Chapter 741: The Sect Leader’s Task
Chen Yan served as the Dao Sect Wanderer of Kongshan Sect longer than he had expected.
He held the position for a full twelve years before finally stepping down, to be succeeded by a junior from Kongshan Sect.
Over those twelve years, Chen Yan visited a total of one hundred and seventy-two cultivation sects across Chenping Continent.
Most of them were cultivation sects in the northwest region of Chenping Continent.
These included top-tier sects in the northwest region, such as the Coiling Dragon Sect.
Of course, he spent most of his time among the other four great sects of Chenping Continent.
Of those four, Chen Yan most enjoyed staying at Wind Ravine Valley.
The relationship between Wind Ravine Valley and Kongshan Sect was the most harmonious, and its tranquil surroundings were the most relaxing.
The sect he liked least was Star Heaven Sect.
The reason was simple: Star Heaven Sect had a Qin Qingyu.
No one would openly slight Chen Yan, the Dao Sect Wanderer of Kongshan Sect. But at Star Heaven Sect, nearly every cultivator who saw him would immediately think of the scene from the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry all those years ago.
When Chen Yan returned to Kongshan Sect, he was thirty-four years old and at the Peak Qi Sea Realm.
Qin Qingyu, meanwhile, had already reached the peak of the Passable God Realm. She had even condensed innate true energy, and breaking through to the Myriad Transformations Realm was only a matter of time.
Clearly, Qin Qingyu’s rivals were no longer cultivators of her own generation.
They were the Peak Elders and Offering Elders of the Five Great Sects.
It was only a temporary setback.
That was how Chen Yan, who had lost to Qin Qingyu at the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, comforted himself.
He became more reserved and accepted the fact that Qin Qingyu’s talent for cultivation far surpassed his own.
But Chen Yan never gave up. He still hoped to catch up with the greatest heaven-chosen talent in Chenping Continent since Sword Immortal Su’s death seven thousand years ago.
Yet the gap between them only continued to widen.
Five years later, when Chen Yan was thirty-eight.
He finally broke through to the Fifth Realm, the Passable God Realm.
This meant Chen Yan was qualified to serve as a Peak Elder within the sect, officially becoming one of Kongshan Sect’s core pillars.
That year also marked the return of the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.
Chen Yan was selected for Kongshan Sect’s delegation. When he arrived at the ferry on Mingxiao Peak, he spotted a familiar figure from the past.
“Ah, Senior Brother Chen!”
The girl, dressed in Mingxiao Peak daoist robes, beamed as she ran toward him.
Looking at the female cultivator before him, who was at the mid-stage of the Qi Sea Realm, Chen Yan fell silent for a moment. Then he quickly recalled her name.
“Junior Sister Cheng?”
“It’s me!”
Cheng Ziying’s eyes sparkled, just as clear and bright as they had been when Chen Yan had first parted from her.
It was plain to see that she had lived well over the past twenty years.
“Ziying owes everything she has today to the encouragement you gave me back then, Senior Brother Chen!” Cheng Ziying said excitedly.
Chen Yan knew what she meant. She was probably referring to the few words he had casually said to her when he packed his things and prepared to leave Kongshan Sect’s outer court for the sect proper.
“What does that have to do with what I said back then?” Chen Yan said with a smile, shaking his head.
“Everything you’ve achieved is thanks to your own hard work and talent.”
“If it weren’t for you, Senior Brother Chen, I probably wouldn’t have worked so hard,” Cheng Ziying said with a smile. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she asked, “By the way, Senior Brother Chen, what realm are you at now?”
“The Passable God Realm,” Chen Yan replied calmly.
Cheng Ziying was slightly taken aback by his answer. Then she became reserved.
“Please forgive this disciple’s impertinence, E-Elder Chen…”
By the rules followed by the vast majority of cultivation sects in this world, disciples had to act respectfully when meeting an elder of their sect. Anything less would be considered presumptuous.
“No need. I haven’t taken up an elder’s post in the sect yet,” Chen Yan replied with a smile.
There were two reasons he had not taken up an elder’s position on Kongyuan Mountain.
First, he had only recently broken through to the Passable God Realm, and there was no vacant elder position on Kongyuan Mountain for him to fill.
Second, Chen Yan’s master, Lu Li, had already reached the peak of the Passable God Realm. He currently served as the Scripture Hall Elder of Kongyuan Mountain. Martial Elder Murong Wen of Kongyuan Mountain planned to wait until Lu Li broke through to the Myriad Transformations Realm, then promote him directly to his own position and have Chen Yan take over the Scripture Hall.
The transition would be entirely smooth.
Meeting Cheng Ziying at the Mingxiao Peak ferry was an unexpected delight for Chen Yan.
Of course, it was just as much of a delight for Cheng Ziying.
Cheng Ziying was now the personal disciple of An Zhirui, the Upholding Law Elder of Mingxiao Peak. An Zhirui had long since been appointed by the Sect Leader as the Delegation Envoy for this Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.
As An Zhirui’s personal disciple, Cheng Ziying had naturally earned the opportunity to visit Heavenly Summit Mountain and broaden her horizons.
After more than twenty years apart, meeting an old friend again left Chen Yan filled with emotion.
This Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent proceeded as smoothly as ever. In the end, a disciple of Lingxiao Temple won the title of champion of Heavenly Summit Mountain.
As at every Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry before it, the Lingxiao Temple disciple came away empty-handed after spending three days in Heavenly Summit Palace.
Chen Yan gazed at the white jade palace suspended more than two thousand zhang above Heavenly Summit Mountain.
Twenty years ago, losing to Qin Qingyu at the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry had cost him the chance to explore Heavenly Summit Palace.
If he wanted to enter Heavenly Summit Palace again, his only option would likely be to break the restriction Qinghong Realman had left there all those years ago.
But without Ascending to Immortality, how could anyone hope to break a True Person’s restriction?
Unfortunately, the Path to Immortality in this world had been severed.
......
One year later, Chen Yan was thirty-nine.
Lu Li had been in seclusion for half a month, attempting to condense innate true energy and break through to the Myriad Transformations Realm.
While Lu Li was in seclusion, Chen Yan served as the Scripture Hall Guardian of Kongyuan Mountain, temporarily taking over the position of Scripture Hall Elder.
Once Lu Li broke through to the Myriad Transformations Realm, Chen Yan would officially take up the position of Scripture Hall Elder.
Chen Yan was sitting in the Scripture Hall, sorting through the documents on his desk, when a disciple suddenly rushed in.
“This disciple pays his respects to Elder Chen!”
The disciple gasped for breath.
Chen Yan glanced at him, then continued sorting through the documents on his desk without hurry.
“Has my master come out of seclusion?”
“No, Elder Chen.”
“Then what is it?”
“Sect Leader Yun is looking for you!”
Chen Yan’s hands suddenly stopped moving.
Since joining Kongshan Sect, Chen Yan had met with Sect Leader Yun only a handful of times.
This time, too, his conversation with Yun Yichen, the current Sect Leader of Kongshan Sect, was brief.
He simply gave Chen Yan a task:
Go to Qingque Kingdom and wipe out the Ding Bandits.