Chapter Nineteen: Outer Sect Elder

After Headmaster Kongxuan finished reciting the sect rules, he called out, "Wang Yanbo." "Disciple present!" Wang Yanbo knew he was about to be honored, so he suppressed his excitement, stepped forward with large strides, and knelt down in salute.

With a grand wave of his hand, Headmaster Kongxuan summoned a suit of seven-colored treasure armor, which descended before Wang Yanbo. "Wang Yanbo, in light of your outstanding performance in the grand competition, I hereby bestow upon you a first-grade magical treasure, the Radiant Seven-Colored Armor, and appoint you as the foremost disciple of Maoshan’s founding generation, with the Daoist title Qianshen. From this day forth, you shall be the chief among Maoshan’s disciples, with authority to oversee and mobilize your peers. This is decreed."

The moment Wang Yanbo heard he was to become the leading disciple, he nearly dropped to his knees and shouted for joy. Yet as a cultivator on the verge of breaking through the Qi Refining stage, he managed to restrain himself. Taking up the Radiant Seven-Colored Armor, he bowed deeply and said, "Disciple Qianshen shall not fail in this duty!"

As the disciples around cast envious glances at the seven-hued armor in Wang Yanbo’s hands, Headmaster Kongxuan continued, "Li Sheng, Jin Wulei, Lu Hao, Zhang Guo..." After bestowing Wang Yanbo’s honors, he went on to name nine more, who were, without surprise, the rest of the top ten. Yet to Zhang Xiao’s astonishment, his own name was not among them.

A sense of foreboding crept over Zhang Xiao. He looked up at Daoist Kongling nearby, only to see Kongling shake his head slightly, deepening Zhang Xiao’s unease. Sure enough, after granting nine superior spiritual treasures and officially naming the top nine disciples, Headmaster Kongxuan announced that these nine would not be subject to Wang Yanbo’s authority.

Was he to be relegated to a regular inner disciple, tasked with managing the halls and pavilions? That was not the outcome Zhang Xiao desired. As he pondered this, Headmaster Kongxuan turned his gaze in Zhang Xiao’s direction, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Zhang Xiao," he intoned.

Hearing his name, Zhang Xiao quickly stepped forward and knelt. "Disciple Zhang Xiao present."

"Zhang Xiao, your strength far surpasses that of your fellow disciples. I hereby appoint you as Elder of the Outer Sect, with full responsibility for overseeing and mobilizing the outer sect disciples. In addition, I grant you a protective magical treasure."

With a flip of his palm, Headmaster Kongxuan sent a skeletal fan flying to Zhang Xiao. Zhang Xiao’s heart sank. Elder of the Outer Sect—although this title suggested great authority, perhaps even above Wang Yanbo, in truth, it was not so. If the headmaster wished to strip Wang Yanbo of his rights, he would need a reason; but taking back the position of Elder of the Outer Sect required but a single word. Yet since the decree had been given, he had no choice but to accept. Defying orders was a grave offense. He accepted the white-bone fan and declared, "Disciple obeys."

Seeing Zhang Xiao accept his appointment without protest, Headmaster Kongxuan continued to announce further rewards for other disciples. The resonant toll of a bell marked the end of the grand ceremony in the Mountain-Opening Hall. After Kongxuan and Kongling departed, the hall filled with festive cheer. Zhang Xiao, however, had no mind to join the celebrations. Instead, he made his way to the Pavilion of a Thousand Mechanisms.

He truly had no idea what sort of position this Elder of the Outer Sect entailed, so it was best to consult his teacher. Upon arrival, he found his master absent; only Qingsong was there. Qingsong greeted him with a smile, "Senior brother, the ceremony has just concluded. Why aren’t you celebrating with the others? I imagine you must have met with some trouble."

Zhang Xiao managed a bitter smile. "You’re right, junior brother. I’ve been appointed Elder of the Outer Sect. But what exactly does that mean? What are my duties? I’m completely in the dark."

Upon hearing this, Qingsong’s expression changed. "You’re not jesting, are you, senior brother? Truly Elder of the Outer Sect?"

Zhang Xiao nodded gravely. "Yes, that’s the appointment. Is there something wrong with it?"

To his surprise, Qingsong broke into delighted laughter. "Congratulations, senior brother! My warmest wishes!"

Zhang Xiao had expected Qingsong to look down on the position, but instead, he seemed genuinely pleased. Could it be that the role was not as bleak as Zhang Xiao had imagined? Sensing Zhang Xiao’s confusion, Qingsong explained,

"Senior brother, Elder of the Outer Sect is a splendid post. You command all the outer disciples and wield power over life and death. As for the trivial matters, you need not trouble yourself; the three hundred disciples expelled from the inner sect will be assigned to various halls as stewards. You won’t have to lift a finger. You remain an inner disciple, free to cultivate within the inner sect most of the time. Should you wish, you are at liberty to come and go as you please. Moreover, though your title is Elder of the Outer Sect, you are still supported by the sect and receive a generous monthly supply of spirit stones for your cultivation. Many would give anything for such a post!"

Only now did Zhang Xiao realize his worries had been unfounded. Elated, he rejoiced inwardly, relieved that Headmaster Kongxuan had not set a trap for him after all. After chatting a while longer, Zhang Xiao took his leave, seeing that Daoist Kongling had not returned.

Back at his bamboo cottage, Zhang Xiao retrieved the skeletal fan Headmaster Kongxuan had given him from his bone ring. The White Bone Black Wind Fan: a third-grade magical treasure, with a usage requirement of the Golden Core stage. Seeing that the treasure could only be refined by someone at the Golden Core stage, Zhang Xiao lost interest; he himself had only just reached Foundation Establishment, and advancement to Golden Core would not come easily.

"Wait!" Suddenly, a thought struck him. He recalled a treasure, and hastily took it from his bone ring. At once, the cottage was filled with a refreshing fragrance.

The Vitality Herb. With a stalk of Vitality Herb as the main ingredient, if he could refine a batch of Vitality Pills, his cultivation would soar. But he had only the main herb, lacking the necessary supplementary ingredients. It seemed he would have to seek out his master. With this in mind, Zhang Xiao set out for the Pavilion of a Thousand Mechanisms once more. Thanks to his mystical movement technique, travel posed no difficulty.

Fortunately, Daoist Kongling had returned. "Qingsong mentioned you’d already visited once. Now you’ve come again—surely there’s something you need," Kongling observed, his eyes full of mirth.

It was clear he knew Zhang Xiao had come with a request. Kongling had always held Zhang Xiao in high regard in every aspect—except for one: Zhang Xiao seldom asked him for help, whether in cultivation or, before the competition, for spiritual treasures. Instead, Zhang Xiao preferred to handle things on his own. So seeing his disciple come to him for advice now, Kongling was quite pleased.

Zhang Xiao noticed his master's amusement and, thick-skinned, spoke, "Master, last time I ventured to the back mountain for materials to refine the Yin-Yang Banner. By chance, I obtained a stalk of Vitality Herb. Now that I have reached Foundation Establishment, I plan to refine a batch of Vitality Pills, but I lack the supplementary ingredients, so I have come to you."

"Oh? A Vitality Herb? You are indeed fortunate. Such a plant is rare in the back mountains, often guarded by fierce beasts. Given your cultivation, obtaining one is no easy feat." Kongling was surprised to hear of the herb, but after a moment's thought, he said, "Very well. Consider yourself lucky. I have the supplementary ingredients for Vitality Pills here, but I am missing one crucial element—the primer. The primer cannot be found in the back mountain; you will have to go out and seek it. Now that you are Elder of the Outer Sect, it’s time for you to venture beyond the sect. Here."

He handed Zhang Xiao a small storage pouch. "Inside are the supplementary ingredients needed to refine a batch of Vitality Pills."

"As for the primer, you will need to find the Violet Azure Flower, which grows within the Bat Cavern of Canglang Mountain. That will serve as the primer for the Vitality Pills."

Canglang Mountain Bat Cavern? Zhang Xiao had never heard of such a place. "Master, where is the Bat Cavern of Canglang Mountain? I’ve never heard of it."

Kongling smiled. "The Maoshan Sect exists in its own world, unaffected by the outside. Much has changed after three rounds of reform. You’ll understand when you go outside. As for the Bat Cavern, it’s in Guizhou. You can use the sect’s teleportation array to get there, and have an outer disciple lead the way."

Delighted, Zhang Xiao bowed his thanks. "Thank you, Master. I’ll prepare to depart at once." With that, he took his leave.

After Zhang Xiao left, the young acolyte Qingsong quietly asked, "Master, haven’t you already refined a batch of Vitality Pills? Why make senior brother go find the primer himself? The Bat Cavern is full of level-40 blood bats and is a trial ground for the Demon Sect. Won’t senior brother face many difficulties?"

Kongling looked after Zhang Xiao’s departing figure and smiled. "What do you understand, little acolyte? A fine sword is forged through hardship, and the plum blossom’s fragrance comes only after bitter cold. If I handed him the Vitality Pills as I do for others, how could he ever amount to greatness?"

Back in his cottage, Zhang Xiao packed his belongings. In truth, there was little to bring—just a spare robe and some spirit-gathering pills. Once ready, he made his way to the Maoshan Sect’s main gate, recalling that the teleportation array there allowed travel to all major branches.

As he passed, disciples along the way bowed in respect, surprising Zhang Xiao. The transformation in etiquette since the ceremony was remarkable; gone were the noisy, rowdy scenes of old.

"Elder Zhang, are you leaving the mountain? Where to? I’ll operate the teleportation array for you," said one of the disciples in charge of the array, hurrying forward.

The teleportation array consisted of a raised platform, with seven disciples channeling spiritual energy and another handling the coordinates. Zhang Xiao stepped onto the platform and said, "Send me to the Guizhou outer branch."

At his command, the disciples began channeling energy, and the coordinate operator set the destination. The array beneath Zhang Xiao’s feet grew ever brighter, the symbols of the twelve constellations and the eight trigrams forming a great array. With a flash of light, Zhang Xiao vanished.

The remaining disciples breathed a collective sigh of relief. The disciple who had greeted Zhang Xiao produced a paper crane with a twist of his fingers, sending it flying toward the inner sect at once.

Meanwhile, in the Guizhou branch hall, a golden chair stood at the head of the hall. Unlike others, it was not adorned with dragons or phoenixes, but instead was carved with a host of deities, demons, ghosts, yakshas, and asuras.