The Eroding Foundation of Xuan Nü Sect

The moment they heard these words, Qing You and Mu Qingli’s brows furrowed instantly. Mu Qingli glanced at Qing You, but Qing You did not return her gaze. Instead, her expression was grave; her chopsticks, which had been poised to pick up a side dish, now lay still. She transmitted her voice, “Pavilion Master, what prompts such a statement?”

Xian Chengyue, however, did not immediately reply. “Qing You,” she began, “how many other factions are currently cooperating with our Xuan Nv Sect?”

The sect’s income streams were diverse. Beyond their monopolized core spirit vein mining rights, they also engaged in commercial collaborations with various shops and aristocratic families. This encompassed the design, production, and sale of the sect’s self-manufactured pills, magical artifacts, and enchanted robes, alongside urban development and land leasing operations within their governed territories. Furthermore, the sect generated rental income by leasing shops to rogue cultivators, cultivation families, or merchant associations, and collected protective maintenance fees for the sanctuary they offered within their domain. Even with the vast expanse of the imperial dynasty’s territory, its military might struggled to cover the entire immortal realm, leaving numerous remote cities vulnerable and poorly defended. Consequently, these cities sought partnerships with nearby sects for crucial protection, which included tasks like regularly eradicating surrounding spirit beast hordes and deploying disciples to maintain stability. Though humanity numbered in the trillions, only a tenth of them were cultivators. As a renowned top-tier sect, the Xuan Nv Sect commanded an immense territory. The number of cities under its dominion was particularly impressive; currently, a full fifty cities paid taxes to them, a figure that had once surpassed one hundred during their peak.

“Now, several of these partners have disappeared, having gone elsewhere. Our sales channels for pills and magical artifacts have significantly diminished, and the bulk of our income still relies on taxes from our main cities. However, even the number of main cities cooperating with us has decreased.”

“While it may seem inconsequential—Pavilion Master, are you implying an internal mole helped poach these partners away?”

‘Poached away a few families? Could this be overly sensitive? Business dealings, with their ebb and flow, are quite normal. Moreover, the quality of our pill-refining and artifact-forging disciples has declined in recent years compared to previous generations. Furthermore, our enrollment has been dwindling year after year… After all, the Xuan Nv Sect’s illustrious reputation is no longer what it once was. For a millennium, we haven’t produced a new generation of disciples capable of truly upholding the sect… And let’s not forget, our very foundation rests upon the reputation forged by the previous Sect Master…’

‘…Now that a millennium has passed, I fear—’

As she spoke, Qing You cast a pointed glance at Mu Qingli. The implication was starkly clear. ‘What could Mu Qingli do?’ Qing You was merely stating the truth. She herself was incapable of upholding the sect’s prestige, and her contributions to its development paled in comparison to Qing You’s. Had her master not entrusted the sect to her, the position of Sect Master would undoubtedly have fallen to Qing You long ago. Now, she could only stare back helplessly, unable to utter a single word in retort.

“…I’ve discovered that some of our fundamental cultivation techniques have been tampered with. This is my primary suspicion.”

‘Fundamental cultivation techniques? A few fundamental cultivation techniques tampered with? While it might be slightly unsettling, to immediately suspect an internal spy for such a minor alteration seems a bit like making a mountain out of a molehill, doesn’t it?’

‘After all, although Xian Chengyue oversees the cultivation methods within the Transmission Pavilion, she still has subordinates. Could one of them have simply made a mistake? With such a colossal volume of techniques, errors are bound to occur.’

“…Pavilion Master, is this truly the case?” Qing You’s expression turned noticeably grave. Her relaxed posture, where she had propped her face with her hand, shifted; she now sat perfectly upright.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s merely a few fundamental cultivation techniques… Pavilion Master, why is this matter… treated with such gravity? Could it simply be a momentary oversight by one of the Elders?” Mu Qingli’s confusion was evident.

“Fool.” These two words, like twin thunderclaps laced with shards of ice, detonated without warning deep within Mu Qingli’s very soul. Qing You’s icy gaze, akin to the frigid winds of the far north, held a nearly blatant blend of mockery and fury, scornful of Mu Qingli’s shallow understanding and inability to discern true importance.

“Where does the Xuan Nv Sect’s foundation truly lie today?!” Qing You’s voice was laced with a bone-deep chill. “It is in the cultivation methods! It is in the countless techniques the Pavilion Master painstakingly deduced and optimized!” Her words tumbled out with startling speed, charged with a rare, fierce emotion that her transmitted voice only amplified. “The very cornerstone upon which our sect survives and stands tall among the peaks lies in the eight-character maxim: ‘Teach according to aptitude, seek destiny and ask the Dao’!” Her voice abruptly rose, imbued with an undeniable, absolute authority. “It is these fundamental cultivation techniques, precisely tailored to the subtle spiritual root variations of myriad disciples, that determine whether a newly initiated disciple’s first step is firm! Whether it is smooth!”

“Among disciples of the same cultivation stage, those of the Xuan Nv Sect are rarely matched! What do they rely on?! It is precisely this initial ‘seamless compatibility’!”

“The path each disciple embarks upon begins within the myriad foundations of my Transmission Pavilion—with the technique most perfectly suited and compatible for them!”

“To tamper with this cornerstone is to strike at the very lifeline of our Xuan Nv Sect’s foundation! It is to sever the growth path of our sect’s future elites!”

“And you actually thought it was merely… a few techniques?” The final rhetorical question, delivered with a thunderous roar and bone-deep contempt, seemed to interrogate Mu Qingli’s very qualifications as the sect’s acting leader.

Xian Chengyue made no move to intervene, clearly harboring some dissatisfaction with Mu Qingli herself, allowing Qing You to voice the reprimand on her behalf. Only then did Xian Chengyue slowly speak, “The tampering with fundamental cultivation techniques is akin to insects and ants eroding a building’s foundation—at best, the structure will lean; at worst, it will utterly collapse. The Xuan Nv Sect has stood unyielding to this day precisely because we bear responsibility for our disciples, viewing their welfare as the very bedrock of our sect. If even a few techniques are tampered with, it signifies that the cultivation paths of several disciples have already been secretly led astray.”

Her tone shifting, she gestured towards the food stall before them. “Consider this food stall: if its dishes are delicious, customers will naturally flock to it. Yet, if the secret recipes or sauces it relies upon were tampered with, and the food became unpalatable or strangely scented, who would still patronize it? By then, ruin and demise would not be far off.”

At this point, the gravity of the situation finally dawned on Mu Qingli.

“I… I was foolish…”

“If even these fundamentals have been tampered with, I cannot be certain if other aspects remain untouched. This internal saboteur harbors malicious intent, aiming to destroy the very roots of our sect. Therefore, I have summoned you both for two directives. Firstly, you must ensure Ji Xue’s protection. Otherwise, this ‘mutation’ in cultivation techniques—which, to put it mildly, could be seen as a new direction—would, to put it harshly, be viewed as tampering with the Imperial Family’s cultivation methods, thereby shaking the very foundation of the Imperial lineage. Secondly, you two must cooperate in secret this time. On the surface, maintain your opposition, but covertly, collaboration is imperative. If you fail to do so, do not fault me for being unmerciful. I am fully aware of everything you’ve been doing! Qing You, you may target Lin Wan’er, but you must ensure he has a fighting chance. Your intentions, Qing You, are transparent; you wish to play both sides. I will not interfere, but you will execute this flawlessly for me. Furthermore, you are forbidden from revealing Lin Wan’er’s feigned injury to any disciple. Do not assume I am unaware of what you have given Liu Ruyan. Let the disciples’ infighting and machinations be resolved among themselves. Mu Qingli, you are to assist Qing You in her investigation. As for Lin Wan’er… you will personally oversee him, assuming no other complications arise.”

At this pronouncement, both women were utterly stunned. ‘They hadn’t imagined… The old adage held true: the older the ginger, the spicier it was. She knew everything, absolutely everything?’