Chapter 4: Xiyan Ancient Sect (Part 2)
The news that Li Qiye had become the Chief Disciple of the Xiyan Ancient Sect spread like wildfire throughout the sect. The middle and upper echelons didn't have many complaints about it. Faced with the Xiyan Ancient Order, the sect had no choice. They could only say that this good-for-nothing, Li Qiye, was simply too lucky.
However, it was a different story for the young, third-generation disciples. The reason was simple: by the Xiyan Ancient Sect's tradition, the position of Chief Disciple had almost always been filled by one of their own. Historically, most Chief Disciples had to pass the elders' assessments and make illustrious contributions to the sect before earning the title.
Becoming the Chief Disciple meant not only being personally taught Cultivation Techniques by the Sect Leader and having the chance to learn Emperor Techniques, but more importantly, the Chief Disciple historically had an extremely high chance of becoming the next Sect Leader.
In the current generation, the Xiyan Ancient Sect had not selected a Chief Disciple from its second-generation members, which meant the position was destined for a disciple from the third generation.
The greatest backlash against Li Qiye becoming the Chief Disciple naturally came from the talented disciples—those with excellent aptitude, high innate talent, and significant contributions to their names. Thus, after Li Qiye was appointed, the Xiyan Ancient Sect was in an uproar.
"A mere mortal with a Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, and Mortal Life—what right does he have to be the Chief Disciple!" one of the geniuses said resentfully. "For someone like him to become Chief Disciple is a disgrace to our Xiyan Ancient Sect!"
Some of the older, more level-headed geniuses, though still bitter, simply lamented, "What can you do? The guy got lucky and had the Xiyan Ancient Order. Faced with the Ancient Order, even the elders had no choice."
"He's just the Chief Disciple. A good-for-nothing with a Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, and Mortal Life has no power to compete with me for the position of Sect Leader. It's not like being the Chief Disciple guarantees you'll become the next Sect Leader!" another genius said, full of confidence, and sneered. "If this good-for-nothing Chief Disciple doesn't know his place, I wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson!"
To these geniuses, even if Li Qiye wasn't qualified to compete with them for the Sect Leader's seat, they were still deeply annoyed. After all, a good-for-nothing like Li Qiye had just become their senior brother—the Eldest Brother of the entire third generation!
"The Xiyan Ancient Order... wasn't the one and only Ancient Order in Three Ghosts Master's possession? How did it end up in this kid's hands?" another disciple wondered aloud.
It had never been a huge secret that Three Ghosts Master held a Xiyan Ancient Order. The Xiyan Ancient Sect had always wanted to reclaim it, but Three Ghosts Master had consistently refused. For it to now be in Li Qiye's hands was naturally perplexing.
"Heh, I hear the kid has a few tricks up his sleeve. Who knows how he managed to swindle that old lecher," a disciple sneered. "They say that when the elders sent someone to verify the order, Three Ghosts Master was living it up at Cuihong House. Hmph. It seems highly likely this kid paid for his fun."
At the thought, some disciples snorted in disdain, even feeling nauseated.
"So he and that old lecher are birds of a feather!" Hearing this, other disciples chimed in with scorn.
Legend had it that Three Ghosts Master was the illegitimate son of the previous Sect Leader. Regardless, as a lecher and a money-grubber, he had always been looked down upon within the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Even the young third-generation disciples had no respect for him. If it weren't for the current Sect Leader's protection, someone would have kicked Three Ghosts Master out of the sect long ago.
Now that Li Qiye was seen as being in the same boat as Three Ghosts Master, the younger disciples couldn't help but look down on him as well.
However, before three days had passed and before Li Qiye had a chance to formally pay respects to the founder, the Six Great Elders of the Xiyan Ancient Sect received a message from the Nine Saints Demon Gate.
"What? The Nine Saints Demon Gate wants to conduct an assessment!" Upon receiving the message, all Six Great Elders were taken aback.
One of the elders was displeased by this news. He snorted coldly and said, "The Nine Saints Demon Gate moves a bit too fast, don't they? Li Qiye just became the Chief Disciple, and they're already impatient to hold the assessment!"
Another elder added, "The Nine Saints Demon Gate wants to renege on the old pact. Li Qiye just joined the sect. A good-for-nothing like him has no chance of passing their assessment! That's why they couldn't wait to demand it the moment they heard a Chief Disciple had been named."
"We have no choice," the Great Elder said helplessly after a moment of silence. "The Nine Saints Demon Gate is now the leading power in the Jiang Country. These are not the old days. What right do we have to negotiate terms with them?"
The Great Elder's words plunged the others into silence. In the early years of the Age of Emperors, their Xiyan Ancient Sect had been glorious and unrivaled. It had awed the Nine Realms and swept through the Eight Desolations. They were an unshakeable force in the vast Middle Grand Realm, ruling an Ancient Country to which all other sects paid homage.
However, millions of years had passed. The Xiyan Ancient Sect had declined, and its glory days were long gone. Now, forget ruling an Ancient Country, they lacked the power to even control a Jiang Country, let alone enfeoff others as Heroic Heroes and Princes!
"What do we do now?" an elder asked. They all knew full well that a newly-recruited good-for-nothing like Li Qiye, with his Mortal Body, Mortal Wheel, and Mortal Life, had absolutely no chance of passing the Nine Saints Demon Gate's assessment.
"It's a desperate gamble, but we have to take it!" an elder finally said. "If this actually works, we'll be joined with the Nine Saints Demon Gate by marriage. If that happens, neither the Celestial Saint Sect nor the Treasure Sacred Upper Country would dare to provoke us lightly!"
The other elders could only force a bitter smile at his words. It was a matter with virtually no chance of success, but even so, they still wanted to try.
On Solitary Peak, before the day of the ancestral veneration ceremony arrived, Li Qiye received a visitor: Nan Huairun.
"Senior Brother, the elders have summoned you to the Ancestral Hall," Nan Huairun said upon seeing the completely unconcerned Li Qiye.
"Something important?" Li Qiye glanced at Nan Huairun's expression and asked casually, looking as if he couldn't care less.
Nan Huairun was surprised, but he didn't hide anything. He nodded. "To be honest with you, Senior Brother, a message has arrived from the Nine Saints Demon Gate." He gave Li Qiye a strange look and added, "I hear... your fiancée wants to assess you."
'Nine Saints Demon Gate.' Hearing the name stirred some dust-covered memories for Li Qiye.
Fearing that Li Qiye might not know of them, Nan Huairun explained, "The Nine Saints Demon Gate is a very famous Major Sect in the Middle Grand Realm today. They rule over the Ancient Ox Territory, appointing nobles and kings. Speaking of which, the Nine Saints Demon Gate has a deep connection with our Xiyan Ancient Sect. Their founder, the Nine Saints Great Sage, was once the First War General under our own founder, the Mingren Immortal Emperor. He followed our founder as he swept through the Nine Realms. Back when our Xiyan Ancient Sect ruled an Ancient Country, the Nine Saints Demon Gate would come to pay homage to us."
"I've heard of the Nine Saints Demon Gate," Li Qiye said with a calm, composed smile. 'Of course I'm familiar with the Nine Saints Demon Gate. And of course I knew the Nine Saints Great Sage.'
'In the early years of the Age of Emperors, I was the one who guided the Mingren Kid onto the path of Cultivation. I spent a great deal of effort on him, even using a scheme to subdue that Old Demon, the Nine Saints Great Sage, just to serve as the kid's protector!'
"And what's this about a fiancée?" Li Qiye asked, looking at Nan Huairun.
Nan Huairun explained, "Legend says that when our founder, Mingren, shouldered the Celestial Mandate and became an Immortal Emperor, the Nine Saints Great Sage made an agreement with our Xiyan Ancient Sect. If the successor of the Nine Saints Demon Gate was a female disciple, she would be wed to the Chief Disciple of our Xiyan Ancient Sect." He then added in a quiet voice, "Back then, for them to marry into our sect was considered marrying up."
'Old Rooster Head did seem to have a female disciple back then,' Li Qiye recalled upon hearing Nan Huairun's story. 'In my memory, the Nine Saints Great Sage did take on a female disciple later on. But I entered my slumber after that and never bothered with such minor details.'
"What was that, Senior Brother?" Nan Huairun asked, having heard him mumble.
Li Qiye snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Nothing. So, you're saying the current successor of the Nine Saints Demon Gate is a female disciple?"
"Yes. I heard that the Xiyan Ancient Sect and the Nine Saints Demon Gate haven't had a marriage alliance in a very long time. It just so happens that their successor in this generation is female." At this, he glanced at Li Qiye and added, "And I'm told their successor, Li Shuangyan, even possesses an Innate Emperor Body!"
As soon as Nan Huairun said this, Li Qiye understood everything. 'The Xiyan Ancient Sect has fallen into decline. Of course the Nine Saints Demon Gate would be unwilling to marry off such a promising successor with a brilliant future to our sect!'
"How interesting," Li Qiye chuckled, instantly grasping all the implications.
Nan Huairun was astonished. 'Li Qiye's composure... no matter how I look at him, he doesn't seem like a good-for-nothing. What's even stranger is that he's clearly only about thirteen, yet his serene confidence gives the impression of a battle-hardened Prince who has seen it all!'
'Anyone else,' Nan Huairun thought, 'would be panicking after hearing such news. But Li Qiye doesn't seem to care at all.' This struck him as incredibly odd.
"Has Huairun explained the situation to you?" When Li Qiye arrived at the Ancestral Hall, all Six Great Elders were present. The Great Elder spoke in a cold tone.
Truth be told, the Six Great Elders looked down on a good-for-nothing like Li Qiye. Today, however, a small part of them hoped he wasn't a complete waste. They hoped he could pass the Nine Saints Demon Gate's assessment. The Xiyan Ancient Sect desperately needed an alliance with a behemoth like the Nine Saints Demon Gate. Of course, the elders knew the chances of this were practically zero, but they couldn't help but cling to that sliver of hope and give it a try.
"I understand, Great Elder," Li Qiye said with a nod.
"Very good. As long as you can pass the Nine Saints Demon Gate's assessment, the sect will reward you handsomely," the Great Elder said coldly.
Li Qiye smiled and said in a slow, deliberate tone, "I am willing to undergo the assessment. However, I have three conditions."
"Insolence!" another elder barked. "You dare negotiate terms with the elders?"
A new chapter, a new beginning! Everyone will meet Li Qiye's fiancée soon. Please vote to show your support!