That evening, in the Central Hall, the Micro Realm Sect held the inauguration ceremony for the new Sect Leader.The ceremony was presided over by the outgoing Kang Rulin, who lit nine incense sticks to honor the tablets of past masters, recited the sect rules while holding the Breaking Technique Cone, and then passed the cone to Zhou Yeming, who knelt below him. Zhou Yeming pledged an oath with the cone, completing the ceremony.
Witnessing the event were leaders and representatives from major Magic Sects, nearly a hundred Micro Realm Sect disciples, and the independent cultivator He Kao.
The next day, the Ancestral Hall released a notice that, in July of the year of Yi Si, Zhou Yeming, a disciple of the Micro Realm Sect and a Tier Six Artifact Master, was appointed the new Sect Leader and joined the ranks of the Ancestral Hall Elders, while Kang Rulin was promoted to Supreme Elder.
This was the last day of July; the notice mentioned only the month, without specifying the exact day.
Mei Guyu and others left after the ceremony ended, while He Kao stayed for another night.
The next morning, He Kao toured the Book Observation Grotto Heaven, mainly around the Central Valley area, since it wasn’t appropriate to wander everywhere on someone else’s turf. Yet, he gained quite a bit of insight.
At noon, he bid farewell to Guo Qianhuai. The Supreme Elder had crafted a body painting yesterday and appeared somewhat fatigued, but after a night’s rest, he was full of vigor again.
He was preparing to enter seclusion next. He Kao understood what this meant; Guo Qianhuai intended to make one final attempt at Breaking the Gate, which was different from Jiang Daozhen’s current situation.
Jiang Daozhen had already taken the step of breaking through to Tier Eight and was undergoing the Bone Transformation Tribulation, so he had no choice but to enter seclusion. If he successfully survived the tribulation, he would break through to Tier Eight cultivation.
Guo Qianhuai had yet to take the step of breaking the realm and wanted to use his remaining time in seclusion to contemplate, hoping to glimpse that elusive path... the hope was indeed slim.
But nothing in life is absolute; there’s always a chance of some hope. He Kao sincerely wished that the elder would succeed in breaking the realm and elevate his cultivation further.
The new Sect Leader of the Micro Realm Sect, Zhou Yeming, personally escorted him out of the Book Observation Grotto Heaven. The two had known each other for a while, but until today, they hadn’t openly discussed their identities as Sorcerers, giving them a chance to chat a bit more.
From Zhou Yeming, He Kao learned that Kang Rulin had left earlier that morning. It’s said that he would temporarily hide in the Stone District, and before leaving, he returned the Wan Hua Pearl, the spatial divine artifact, to the sect.
The Wan Hua Pearl is a pierced bead that looks like red agate, now worn by Zhou Yeming as a collar button. Many Eastern Country garments have such accessories, making He Kao somewhat envious.
Zhou Yeming pleaded with He Kao not to reveal it. In fact, as long as he didn’t tell anyone, outsiders, including most cultivators, wouldn’t recognize it or even have heard of it.
But if he didn’t want anyone to know, why tell He Kao? Because by doing so, they shared a secret, subtly drawing them closer.
He Kao sensed that Zhou Yeming might know something about his identity, but he wasn’t sure how much the new Sect Leader was aware.
Kang Rulin’s situation left He Kao rather pensive. This elder was indeed due for a transition, but stepping down in this manner wasn’t very dignified, even though those present at yesterday’s gathering all tried to preserve his face.
At first glance, Kang Rulin might seem overly selfish, but upon deeper reflection, it wasn’t so simple.
Kang Rulin was initially a son-in-law of the Shi Family; it was the family Patriarch who recognized his potential and specifically nurtured him to practice Technique and recruited him as a son-in-law.
The Shi Family recruited and trained Sorcerers, hoping they’d serve the family to expand its influence.
This strategy was exceedingly successful with Kang Rulin, perhaps even overly so, as he excelled greatly, becoming a Tier Six Artifact Master and later the Sect Leader of the Micro Realm Sect.
The Shi Family’s influence naturally grew stronger as a result. Could this have also led to their ambitions inflating? Anyway, the Shi Family went on to engage in quite a few shady deeds.
Following investigation by the Ancestral Hall, these activities were found unrelated to Kang Rulin, though He Kao held a different view.
He Kao didn’t distrust Kang Rulin’s innocence; rather, he believed the Huiming Shi Family deliberately orchestrated it. They wouldn’t dare involve an Ancestral Hall Elder in such shady business.
As long as Kang Rulin remained, the Shi Family, in the eyes of outsiders, had a powerful backing.
In fact, after becoming an Elder, Kang Rulin had freed himself from the Shi Family’s control, but he always bore the mark of his origin from the Shi Family, thus he wished to sever ties, deliberately keeping distance from the Shi Family and no longer involving himself in their affairs.
However, when the Huiming Shi Family was finally subject to retribution, he had to be personally responsible; there was no secular avoidance of responsibility that exempted him; it was a responsibility he couldn’t escape.
Failing to detect the Shi Family’s misdeeds and prevent them promptly, and watching the Shi Family crumble at his own hands, Kang Rulin likely felt guilt. The Shi Family indeed benefited him greatly; otherwise, he wouldn’t have accessed Technique and embarked on the cultivation path.
Thus, his attitude shifted from pursuit to protection, and from protection to personally intervening in the affairs of the Shi Family’s overseas branch...
Ultimately, human nature is complicated, even for a Great Success Cultivator.
He Kao couldn’t help but think of another rule of the Magic Sect, a tradition established after internal strife a thousand years ago, which states that Supreme Elders who retire from the position of Sect Leader shall no longer intervene in sect affairs.
It’s not that they don’t need to worry anymore, but that they must not interfere.
The reason is straightforward: in a sect where technique inheritance is central, elders naturally possess strong authority and influence. If Supreme Elders interfere in sect affairs, successors often become mere figureheads, unable to control the situation.
This is secondary; more importantly, if this continues, one or several factions might dominate the sect, and the entire sect could become subordinate to these factions.
The existence of factions within a sect is inevitable.
For instance, although the Jianji Palace ceased to exist long ago, its last Sovereign, Li Siran, is still alive, and the Jianji Palace faction within the Magic Sect still exists. The current leader is Li Xiuyuan, and even the Hidden Moth Sect’s Chang’an Residence can be attributed to this faction.
Similarly, although Ancestor Master Huailin Zhao Sanjin has long retired and his whereabouts are unknown, his Huailin Lineage, with Ba Mountain Medicine Garden as its Dao Field, remains an influential faction within the Observing Body Sect.
But factions must serve the sect and be controlled by the sect; they must not turn the entire sect into a tool that only serves certain faction powers, or it will surely breed discord and division.
Guo Qianhuai’s actions this time also had the potential to cross the line. Though he merely spoke as an elder, offering advice, the actual decisions were made by the Ancestral Hall and Kang Rulin himself.
No one doubts Guo Qianhuai’s genuine concern for the sect. Even after retiring for years, he still cares deeply about the sect and wishes to contribute more, which is undoubtedly commendable. However, viewed differently, it could be exploited as a weakness.
No one is perfect, and Guo Qianhuai himself should understand this... but by this point, the old man no longer cares.
Leaving the Book Observation Grotto Heaven, He Kao didn’t return immediately but instead visited the Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven again.
He had arranged this visit with Steward Huang Xizi yesterday, having heard that Huang Xizi’s master, Xiao Guangnian, happened to be in the sect. Thus, he went to pay a visit, mainly wanting to see Wei Luo and inquire about Uncle Jiang’s situation.
Second Uncle’s health remains robust. His daughter is currently on summer vacation and traveling with her mother, so Second Uncle returned to the sect to guard and cultivate.
The Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven usually doesn’t have many people and isn’t very lively. He Kao met Wei Luo again in a grass hut deep in the mountains.
Wei Luo was also in seclusion for quiet cultivation, but her seclusion wasn’t absolute; it was simply a way to minimize external interference, and she wasn’t entirely unavailable to visitors. She informed He Kao of Jiang Daozhen’s situation, mentioning that there were no new developments during his secluded cultivation in a closed cave mansion.
No news is good news, He Kao thought, knowing more about the inside story. Elder Jiang had made plans before entering seclusion, but retrieving the Bone-Penetrating Treasure Mirror while ensuring everything seems perfectly natural is quite challenging.
On this matter, He Kao didn’t disclose any information to anyone, including Wei Luo; it’s not a matter of trust but simply not suitable for discussion.
At this moment, He Kao felt quite sympathetic toward the daily cultivation experiences of the sorcerers from Lingxi Sect, because many matters are best left unspoken, especially at the Tier Four Divine Stick stage, which can be quite stifling.
Wei Luo was delighted to see He Kao and wasn’t surprised by his talk about the Micro Realm Sect, though she expressed some nostalgia.
After spending the entire day communing with Wei Luo, He Kao left the next afternoon. Wei Luo remains in the Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven partly to protect her master and partly because she intends to cultivate to Tier Five Perfection.
Wei Luo is confident about this; her recent journey to Qi Yuan had greatly benefited her. However, whether she can verify her path as a Tier Six Calculator after reaching Tier Five Perfection is uncertain; hopefully, she has the opportunity.
As for He Kao, upon leaving the Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven, his cultivation of Lingxi Skill was already at Tier Four Divine Stick. This is nothing to boast about since he’s fundamentally a Tier Six Performer; Lingxi Skill is merely an additional pursuit, and he’s already overcome many trials in various realms.
When he broke through Tier Four in both Alchemy Cauldron Skill and Observing Body Skill, he sequentially experienced different Grotto Heaven summons.
This shows the Ancestor Master’s profound ambition when creating the Grotto Heaven and leaving the technique inheritance. He held an inclusive mindset without any favoritism toward the masses. Anyone reaching high-tier cultivation can find their way home, thus receiving guidance to higher realms.
Nowadays, all major sects adhere to this principle, recognizing Xiao Alliance members as independent cultivators in the Ancestral Hall announcements. As long as they do not engage in prohibited actions and are willing to follow sect rules, they can return to the sect through the Grotto Heaven summon after breaking through to high tiers.
However, some are destined not to come: they are afraid to come or come solely for theft.
This time, the breakthrough of Lingxi Skill to Tier Four was different from before; it was completed within Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven, with He Kao feeling an intrinsic resonance with this realm.
Suppose He Kao was purely a Tier Four cultivator from Lingxi Sect; experiencing this state would significantly aid future breakthroughs to Tier Five.
This resonance encompasses the high-tier inheritance of Lingxi Skill, as if the realm itself is speaking to him. Its essence is indescribable, even if He Kao had already received the inheritance—it holds a different meaning.
On his way back after leaving Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven, he had to pass through Pijing Village, behind which lies the Pijing Grotto Heaven of the Micro Realm Sect. Due to limited time, He Kao didn’t visit the sect specifically, but as he walked out of the village entrance, he suddenly received a peculiar Divine Thought.
**