The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

He never expected the Huashan Sect to be so popular now.

However, it would be inappropriate to refuse completely at this moment.

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment, then spoke loudly: "I am grateful for the kindness of all my fellow martial artists, but I am already preparing to pass on my position to Jiangning in a few months. As for the matter of my Huashan Sect accepting disciples, let my disciple discuss it with you all."

Yue Buqun has truly given up; he hasn't even abdicated yet, but he's already handed everything over to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning was somewhat taken aback when his name was called, until Yue Buqun gestured for him to step forward, at which point Jiang Ning stepped forward.

Yue Buqun then stepped back a little and whispered as he passed Jiang Ning.

"It's not appropriate to completely refuse at this time; it would be good to open up some slots."

It would be inappropriate to refuse outright under the current public scrutiny, so Yue Buqun advised Jiang Ning not to be so resolute.

Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

When he arrived in front of everyone, they fell silent, looking at Jiang Ning with either admiration or excitement.

Jiang Ning paused for a moment, then carefully selected his words before speaking.

"Our Huashan Sect has already recruited a batch of disciples last year, and there are still two years until the next recruitment ceremony."

Upon hearing this, the disappointment of everyone present was palpable.

But no one said anything.

"However, my Huashan Sect can make an exception and hold another recruitment ceremony to recruit a group of lay disciples."

Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

However, the disciples within the Huashan Sect were puzzled.

Ok?

A lay disciple?

What do you mean?

They haven't assigned any lay disciples to the Huashan Sect in all these years, have they?

Yue Buqun's expression changed slightly.

He understood what Jiang Ning meant.

"May I ask, Master Jiang, what is the difference between these lay disciples and the current Huashan disciples? And when will the recruitment of lay disciples begin?"

It was the same burly man who had spoken earlier.

Jiang Ning had already planned this, and said, "The recruitment ceremony will be held after the grand ceremony in October, and I will personally explain it then."

October……

Everyone fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

There are still a few months to go, and many people will surely attend the ceremony where Jiang Ning succeeds as the leader of the Huashan Sect and the leader of the Weiyi Alliance.

Upon realizing this, everyone felt a sense of urgency.

Many people decided to leave and immediately head to Shaanxi to stay near Mount Hua first, otherwise there wouldn't be a place to stay when more people arrived.

"Thank you, Master Jiang, for giving me this opportunity."

At that moment, someone shouted.

The other martial arts practitioners also realized what was happening and immediately shouted.

"Thank you, Master Jiang, for giving me this opportunity."

They had thought that the Huashan Sect would never recruit them again, but Jiang Ning was willing to make an exception, which greatly excited them and made them extremely grateful to Jiang Ning.

Master Jiang?

Tianmen Daoist and Yue Buqun were taken aback when they heard how these people addressed Jiang Ning.

It should be noted that "Zhenren" is the highest honorific title in Taoism, symbolizing the pinnacle of one's spiritual cultivation.

However, given Jiang Ning's current level of power, it is...

Yue Buqun was somewhat taken aback.

But there were more surprises than anything else.

Master Jiang—this sounds like a Taoist master, much better than King Ning.

Moreover, judging from the way these people unanimously address Jiang Ning Zhenren, it's clear that someone first brought it up, leading to a consensus.

I wonder which clever person came up with this idea. I need to find out so I can approve their entry right away!

Yue Buqun thought to himself.

However, Chongxu's expression was somewhat puzzled after hearing everyone address Jiang Ning by that name, but that was all; he didn't react further.

After this incident, the Taishan, Hengshan, and Emei factions immediately held a recruitment ceremony on the spot.

However, after learning that the Huashan Sect would be recruiting a group of lay disciples, most martial arts practitioners held back, eager to seize the opportunity to join the Huashan Sect.

Despite this, many martial arts practitioners were quite enthusiastic, some of whom already admired the three sects.

Chongxu had already taken his leave while the three factions were holding their grand recruitment ceremonies.

night.

"Ning'er, what did you mean by 'lay disciple' during the day?"

Sitting in the courtyard were Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze, a married couple, as well as Feng Buping and Cheng Buyou, and even Linghu Chong was there.

It was Ning Zhongze who spoke at this moment, her eyes filled with doubt.

Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Linghu Chong were also puzzled.

Yue Buqun knew a thing or two, but he didn't speak, patiently waiting for Jiang Ning to explain.

"Master's wife, and my two martial uncles."

Jiang Ning began, “You must know that the predecessor of my Huashan Sect was the Quanzhen Sect.”

The three nodded.

The founder of the Huashan School was Hao Datong, who was also one of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. The Huashan School is a branch of the Quanzhen School.

“In the past, the Quanzhen School was a major sect of Taoism. Although the Huashan School is a branch of the Quanzhen School, it is different from the Quanzhen School.”

The Quanzhen School is a Taoist sect, and all its members are Taoist disciples. However, the Huashan School, from its current leader Yue Buqun down to its disciples Linghu Chong and Liang Fa, are not Taoist disciples.

"You want to return to Quanzhen?"

Yue Buqun asked.

"good."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Ning Zhongze seemed to be deep in thought.

"You mean you want the Huashan Sect to become a true Taoist sect, following the rules and regulations of the Quanzhen School?"

Linghu Chong immediately became anxious upon hearing this.

The Quanzhen Sect forbids its disciples from getting married. If the Huashan Sect changes this rule, what will happen to him and his junior sister?

Lu Dayou is already married. Don't wait until his turn to tell him that he should become a Taoist priest and that he is not allowed to marry Yue Lingshan.

Isn't this going to kill him?

"Yes and no."

Jiang Ning nodded, then shook his head.

"Although my Huashan Sect is a branch of the Quanzhen Sect, it is ultimately different from the Quanzhen Sect, which is why we have decided to become lay disciples."

Jiang Ning originally planned to implement these major reforms of the Huashan Sect after he became the sect leader.

But since Yue Buqun was already planning to pass the leadership to him in October, and now he was asking him to open up the number of disciples he could accept, Jiang Ning simply explained it directly.

Chapter 748: Self-Created Cultivation Technique

What are you planning to do?

Yue Buqun asked.

"disciple……"

Jiang Ning then shared his thoughts.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

If what Jiang Ning said is true, since the Huashan Sect has a Taoist background, then it should strictly follow the Taoist rules and regulations. Those who want to join the Huashan Sect should become Taoist monks or nuns, unlike the previous Huashan Sect which was neither Taoist nor secular.

"If the Huashan Sect is to grow stronger in the future, it will inevitably need to recruit many disciples. Although Huashan is large, it cannot support too many disciples. Therefore, the Huashan Sect will inevitably have to make some changes in the future."

Jiang Ning said, "My idea is that Huashan disciples who do not wish to become monks will not be forced to do so. They can settle down at the foot of Huashan Mountain. If they are determined to cultivate the Tao, they can cultivate diligently on Huashan Mountain."

One can imagine that if the Huashan Sect were to follow this path, most of its current disciples, such as Linghu Chong and Lu Dayou, would not choose to become monks or nuns. In fact, when recruiting disciples in the future, many would likely choose to remain lay disciples rather than become monks or nuns.

Since that's the case, Mount Hua certainly can't accommodate so many people, so it's better to let them live at the foot of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain are the lay disciples of Mount Hua, and at the top of the mountain are the Taoist disciples of Mount Hua. Jiang Ning completely separates them.

"Lay disciples are not bound by strict rules and regulations, but they still need to follow the right path."

Yue Buqun and the others fell silent again upon hearing this.

"In addition, I also plan to select one of the five peaks of Mount Hua to establish a Discipline Peak."

No one was surprised.

Discipline Peak, as the name suggests, is what they all know about. The Huashan Sect used to have one, but it was abandoned because there were too few disciples later on.

Feng Buping pondered for a moment before raising his question.

"Since future disciples will be divided into lay and monastic families, will there be any difference in the transmission of cultivation techniques?"

If we follow Jiang Ning's suggestion, the Huashan Sect will become a Taoist sect in the future. The future leader of the Huashan Sect will inevitably be chosen from among the disciples who have left home to become Taoist priests. Lay disciples will not have the opportunity to become the leader. Therefore, we need to focus on the inheritance of the cultivation techniques.