At dawn, the disciples gathered on the Main Peak while Duan Lin stood guard and watched the gate.
He had investigated and planned for several days, considering every possibility hundreds of times before deciding to act.
He had paid heavily for this guard post, but the money bought him a clear view of the sect.
He had sold belongings, borrowed money, and put himself into debt. None of that mattered if he failed now.
The debt reminded him of the online-loan jokes from his old life, and he laughed at his own situation.
He had worked day and night, spending spirit stones to buy information from inside and outside the sect.
The sect was not as pure as it looked. Even a few spirit stones could buy a useful secret.
He had investigated the patriarch and the five elders, recording their cultivation, temperaments, factions, and relationships.
Most of this was no secret. It only took time and money to collect, and Duan Lin had spent both.
The patriarch, Qingxuan, was upright and cautious. He cared about the sect and had a good relationship with its disciples.
The five elders were all in the middle stage of the Golden Core realm.
The Law Enforcement Hall handled discipline and punishment.
The Internal Affairs Hall managed the sect’s daily affairs.
The External Affairs Hall handled relations with other sects and outside matters.
The Transmission Hall guarded the sect’s inheritance and taught the disciples.
The Miscellaneous Arts Hall handled formations, alchemy, weapon refining, and other practical arts.
He had prepared jade slips containing his plans. If he became sect master, he would know where to begin.
He even planned to manage the sect like a company. That was a joke from his former world, but the young scientist in him believed clear systems could make a sect stronger.
The sect lacked resources, its disciples were unevenly trained, and its enemies were watching. His greatest advantage was the strange radar-like ability he had awakened.
A voice called from outside. The patriarch and elders had arrived.
Duan Lin straightened and bowed, keeping his expression calm while his heart beat faster.
The pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator spread through the hall like a mountain on his shoulders.
He clenched his teeth and endured it. He would not lose his chance before the selection began.
Qingxuan glanced at him in surprise. A Foundation Establishment disciple should not have stood so steadily.
“You requested this meeting?” the patriarch asked.
“Yes. I wish to compete for the position of sect master,” Duan Lin answered.
The elders exchanged glances. The hall became quiet enough to hear a needle fall.
No one had expected a young disciple to speak so directly.
Duan Lin knew that a bigger storm often meant a more valuable fish. Wealth and honor had to be won by taking risks.
The patriarch looked at the elders and asked them to state their views.
Some thought the position should go to a senior disciple with experience.
Others thought the sect needed someone willing to change its old ways.
The Law Enforcement elder frowned while the External Affairs elder measured Duan Lin’s value.
The Internal Affairs elder asked about his cultivation and experience.
Duan Lin answered carefully. He did not boast, but he did not retreat.
He described the problems he had found and the methods he intended to use.
The discussion changed from whether he was qualified to whether the sect could afford to reject him.
At that moment, Sun Yi entered the hall.
The elders turned toward him. For a moment, Duan Lin felt as if gods and Buddhas had gathered to watch.
Sun Yi was a famous young disciple, and many believed he was the natural heir to the sect.
His arrival made the selection more dangerous, but also gave Duan Lin the opening he needed.
Duan Lin looked at him without fear. He had prepared for this confrontation.
Sun Yi smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
He was tall and handsome, with the polished bearing of someone accustomed to praise.
“Junior Brother Duan, do you really intend to compete with me?” Sun Yi asked.
“The rules say that anyone who meets the requirements may compete,” Duan Lin replied.
Sun Yi’s expression hardened. “Do you know what you are saying?”
“I know exactly what I am saying.”
The pressure around Sun Yi rose, and the disciples outside held their breath.
Duan Lin remained where he was. If he backed down, all his preparation would be meaningless.
An elder tried to smooth things over, but the tension only grew.
Sun Yi mocked Duan Lin for having no experience managing a sect.
Duan Lin answered that experience could be learned, while courage and clear judgment could not be borrowed.
Several elders looked at him with new interest.
Sun Yi’s followers flattered him and spoke against Duan Lin.
Duan Lin ignored the insults and pointed out the facts that mattered.
The sect needed resources, discipline, and a plan. Those were the problems he intended to solve.
Qingxuan listened in silence, reconsidering Duan Lin.
The patriarch announced that both candidates could compete.
The elders would examine their cultivation, judgment, and ability to handle the sect’s affairs.
Sun Yi accepted with confidence.
Duan Lin bowed and accepted as well.
The selection had officially begun.
Outside, the disciples immediately discussed the news.
Some laughed at Duan Lin. Others thought his challenge might produce an unexpected result.
Duan Lin ignored them. He had not come to win approval.
He had come to seize the position and rebuild the sect according to his plan.
He would use company-management methods from his old world only where they fit the cultivation world.
The rest would depend on his strength and judgment.
Sun Yi passed him and whispered, “You are courting disaster.”
Duan Lin smiled. “Then I will hold on to the leg of that disaster’s ancestor.”