A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Cuiwei Peak, inside the Elder's Courtyard.

At this moment, in front of the oval carved stone table, the elders of Taiyi Sect took their seats, among them a young man sitting in an inconspicuous seat.

Although Duan Rong's seat was inconspicuous, countless divine senses had swept over his dantian since he sat down.

The elders of these elders' councils naturally knew the rules. Even if Duan Rong's identity was somewhat special, he was not qualified to sit here as a member of the Taiyi Sect.

As their divine senses swept across the area, they discovered the dark light surging within Duan Rong's dantian. Their expressions were even more astonished than when they first saw Duan Rong sitting there.

Achieving the Cave-Ming Realm in just over twenty years is a monstrous talent, unheard of not only in the Taiyi Sect but also throughout the entire Nine Provinces for many years.

Just as the elders were displaying various expressions, Zhu He, seeing that everyone had arrived, coughed lightly, and the elders' courtyard, which had been filled with whispers, fell silent.

Zhu He said calmly, "Duan Rong had already condensed the Cave of Enlightenment a year ago, and according to custom, he became the fifty-third elder of this sect."

After Zhu He finished speaking, all the elders turned their gazes to Duan Rong once again.

Duan Rong sat there, his eyelids drooping slightly.

Zhu He continued, "Regarding Elder Duan Rong's position, this is what I think."

All the elders were naturally curious about what Zhu He would ask Duan Rong to do, so they listened carefully.

Duan Rong already knew what Zhu He was going to say next, after all, the master and disciple had already discussed this matter privately.

Zhu He said, "Duan Rong is only in his twenties, yet he has already condensed the Cave of Enlightenment, so his realm is naturally beyond question. But you may not know that this is not all of his abilities. Duan Rong has another ability that was quite remarkable when he was an outer disciple."

"Back then, he had already solved many strange cases in the four prefectures in the east, and his reputation was already widespread!"

Zhu He paused briefly at this point, allowing the elders in the hall to process the information he had just received, before continuing, "I believe the sect is in dire need of talent, and he should be given the opportunity to showcase his abilities. How about appointing him as the deputy director of the Judgment Division of the Sect?"

After Zhu He finished speaking, the Elders' Courtyard fell silent.

Although his tone was questioning, everyone understood what he meant: there was absolutely no room for negotiation.

After a long silence, Yang Sixuan gave a cold laugh and said, "May I ask, Sect Master, when did the Judgment and Clan Affairs Division have a Deputy Director position? How come I was unaware of it?"

Yang Sixuan naturally understood Zhu He's intention in appointing Duan Rong as the Deputy Director of the Court of Judgment and Clan Affairs. As the saying goes, "A new emperor brings a new court," and with the departure of Sect Leader Chu and the rise of Zhu He, the atmosphere within the Elder Council was certainly different. Yang Sixuan wasn't particularly greedy for power; he simply believed that if he relinquished the position of Director of the Court of Judgment and Clan Affairs, perhaps no one present would be capable of filling it.

Zhu He listened to Yang Sixuan's words, looked at him with a warm gaze, and slowly said, "Chief Yang, do you still remember the Bloodstained Blood case in Xiangu County a few years ago? That time, Wei Ziyang, the head altar master of the Bloodstained Blood Cult, was wiped out. In fact, that case was the most severe blow to the Bloodstained Blood Cult in the past two or three decades."

"However, Chief Yang, you have been in charge of the Judgment and Clan Affairs Division for more than 20 years, and your investigation into the Blood Filth Cult has been rather unremarkable."

Yang Sixuan's face darkened when Zhu He mentioned this.

Although Zhu He's expression was gentle, his words were sharp and aimed directly at Yang Sixuan's sore spots. Seeing that Yang Sixuan's face had already turned ashen, he remained unmoved and continued, "Some of you may not know that the major case that destroyed Wei Ziyang, the head of the Filthy Blood Sect, was exposed by Duan Rong. Compared to Yang Sixuan's high position and power, yet his lack of accomplishments, Duan Rong had already uncovered the Filthy Blood Sect case when he was still an outer disciple."

"I appointed him as the deputy director of the Court of Judgment and Justice because I wanted him to assist you, Director Yang, in dealing with the Blood Filth Cult and reversing the sect's decline against the Blood Filth Cult. I hope you can understand my intentions."

Zhu He's words not only made Yang Sixuan's face darken, but also made Duan Rong, who was sitting there, feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

This old guy hasn't even been to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs yet, and he's already praising Yang Sixuan and criticizing him. Isn't this just stirring up hatred and creating antagonism for him?

Duan Rong had originally thought that once he went there, he would simply mingle with the mud and peacefully explore the ancient statues of the gods in the Nine Provinces. He didn't care about anything else and didn't want to get involved.

However, he didn't want to cause trouble, but trouble just kept piling up on him.

Just then, Yang Sixuan glanced coldly at Duan Rong. Duan Rong, who had been sitting there with an indifferent expression, gave an awkward smile when he saw Yang Sixuan's piercing gaze. He really didn't want to make things too tense with Yang Sixuan. If it weren't for obtaining Zhu He's intelligence network in the secular world, he wouldn't even want to enter the Elder Council.

But as the saying goes, "He who takes a man's gift is bound to be obligated to him." Since he wanted Zhu He's intelligence network in the mortal world, he had to accept Zhu He's arrangements. He couldn't very well tell Zhu He that he wanted the intelligence network so that he could use it to devour the statues of deities that had been searching for incense offerings for a thousand years in Kyushu to grow into the Cave of Darkness.

Even if he were willing to speak, Zhu He wouldn't understand.

After Zhu He finished speaking, seeing Yang Sixuan remain silent, he paused for a moment before saying, "The matter of the Filthy Blood Sect is now the most important issue for the sect to stabilize Qingzhou; we cannot afford to wait any longer without seeing any results. My arrangement is also in the hope that Chief Yang can work together with Elder Duan to contribute to the sect. Alright, regarding Elder Duan Rong's appointment as the Deputy Chief of the Judgment Division, does anyone have any objections?"

With Zhu He's words setting the stage, who would dare to have any objections?

The matter of the Bloodstained Cult is brought up at every meeting of the Elders' Council, but in recent years, it has indeed achieved nothing, and Zhu He's statement is true.

"In that case, it's settled then," Zhu He said finally, before moving on to discuss the other topics.

The meeting of the Elders' Council lasted for two full hours before it adjourned.

Zhu He slowly walked out of the Elders' Courtyard, looked at Duan Rong not far away, and said, "Duan Rong, come back to Yunfu Peak with me."

Duan Rong respectfully replied, "Yes, Sect Master."

The two then transformed into two streaks of black light and shot out from Emerald Peak.

As the two departed, the elders gathered at the entrance of the Elder Council couldn't help but whisper amongst themselves. Inside the council, Zhu He's words had left them speechless. But they all knew that while Zhu He's words sounded grand, his true intention was simply to place his trusted confidants into the Judgment and Justice Division.

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Yang Sixuan vanished as a streak of black light.

Duan Rong and Zhu He returned to Yunfu Peak. The two of them used their wall-penetrating skills like ghosts to enter Zhu He's room.

When they entered the room, a man was already standing respectfully at the door. Upon seeing the two of them, he immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said respectfully, "Your subordinate greets the Sect Master! Greetings Elder Duan!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered slightly as he stared intently at the ordinary-looking fellow dressed as a palace attendant. He was the kind of person who would be hard to spot in a crowd; his common face and down-to-earth demeanor made him look like a street vendor.

Zhu He looked at Duan Rong and said, "This man is called Fan Yuan. He is my head of the intelligence system in the secular world. He usually reports directly to me. You two have actually met before, back in Shenyun Mansion that year, do you remember?"

Duan Rong knew when Zhu He was referring to. Zhu He had already told him that it was during the time when Ge Rusong was brought down at Shenyun Mansion, when he and Ge Rusong entered Shenyun Mansion in the same carriage.

In fact, Duan Rong had already guessed that this person's identity was special. Otherwise, he could have secretly infiltrated the Divine Cloud Palace that time, yet this person was allowed to accompany him. This alone showed that his identity was extraordinary. But Duan Rong never expected that he was actually the person in charge of Zhu He's secular intelligence system.

To be honest, although he had noticed this person back then, after so many years, his memory of his appearance had become very vague. His face was simply too ordinary and unremarkable.

Duan Rong said, "I still have some impression."

Zhu He smiled and called out, "Fan Yuan."

"Your subordinate is here." Fan Yuan bowed respectfully.

Zhu He said, "From now on, you will follow Duan Rong. He will be your master."

"Yes, Sect Master!" Fan Yuan bowed to Zhu He, then turned slightly to face Duan Rong, prostrated himself, and said, "Fan Yuan greets Master."

Duan Rong looked at Fan Yuan with an unchanging expression and said, "Mr. Fan, please get up."

Fan Yuan then stood up.

Duan Rong said, "Please wait outside the door for a moment, Mr. Fan. My master and I have a few more words to say."

"Yes." Fan Yuan bowed to Zhu He and Duan Rong, then turned and left the room.

Duan Rong and Zhu He chatted for a while in the room, mainly about the matter of the deputy director of the Court of Judicial Review. Zhu He instructed Duan Rong to familiarize himself with the procedures of the Court of Judicial Review as soon as possible. Duan Rong agreed verbally, but in his heart he did not take it seriously.

The two chatted in the room for a while before Duan Rong got up to say goodbye. Afterwards, he took Fan Yuan, who was waiting in the corridor at the door, and returned to the Lü family mansion together.

In the Lü family mansion, Shen'er and Qian'er, each holding a wooden sword, sat on the steps of the hall, waiting for Duan Rong. It was already afternoon, but the two of them still pursed their lips and sat there quietly waiting.

Suddenly, two figures appeared in the courtyard. They were Duan Rong and Fan Yuan, who had rushed back from Yunfu Peak.

"Father!" As soon as Shen'er and Qian'er saw Duan Rong appear, they immediately grabbed the wooden sword and ran over.

Hearing the two shouts, Xiao Yu peeked out from the east wing and immediately saw that Duan Rong had brought someone back. Her eyes lit up and she called out, "Shen'er, Qian'er, come over here."

Shen'er and Qian'er were both a little afraid of Xiao Yu, so they stood there when they heard this. They also noticed that Duan Rong had brought people back with him.

Although she wanted to play with her father, seeing that he seemed to have something to do, Shen'er pulled Qian'er and went to Xiao Yu's room in the east wing.

Fan Yuan looked at the two children and said, "Both young masters have remarkable appearances and are destined for great things in the future."

Duan Rong said, "Thank you for your kind words, sir. I just hope they are safe and happy. Mr. Fan, let's go inside and talk."

"Yes." Fan Yuan bowed respectfully and followed Duan Rong through the courtyard.

Fan Yuan was a reserved and modest person. The more polite Duan Rong was to him, the less he dared to overstep his bounds and the more cautious he became.

The two did not sit down in the hall, but instead went around the screen and directly into Duan Rong's room.

As soon as they sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, Xiao Yu brought in ginseng tea.

Upon seeing Xiao Yu enter, Fan Yuan immediately stood up from his seat and bowed slightly.

Duan Rong said, "Please sit down, sir. There's no need for formalities."

"Yes." Fan Yuan then sat down, but his bottom only touched the edge of the chair, and his eyes were looking at the ground.

Xiao Yu served the tea.

Duan Rong said, "I have some things to discuss with Mr. Fan, please don't disturb us."

"Yes, my husband." Xiao Yu bowed, took the wooden tray, and left, closing the door behind him.

The moment Xiao Yu withdrew, Duan Rong suddenly released his divine sense, enveloping the entire courtyard, because what he was about to discuss with Fan Yuan was extremely private and could not be known by a third party.

Duan Rong cut to the chase, saying, "Mr. Fan, this place is very safe now. I'd like to ask you, who leads the intelligence networks in the various prefectures of Qingzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Yuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes bright, and said, "Each has their own duties. Each person's identity, situation, the time they have been in hiding, their communication codes, and how they are deployed. If you wish to know the details, I, Fan Yuan, can write them down one by one."

Duan Rong said, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

This is exactly what he wanted.

Regarding the matter of finding a thousand-year-old incense statue for him, he did not want to go through Fan Yuan. Although Zhu He had assigned this person to him, he could tell that this person was a reserved and loyal person. If Zhu He asked about this matter, he would never hide it from him.

However, the fewer people who know about his search for the thousand-year-old incense statue, the better.

If he could directly call upon the heads of the intelligence networks in various prefectures of Qingzhou, that would be ideal.

That way, he could investigate one prefecture after another, and the less noise he made, the less attention he would attract.

Duan Rong and Fan Yuan chatted until late at night before parting ways, and Xiao Yu arranged for Fan Yuan to rest in a guest room. Shen'er and Qian'er were already asleep in the east wing.

Duan Rong looked at the large stack of papers on the table, covered with tiny, neatly written characters. Beside the papers lay a strangely patterned wedge-shaped token. The token was entirely black, with a crane embossed in relief soaring through the misty clouds.

Duan Rong touched the relief on the token and couldn't help but laugh, "This relief is really straightforward!"

The crane soaring amidst the misty clouds clearly refers to the Zhuhe of Yunfu Peak.

Besides Fan Yuan, in order to call upon the heads of the intelligence networks of various prefectures, in addition to having the correct code words and contact methods, one must also possess this token.

Even Zhu He himself would need this token to mobilize those people. This is because these people usually only contact Fan Yuan and don't know Zhu He at all. It's a matter of recognizing the token, not the person. (End of Chapter)