Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 82 Small fry dare not place bets casually

Chen Ye found it incredible to hear the result calculated by Mo Suixin.

Others might not know, but he himself knew very well that it was a banner of ten thousand souls.

Putting aside how Master managed to escape to the Qinghe Sword Sect, the mere appearance of this demonic treasure should have prompted the Qinghe Sword Sect to unleash a barrage of swords to chop it into mincemeat.

But as Mo Suixin said, once you have divined the result, you must believe it before confirming it, otherwise the divination will be meaningless.

"In that case, I'll go and take a look at the Qinghe Sword Sect's headquarters."

Chen Ye has a jade token given to him by Su Chunyi, so he should be able to travel freely there.

Unexpectedly, Mo Suixin said, "I will go with you."

Chen Ye was somewhat puzzled. He was looking for the magic treasure, so what was Mo Suixin doing? Was it to verify the authenticity of the divination?

However, Chen Ye didn't refuse. If they wanted to go, they could go together, and he could ask about divination along the way. These past two days, Chen Ye's hands had been itching to do some divination, but he was afraid of draining all his spiritual energy like last time.

After leaving the small house, the two walked side by side toward the white jade archway.

Along the way, he encountered many disciples of the Incense Burning Sect, who couldn't help but glance at Chen Ye a few more times.

Mo Suixin is the chief of the Seven Star Hall and the future head of the Seven Star Hall. This is a very prestigious position in the Incense Burning Sect.

In the past, the Incense Burning Sect didn't care so much about status, but now it's different. Every move Mo Suixin makes attracts whispers.

Fortunately, Chen Ye still had the jade token of the Qinghe Sword Sect on his body and carried that conspicuous sword box, so many people mistook him for a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect.

If he were to stand shoulder to shoulder with Mo Suixin in his impoverished, rogue cultivator appearance, I wonder what these people would think.

Mo Suixin and Chen Ye could both feel the gazes of those around them. Even if they couldn't hear their gossip, they could probably guess what they were saying.

Mo Suixin sighed, "The Incense Burning Sect really needs to clean up its reputation."

Chen Ye laughed and said, "Miss Mo, you're pushing me into a fire pit by chatting like this. I'm just a rogue cultivator. If someone hears me talking about the internal affairs of the Burning Incense Sect, they'll probably chop my head off."

Mo Suixin laughed and said, "When did you become such a coward?"

"I've never been a very brave person, but I'll be more aggressive when it comes to survival."

Chen Ye's personality is actually not flamboyant at all. In his past life, everyone said he was humble, polite, and a very tactful person.

However, on this path of cultivation, if you do not strive, you will simply fade into obscurity.

Mo Suixin agreed, saying, "Life as a rogue cultivator is indeed very difficult. Have you ever thought about joining a sect?"

Chen Ye asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Miss Mo? You don't mean to ask me to join the Incense Burning Sect, do you?"

"What, you look down on our Incense Burning Sect?"

Chen Ye quickly replied, "How could I dare? The five righteous sects are all prestigious and unapproachable to me. If I could join them, my path of cultivation would indeed be much easier."

Mo Suixin was not pleased by Chen Ye's flattery, and only asked, "But you don't want to join, right?"

Chen Ye did not answer, but instead asked another question: "Miss Mo, I heard that the Incense Burning Sect has changed its rules in recent years?"

Mo Suixin didn't know how to answer this question.

In the past, the rules of the Incense Burning Sect were strict, and the Heart-Searching Ceremony would prevent any despicable individuals from hiding themselves. However, recent expansion has led to a mixed bag of disciples, and the Heart-Searching Ceremony has been repeatedly postponed.

As a result, many of the rules and regulations became mere formalities.

Although no truly heinous criminals have emerged yet, it's only a matter of time before things continue like this.

Mo Suixin pondered for a moment and said to Chen Ye, "You are a free and unrestrained cultivator, so you probably don't like strict sect rules. Perhaps the Incense Burning Sect is just right for you now. The sect leader is reforming and recruiting new members, and many of the strict old rules have been relaxed."

"Miss Mo, does this so-called relaxation mean directly changing the sect rules, or does it mean 'no punishment for mistakes'?"

Mo Suixin frowned and asked, "What makes you say that, fellow Daoist?"

"I'm just guessing," Chen Ye explained. "I mentioned Wei Changsheng to you, and you acknowledged that he made a mistake. I suppose that in the rules of the Burning Incense Sect, it's wrong to kill someone without asking the reason. But I haven't heard you mention any punishment he received. I suppose there's some chaos within the Burning Incense Sect."

Mo Suixin remained silent, because Chen Ye's guess was correct.

Just as Mo Suixin's master had said, the matter was reported, but ultimately nothing came of it. Wei Changsheng was not punished; the credit for retrieving the Heavenly Book Secret Technique was simply given to Mo Suixin.

It may seem that Wei Changsheng was doing the work for someone else, but in reality, he was wrong but not punished, and the credit he had not yet received was used as punishment.

Chen Ye said to Mo Suixin, "If the rules of the Incense Burning Sect are strict, I, as a resource within the sect, can abide by them. But if the Incense Burning Sect is undergoing reforms and new rules have not yet been established, and the disciples are all at a loss, then if I join in, I will not be able to focus on cultivation, but will instead be drawn into the struggle between the old and new sects." Chen Ye does not mind blending in with the crowd; there are strict management methods for strict rules, and there are also lenient methods for lenient rules.

However, the Incense Burning Sect is clearly in a state of chaos nowadays.

It seems that the old rules haven't been abolished, but the newcomers are unwilling to accept the old rules, yet they make mistakes and aren't punished according to the old rules.

The biggest example is Wei Changsheng. He definitely made a mistake, but Mo Suixin never mentioned his punishment. It seems that it was just delayed and eventually left unresolved.

Chen Ye is not afraid of following the rules, but he is most afraid of having rules but not following them.

If one accepts Mo Suixin's invitation to join the Incense Burning Sect, then one is naturally on Mo Suixin's side and will inevitably have to fight against the other faction.

How much time and effort will this struggle waste? Will the cultivation resources gained offset this cost?

Chen Ye didn't know, so he wouldn't agree easily.

Joining these prestigious sects seems to be beneficial to his current cultivation, and it might even help him solve the problem of scarce spiritual energy.

But what happens after that?

When Chen Ye breaks through to the Profound Realm and the Divine Transformation Realm, will the Incense Burning Sect provide him with resources or trouble?

Lu Xingzhou, the leader of the Incense Burning Sect, is also at the Dao Integration Realm and may ascend to the Immortal Realm at any time.

When the time comes, there will definitely be a fierce struggle among the three mountains and five halls for the position of sect leader. Given the current chaotic state, it may even result in infighting among fellow disciples.

Why get involved in this mess?

Chen Ye sought immortality, a plan that would extend a hundred years into the future.

Anyway, he's on good terms with Mo Suixin now, and he also has connections with the Qinghe Sword Sect, so he's doing pretty well as a rogue cultivator.

Even if one were to seek refuge with the Fenxiang Sect, they would still be ranked after the Cixin Temple.

Mo Suixin understood Chen Ye's meaning. This man was not old, but he pointed out the problem of the Incense Burning Sect incisively.

They wanted to reform, but the reforms were incomplete. The sect leader wanted to balance the three mountains and five halls, but the process became sluggish and dragged on, leading to even greater chaos.

Now is certainly not a good time to invite others to join the Incense Burning Sect.

Mo Suixin really wanted to go back to Fenxiang Sect to see what the outcome of the rectification her master mentioned would be.

Seeing Mo Suixin's heavy expression, Chen Ye quickly comforted her, saying, "Miss, there's no need to be so worried. The Incense Burning Sect is, after all, a prestigious sect. The troubles we're facing right now are just a few minor setbacks. Besides, there are always tall people to hold up the sky when it falls, so you don't need to worry too much."

Mo Suixin nodded. There was really nothing she could do now, so she might as well wait patiently.

But at this point in the conversation, Mo Suixin couldn't help but ask, "Since you see things so clearly, why did you refuse the Qinghe Sword Sect's invitation? The Qinghe Sword Sect has strict rules, which is known throughout the world, so you don't have this kind of trouble."

Chen Ye said helplessly, "Because everyone knows the rules of the Qinghe Sword Sect, I know I don't meet their requirements. I don't mind doing a few more good deeds that are easy to do, but when a demon is rampaging and I have to sacrifice my life to rush in, I'm afraid I can't do it. Rather than becoming a traitor then, it's better to refuse early."

Mo Suixin replied, "With that sword immortal here, why would you need to sacrifice yourself? The Qinghe Sect Leader's swordsmanship is unparalleled."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "But he will eventually ascend to immortality, won't he? Once this sect leader ascends to the immortal realm, what will become of the Qinghe Sword Sect? Will they still be able to uphold their previous sect rules?"

Zhang Qi was the founder of the Qinghe Sword Sect and the number one swordsman in the world. While he was still alive, everything was fine. But if he were gone, who in the sect could hold things together? And would anyone want to change the strict sect rules?
Human nature has always been the most fragile thing in the world, the one that cannot withstand scrutiny and testing.

Today, those heroes are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, but years from now, who can be sure that they will still be able to uphold this invaluable courage?
Zhang Qi entered the Dao Integration Realm much earlier than Lu Xingzhou. Logically speaking, if they were to ascend, Zhang Qi should have done so earlier than Lu Xingzhou.

Chen Ye is unwilling to gamble at the Incense Burning Sect now, so why would he place a bet at the Qinghe Sword Sect?

His own "capital" was far too meager; a single accident could wipe him out completely, even costing him his life.

Chen Ye couldn't help but think of the trio of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity. If they missed the Vajra Powder this time, Chang Shou would probably be the first to pass away.

This is the tragedy of ordinary people; most people have no room for error.

For independent cultivators, every bet is a matter of life and death; one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.

The two chatted and unknowingly arrived at the archway.

Mo Suixin was about to summon her magic weapon and fly with Chen Ye to the Qinghe Sword Sect's base when her expression suddenly changed.

Chen Ye also looked up and saw a shooting star hurtling towards him from the sky.

(End of this chapter)