Journey to the head

Lu Qian's words made Wang Yu nod silently. Back when his humanity was destroyed, he naturally used everyone, including himself, as pawns. Everything was for the highest interests of the Yunshan Sect, so it was only natural to measure disciples by their value.

Looking back now, I wonder what Yunshan would have become if I had truly been in charge.

An Fanghe looked at Lu Qian and said, "We will always regard the sect leader's teachings as our guiding principle."

"But in times of crisis, in order to ensure the survival of the sect, people are always divided into different classes. In the end, it still comes down to the old path of judging people by their worth."

"So how can we change this outcome?!"

"Not judging people by their worth, but allowing disciples the right to choose their own lives! What a magnificent ideal!" His voice grew increasingly excited. "Whenever I think of this, I am filled with longing and wish to dedicate myself to such a place."

An Fanghe would always recall that day. He was often scolded by his teachers for being lazy and indolent, but he heard a completely different kind of encouragement from Lu Qian.

Being naturally carefree and wanting to live a leisurely life is not a fault. So let's strive for that goal and build our Yunshan Sect strong enough to protect everyone and allow them to live the life they desire!
"Sect Leader—"

He already had the answer in his heart, or rather, he had always had the answer. But at this moment, An Fanghe was so eager to get an answer from Lu Qian.

As expected, Lu Qian looked around and spoke up.

"Get stronger! Get stronger! Get stronger!"

"Only by constantly becoming stronger, making our Yunshan Sect stronger and stronger enough to overcome all crises, and preventing any more unavoidable situations from happening again!"

"To build a great sect where disciples can each pursue their own dreams, display their talents, and achieve their own path!"

Everyone in the hall stared intently at their sect leader, whose words resonated deeply within them.

"Perhaps this is just a vague fantasy, and it is very likely that I will never be able to realize it in my lifetime, and even none of you here will be able to see that day."

"But I believe that as long as our dream can be passed down from generation to generation, and as long as every generation of Yunshan disciples can do their best for this dream, this day will eventually come, and Yunshan Sect will eventually become the greatest sect in the world!"

No matter how long the night, or how lonely the wait for dawn, the sun will always rise!

"Therefore, gentlemen," Lu Qian stood up, "please lend me a hand, please lend Yunshan a hand!"

"I am willing to die for the sect leader!" Wang Ruoyu shouted, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears.

Plum, if you were here, how wonderful it would be if you could help us realize this dream.

"We are willing to die for the sect leader!" The crowd knelt down one after another, many with tears in their eyes.

“They’re not going to die for me,” Lu Qian corrected everyone. “They’re going to die for Yunshan, and doing everything in their power to pursue their dreams.”

He paused for a moment, then said, word by word, "Having been appointed as the sect leader in this time of crisis, I must not allow the three-hundred-year-old tradition of Yunshan to be cut off in my hands. From now on, I will devote all my wisdom and strength to the cause, and do my utmost to glorify the sect and avenge the blood feud. When my soul returns to the underworld, I will be able to say to my teachers that I have a clear conscience!"

Jiang Qingfeng stared at Lu Qian intently; of course she remembered those vows.

"This is the vow I made when I rebuilt Yunshan years ago. Today's Yunshan is a hundred times stronger than it was back then. Even if Heaven punishes me now and sends my soul to the underworld to pay homage to the past masters of Yunshan, I can still be proud and honored. I have a clear conscience and I have done it."

"But I'm not satisfied!"

"From this day forward, this vow is a thing of the past. This dream will be the new vow."

An Fanghe kept all of this in mind, and he sighed, "If only Sect Leader Lin could hear these words, perhaps his inner demons would be lessened."

“I’ve said these things to him before,” Lu Qian suddenly said. “He’s been holding a grudge and we’ve discussed these issues together a long time ago.”

“I thought that after our conversation, he would be able to resolve his inner conflict, but in fact we were both wrong.”

"Lin Le was deceived by his own excitement, or rather, he deceived himself, thinking that the problems were all over. Now it seems that he has been straying from his true self all along."

Lu Qian sighed inwardly; he knew why.

Xiaolin is such an obedient child; he listens to me so much.

He followed me with boundless admiration and worship, perfectly inheriting everything I taught him, regarding every word I said as truth, and taking my true heart as his own.

Even if he had doubts, he would convince himself of them as a matter of course.

"The sect leader is always right."

His blind loyalty, while deeply moving, has left him feeling powerless and regretful about the current situation.

"How could that be?" An Fanghe asked, puzzled. "Doesn't Sect Leader Lin approve of this dream?"

Lu Qian shook his head: "Of course he agrees. But there are many ways to realize a dream, yet he commanded himself to choose the exact same path as me."

Lu Qian chose the "unity of the people" path, which is based on the principles of "benevolence, righteousness, and trustworthiness." He has his own understanding of "rules," "discipline," "humanity," and "values." He is accustomed to dealing with people and things with dialectical thinking. These are all paths that Lu Qian has naturally developed due to the influence of modern thinking.

Therefore, on the day he achieved the Golden Elixir, he had already discerned his true mind, realized his true nature, and found his true self. Or, to put it another way, from the moment he rebuilt Yunshan, he had already clearly defined his path.

But the others are different from Lu Qian.

Judging disciples by their value is the mainstream choice in the cultivation world. It's not about the good or evil of human nature, but rather that every cultivator is naturally divided into different ranks from the moment they are born with their spiritual roots. The importance of innate talent makes value orientations particularly clear.

Lin Le, in particular, who had almost no chance of entering the Dao due to his pseudo-spiritual root, had a clearer understanding of this.

All of Zhao Gang's conversations have been compiled. He said, "It is precisely because of the abilities I have demonstrated and the value I have created for the sect that I have been favored by the sect leader, who has continuously poured his heart and soul into me and gone to great lengths to help me reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Otherwise, how could I be where I am today?"

From this perspective, he is grateful to Lu Qian and the Yunshan Sect, but at the same time, he has his own judgment on "value".

Therefore, even if the ultimate dream is the same, what he formed through his long practice was his own unique essence. However...
"We share the same dream, but we must follow our true selves," Lu Qian said. "Not judging people by their values ​​is my choice, and it may not be suitable for you."

"You may find it reasonable, you may learn from it, and even implement it, but you must have your own understanding and recognize that it is a true choice that aligns with your own conscience. Please remember this—"

Lu Qian's voice deepened, and all the Golden Core cultivators were startled.

"Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die!" An Fanghe bowed deeply, and all the Golden Core cultivators responded in unison, "We will obey the Sect Leader's decree!"

Li Sheng stood silently behind Lu Qian, watching and listening intently, his leaden pupils gleaming with a sharp light.

Following the main meeting was a smaller meeting of the core members of the Yunshan Sect.

Lu Qian, Wang Yu, Jiang Qingfeng, Gu Nishang, and Wu Yan were present, but Lin Le was missing.

Even though they had a pretty good idea of ​​the cause of Lin Le's inner demons, Lin Le was now fighting against them head-on and unable to wake up, so all their words could no longer be conveyed.

Now, Lin Le can only rely on himself.

Hopefully, fate will protect him, and he can suppress his inner demons and awaken. Then, with proper guidance, he might be able to regain control of his true self.

After discussing Lin Le's matter, Lu Qian recounted his experience of protecting Li Sheng during his Foundation Establishment. Upon hearing about the two major events, "the unusual movements of the Outer Sea Dragon Clan" and "the descent of the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Lord's divided soul into two parts," everyone was shocked.

"The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease." Wang Yu sighed. "I thought that after the demonic chaos, we would enjoy several hundred years of peace, but now it seems..."

"I'm afraid even greater turmoil is on the horizon."

Lu Qian nodded: "Looking back at the major calamities of recent years, each one is larger in scale than the last. The Heavenly Lord's tentacles are penetrating deeper and deeper, and the probing tactics are becoming more and more elaborate. Now even the Heavenly Lord's divided soul has awakened."

"The hints I received from Taiyi Paradise indicate that the Luotian Forbidden Immortal Tent is showing signs of weakening, and the traces of the activities of the Heavenly Lords in various places are becoming increasingly obvious."

Gu Nishang's eyes burned with fire: "The great era of contention will eventually arrive. True immortals will descend one after another, and the races that worship their respective Heavenly Sovereigns will once again contend in the world. Perhaps in the end, everything will be like it was more than 20,000 years ago, repeating the story of earth-shattering changes and the reshuffling of this world."

This will be an extremely dangerous era, but also an era for heroes!

The weak are destined to be eliminated, only heroes lead the way and reign supreme!
Can the Yunshan Sect distinguish itself amidst such a great calamity?

Wang Yu said, "There's no need to worry too early. Besides, the Yuan Chen Realm today is different from the era when all races dominated more than 20,000 years ago. Many races have been eliminated over the long course of time. Of those thirty-three Heavenly Monarchs, how many have already perished?"

"In today's world, the only ones qualified to challenge the human race's dominance are the sea race led by the dragon race and the unified underground races. Other scattered demon races and intelligent races have completely declined or disappeared."

"As for the unintelligent wild beasts, their only reliance is their superb reproductive ability."

"Moreover, this is before the Heavenly Monarch has descended to earth. Once the Heavenly Monarch arrives, the situation will change. Take the Dragon Clan and the Sea Clan for example. Since the True Immortal Calamity, only two Heavenly Monarchs have ascended to the Upper Realm. Their influence is far from comparable to that of the True Dragon Heavenly Monarch."

"On the other hand, the human race's Taiyi Paradise alone is under the protection of the four Heavenly Lords of the Four Elements. The human race's Heavenly Lords still hold a high position of power."

“But I’m afraid the human race isn’t of one mind,” Jiang Qingfeng continued. “There are disagreements among the various continents and archipelagos, and the Tian Shu and Yao Guang continents have close ties with the Dragon Clan.”

"From this perspective, both the Dragon Clan and the Hundred Clans have a lot of room to maneuver, and they may even cause more trouble."

"This unusual activity by the outer sea dragons must be more than just the opening of the Dragon Palace; otherwise, why would they make such a fuss?"

“Junior brother just happened to discover it, but now another month has passed, and the news of the Dragon Clan gathering at the outer sea holy land can no longer be hidden. It has now been discovered by the major forces.”

"The fog is thick, and the danger is even greater." Jiang Qingfeng looked worried and advised, "Junior brother, why don't we skip the trip to the Dragon Palace?"

Similar advice had been given before, but Lu Qian hesitated for a moment and still shook his head.

"Looking further ahead, a great era of contention is approaching. We must ensure that the Yunshan Sect continues its rapid advance so that it has the power to protect itself before the real crisis arrives."

"To put it simply, although the divided soul of the Heavenly Lord of Wonderful Laws has escaped into the Realm of Precious Light, when will he come out, and what methods has he left behind in the Realm of Primordial Star? This is like a knife hanging over my head."

"If I don't immediately advance to the Nascent Soul stage, or even go all out to break through to the Void Refinement stage, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape this calamity."

"Therefore, we had no choice but to go to the Dragon Palace and take its treasures."

He said to everyone, "I have already decided that the trip to the Dragon Palace will be made by myself, my senior sister, Yu Jiao, and Bai Tao."

“I have the Ascension Certificate, my senior sister has the bloodline of a true dragon, and Yu Jiao is a pure-blooded dragon. Both of them can enter the Dragon Palace. As for Bai Tao, she is a good friend of Hai Shuangyao and has already been invited to visit the Hai family on Binglan Island.”

"Talk about it"

Lu Qian flipped his palm, and a five-colored ball of light spun in his palm, containing a wisp of innate spiritual energy.

"This remaining innate spiritual energy will be consumed by Senior Sister, and she will be able to directly achieve the Golden Core Perfection!"

Jiang Qingfeng was taken aback and was about to refuse when Lu Qian said rather forcefully.

"Even if I digest this innate spiritual energy, I won't be able to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. The trip to the Dragon Palace is imminent, so of course improving my senior sister's cultivation is the most important thing."

"In other words, if Senior Sister's mind is perfected and she is favored by Heaven, she may be able to achieve the position of Nascent Soul Spirit Lord before the trip to the Dragon Palace!"

“A Nascent Soul Spirit Lord can have even better opportunities in the Dragon Palace.”

Wang Yu suddenly said, "Sect Leader, perhaps there isn't enough time? Although the Dragon Palace will open in over a year, the Immortal Fall Islands are a million miles away, and it will take several months to travel there. Moreover, we need to arrive ahead of time. In that case, I'm afraid Junior Sister Jiang won't even have enough time to digest the innate spiritual energy?"

Lu Qian smiled and said, "Normally that's how it is, but I contacted True Monarch Heming beforehand, and he agreed to give us a ride. A step in the Void Refinement Realm covers a million miles, so we can arrive immediately. If everything goes smoothly, there will still be enough time."

With everything settled, just as Lu Qian was about to adjourn the meeting, Wang Yu suddenly spoke solemnly.

"Sect Leader, don't you really notice that you've acted somewhat unusually when dealing with matters related to the Heavenly Lord?"

"With your intelligence and insight, could you really not have imagined the danger that might be brought about by tampering with the statue of the Heavenly Emperor?"

"And then there was Senior Chiyu. He clearly sensed the call of the Golden Crow Dao Seed and understood the danger of this Dao Seed. Given his care for his disciple, he actually chose to pass it on to Elder Gu."

"And you and Elder Gu were both there, and you accepted it as a matter of course, completely disregarding the horror involved?"

Lu Qian's eyes widened, a chill rising from the depths of his heart. (End of Chapter)