Chapter 55: The Elder Strife and the Sovereign's Will

The trial of Mirror Mountain had drawn to a complete close, and the Array Sect's gate trial was likewise nearing its end.

Of the seventeen individuals, eight had broken through the trial of the Heart-Inquiring Mirror, with Qinglan, Yuedong, Chenyan, and Chenxi prominently among them.

Whether it was becoming the personal disciples of the gate elders or stepping into the inner sect to become the future backbone of the sect, this signified a complete departure from the adrift and unanchored life of rogue cultivators—a truly joyous occasion worthy of celebration.

The disciples had no idea how many days and nights had passed. Along the way, they had experienced shattering formations with spiritual herbs, breaking through beast tides, and finally enduring the mirror spirit's heart inquiry. Before they knew it, everything had quietly drawn to a close. As they looked out at the boundless night, exhaustion washed over them like a tide, and someone even cried out about wanting to sleep for three days and three nights.

……

Just as everything settled into peace, inside the main gate hall, the six elders had already received the roster sent by the mirror spirit. There were a total of eight slots for personal disciples this time, while the inner sect disciples would be instructed by other elders of the sect. What truly required their decision were precisely these eight disciples.

With such a scarce number, the competition in selecting them became all the more intense.

In the bustling main hall, two exceedingly prestigious gate elders—whose words carried absolute authority and formidable weight at the Western Sea Pass—were arguing so fiercely over a certain disciple that their faces were flushed red.

"Second Senior Brother, you already have several disciples under your tutelage, and Yuntao Pass is already as impregnable as an iron wall of bronze. Look at my Xuanyi Pass instead; we are in urgent need of talent, and Yuedong coming with me is only right and proper."

Yun Tiance gently shook his head. "Junior Fourth, it is precisely because Yuntao Pass is stable that I want Yuedong to come over. Your Xuanyi Pass is constantly harassed by the Longyue Yakchas and the Taisu Illusory Mirages, frequently having its pass breached to boot, to say nothing of the fact that you cannot even guarantee the basic treatment for your disciples!"

Red-Browed seemed to have been poked where it hurt most, and he hastily retorted, "Senior Brother, you are truly being offensive! What do you mean by 'frequently breached'? While there are occasional lapses in defense, but—"

His eyes shifted, a sudden thought striking him, and he immediately changed his tune, "Senior Brother First's Tianhai Pass is also frequently breached, how come you don't go give him a piece of your mind!"

Yun Tiance opened his mouth to retort, but stopped short. His expression shifted, and the Red-Browed elder opposite him likewise turned stern. The two of them had suddenly thought of the very same thing—if Senior Brother First, Xuanji, were also here, neither of them would stand the slightest chance of winning!

Their gazes met, and each saw the unwavering determination in the other's eyes: the ownership of Yuedong must be settled once and for all before Senior Brother returned!

Terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations surged around Yun Tiance, resembling a breached river, and waves of grand dao aura rose upward. With a slight movement of his palm, millions of starlights flashed across his hand, and a majestic, terrifyingly boundless cloud-and-mist formation quietly took shape. He said in a chilling voice, "Junior Brother, it seems we must still settle this with real martial might!"

Seeing this, Red-Browed refused to be outdone. Known as the "Iron-Blooded of Southern Heaven," he feared no battle. Violent blood qi surged around him, and seven bloody killing arrays suddenly exploded into being around his body. He let out a sharp cry that shook the surrounding wilderness: "I've long wanted to experience Senior Brother's cloud-and-mist formation once again!"

……

Yinhua watched the bickering between his senior and junior brothers with slight surprise, though he had no intention of intervening. He did not hold strong opinions on teaching disciples, and as his gaze shifted, he suddenly noticed Yaoyu, who had been sitting in silence in a corner for quite some time. He called out softly, "Junior Sister? Junior Sister?"

Yaoyu did not react at first. After a brief pause, she heard her senior brother's voice, slowly lifted her head with a lingering trace of bewilderment still in her eyes, and asked softly, "Hm? Does Senior Brother have instructions for me?"

Yinhua asked gently, "In this trial, the performance of the twin sisters Chenyan and Chenxi was rather decent. Why don't you take them both under your wing? Just right for the maintenance of the Myriad Spirits Star Pool, the two sisters can look after each other."

Yaoyu fell silent for a moment before lowering her head in response, "Everything shall be as Senior Brother decides."

Seeing this, Yinhua nodded, his gaze inadvertently sweeping past Luo Qinghe and Nanming nearby. Regaining his usual undisturbed composure, he asked indifferently, "You two aren't thinking of taking disciples this time as well, are you?"

Both of them caught the mocking undertone in his words and the faint disdain in his gaze—with the two of you acting like this, you still want to take disciples?

Nanming instantly leaped to his feet with an annoyed expression, his tone laced with a hint of urgency and dissatisfaction, "Senior Brother, what do you mean by that! We are also elders of the sect, why shouldn't we take disciples!"

Luo Qinghe chimed in right after, "Exactly, exactly! Senior Brother's words are quite mistaken!"

Yinhua's expression remained unchanged as he continued indifferently, "The two of you still retain your childishness; four hundred years of wind and rain cannot wash away your playful nature. Qinghe can pass—he presides over the Tianluo Enlightenment Terrace and merely imparts the dao, but as for you, Nanming... better left unmentioned."

Nanming's face turned red with anger. What did he mean by "better left unmentioned"?! He wanted to retort, but the words caught in his throat as if choked by an invisible force, unable to squeeze out a single syllable. He grew even angrier, wisps of thick smoke actually rising from the top of his head...

Yun Tiance, who shared his fury, suddenly realized just as he was about to erupt into action that their current location was the main gate hall. Once they started fighting, it would surely cause the roof to collapse and the hall to tumble down. Remembering the strict prohibitions and severe punishments laid down by the Sect Master upon taking office, he couldn't help but shiver, instantly abandoning his quarrel with Red-Browed, recalling his cloud-and-mist formation, and taking a deep breath to calm his emotions.

He shifted his gaze to look at the smoking Nanming on the other side and asked, "Junior Ninth, do you think the Sect Master will take on disciples this year?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire main gate hall instantly fell silent. Red-Browed's killing array instantly dissipated, and all the elders turned their gaze in unison toward Nanming.

Nanming forgot even to be angry, the fury on his face replaced by sudden bewilderment. He stammered in a daze, "How on earth would I know that?"

Luo Qinghe grew pensive as he pondered, "Logically speaking, the Sect Master shouldn't, right? Just how old is he anyway?"

Hearing this, Yinhua sneered, "The Sect Master may not be old, but beating ten of you would be more than enough."

Luo Qinghe, who was only responsible for expounding the dao and was unversed in combat, suffered a complete psychological breakdown.

……

Within the Array Heart City, passing through the Tianxin Square and heading straight into the central palace, if one raised their head to look upward, what met the eye was not layer upon layer of eaves pointing toward the clouds, but rather a starry sky whose depth and limits could not be seen. Within this quiet space, filled only with specks of starlight and gentle runes, a blue figure sat quietly, as if merging completely with the river of stars.

He never left this city unless there was a matter of importance, yet he knew all the affairs of the Southern Heaven.

He had taken in every bit of the six elders' discussion. Watching Nanming's provocation and the lively commotion of the others, watching these pillars who guarded the Southern Heaven flush red with anger over disciples, a smile touched his eyes.

Thinking of how they had guarded the borders for many years, fighting so often that they couldn't even manage a proper argument, he found it truly amusing.

He lowered his gaze to ponder for a moment before making his decision—he felt like joining in on the lively commotion as well.

A token suddenly spun up from before him, resembling a dancer who had long remained out of the mortal world, dancing wildly in the air with an air of great liveliness. Seeing this, the man smiled faintly, tapping his finger lightly to make the token obediently come to a halt. After trembling for a moment, it traced a beam of light across the air.

The token flew out in a spin, touching the formations of various gates along its path and awakening countless rays of faint light that bloomed in competition. If any outsider were to witness this scene, they would likely break out in a cold sweat, and should any intruder with malicious intent break in, this overwhelming sea of spiritual arrays would directly reduce them to fine powder.

The token wobbled through the Thousand Array Mountain, fearless and uninhibited as it flew around haphazardly, startling wild geese into flight and sending tree shadows swaying wildly.

Before long, the token flew into the main gate hall, finally coming to a halt right in front of Nanming. Reaching out to catch the token and perceiving the will contained within, Nanming wore an expression of extreme astonishment. Stammering for a moment, he muttered under his breath, "No way, you want to go into seclusion this early..."

Seeing Nanming in a daze with wandering eyes and scattered thoughts, looking thoroughly foolish, the token shook off his hand in apparent disgust, flew straight into the midst of the elders, completely unconcerned that a group of bigwigs was in the middle of a heated debate, and forcefully interrupted their argument with an unquestionable posture.

Ripples spread across the air around the token, as if it were saying: Stop arguing, all of you, look at me!

A deep, profound azure gradually unfolded in the air like the purest ripples in the deep sea. The message conveyed within was perceived by everyone present, and the expressions of all the elders turned wonderfully complex—the Sect Master was taking a disciple!