After admiring the name she had chosen for a while, Yun Jin finally stepped into the hall.
This Palace of Sole Sovereignty Over the Four Seas and Eight Desolations was divided into three areas.
One was her resting chamber.
One was her cultivation chamber.
And one was her audience chamber.
The structure was simple, but each area carried extraordinary effects.
The resting chamber came with tranquility and clarity of mind far stronger than what the disciple dormitories could offer.
The cultivation chamber was even more shocking.
The spiritual energy inside was a hundred times denser than the outside world, and it was enhanced with an effect that greatly boosted comprehension.
What intrigued Yun Jin the most was that the cultivation chamber even contained a Simulation Platform. Upon entering, she could set an opponent for herself and engage in battle with them.
For example—
She could set it to summon an outer-realm Devourer Demon at the peak of Mahayana who mastered the Devouring, essentially allowing her to spar against the Devourer Demon God itself.
Of course, the true Devourer Demon God likely commanded more than just the Primordial Devouring. Still, this Simulation Platform would allow her to clearly gauge the gap between herself and such enemies.
The last was the audience chamber.
At the current level, her Sect Master's Residence allowed her to summon up to ten disciples each day for guidance. Those she enlightened would temporarily gain a boost to comprehension.
Beyond this, the residence carried three special functions.
First: within this place, she was absolutely invincible.
Even Lin Xiao stepping into here could only be at her mercy.
Second: all skills with limited uses gained double capacity while she remained inside.
Third: for each day this building existed, the loyalty of every Wushuang Sect disciple toward Yun Jin would increase.
The first point might not be too practical—after all, Lin Xiao would not be foolish enough to walk straight into her lair.
But the third point was fascinating. The very existence of this residence worked like a passive boost to her prestige. Even if she did nothing, the sect's disciples would grow more and more loyal with each passing day, an immense aid in maintaining control over the sect.
And the second point was equally powerful. It meant her Insight Eye could now be used on twenty disciples daily. She could check ten disciples outside the residence, then summon another ten inside and continue examining their Luck.
Truly, the Sect Master's Residence was as extraordinary as the trial tower.
And this was only a first-level residence. It could still be upgraded. But upgrading to level two required a staggering five hundred million Emotional Value, which Yun Jin found hard to part with just yet.
The trial tower was the same—it too remained only at level one.
Upgrading that was even more terrifying. It demanded a full fifty billion Emotional Value!
Yun Jin pulled up her system panel.
Last time, the events in the capital had caused ripples far and wide, earning her over thirty billion Emotional Value.
And that was with most of the affected being mortals, whose contributions were naturally limited. If it had been cultivators in the millions, she could have retired on the spot.
Much of that Emotional Value had already been spent during battles.
The largest portion later had gone into upgrading the disciple dormitories. She had upgraded them twice, spending half her reserves in one go. But strengthening the disciples so rapidly had been worth every point. Yun Jin had no regrets.
Now, she still had sixteen billion Emotional Value left.
She decided to save it up, aiming to upgrade the trial tower. Among the three great buildings, the tower was by far the most powerful. Yun Jin had a strong premonition: each upgrade would bring about earth-shaking changes. The tower could very well be the key to one day defeating the outer-realm demons.
So, despite the seemingly vast reserves, she needed to keep saving.
This last windfall had come from saving millions of commonfolk, and its effects had rippled across the entire Canglan Kingdom. If she wanted another surge on this scale, she would need to extend her influence beyond Canglan's borders.
One day, if Wushuang Sect replaced Qingxiao Pavilion and ascended as a new Holy Land, then everyone in the region who thought of her would generate Emotional Value for her.
That would be a true iron rice bowl.
For now, Yun Jin grew curious and decided to test the disciple summoning function.
Ten slots remained.
She silently recited Lin Ya's name, picturing his face in her mind.
At that very moment, Lin Ya was boasting to others. Suddenly, he vanished from where he stood.
The crowd was stunned.
What just happened?
Where did Lin Ya go?
Could an enemy have infiltrated the sect?
No, impossible.
Wushuang Sect was within a secret realm. No one could break in without permission. The only one capable of such a miracle was clearly their unfathomable Sect Master.
They all lifted their gazes toward the majestic Palace of Sole Sovereignty Over the Four Seas and Eight Desolations, eyes shining with reverence.
Lin Ya, halfway through his drink, found the scene around him abruptly changing.
He stared at Yun Jin in confusion.
"??? Xiao Jin? What is going on here!"
Yun Jin chuckled. "Nothing serious, Master. I was just testing a new function. Have you faced any difficulties in cultivation lately? Tell me, and I'll see if I can help."
Lin Ya looked embarrassed.
A few months ago, Yun Jin had been a mortal, and he had been worrying about how to protect her and the others with his life.
Now things had flipped entirely.
Yun Jin could chase Mahayana cultivators across the battlefield, while he, her so-called master, could be flicked away with a finger.
To have her guiding him now was awkward, to say the least.
But only for a moment.
This was the cultivation world. Disciples surpassing masters was common, and disciples supporting their masters was not unheard of. There was nothing to agonize over.
He pondered, then admitted, "Lately, I've struggled with my sword path. I've specialized in the Spirit-Transforming Sword Art, a high-grade Mystic-rank technique, but I've hit a wall. No matter how I push, there's no progress."
As he spoke, his frustration was plain.
To Yun Jin's surprise, his words appeared directly on her system interface, with two extra characters beside them: [Enlighten].
She clicked.
In the next instant, Lin Ya's expression shifted. His eyes lit up.
"I see it now. This sword art clashes with my temperament. Forcing it will only slow me down. I should devote myself to a single sword art. Fortunately, as a Unity stage disciple, I can freely claim one Earth-rank manual from the library. I already know what I should be searching for."
He had always suspected the mismatch, but back in Tianxing Sect there had been only a handful of manuals to choose from. He had no choice but to persist. After so many years, abandoning it outright had been too bitter.
But after this enlightenment, all hesitation melted away. He suddenly had a clear path forward, and no doubts remained.
Yun Jin marveled at the effect.
The enlightenment boost would last several days. Over the next stretch, Lin Ya's sword progress would soar.
This function was terrifyingly powerful.
Lin Ya, now eager to seek his new sword art, was about to excuse himself when Yun Jin grinned. "Master, wait. With Tianxing Sect disciples having taken the trials, only forty passed. The rest have already returned. Senior Yin Jun and the others are focused on cultivation and won't be returning soon. As for you—do you plan to stay here, or return to Tianxing Sect to oversee things?"
The question made Lin Ya pause. Then his expression turned serious.
"Of course I'll return. For now, Wushuang Sect's reputation beyond Canglan Kingdom is still limited. As its affiliated sect, Tianxing Sect attracts little attention. But with your miracles and the sect's rapid growth, things will change. By the next recruitment, talents from across the land will flock here. Tianxing Sect will be the first filter for those candidates. Someone must hold the reins."
He fell silent for a moment, then added, "Besides, I owe my old master a great debt. Now that Tianxing Sect has such an opportunity, I want to build it into a true power. That way, I won't have betrayed his kindness."
Lin Ya saw things clearly now.
Yun Jin was aiming for Holy Land status, for Qingxiao Pavilion's throne.
Once, he had thought her dreams childish. But after witnessing miracle upon miracle, he knew it might well come true.
When Wushuang Sect rose to a Holy Land, could Tianxing Sect not become a super-sect?
And when that happened, Lin Ya would be remembered as one of its great architects. His master in the afterlife would surely be proud.