The sect assembly held this time was unusually short.
It was so brief that Feng Chuyan, still in shock, had barely recovered before it was already over. This was in stark contrast to the long meetings of the past.
And what did this mean?
Because the Sect Leader and the ten Elders were all about to enter seclusion, Mo Xian had risen from being a mere Elder to temporarily acting as the Sect Leader?
The Miao Sect, one of the Four Great Sects of Beiqian Continent, had willingly submitted to become a subordinate force of the Xingyue Sect?
And what exactly was this Xingyue Sect?
Had anyone heard of it before? Was it one of the sects in Beiqian Continent?
Feng Chuyan stood there for quite some time, his mind still in disarray, before finally regaining some clarity.
So this was the "good news" that Mo Xian had been talking about earlier.
He was lucky he hadn't blurted out anything before. Otherwise, he might have found himself impaled by Elder Yu's sword by now.
Feeling a bit nervous, Feng Chuyan patted his chest in relief and quickly headed towards Mo Xian's residence.
After all, Mo Xian was now acting Sect Leader—he needed to make sure he stayed on good terms.
But there was still an odd, surreal feeling hanging over him.
It was as though he were walking on air.
At the back mountain, on the Transmission Platform, Gu Chenyuan patted Mo Xian's shoulder.
"Mo Elder, the Miao Sect is now in your hands."
"If any enemies come to attack, activate the Sect's grand formation and send word to me immediately."
"I believe with your ability, you'll be able to manage the Miao Sect without issue."
The other Elders nodded in agreement, praising Mo Xian to the heavens.
Mo Xian, overwhelmed with emotion, wiped away tears of gratitude. "Sect Leader, Elders, please rest assured. I, Mo Xian, will do my utmost to protect the Sect, even if it costs me my life."
So moved was he that he forgot to ask the important question he had been contemplating for the past two days: what made him so special?
What had allowed him to stand out among the many miscellaneous Elders?
"Alright, we're off now," Gu Chenyuan said, giving Mo Xian's shoulder another reassuring pat before stepping onto the Transmission Platform.
Mo Xian watched as Gu Chenyuan and the Elders boarded the platform, and he was left momentarily stunned.
Wasn't he supposed to be going into seclusion? Why were they taking the Transmission Platform?
And why were so many disciples following them?
His gaze sharpened as he realized that all the disciples were at least of the Seventh or Eighth Rank in spiritual roots.
"Sect Leader, you said you were going into seclusion. What are all these disciples for?" Mo Xian asked in confusion.
Gu Chenyuan replied calmly, "The place of seclusion isn't in the Miao Sect. These disciples, I am sending them for training."
With that, he activated the Transmission Formation.
In the blink of an eye, everyone disappeared before Mo Xian's eyes.
Mo Xian wasn't suspicious.
Gu Chenyuan had directly transmitted them to the foot of Wanjue Mountain.
Because the Xingyue Sect had set up a time-space array outside their gate, Gu Chenyuan had already contacted Xu Wen in advance.
When Xu Wen heard that Gu Chenyuan's group had arrived, he first went to seek the approval of Tara York.
At that moment, Tara York was busy reviewing the 99+ unread messages in her chat group from the previous night.
All three systems were working diligently, as always.
In her system warehouse, Emperor-grade items were as common as cabbages, while the Heaven, Earth, and Yellow-ranked four-tier items were as worthless as trash.
The First through Ninth-tier items were considered too insignificant to even appear in the warehouse.
They could only be rummaged through in the system's shopping mall for lower-ranked goods.
After hearing Xu Wen's report, Tara York flicked her wrist, and an ancient, dark golden small mirror appeared in front of him.
"This is the Heart-Mirror," she explained.
"Anyone who wishes to enter my sect must be assessed not only for their cultivation roots but also for their loyalty and character."
"Those who cannot pass the Heart-Mirror test will not be accepted."
Xu Wen took the mirror from her hands, and the moment he touched it, he felt the weight of it, an unexpected heaviness for something so small.
Trying to wield it with all his spiritual power, he struggled to maintain a kneeling position, as though the mirror were made of lead.
"Place a drop of your life-blood on the gem in the handle, and you will be able to control it," Tara York said casually.
"Yes, Sect Leader," Xu Wen quickly agreed, cutting his finger to draw a drop of his life-blood.
As soon as the blood touched the gem, the Heart-Mirror shone with radiant multicolored light. In the next instant, the light sank into Xu Wen's palm, where it became an extension of his will.
Only then did Xu Wen realize that this small mirror was actually a mid-tier Yellow-grade spiritual artifact, capable not only of revealing a person's heart and character but also of exposing their weaknesses.
It was essentially a cheat tool for combat.
He couldn't help but marvel at it internally, recalling how the Miao Sect's most prized treasure was only a low-tier Yellow-grade artifact, and it was still in a semi-sealed state.
He felt fortunate once again that his actions in Yong'an City had been so decisive.
It seemed he should thank Cao Ren for that, though Cao Ren had already passed on.
Perhaps he could burn a joss stick in his honor later.
"From now on, you will handle the screening of all Outer Sect Elders," Tara York instructed.
"Starting today, you are the Great Elder of the Outer Sect. You will manage all the Outer Sect Elders without fail."
"Yes, I won't let you down, Sect Leader," Xu Wen responded excitedly, bowing deeply.
Tara York gave him a warm smile and waved her hand. A gentle force helped Xu Wen back to his feet.
"Go ahead," she said. "I'll leave the disciples to Firefire and Wanwan."
With a quick flick of her wrist, Tara York transmitted a message, "Firefire, Wanwan, come to the Sect Leader's peak."
"Understood, Sect Leader," Xu Wen said, his voice respectful, before he took his leave.
Not long after, Xiao Huohuo and Jiang Wanwan arrived together.
Tara York handed them both a Heart-Mirror as well, explaining that in the future, Xiao Huohuo would be responsible for screening the elite disciples of the Outer Sect, while Jiang Wanwan would handle the regular disciples.
However, there were no elite disciples to be found this time.
Therefore, Tara York instructed Xiao Huohuo to choose one of the miscellaneous disciples to oversee the screening of their ranks in the future.
The two girls, excited and eager to fulfill their duties, pledged to not disappoint her and promptly left to complete their tasks.
Meanwhile, at the foot of Wanjue Mountain, Gu Chenyuan and the nine Elders had been waiting for quite some time.
A few of the disciples, growing increasingly impatient, began to grumble among themselves.
Although they had been given lengthy instructions the previous evening, they still hadn't witnessed anything firsthand.
In their minds, the Miao Sect was one of the Four Great Sects of Beiqian, and they had always been treated like distinguished guests wherever they went.
Yet here they were, left to stand at the foot of a mountain, while the Sect Leader and Elders were nowhere to be seen.
How could the Xingyue Sect be so arrogant?
Just as frustration began to mount, Xu Wen, Xiao Huohuo, and Jiang Wanwan descended from the mountain.
Gu Chenyuan and the Elders stood straight in an instant, their expressions filled with respect.
"The Sect Leader has entrusted me with the selection of the Outer Sect Elders," Xu Wen announced. "Those who are here to apply, please come with me."
Jiang Wanwan cleared her throat before adding, "I'm the Senior Sister for the regular disciples. All of the Eight Rank spiritual root disciples, follow me."
Xiao Huohuo led away a group of the Seven Rank disciples.
Xu Wen raised his hand, facing Gu Chenyuan. With a flick of his wrist, a soft light passed before Gu Chenyuan's eyes.
In that instant, Gu Chenyuan felt as if his most private secrets were being laid bare, his hidden vulnerabilities exposed.
The sensation only lasted a moment, however, and once Xu Wen's hand fell, the feeling vanished.
Xu Wen nodded with approval. "You passed. From now on, you are the Outer Sect's Second Elder."
Gu Chenyuan's heart surged with joy, and he clasped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you, Second Elder."
The other Elders also underwent the process without any problems, and soon Xu Wen had ranked them from Second Elder to Eleventh Elder based on their combat prowess.
Though he wasn't as strong as Gu Chenyuan, Xu Wen had arrived early, and more importantly, he was the Sect Leader's appointed Great Elder of the Outer Sect.
It felt so satisfying.