The ancestor is incompetent!

Chapter 229 This Will Should Be Fulfilled
In the old site of Jingyuan, white clouds in the sky moved slowly forward like waves of the sea, and the spring rain dripped into the soil, nourishing the fertile land after the great battle.

An ordinary Qi Refining disciple dressed in light blue-green stood in the crowd, staring blankly at the disciples being neatly arranged and loaded into the huge treasure ships not far away.

Mei San Niang watched as the long queue grew shorter and shorter until it finally reached her turn.

She was somewhat numb as she was searched by several Qiling disciples, and then, under the scrutiny of a true cultivator's divine sense, she entered the treasure ship.

Mei San Niang was somewhat surprised that this true cultivator hadn't even glanced at her twice. Her beauty was considered top-notch even among female cultivators, which was why she was often harassed by the direct disciples within the Mirror Abyss Profound Palace.

Later, she was chosen by a direct descendant of a true cultivator in the Xuan Palace to be his concubine, thus escaping the fate of being humiliated. But she also knew that her future was destined to serve that true cultivator in his cultivation.

Now that the Mirror Abyss Palace is gone, the Qiling Sect has actually recruited most of its surviving disciples. Is the sect leader of the Qiling Sect really not afraid that these people might have ulterior motives?
Stepping inside the treasure ship, she was taken aback. Contrary to her expectations of being captured and piled up like cargo, she found herself surrounded by small rooms of the same size.

A young disciple of Qiling glanced at her a couple more times and said with a smile, "Your meditation room is in the Jia Chen section. Just walk in from here and turn right twice, and you'll see it."

Remember, once inside the chamber, do not move around unless absolutely necessary. Just stay inside and meditate. If you have enough spirit stones, you can cultivate inside. However, absolutely do not practice magic or refine pills/artifacts, lest you cause damage to the treasure ship's interior.

In response to his detailed explanation, Mei San Niang said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"No, no, no." These words made the young disciple blush. "I am just a Qi Refining disciple, I am not worthy of the title 'Master'. If you don't mind, just call me Senior Brother Zhong."

"From now on, you will be my disciples, Qi Ling's disciples, and we will naturally address each other as fellow disciples."

Mei San Niang couldn't help but feel a bit of goodwill towards him, and bowed slightly, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Zhong, but we are prisoners of war, how can we compare with proper disciples of Qi Ling?"

“Hehe, Junior Sister, there’s no need to worry. Our sect has a long history and is inclusive of all things. The Xiang family, one of the four great families, was once our enemy, but now they have all come under our Qiling’s protection.” Zhong Qian said proudly, “Our sect’s patriarch and sect leader are both compassionate and will naturally treat you as Qiling disciples. The many ugly things that happened in the Mirror Abyss Palace will not happen in our Qiling.”

"Really? But where in the world is there a place for cultivating immortality without seeking personal gain?" Mei San Niang didn't say this aloud, but just smiled and agreed, then went into her quiet room.

She stayed in the quiet room, a small room several meters wide, which was even equipped with simple barriers to isolate the sounds from the outside and serve as a basic warning and protection function.

Mei San Niang couldn't help but sigh, "At least on the surface, the Qi Ling Sect does a very good job. They don't treat us like prisoners or pigs and dogs."

She couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the future of the Qiling Sect.

After staying in the quiet room for three days, a loud voice came from outside the door as the ship rocked.

"New disciples, we have arrived at the Qiling Sect's mountain gate. Please disembark."

Upon hearing this, Mei San Niang immediately awoke from her meditation and left the quiet room.

As soon as she disembarked, she saw the magnificent and imposing archway before her. On the hundred-zhang-long boulder in the center of the square were carved the three powerful ancient characters "Qiling Sect". The square, which was more than a thousand zhang wide, was made of white marble. Rows of disciples dressed in dark yellow robes lined up in two columns, and two true cultivators were talking at the front.

More than twenty treasure ships came to a stop one by one, and many disciples emerged from them, all of whom were prisoners from the old Mirror Abyss.

There were more than 5,000 people, filling most of the square.

Mei San Niang was not conspicuous among the many Qi Refining disciples. In such a large group of people, even the most outstanding Qi Refining disciple was nothing more than an ant.

One of the two cultivators, a woman with a beautiful appearance, spoke up: "I am Xiang Xihua, a steward of the General Affairs Peak of the Qiling Sect, and this lady beside me is Wang Chaoyou, a steward of the Qi Peak."

The initial entry into the sect will be overseen by the two of us. Once you are familiar with the sect rules and regulations, and pass the assessment of the ten peaks, you will be assigned to your respective peaks. You will then be disciples of those peaks and subject to their command, no longer under our direct control.

Of course, since you haven't lived in Qiling since childhood, it will take you a while to adjust. So during this period, you will still have to follow our orders.

"Since you have just arrived today, Deacon Wang will give you a brief overview of Qiling's history shortly. Afterwards, this disciple will guide you to your lodgings. You may be staying in one place for up to a year, but this is no longer the Mirror Abyss Mystic Palace. If you dare to act smuggly again, the enforcement disciples will punish you severely!"

Mei San Niang glanced at the law enforcement disciples mentioned by the true cultivator deacon in the crowd. At a glance, they all had profound cultivation at the late stage of Qi Refining, wearing black undershirts, and each of them had a solemn expression, giving people a gloomy and murderous feeling, making people dare not provoke them.

Wang Chaoyou stepped forward and said, “Everyone, I am Wang Chaoyou, in charge of the Qifeng clan’s records and history. Our Qiling lineage has a long history, which can be traced back to the Tianqi Immortal Sect more than 4,500 years ago. At that time, the Immortal Sect was defeated, and True Person Weiyang brought his disciples to Nanjue…”

His lecture lasted for several hours. It was not a dry and boring narrative, but rather a progressive account of the succession of leaders from one generation to the next. He quickly drew everyone into the magnificent history of the Qiling Sect, spanning more than four thousand years. The disciples listened with rapt attention.

It was the first time they had ever learned that so many elders in the world were willing to sacrifice themselves for their juniors, which also deeply moved generations of disciples and followers who were determined to defend the lineage to the death, even at the cost of their lives.

Especially since the time of Ancestor Wang Xun, the Qiling Sect experienced its lowest and most humiliating period, but it also rose from the depths of decline to become the great Qiling Golden Elixir Sect it is today.

It wasn't until sunset that everyone came to their senses from recounting the lives of these various figures, still savoring the memories.

After Wang Chaoyou finished speaking, he continued, "These are just brief histories. When you have time in the future, you can read the full history. There are tens of millions of words recorded, and many of them are even Qi Refining disciples, who have left their names in history and will be praised by future generations."

Now that you have joined Qiling today, you are disciples of our sect. We will certainly not treat you unfairly. As long as you have the will to strive for advancement, Qiling will be your stepping stone, providing a path for tens of thousands of disciples to ascend.

My love for Qi Ling is beyond words; one can feel it simply by experiencing it firsthand.

Our sect's patriarch once said, "Once you join Qiling, you will never regret it." We only wish that every disciple of Qiling will be like a dragon.

I offer these words as encouragement to all of you, hoping that you will all soon cultivate to the point of immortality and become true cultivators!

The disciples of Mirror Abyss were captivated and unable to contain themselves. Compared to Qi Ling, who cared deeply for his disciples, their Mirror Abyss Palace seemed more like an exploiter, a corrupt giant that enslaved them.

Mei San Niang was deeply moved. So many women in the Qi Ling Sect had achieved renown throughout history, no longer merely vessels for human consumption. She longed to be like the musician, dressed in simple clothes, carrying her zither, wandering the world alone. Such a world was truly magnificent; such a life was the true life!
By the time everyone came to their senses, the two true cultivators had already left, and the disciples were left to assign them to the mountain gates and enter Qiling.

Stepping into the gate of Qiling Mountain, one is enveloped in mist, like a light veil dancing in the air. Lush ancient trees stand tall, their branches thick and their bark textures seeming to tell tales of the vicissitudes of time. Among them, spiritual flowers bloom, their colors vibrant, their petals as thin as cicada wings, their rich fragrance attracting fluttering butterflies.

Mei San Niang followed the disciples to the foot of a high peak. She heard the disciple leading the way say, "This peak is the secondary peak of the General Affairs Peak. It was built specifically for new disciples to enter the sect. It has over a thousand cave dwellings. Although they are a bit small, at least each person has their own place, so it's acceptable."

Once you've entered the Ten Peaks, you'll be assigned individual cave dwellings, which you can build as you wish.

No one objected. They all stepped forward to receive the cave dwelling tokens, and after listening to the sect rules and regulations, they followed the other disciples to their cave dwellings inside the peak to rest.

Many disciples stayed up all night, pondering and envisioning their new future.

Inside the Hall of Management at Shuwu Peak, the lights were just as bright.

Wang Chaochen sat upright on the wooden table, examining various jade slips, while several cultivators stood below him with different expressions.

Shen Qingfeng, the peak master of Lingkuang Peak, frowned and said, "Sect Master, the spiritual energy in our mountain gate is already quite limited. Now that we have recruited so many disciples, I'm afraid even setting up ten more spirit-gathering arrays won't be enough!"

After hearing what he said, Wang Qinshi, the peak master of Qifeng, couldn't help but say, "Sect leader, even if you are kind-hearted, and the sect needs manpower, recruiting two or three thousand people would be enough. Why do you need so many people?"
Our sect's spiritual resources were already scarce, and even with the spoils from the Mirror Abyss Palace, it's only a temporary solution. The spiritual resources needed for the sect's administrative system are enormous!

The remaining elders also spoke up to offer their advice.

Wang Chaochen listened silently until the end before putting down the jade slip and saying calmly, "I am aware of everyone's difficulties."

However, those who achieve great things must be both extremely strong and extremely benevolent. If I, Qi Ling, were only content with a corner of the world, then naturally I wouldn't need to consider so many things. But if I wish to become the supreme sect of the Southern Continent, then I must do so, only then will I have the momentum to unify the world, and only then will I have the support of the people!
If spiritual energy is insufficient, then go and occupy more spiritual lands. If spiritual resources are insufficient, then go and seek out places rich in spiritual resources.

Only when there are more and more young disciples who are eager to seek knowledge outside, and when Qi Ling is united as one, will Qi Ling's combat power reach its peak.

As for the matter of the spiritual land, we will send another three thousand disciples to establish spiritual fields on scattered ley lines in various places and plant spiritual rice and spiritual trees.

The Spirit Plant Peak has cultivated several new types of spirit rice seeds, which can be planted on various levels of ley lines, providing a source of spiritual energy for lower-level disciples.

Danfeng has also created several more universal spiritual pills, which can provide a lot of assistance to low-level disciples in their cultivation breakthroughs.

"Junior Brother Shen, is there enough manpower at Spirit Mine Peak?"

"Indeed, the resources are not plentiful. Many disciples have been sent to the Mirror Abyss to survey spiritual resources and build new temples. As a result, the establishment of new systems for mineral veins and spiritual lands is progressing very slowly," Shen Qingfeng sighed.

Wang Chaochen smiled and said, "Once the disciples of Jingyuan truly become disciples of Qiling, we will have a much larger manpower. At that time, all kinds of cultivation techniques, such as alchemy, weapon crafting, array formation, peak cultivation, talisman making, and mining, will undergo major changes, and our new Qiling system will gradually be perfected."

The path of cultivation for disciples will be much smoother, and the number of true cultivators will increase dramatically once again. The number of those who reach the Golden Core stage will also inevitably rise.

The current strife among various sects presents an excellent opportunity for us to strengthen our sect and expand our foundation. A hundred years from now, it will likely be a time of fierce competition and endless conflict, where not only will true cultivators vie for supremacy, but also disciples will have a greater chance of victory!

Looking at the sect leader at the head of the table, Wang Qinshi felt a mix of emotions. The young sect leader was ambitious, and many of the young cultivators were also focused on expansion. But sometimes he felt that things were going too fast and wanted the Qiling Sect to slow down and catch its breath.

But they were always powerless to do anything about it, and could only watch as the Qiling Sect increasingly leaned towards the path of benevolent rule. Such a path of expansion, though inspiring, was fraught with death and destruction.

He stood in the hall, watching the people's unwavering determination to expand, knowing that nothing he said could change their minds. So he fell silent.

After the meeting concluded, Wang Qinshi stood under the starry sky, feeling lost for a moment. Unconsciously, he walked to the foot of Law Enforcement Peak.

The secluded stone path wound its way uphill. He walked along this path and reached the mountaintop, where he saw a Taoist priest sitting under a peach tree.

"Disciple pays respects to the Ancestor!"

The Taoist priest Yuan Chu returned from his meditation, stood up, and asked with a smile, "Qin Shi, is something on your mind?"

Wang Qinshi was flattered and hurriedly said, "This disciple has disturbed the venerable ancestor's peaceful cultivation."

"But I'm worried. Isn't it too risky to entrust the fate of the Qiling Sect to such a young child as Chaochen?"

Yuan Chu smiled and asked him, "Have any of the disciples at the mountain gate raised any objections?"

“That’s something I’ve rarely heard of,” Wang Qinshi said, taken aback.

"The hearts of all are united. This is the path chosen by the disciples of Qiling themselves. Even if one day the path is wrong, they will not regret it." Yuan Chu Dao Ren stood under the peach tree, a few petals of peach blossoms falling on his shoulders. He gazed into the distance and said, "If we do not choose a better future when we have the ability to do so, when will we ever have the chance?"

Such is the way of the world: if you do not grow stronger, you will surely suffer humiliation. The ancestors have already borne enough sorrow. The disciples are unwilling to accept the future commanded by the heavens, unwilling to betray the expectations of their forefathers. Even if one day the Qiling lineage is destroyed by the Heavenly Palace, the imprint of Qiling Xuanyuan on the world will never fade.

The last time the Qiling Sect recorded the sea rising and the land sinking, Wang Xun took charge of protecting the Dao even at the cost of his life, and Yu He's ancestors willingly became lamp oil for others. The humiliation at that time was deeply imprinted in my heart.

Countless ancestors and deceased friends have passed away, but they all hoped that Qi Ling would continue to live on forever.

"And I, Li Yuan, shall carry out this ambition, to unite the south and bring peace, except for Qiling."

(End of this chapter)