He still did not reveal his true identity. Even his current appearance was false.
The disciples were shocked. They never expected that their Sect Leader was actually a Mysterious Immortal of Great Ability!
But after the shock ca great joy. With such a Sect Leader overseeing the sect, when they traveled outside, others might show them a bit more respect.
"Disciple greets the Sect Leader!"
Under the lead of a disciple who reacted first, others quickly ca to their senses and hurriedly bowed in salute.
"No need for formalities."
Li Zhirui gestured to help everyone up and said, "I have spent centuries focused on cultivation, neglecting the developnt of the sect, relying solely on Wansheng to support it. I am truly ashad as a Sect Leader."
"Summoning you here today is because the sect, after many years of developnt, has reached a comndable level, and it is ti to further perfect the rules."
Tongtian Sect operates on a generational basis of a century, and it has now passed down to the fifth generation of disciples.
"Therefore, after discussing with Wansheng, it has been decided to select Inner Sect Disciples and True Disciples from among you! Regardless of your cultivation, as long as you pass the test, you will have the hope of advancing further."
Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple or True Disciple does not just an receiving more monthly salary each month; more importantly, it implies an elevation in authority!
For example, the Scripture Pavilion - you can currently only enter the first and second floors. The texts and thods in the higher floors are inaccessible to you regardless of your cultivation level.
"In addition, a batch of stewards will be selected from among the Inner Sect Disciples to handle various specific matters of the sect."
This last point was sothing Li Zhirui had just thought of.
After all, with the developnt and expansion of Tongtian Sect, it is impossible for him or Wansheng to manage everything; it would be overwhelming.
The position of Elder is too high and also represents the image of Tongtian Sect, and currently all the disciples’ cultivation and strength are inadequate.
The position of Steward fits perfectly.
"This selection process will last for five years. During this period, as long as you have confidence and assurance, you can approach Wansheng to participate in the testing."
As soon as the words fell, many disciples beca restless.
If Li Zhirui had not remained, they might have started signing up now.
"There is now a task for you to accomplish."
He commanded, "In the direction two thousand miles east and south of Ascension Mountain, choose suitable locations to quickly establish the fraworks of a marketplace and an Immortal City!"
The reason to set up the marketplace and Immortal City two thousand miles away, in what seems a distant location, is because after the developnt of Tongtian Sect, its core territory will certainly not be limited to just a few mountain peaks, and enough room has been reserved for its expansion.
The choice of these two directions is also because extending further in these areas leads to a relatively prosperous Cultivation World, which is more advantageous for attracting Loose Cultivators to co.
"For the layout and construction of the marketplace and Immortal City, you can consult Wansheng; I have other matters to attend to."
Li Zhirui still had to transfer Spirit Veins from afar, which was actually quite easy for him and posed no real difficulty.
Because the biggest challenge actually lies in finding unclaid Spirit Veins!
After instructing and arranging various matters, he transford into Spirit Light and left the Mountain Gate.
Only then did the silent Wansheng next to him speak: "Are there any disciples signing up?"
Or rather, should it be asked: is there anyone not signing up?
As soon as the words fell, all the disciples eagerly raised their hands; they didn’t know the difficulty of the selection test, but since failing wouldn’t incur any loss, why not give it a try? Perhaps they might succeed!
Wansheng recorded everyone’s nas and said, "Alright, now go and complete the task assigned to you by the Sect Leader."
"Elder, what is the content of the test?"
"Off you go, don’t worry about it. Keeping focus on diligent cultivation is the key."
The group was left puzzled, wanting a more detailed explanation, but just as they were about to speak, the person had already disappeared.
Left with no choice, they had to leave the Mountain Gate, with so heading east, and others south, to find suitable locations for the cities.
"Alas!"
Wansheng sighed as he looked at the now empty Ascension Mountain, not knowing whether the developnt trend of Tongtian Sect was good or bad.
After all, their Sect Leader harbored no real affection for the sect, appearing more like soone completing a task.
Yet upon reflection, it seed rather normal, because their leader was already a Mystic Immortal Cultivator when he inherited, having lived through countless years and experiences.
The ups and downs of the world were not re tales but possibly what he had experienced firsthand.
A Dao Heart hardened beyond asure, unlikely to easily invest emotions in certain affairs.
"Enough, let’s just hope the Sect Leader doesn’t use Tongtian Sect as re pawns and chips, selling it off unexpectedly."
Moreover, given his understanding of Li Zhirui, it seed unlikely that he would hold onto the position of Sect Leader indefinitely; perhaps once the disciples had matured, he would directly hand over the position to them.
By then, Tongtian Sect should welco a Sect Leader who truly values it.
...
anwhile.
Li Zhirui not only left Ascension Mountain, but had already flown thousands of miles away, reaching a region of towering mountains, attempting to find Spirit Veins among them.
Spirit Veins within these mountains were not scarce, but their grade was not high; among those he had discovered, the best was a Sixth Rank Spirit Vein.
Thus, he was not inclined to transfer these Spirit Veins to the Mountain Gate, as their grade was too low, offering little benefit for the effort involved.
Moreover, during the transfer of the Spirit Veins, Li Zhirui had to be constantly vigilant; if it resulted in the forest losing vitality, he would bear the burden of cause and karmic force.
Therefore, upon finding that the Spirit Veins in the vicinity were indeed of low grade, he searched elsewhere.
Now he was even further away, almost reaching the territories of alien races.
Yet this did not bring him luck; perhaps due to proximity to the border, the Spirit Veins were under strict control, with almost no wandering ones, and if there were, they were extrely low grade and newly born.
Reluctantly, he changed direction to continue searching, but still without notable success.
With no other recourse, he returned to the initial mountain forest he encountered.
He then carefully extracted portions of the Spirit Veins, maintaining the forest’s vitality to avoid trouble, before returning to the Mountain Gate with these Essences of Spiritual Vein.
However, the Spirit Vein Essence did not significantly enhance the concentration of Spiritual Energy nearby, perhaps only by thirty percent at most.
One must understand, the concentration of Spiritual Energy near the Mountain Gate of Tongtian Sect was not very high to begin with; an increase of thirty percent ant very little, almost unnoticeable if one were careless.
"It seems a considerable expenditure of Spirit Stones will be necessary to elevate the Spirit Veins."
But such matters could be delegated to the disciples; there was no need for him to act personally.
Indeed, even if he wished to elevate the grade of the Spirit Veins, he lacked the Spirit Stones brought out from the sect.
If it were the Li family, Li Zhirui might have already invested his own Spirit Stones into the vicinity of the Spirit Veins, but this was not the Li family; it was Tongtian Sect, so he certainly wouldn’t spend his own resources.
Even if he could later return to the sect to retrieve his portion from the treasure house, he wouldn’t do it.
Subsequently, he returned to the now desolate Ascension Mountain.
"Sect Leader, how many Spirit Veins did you bring back this ti?" Wansheng almost imdiately appeared beside Li Zhirui.
"The Spirit Veins in those terrains are relatively rare and low in grade, so among the twelve Spirit Veins I transported back, the highest is only a Fourth Rank Spirit Vein."
Since it was impossible to completely extract the Spirit Veins without harming the heavens and the earth, the Sixth Rank Spirit Vein turned into a Fourth Rank one in Li Zhirui’s possession.
The sa applied to the other Spirit Veins.
Under such circumstances, the grade of the Spirit Veins naturally couldn’t be very high.
"Having them is enough; it’s just a matter of spending so Spirit Stones to elevate their grade."
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