Born with immortal seed

Chapter 94: The Position of the Sect Leader
Tun Bentang.

Wei Dao drew in a stream of spiritual spring water, which swirled and fell into the tea stove. In an instant, the tea boiled and rolled into three teacups through a small hole.

The tea leaves, like live fish in water, tumble and roll, head and tail chasing each other, their aroma filling the room.

"My two senior brothers, please have this tea."

The dignified sect leader of Qingfeng Sect was serving tea to others. Sitting on either side of him were Tan Changkong, the hall master of the Alchemy Hall, and Luo Qiuzhen, the hall master of the Talisman Hall.

"Junior Brother Wei, are you really determined to shirk this responsibility?"

Compared to previous years, Tan Changkong's figure is even more emaciated, like a candle flickering in the wind, about to collapse.

However, the deathly aura on his face had disappeared, which was clearly related to his success in the Desolate God's Sun-Stealing Technique, which had given him an extra portion of his lifespan.

When Wei Dao first entered the sect, Tan Changkong was already a Foundation Establishment Elder. Given his seniority and experience, he had fewer reservations about what he said.

"Senior Brother Tan, don't be anxious. Junior Brother Wei always plans carefully before acting and is meticulous in his actions... Let's just listen quietly."

Luo Qiuzhen was dressed in a purple robe, with runes tattooed all over his chest, back, and sleeves. They appeared to be random and disordered, but in fact they contained the essence of his life's work in the art of runes.

These two individuals, representing the Alchemy Hall and the Talisman Hall respectively, are also the sect leader's strongest supporters in upholding the Dao.

“When I came out of my seclusion last time, I gained some insights and found a glimmer of opportunity to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment… I plan to clean up my affairs in the next two years and then go into seclusion to make a breakthrough.”

Wei Dao put down his teacup, carefully considered his tone, and spoke slowly.

"Indeed! Junior Brother Sect Leader truly lives up to his unique spiritual root talent, far surpassing us old folks!"

Luo Qiuzhen's expression was complicated. Every step forward in the Foundation Establishment stage was a qualitative breakthrough. At the age of Wei Dao, he had advanced to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and the door to Core Formation had already been half opened for him.

Compared to the path to Core Formation, the position of sect leader is certainly not something to be regretted.

"Alright, since Junior Brother Wei is aiming for the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage, it's inappropriate for him to continue handling the sect leader's duties. But we need to discuss carefully what to do with the vacant position."

At Tan Changkong's age, he has long since given up on the pursuit of the Great Dao; living another year is a bonus.

He only wanted to make proper arrangements for his relatives and descendants before he passed away.

“We don’t have a suitable candidate in our pocket. The Enforcement Hall is completely under Liang Yu’s control… It’s a pity about Zhou Bai. If we had given him another thirty years, his age and cultivation would have been just right.”

The power of the Qingfeng Sect leader depends mainly on the individual's prestige and methods. After all, there is a Core Formation Ancestor above and five halls below who are in charge of various duties. The leader's role is more about coordinating the discussions, presiding over elder meetings, and managing the sect's external relations.

Wei Dao's power stemmed from his ability to unite the most neutral elders. Even the elders of the Law Enforcement Hall had to admit that during his tenure, the welfare and benefits of the sect from top to bottom increased significantly.

Zhou Bai, whom Luo Qiuzhen mentioned, was Wei Dao's second disciple, whom he had raised from childhood.

He is currently at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. He usually helps Weidao with some less important administrative affairs. He is skilled in his methods and is privately called the "Little Sect Leader" by many disciples of the sect.

However, to be considered for the position of Qingfeng Sect leader, one must meet the following three criteria.

With a cultivation level at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, being too low would not only cause the sect to lose face but also make it difficult to control the other elders.
Those who are in their prime and have too much time to spend cultivating are forced to take up the position, often going into seclusion for three years and serving for only a month, making the position of sect leader a mere formality.

He must be proficient in administrative affairs; otherwise, a sect leader who only knows how to cultivate in seclusion and is not good at management could cause the welfare and treatment of Qingfeng Sect disciples to regress by a hundred years in just one term.

"It would be a real headache if the position of sect leader were taken by someone from the Enforcement Hall."

The Enforcement Hall already possesses the strongest combat power of the Azure Maple Sect. In addition to the five patrol teams, it also controls battle formations, large flying boats, and other powerful weapons of war. Furthermore, it has the authority to monitor the illegal activities of the sect's disciples.

If another leader were to emerge from the Enforcement Hall, the Enforcement Hall would completely overwhelm the other four halls, reducing them to a level of power comparable to the Seven Halls.

Tan Changkong had come from a time when the Law Enforcement Hall faction held the position of sect leader, and of course he didn't want to go back to that time.

Although alchemists hold a prestigious status and are highly sought after in the cultivation world, without a sect to back them up and collect pill formulas and materials, it is too slow for one person to refine pills alone, and there are not enough opportunities to cultivate experience.

“There are indeed two junior brothers in the Enforcement Hall who seem more qualified, but let’s change our approach… What do you two senior brothers think of Junior Brother Gu?”

Wei Dao remained calm, dipped his finger in the tea, and wrote a name on the table.

“Gu Xisheng, how can this be done? He’s over a hundred years old and still only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. He’s not even one of our own. Why would we promote him to the position?”

Luo Qiuzhen frowned. This Gu Xisheng was a neutral elder, without any faction behind him, and was a very inconspicuous person among the more than thirty elders of Qingfeng Sect.

"Making Gu Xisheng the sect leader is quite interesting... Junior Brother Wei, please continue."

Tan Changkong thought for a moment and then said.

"My two senior brothers, I have tested Junior Brother Gu's abilities many times over the years as he has been in charge of the General Affairs Hall. In a place like the General Affairs Hall where people often suffer, he has done an excellent job in allocating resources, mediating conflicts, and responding to the demands of various halls. He is a rare talent in the General Affairs Hall, and that is one of his strengths."

Wei Dao raised his second finger and continued.

"Secondly, it is precisely because Junior Brother Gu is not one of us that he is able to obtain the votes of the Enforcement Hall... Bai'er and Junior Brother Gu are both running for sect leader. If Senior Brother Liang and the others have no other choice, who do you think they will vote for?"

"Finally, being weaker in cultivation and lacking faction support is not necessarily a bad thing. Each of the five halls has its own responsibilities, and the sect leader only needs to mediate between them."

Tan Changkong and Luo Qiuzhen exchanged a glance, seemingly sensing there was room for maneuver.

For the Alchemy Hall and the Talisman Hall, a weak sect leader seems to be more in their interest.

Dunbentang was completely silent, except for the sound of boiling water from the tea stove.

……

A long list with forty or fifty names, along with smears and added marks.

"Junior Nephew Bai, this is a preliminary list. If you have any candidates you like, you can submit them and I will add them to your list."

Peng Chong waved his hand casually, his body radiating scorching heat, probably from just finishing refining a weapon.

The once-a-decade journey to the Inheritance Stone Tablet has a total of fifty slots.

The first round allocated twenty spots to the Qingfeng Sect, while the remaining thirty spots were shared among fifteen cultivation families.

It was agreed at the time that the five families with the worst inheritance results would be disqualified from participating in the next inheritance stele journey.

However, five more cultivation families were later allowed to move to Black Mountain. Perhaps to stabilize the situation, Patriarch Yang personally gave the order to grant each family two places.

So after going around in circles, the number of sect slots remains unchanged.

All inner disciples under the age of twenty will automatically receive a spot, while the rest will be selected from among the outer disciples.

After their previous trip, almost all twenty disciples returned with the fruits of their inheritance. Those who triggered extraordinary phenomena, such as Su Li and Chen Wei, became the focus of attention.

As Bai Zichen joined the sect, his gains from under the inheritance stone tablet were also unearthed.

Everyone knows that the Five Sacred Mountains Temple Heritage Stele is a valuable item, so the participation slots have become highly sought after, and there will never be another case like last time where someone voluntarily withdrew.

According to Peng Chong, after returning from that trip ten years ago, some people began to secretly plan for the quota of the inheritance stele this time.

With the nine inner disciples who meet the age requirements already confirmed, there is a lot of room for maneuver in selecting the remaining candidates.

(End of this chapter)