao killed three people; the last one was hiding behind a tree while chasing Huang Xiaopang, struck by He Kao's sideways shot, and it was Yu Honglian.

At that time, Yu Honglian was continually locking his Divine Sense onto Huang Xiaopang. If not taken out, Xiaopang would truly be in danger.

During the fierce battle at the amusement park that night, He Kao couldn't possibly ask the other party's name. Besides Zhao Hai Zhen and Peng Xian, the other sorcerers were all unidentified strangers.

Yu Honglian's misfortune was self-inflicted, everyone recognized that those people had died by the Hidden Moth's hand, just lacking evidence. However, the Ancestral Hall did not investigate, instead sternly rebuked such behavior and extended an invitation to the Hidden Moth.

It is precisely because of the disciples' conduct in the Magic Sect that substantiated the Ancestral Hall's correctness and necessity in rectifying and reforming the sect.

Yu Shangzhen, though a staunch reformist before, couldn't accept his son becoming one of the disappeared in the Qi Yuan incident, his attitude drastically changed overnight, unexpectedly echoing "fellow sufferer" Wan Zhongle.

Wan Zhongle is decidedly a conservative, originally opposed to the Ancestral Hall's reforms, now only accepting and supporting under pressure from circumstances, yet personally unwilling to let Hidden Moth off privately.

All the clues now were broken, or the only possible lead lay with Qian Guran.

Wan Zhongle came leaning on a crutch, having had a leg broken by Wild Phoenix, suffering the sealed punishment, his wounds weren't fully healed. By his side, Yu Shangzhen's face was sullen.

Unexpectedly, Qian Guran was receiving them in his office, greatly displeasing Yu Shangzhen. As this occasion not only carries an official tone, but also conveys the meaning of dominating the field.

Yu Shangzhen is at least a notable expert of the Heart Plate Sect, a Tier Five Jianghu person. Wan Zhongle similarly is a Tier Five Taster of the Alchemy Sect, and both are elders to Qian Guran.

By unwritten norms, Qian Guran should receive them in his residence. If the residence is inconvenient, a sufficiently high-grade environment must be found, adopting a humble gesture.

Don't the sorcerers of the Qi Observation Sect understand these protocols? It's obviously intentional!

Qian Guran intentionally acted so, knowing well that no matter how humble a stance he takes, it wouldn't change the facts nor dismiss these two's intention to demand accountability. Therefore, he'd rather speak in the office.

Considering the visitors are esteemed elders of the Magic Sect, with one having mobility difficulties, Qian Guran was still courteous, specially having Yao Shaolan bring them over, and Lawyer Yao accompany them.

Though intentionally hosting in the office, upon meeting, Qian Guran still exuded a full-face of geniality, extremely courteous, greeting them at the elevator, extending a hand to help Wan Zhongle to his office, inviting everyone to sit and personally brewing tea.

When Old Qian sat, he only perched half a seat, leaning forward saying: "Dear masters, my health is truly alright! Just woke up, yet you traveled far to visit, making this junior highly embarrassed!"

**

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