Chapter 319: Treatment

The numerous rewards mentioned by Zong Wenxian instantly caused an uproar throughout the hall.

Forget the inner sect disciples and true disciples; even many Void-Piercing Realm elders couldn't help being envious.

"A mountain peak containing a level 12 array art, and the ability to hire three hundred staff members. Those three hundred people will also be supported by the sect, with their daily cultivation resources paid for. Among them, the chief steward’s treatment will even surpass that of a true disciple. The only difference is that he won't possess the same influence as a true disciple."

"Who says he wouldn't have influence? Even if he's just an attendant, the attendant of a powerful figure holds authority! As long as the young sect master is talented enough, and he can prove he has the potential to advance to the Void-Refining Realm within a thousand years, the influence of his chief steward will surely surpass that of a true disciple."

"Hall master of the battle lineage, commanding an elite hall! The battle lineage’s thirty-six halls are the Heavenly Dao Sect’s strongest force. Each hall is overseen by a Void-Piercing Realm elder, with between four and six Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals under them, as well as four hundred cultivators who are at least at the Radiant Sun Golden Core Realm. Each one is an astonishing force!"

"That doesn't even matter! The most important is the Adamant Mountain Range. That mountain range is jointly developed by the Taiyi Immortal Sect and us. The adamant and other materials extracted from it every year are worth five or six million Pure Yang Grand Pills. Even if Young Sect Master Yaoguang only takes fifty percent of the profit, that would still be an annual income of over one million Pure Yang Grand Pills!"

"The authority over the Third District of Heavenly Dao Southern City can't be underestimated either. Heavenly Dao Southern City has eight districts, each home to millions of cultivators. More importantly, these cultivators are not beggars. Each district is home to countless merchants, wealthy magnates, aristocratic families, and great families. Their yearly tributes alone likely amount to a million Pure Yang Grand Pills or more, and that's without considering the one hundred and eight shops. If they are managed well, they'll easily bring millions of Pure Yang Grand Pills in annual revenue!"

The inner sect disciples, the true disciples, and even the Void-Piercing Realm elders continued communicating through psychic thought.

In particular, the few disciples who had a full understanding of the sect’s major assets were shocked to discover that the assets the sect master had granted Yaoguang would be enough to bring him at least three million Pure Yang Grand Pills in yearly income.

This did not even include some hidden benefits.

Three million Pure Yang Grand Pills in a single year. Considering the lifespan of a Void-Piercing Realm elder, Yaoguang would earn at least thirty billion.

It would be enough to buy dozens of Dao Artifacts.

Of course, the numbers could not be calculated that way.

Earning five thousand a month did not mean one could save sixty thousand a year, then pay for a house in full after five years.

A young sect master’s treatment was usually comparable to that of the deputy sect master. He simply lacked the authority of a deputy sect master.

But he'd have to reach the Void-Refining Realm within a thousand years in order to maintain this treatment.

If he failed to break through within a thousand years, he would lose his status as a young sect master with limitless potential and become an ordinary elder; his treatment would correspondingly decline.

Of course, although his treatment would decline, as a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator of a major sect, his true income would include more than just the profits distributed by the sect.

It was just like the difference between a salary and someone's actual income. As long as they were not free from all desire, every Void-Piercing Realm elder could easily achieve an annual income of one million Pure Yang Grand Pills.

Zong Wenxian and the others continued speaking with Yaoguang for a while, also discussing whether to hold a grand banquet to celebrate his breakthrough to the Void-Piercing Realm.

Every Void-Piercing Realm cultivator had status equal to that of a member of the sect’s higher-ups.

Even in a top sect like the Heavenly Dao Sect, there were no more than a few hundred Void-Piercing Realm cultivators.

Gaining one more powerful expert on that level was naturally worthy of celebration.

However, Yaoguang had no intention of keeping such a high profile. In his view, the Void-Piercing Realm was still somewhat lacking.

A grand celebration would only be fitting after he became a Dao Lord.

Zong Wenxian and the others did not insist.

Granting him all sorts of treatment was Zong Wenxian’s way of expressing his attitude, in hopes of easing his relationship with Yaoguang. But it was also a choice made out of helplessness.

The higher-ups still had to carefully discuss how to deal with the new variable that Yaoguang was, especially when the shadow of the Penglai Dao Lord clearly loomed behind him.

After arranging a residential peak for Yaoguang at once, the sect’s higher-ups left one after another.

Although the high-level figures, such as the sect master and lineage leaders, had left, quite a few elders came over to greet him. No matter what, it was best to at least become familiar.

As for the true disciples... Ling Xi expressed sufficient goodwill. Zhang Qin appeared even more enthusiastic. The two of them took the initiative to lead Yaoguang toward the mountain peak arranged by the sect.

Soon, the three of them arrived at a cluster of peaks, consisting of one main peak and thirty-two secondary peaks. The peaks were separated by over fifty kilometers, and each one towered into the clouds. The larger ones were over a hundred thousand meters tall, and their summits spanned dozens of kilometers. Even the smaller ones reached tens of thousands of meters in height.

Every peak was filled with a large number of buildings, including palaces and pavilions, too many to count.

There were also countless flying birds and cultivators shuttling among them.

All of these were the peak master's private property.

"The young sect master enjoys a treatment similar to that of a deputy sect master, so the peak is also comparable to the residence of a deputy sect master. A deputy sect master’s cave dwelling often spans five hundred kilometers. Young Sect Master Yaoguang’s cave dwelling is the same. These thirty-three peaks stretch four hundred and seventy kilometers from north to south and five hundred and ten kilometers from east to west." Zhang Qin shared some details with Yaoguang, feeling slightly envious.

True disciples like him also enjoyed peak-master-level treatment, but compared to Yaoguang's peaks, the area their domains occupied was only one-tenth as large.

"The young sect master, deputy sect master, and sect master form one line of succession; the elder, peak master, and supreme elder form another. Although they are separate tracks, the first three are primary positions while the latter three are supplementary—and we true disciples fall under the latter. To reflect that distinction, primary over secondary, superior over inferior — the young sect master's cave dwelling naturally has to be a cut above ours," Ling Xi said.

Then she smiled. "Besides, compared to true disciples, who can only employ sixty servants, the young sect master’s quota has been raised directly to three hundred. Among them, the chief steward can receive thirty thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills from the sect every year, while the stewards under him will earn between three thousand and five thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills. That's already much higher than the income of many small local sects."

When Yaoguang heard this, he couldn't help but think that they were still underestimating how that compared to the income of the weaker sects.

The forces in the Yunchuan Mountains that only had Blazing White Golden Core cultivators presiding over them could at most earn a few hundred Pure Yang Grand Pills in a year. They could not even compare to a steward.

This was the difference between the great sects of the North Sea Star and the smaller powers.

The great sects ate ninety percent of the profits, while the small sects shared less than ten percent. Even then, they lived in constant danger, never knowing which day they might be wiped out.

"Young Sect Master Yaoguang, you have a special physique, and there is a high chance you will reach the Void-Refining Realm within a thousand years. I imagine you will be living on this mountain peak for a very long time to come, so please give this mountain peak a name. I believe it will not be long before this name resounds throughout the entire Heavenly Dao Sect, and perhaps even throughout the whole North Sea Star in the future." Ling Xi suggested with a smile.

"A name..." Yaoguang looked at this mountain range stretching over five hundred kilometers. Without much thought, he said directly, "Let’s call it Nine Cauldrons Peak."

"One word worth the nine cauldrons, dominating the world... A good name. From the name alone, we can see your noble character," Zhang Qin praised with a smile from the side.[1]

Yaoguang did not explain. He simply descended toward the main peak.

On the main peak, the chief steward, who had received the news in advance, was already waiting there with his people.

When they saw Yaoguang and the others descend, the group stepped forward to meet them. "Welcome home, Young Sect Master."

The sect arranged for some people to handle the daily maintenance of every mountain peak.

Of course, if the young sect master wanted to replace them with his own people, he could arrange it freely. He only needed to inform the person in charge of registration.

"Everything on the mountain peak will operate as usual," Yaoguang said.

As a young sect master, he already had considerable authority in the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Every top faction cultivated true disciples as future Void-Refining Realm peak masters, but a young sect master was already a Void-Refining Realm expert.

Such a person already had considerable weight within the sect. However, he knew his own situation best.

He had become a true disciple thanks to the rules written in the Great Dao Golden Book, and then took advantage of the same rules to become the young sect master directly. To the higher-ups of the Heavenly Dao Sect, he was an outsider who had suddenly appeared in their midst, as if falling out of the sky.

Not to mention, he had been personally sent to the Heavenly Dao Sect by the Penglai Dao Lord, which inevitably made the sect's higher-ups suspect that the Penglai Dao Lord intended to use him to scheme against the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Under such circumstances, with neither side truly understanding the other, there would inevitably be friction and probing for some time to come.

Yaoguang needed to know these people’s attitudes, and they likewise wanted to know his.

If he behaved obediently, both sides could still remain at peace.

But if he started stirring up trouble the moment he arrived, then in order to ensure their interests were not harmed by his presence, the Heavenly Dao Sect’s circles might even use the Penglai Dao Lord as an excuse to exclude him.

Unlimited talent? When their own interests were involved, who cared whether he could become a top powerhouse in the future? They would kick him as far away as possible.

In the mortal world, those in power could reject talented people for the sake of preserving their official positions. And in the North Sea Star, cultivators valued their own interests even more and were even more selfish. Their behavior would only be worse.

Therefore, before he stabilized the situation and found a balance with most of the Heavenly Dao Sect’s factions, he did not plan to drag the people of the Nine Cauldrons Sect into the Heavenly Dao Sect’s power struggles.

Yaoguang landed on the main peak, but before he entered the main hall, two streaks of light appeared on the horizon, quickly flying toward them.

"It is Wan Qianshan, an elder of the immortal lineage’s Law Enforcement Hall, and Chi Yu, an elder of the Chi family." Zhang Qin, who was very familiar with the sect’s elders, immediately spoke.

As soon as they arrived, they offered a fist-and-palm salute toward Yaoguang. "Sorry to disturb you, Young Sect Master Yaoguang."

The first to speak was Wan Qianshan, an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall. "Hou Feng once claimed that Young Sect Master Yaoguang killed the true disciple Xuan Shuang. We just reviewed the evidence and concluded that there must have been a misunderstanding. We fear Elder Tu Shan’s Myriad Immortals Luopan made an error."

He said in a righteous tone, "The Law Enforcement Hall’s warrant for you has already been revoked. In addition, the sect will investigate and hold everyone who handled this matter accountable. Among them, Elder Hou Feng was not thorough in his investigation and falsely reported you as the culprit. Once he returns to the sect, the immortal lineage will certainly punish him."

1. "One word worth the nine cauldrons, dominating the world" is an ancient Chinese saying. The nine cauldrons represented absolute authority and dominion in ancient China. "One word worth the nine cauldrons" means that someone's words carry a lot of weight and importance. ☜