Translator: CinderTL
Qin Manyang's eyes flickered. Xu Sanyan...
Was it the same Xu Sanyan she knew?
Or just a coincidence?
No, no, no.
Qin Manyang shook her head inwardly. It wasn't like his name was Zhang Wei—there couldn't be that many people with the same name.
This Xu Sanyan had to be the same person she knew!
But hadn't he been trapped on Great Solitary Mountain? Had he escaped?
No one had ever returned alive from Great Solitary Mountain. How had he managed to escape?
And how had he joined the Holy Sect and become a Holy Son?
Qin Manyang pondered briefly, trying to determine which branch he belonged to. She concluded it must be the Blood Refinement Branch, as she remembered Xu Sanyan cultivating the branch's Supreme Truth and Absolute Stillness Sutra.
Curiosity burned within Qin Manyang. She desperately wanted to know how Xu Sanyan had escaped Great Solitary Mountain and how he had joined the Holy Sect to become a Holy Son.
So many questions clamored for answers. Qin Manyang couldn't wait a moment longer. She shouted, "Shopkeeper! Come out! Don't send the letter!"
She would return in person.
Three days later, at the summit of Crimson Dragon Mountain, inside the cultivation cave.
Xu Sanyan held the accounts in his hand, flipping through them. The transaction records of all the various halls were meticulously written down, but accounts were notoriously easy to falsify.
For example, Sea Blossom Tea was a favorite among many sect members, but the sect didn't produce it themselves. They had to purchase it all from outside sources. A slight alteration by the person handling the transactions could easily skew the figures.
The accounts might record the purchase of a thousand catties, while the actual amount received was only nine hundred. Yet the spirit stones spent remained unchanged. Where did that missing hundred catties end up?
Such discrepancies were countless. Simply looking at the accounts was useless.
Xu Sanyan was truly inept at such meticulous business dealings. His head ached from the effort, so he tossed the ledger aside.
As the Holy Son, he had been personally instructed by the Hall Master to oversee all matters on Crimson Dragon Mountain. He certainly had the authority to examine the accounts, but after reviewing them, he understood nothing.
Xu Sanyan rubbed his temples, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "Truly worthy of its name," he murmured, savoring the fragrant Sea Blossom Tea.
He loved it too.
Meanwhile, Liu Tang was diligently reviewing the accounts of the Hall of Affairs, gaining a general understanding of its authority.
Xu Sanyan turned to Xiang Tan beside him and pondered for a moment. "Announce that the Outer Sect Disciple Grand Competition will be held in three days. All disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage are eligible to participate. The top five finishers will be placed under my command. The first-place winner will receive a reward of one thousand spirit stones and a High-Grade Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method. The second-place winner will receive nine hundred spirit stones, and so on."
"I will be present to observe the competition."
This was Xu Sanyan's advantage. As the Holy Son, he had the authority to mobilize numerous resources from Crimson Dragon Mountain. Competitions like this were a legitimate and proper way to identify outstanding talent. Even if it were reported to the Hall Master, he had nothing to fear.
He intended to use his authority to gradually enhance his reputation.
The Outer Sect Disciple Grand Competition was just the first step. The next would be the Foundation Establishment Disciple Grand Competition.
"Yes," Xiang Tan replied, nodding. She rose and left.
Xu Sanyan casually tossed the Holy Son Token to Chu Yuan. "Take this token to the internal affairs hall and withdraw ten thousand spirit stones."
Chu Yuan froze, clutching the token without moving. Xu Sanyan glanced at her sideways. "What's wrong?"
Chu Yuan hesitated. "Senior Brother Xu, the elder in charge of the internal affairs hall is from Elder Wu's faction. Will he agree?"
Xu Sanyan shook his head inwardly. Chu Yuan's execution and competence were lacking. He'd have to replace her with someone else later.
"Just go ahead and do it," he said.
"Yes, Holy Son," Chu Yuan replied before leaving.
As the Holy Son, Xu Sanyan naturally had the right to draw spirit stones from Crimson Dragon Mountain. Each year, a million spirit stones flowed through the system. The sect and Hall Master took 60%, Elder Wu and his faction received 30%, and the remaining 10% was kept in the internal affairs hall for emergencies.
Xu Sanyan couldn't and wouldn't dare touch the spirit stones belonging to the sect and Hall Master. He was currently vying for the elders' share, but he could freely draw from the internal affairs hall's reserve.
After so many years of accumulation, the internal affairs hall should have a substantial surplus, Xu Sanyan thought.
But reality proved otherwise. Chu Yuan returned empty-handed.
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. "You didn't get them?"
Chu Yuan stammered, head bowed. "Elder Qian said the internal affairs hall's spirit stones were all used for repairing Crimson Dragon Mountain's facilities and maintaining various formations. There's no spirit stones left in the accounts..."
Just as Xu Sanyan was about to speak, Liu Tang, standing nearby, exclaimed joyfully, "This old man congratulates the Holy Son!"
Xu Sanyan was puzzled. "What cause is there for joy?"
"Heh..." Liu Tang stroked his beard and smiled meaningfully. "The internal affairs hall being broke—isn't that actually good news?"
Xu Sanyan propped his head up with his arm and, after a moment's thought, realized what Liu Tang meant. He couldn't help but give him an approving glance. "You're right, Elder Liu."
Crimson Dragon Mountain retained one-tenth of its annual surplus on the mountain, managed by the internal affairs hall. Even if they underestimated the amount, it should still be at least 100,000 spirit stones. No matter how extravagant their spending, they shouldn't have exhausted the entire surplus over several centuries. That was simply unnatural.
Therefore, only one explanation remained: someone had dipped their fingers into the wrong pot!
Chu Yuan returned the Holy Son Token with both hands, standing nearby with a bewildered expression. She hadn't understood the cryptic exchange between the two elders.
Xu Sanyan turned to Chu Yuan. "Go fetch Elder Xuan from the Discipline Hall. We'll go to the internal affairs hall together. I want to see what's really going on."
Just then, a voice came from outside the door. "This old man is Song Wuqiu, requesting an audience with the Holy Son."
Song Wuqiu?
What could he possibly want?
Xu Sanyan looked at Liu Tang with a puzzled expression. Liu Tang smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, Elder Song has likely come to pledge his allegiance."
"The Holy Son's recent display of divine power, breaking through two cultivation levels in a single day, has left everyone in awe. His reputation within the sect now rivals that of Qi Liang and Tu Wanshan. The elders and disciples alike praise him as a once-in-a-century prodigy, so it's only natural that some would abandon their old allegiances and seek refuge with him."
Liu Tang was immensely grateful for his foresight in being the first to pledge his loyalty. As Xu Sanyan's most senior follower, he enjoyed privileges denied to later arrivals, even those with higher cultivation levels. While other elders who joined later might surpass him in cultivation, they couldn't freely enter the Holy Son's cultivation cave, but he could.
Xu Sanyan nodded slowly, unaware that his reputation had already soared so high. Since his breakthrough, he hadn't left his cultivation cave.
Turning to Meng Zhuer, Xu Sanyan said, "Let him in."
"Yes, Master."
Song Wuqiu entered the hall and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Holy Son."
Xu Sanyan didn't move to help him up. Instead, he picked up a teacup, took a sip, and then reached for the ledger on the table. "Last year, the Corpse Blood Hall captured a total of 1,321 demonic beasts, including seven at the fifth rank and 136 at the fourth rank. They sold for 120,000 spirit stones. Is there any discrepancy in these figures?"
Song Wuqiu's mind raced. Should he answer truthfully, risking Xu Sanyan's wrath? Or should he take this evidence to the Discipline Hall?
Song Wuqiu's heart pounded in his chest. He hadn't anticipated this move at all and had no idea how to respond.
For a moment, the room fell eerily silent. Xu Sanyan didn't press him, simply sipping his tea with leisurely composure.
(End of the Chapter)
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