Chapter 222: The Sect Master Is a Legacy, and Even More, a Responsibility!
“Senior Brother, you didn’t come to find me just for this, did you?”
Looking at the disciples training diligently in the practice grounds, Zhang Yangqing spoke.
He was tall and straight-backed, one hand tucked behind him, with an indescribable light flowing around him.
His face, with its distinct angles, and the aura of both seasoned experience and unyielding dominance between his brows, gave a sense of profound depth earned by strength—a born leader’s bearing.
It was a presence no one else possessed or could imitate.
This was the very definition of a transcendent, immortal demeanor and a solitary, peerless air.
Though not old in years, he exuded a pressuring authority even without anger.
It naturally inspired reverence in the hearts of the disciples around him whenever they saw him.
It had to be said, he was increasingly embodying the bearing of a Sect Master.
He was also beginning to understand how his master must have felt watching them back in the day.
When he first entered the sect, Zhang Yangqing would see his master standing on this very rock by the practice grounds every day, supervising the disciples’ daily training.
But times had changed. His master was no longer here; it was him standing in this spot now, supervising the disciples’ daily cultivation.
And those disciples who once grumbled about hardship and exhaustion but gritted their teeth and persisted in their training had also become other people.
This gave Zhang Yangqing an inexplicable feeling, as if standing in this position wasn’t just him alone, but also all the previous Sect Masters who had hoped for Longhu Mountain’s growth and prosperity.
On the practice grounds, the battle between Xiao Xuan and Xu Xiu had reached a fever pitch. Being too familiar with each other’s techniques and moves, their fight had a feeling of countering move for move.
Xiao Xuan had a somewhat easygoing and goofy personality. He could sometimes be appropriately playful, joke around with his fellow disciples, and even complain when things got tough or tiring. Zhang Yangqing at his age probably should have been the same.
But he was the Sect Master, the pillar supporting this mountain gate, the backbone of Longhu Mountain. He had to maintain the dignity of the Sect Master.
This way, all the disciples would feel at ease seeing him, with a sense of belonging.
Because everyone relied on him, everyone trusted him.
If the disciples encountered trouble, they could immediately think of their Sect Master to turn to for help.
Every day when Zhang Yangqing woke up and opened his eyes, everyone around him needed to rely on him, while he had to shoulder any problems he faced alone, with no one to rely on himself.
Carrying everyone’s reliance and trust—this was Zhang Yangqing’s responsibility.
In such an ancient and traditional major sect, who would want to see their own leader acting like a child, smiling and joking all day long?
Moreover, as Zhang Yangqing’s abilities became more widely known, those who relied on him were no longer just this sect. Even other Daoist sects in Dragon Country, and indeed Dragon Country’s entire cultivation world, needed him.
This was also why, when he unleashed that powerful aura of his, it truly wasn’t something ordinary people could withstand.
And his perspective had shifted from that of a Daoist disciple to that of a sect leader.
So, seeing a disciple like Xiao Xuan who wasted his talent gave him a feeling of frustration, like watching iron refuse to become steel.
Back then, their master was older, more soft-hearted. When Xiao Xuan acted cute and begged for mercy, the master would let him off.
But at Zhang Yangqing’s age, full of energy—if he wasn’t slacking off, how dare you slack off in front of me? Train properly!
Although he spent a lot of time in the bizarre world recently, he was still very familiar with sect affairs.
At this time, Senior Brother Su Muyu should have been busy with other matters. Since he came here, there must be something he needed to discuss with Zhang Yangqing.
Hearing Zhang Yangqing’s question, Su Muyu handed over an invitation: “Have you forgotten? The quadrennial Daoist Conference is about to begin. You’ll need to attend.”
Zhang Yangqing took the invitation and felt a headache coming on just looking at it.
This Daoist Conference was to be held at Wudang Mountain, and the time was tomorrow.
In the old days, the hosts would have sent someone to deliver the invitation well in advance, and they would have needed to set out on foot to Wudang Mountain long before.
In this day and age, a flight overnight would get them there by tomorrow morning.
But to show respect, Wudang Mountain had still personally sent someone to deliver the invitation this time.
Zhang Yangqing felt he’d been outmaneuvered by his senior brother. If Su Muyu had told him earlier, he might have been able to linger a few extra days in the bizarre world.
That would have perfectly avoided the conference time, meaning he wouldn’t have had to go personally; Longhu Mountain could just send a representative.
Now, well, it just so happened he was available.
And the invitation said his attendance was requested.
It gave Zhang Yangqing the feeling that if he didn’t go, this Daoist Conference would just wait for him.
Whenever he arrived, that would be the day the conference was held.
What was most annoying was that there were still a few Chosen Ones in the bizarre world who hadn’t initiated settlement, still exploring around trying to increase their settlement score.
This left Zhang Yangqing with no chance to slip back in.
“Ah, alright then. The bizarre world won’t open for a while anyway. I’ll go tomorrow.”
Zhang Yangqing could only agree.
If it were an invitation from other organizations or other countries, Zhang Yangqing could make excuses or simply refuse.
But this was the traditional grand conference of Dragon Country’s Daoist sects. As the Sect Master of Longhu Mountain, unless there was something particularly pressing, he really should attend.
It was worth noting that the number of invitations and calling cards Su Muyu had received exceeded three hundred.
He had only selected one of the more important ones to give to Zhang Yangqing.
Based on his understanding of Zhang Yangqing, he knew his junior brother would be too lazy to attend most of them, so he didn’t even mention them.
Zhang Yangqing could just take a few disciples along; Su Muyu didn’t need to worry about those details. He had already completed his task by handing the invitation to Zhang Yangqing.
Since he needed to bring people, Zhang Yangqing’s gaze fell on Xiao Xuan.
This sent a chill down Xiao Xuan’s spine in the middle of his spar, causing him to be knocked down by Xu Xiu.
Soon, Xiao Xuan was called over.
“Sect Master, did you need me for something?”
To be honest, Xiao Xuan was still quite afraid of Zhang Yangqing; his feelings were a mix of respect and fear.
As many fellow disciples had noted, he had made significant progress lately, and his aura was becoming more steady.
He no longer had that “waiting to die after using one or two skill sets” look from before.
All of this was thanks to Zhang Yangqing’s personal guidance, because only a pinnacle expert like Zhang Yangqing knew how to teach a genius.
While other fellow disciples were envious, Xiao Xuan was also in considerable pain.
However, he never resented Zhang Yangqing. After all, since their master passed, he had been in a state of slacking off.
Having a senior brother who cared for him so diligently was actually somewhat comforting.
He didn’t feel isolated on Longhu Mountain either.
Most importantly, this senior brother’s ability was enough to earn his admiration.
Xiao Xuan had high talent and, naturally, a bit of pride.
If other fellow disciples tried to order him around, he might listen, but he wouldn’t necessarily comply.
There were actually very few people Xiao Xuan would obey, and Zhang Yangqing was one of them.
“We’re going to Wudang Mountain tomorrow for the Daoist Conference. You’ll accompany me. We’ll set out tonight.”
Zhang Yangqing’s tone wasn’t asking if he wanted to go.
It was telling him, “Kid, you’re coming with me tonight.”
“Alright, alright. Do I need to prepare anything? I’ll go pack right away.”
Xiao Xuan didn’t dare talk back. He had already offended Zhang Yangqing once earlier, so he was learning to be more careful now.
“Change your clothes. Going out like this would attract too much attention. And we need to book flight tickets.”
Zhang Yangqing planned to travel in casual clothes; otherwise, wherever he went would be surrounded by crowds.
Hearing they needed to catch a flight, Xiao Xuan asked, puzzled, “Sect Master, don’t you have the contact for the expert team? Couldn’t you just ask them to send a private jet?”
Given the expert team’s capabilities, wouldn’t that be a simple matter?
Moreover, Xiao Xuan knew that the expert team seemed more than willing to do things for Zhang Yangqing.
Many of them were even fans of Zhang Yangqing.
Zhang Yangqing gave him a look and said, “Those are public resources. How can we use them arbitrarily? Besides, if you bother them with such trivial matters, when they come to you for a favor later, you won’t be able to refuse easily.”
This time, Zhang Yangqing wasn’t harsh with Xiao Xuan, explaining some matters of social etiquette.
Zhang Yangqing simply felt that owing favors was troublesome. At his level, plenty of people wanted to ask him for help.
If he weren’t hiding in the bizarre world, people would be lining up daily at his door seeking favors, and invitations would be countless. There was no need to owe the expert team a favor over such a small matter.
After Zhang Yangqing patiently explained, Xiao Xuan naturally understood.
He had a feeling inside: ‘No wonder Master chose him to inherit the position of Sect Master.’
He also felt glad he hadn’t inherited the position himself, or he might have messed everything up.
Actually, he was overthinking it. The Old Master hadn’t been blind enough to consider him for the Sect Master position.
From the moment the Old Master stopped being strict with him and started doting on him, it could be understood that the Old Master had already ruled him out as a successor.
If the Old Master wanted to train a successor, he wouldn’t have indulged him like that.
“Alright, I’ll go get ready.”
The two discussed some details and went about their respective tasks.
At that moment, Xiao Xuan asked out of the blue, “Sect Master, do you know how to book flight tickets?”
He subconsciously thought of Zhang Yangqing as an old-fashioned type who might not even know how to use a simple mobile phone.
Back when their master was alive, he had taught the master how to shop online and such.
The identity of Sect Master gave Xiao Xuan a very ancient impression, hence the question.
Zhang Yangqing, only in his twenties, twitched at the corner of his mouth and said, “Are you asking for a beating?”
This time, Xiao Xuan ran off before Zhang Yangqing could get angry, avoiding a potential scolding.
After the noon lessons ended, in the afternoon, Zhang Yangqing still needed to make his rounds near the mountain gate.
Taking photos with tourists who came to pray and make offerings, interpreting divination sticks, fortune-telling, and so on.
Every time Zhang Yangqing appeared, it excited the tourists.
Of course, all of this was free.
As Zhang Yangqing’s fame grew, tourists from all over the world came to Longhu Mountain as a pilgrimage site.
This also spurred rapid economic development in the area. Even the shops around Longhu Mountain selling ritual paper items were thriving, making fortunes daily.
The surrounding restaurants and hotels were all fully booked, with no vacancies even months in advance.
Many businesses even enshrined statues of Zhang Yangqing in their shops, offering incense daily to thank Master Zhang for his blessings.
This left Zhang Yangqing speechless. ‘I’m not dead yet, what’s with the incense offerings?’
As the sun set in the west, tourists still streamed into Longhu Mountain.
At this time, a new shift of disciples was needed to help out at the front halls.
Thankfully, Longhu Mountain now had many disciples, or they’d be exhausted to death.
Zhang Yangqing’s daily work consisted of these tasks: supervising the disciples’ cultivation and receiving the arriving tourists.
As for the many large companies wanting Zhang Yangqing to endorse their products, or big businesses asking him to check their feng shui,
Zhang Yangqing refused them all outright. He didn’t have the time for that.
However, other disciples could take on feng shui jobs; after all, the disciples of Longhu Mountain also needed to make a living.
As for who was suitable for which jobs, that was Senior Brother Su Muyu’s responsibility.
After dinner today, during dusk,
two figures directly descended from the steep cliff on the side of Longhu Mountain, stepping on the precipitous rocks as if walking on flat ground, rapidly moving downward.
In less than ten seconds, they had run from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain.
This stunned nearby tourists who witnessed it.
“Did I just see two dark figures jump down?”
“No way, I didn’t see anything. Could Longhu Mountain be haunted?”
“Don’t joke around. Longhu Mountain, haunted? With Master Zhang’s abilities, any ghosts within an eight-hundred-mile radius would have fled without a trace long ago. I think it’s probably just the Daoist priests’ daily training. Don’t make a fuss.”
“You’re overthinking it. There aren’t enough ghosts around here for the Daoist priests to meet their quotas. They probably wish there were more hauntings.”
“The Daoist priests are always saying ‘believe in science,’ and then right after, they’re flying over walls and running on rooftops, with golden light and thunder techniques shaking the heavens and earth!”
“I think that might be ‘opening the dragon spine.’ I heard once you open the dragon spine, you become light as a swallow, capable of flying through the skies and burrowing into the earth!”
The tourists had various theories, and some even captured the moment on video, posting it online and attracting considerable attention.
After all, any topic related to Longhu Mountain naturally went viral.
Major news media outlets also reposted it, riding on Longhu Mountain’s wave of popularity.
Nowadays, even a dog passing by Longhu Mountain could make headlines.
Zhang Yangqing and Xiao Xuan headed towards the airport.
Along the way, Xiao Xuan was actually quite restrained. With just the two of them, he was afraid of upsetting Zhang Yangqing.
If Zhang Yangqing got unhappy, beating him up would be considered going easy on him.
Besides, there were no other fellow disciples here to intervene.
So, he carefully observed Zhang Yangqing’s every word and action, not missing a single detail.
His own behavior was also very proper and standard, not wanting to give Zhang Yangqing any excuse to find fault.
But after walking for a while, Xiao Xuan’s stereotypical impression of Zhang Yangqing began to change.
Zhang Yangqing, without his Sect Master robes, was very approachable. Both were geniuses, and their ages were similar, only their status and positions at Longhu Mountain differed.
Most importantly, when he accidentally made a mistake earlier, expecting a scolding, Zhang Yangqing not only didn’t scold him but asked if he was okay.
At this moment, Zhang Yangqing didn’t have the overwhelming dignified authority of the Sect Master. He was more like a caring older brother, showing him great consideration.
Xiao Xuan’s tense heart gradually relaxed.
Along the way, they ate together. Zhang Yangqing would proactively buy him tasty snacks from roadside stalls.
During casual conversation, they even exchanged some secrets about the bizarre world.
This made Xiao Xuan feel incredibly honored.
So the Sect Master does favor me. No wonder he called me and not the other fellow disciples.
Feeling this special treatment from Zhang Yangqing, a sense of superiority welled up inside Xiao Xuan.
This was exclusive treatment. Mentioning it would probably make the other fellow disciples jealous, right!
The Sect Master is telling me so much… could he be grooming me?
Thinking this, Xiao Xuan felt a small secret delight.
