Chapter 252: CH. 252 | Yuntian Reform

After handing over the house and business to Wei Hutong, Lin Tian and An Yue said their goodbyes.

They stepped outside and bid farewell to Wei Hutong and his girlfriend, both of them thanking the young man for everything he’d done to help run the blacksmith business over the past year.

They felt confident that, with the knowledge and experience Lin Tian had passed on to him, Wei Hutong would be able to keep the business running smoothly without any trouble.

"Take care of yourself, Master Immortal Lin."

Lin Tian nodded, then took An Yue’s hand and flew off, leaving Xiayu Village behind as they headed back toward the Lingxian Sect.

Wei Hutong and his girlfriend stayed outside, their eyes following Lin Tian’s departure until he disappeared into the distance.

Even as they flew, carrying Lin Dong along with them, the baby didn’t cry once. He stayed nestled warmly in An Yue’s arms, undisturbed by the rush of wind around them.

Lin Tian glanced over occasionally, checking on Lin Dong’s condition. An Yue reassured him each time that everything was fine, no sign of the baby crying or fussing at all.

He nodded, pleased to see Lin Dong so content. He and An Yue continued flying, drawing closer and closer to the Lingxian Sect, its grand structure already visible far in the distance.

A few outer disciples standing guard outside the sect spotted their approach. In an instant, they recognized exactly who was arriving.

It wasn’t just the outer disciples either, inner disciples training in the front courtyard turned as well the moment they sensed the powerful qi aura approaching from outside the sect.

They paused their cultivation and turned to look, catching sight of a familiar figure arriving alongside a woman.

"T-That’s... Sect Master Lin Tian!"

"Sect Master Lin Tian has returned, and he’s come back with Elder An Yue."

Word of Lin Tian and An Yue’s arrival spread like wildfire through every corner of the sect.

Disciples cultivating elsewhere in the grounds came rushing over. Those training up at the hall peaks made their way down as well.

Lin Tian and An Yue landed in the front courtyard, greeting everyone warmly with smiles and waves.

"Look, isn’t that a baby?"

"Aww, he’s so cute, I want to hold him."

"Is that Lin Tian Junior? Seems like the Lingxian Sect is finally getting a young master."

News of Lin Tian’s return reached Wu Yue, and he immediately left the main hall to greet them. He arrived in the front courtyard and bowed respectfully to Lin Tian.

"Welcome back, Sect Master Lin Tian," Wu Yue said.

"Thank you," Lin Tian greeted him.

Ya Fei and the others arrived in the courtyard as well, rushing straight over to An Yue. They looked positively delighted, thrilled that An Yue’s child had, in a sense, made them all aunts.

"What’s his name, Senior Sister An Yue?" Ya Fei asked.

"Lin Dong," An Yue answered, smiling.

"Wow, that’s a wonderful name, it really sounds strong," Yun Yun added.

Lin Tian turned and asked them to stay close to An Yue, making sure she had everything she needed.

They agreed readily and led An Yue off toward her hall, while Lin Tian and Wu Yue headed into the sect’s main building.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Lin Tian asked.

"More or less," Wu Yue answered. "We managed to select deputy hall masters for every hall."

"That’s good," Lin Tian said.

They arrived at the main hall, where Lin Tian returned to his altar to sit down and cultivate. Wu Yue began filling him in on other matters, unrelated to the sect’s internal affairs.

"There’s also the matter of the Yuntian Sect," Wu Yue said.

"What about them?"

"After Yuntian Sect members secured key positions within the Qin Kingdom’s government, they’ve started pushing for sweeping reforms across every sect," Wu Yue explained.

"Any sect that fails to maintain at least 7,000 registered disciples by year’s end will be required to surrender itself to a larger sect."

"Given that, many sects have started opening recruitment for new disciples, even accepting people with no spiritual energy at all, just to boost their numbers."

Lin Tian fell silent for a moment, letting out a short breath as he realized just how complicated the situation had become.

He tried to recall exactly how many disciples their own sect currently had.

"Right now, the Lingxian Sect has 9,560 registered disciples."

"That means the reforms the Yuntian Sect is pushing won’t have any real impact on us," Lin Tian said.

He rose to his feet, hands clasped behind his back, and walked toward the side door to gaze out at the fish pond.

Lin Tian felt certain that whatever plan the Yuntian Sect had put forward wasn’t some careless scheme, especially considering how badly their disciple numbers had suffered after the Yuanmo Sect disaster.

So it could reasonably be said that what the Yuntian Sect was doing wasn’t simply about efficiency, it was really about absorbing new disciples from sects forced to comply with their so-called reforms.

"Have the other sect leaders already met to discuss this?" Lin Tian asked.

"Several sect leaders are planning to meet with the Qin Emperor to address it. But they’re waiting on your approval first."

"Even Sect Master Li Qingxue has responded the same way," Wu Yue added.

Lin Tian fell silent for a moment. At first, he hadn’t wanted to get any further involved in matters like this, especially anything tied to the Qin Kingdom, which he considered strictly the business of mortals.

But this decision, driven by the Yuntian Sect’s growing influence over the kingdom, had gone too far.

If he didn’t act soon, he worried the entire Qin Kingdom might end up falling under Yuntian Sect’s control.

"Right now, the Yuntian Sect is admittedly at its weakest point. But they still have protection, namely the Qin Emperor himself."

"Open rebellion isn’t the ideal path forward right now, especially given the state the mortal population is currently in."

Lin Tian turned around, fixing Wu Yue with a firm, resolute gaze. "Call the sect leaders located near the Northern Wasteland region. Invite them to the Lingxian Sect."

"Let me be the one to calm them down. I hope there won’t be an open rebellion."

Wu Yue clasped his hands together and bowed his head obediently. "Understood. I’ll pass the message along."