Sun Yi took a deep breath and looked sharply at the five Golden Core elders. He slipped into the role of a leader lecturing his subordinates—a role he knew well after being lectured by his own supervisors many times.
“Twenty years! Twenty whole years! What have the five of you actually done?”
“You have spent limited energy on endless infighting, fighting for power and profit and constantly weakening one another. You not only failed to help the sect grow stronger; you made a sect already weakened by disaster suffer even more. Ask yourselves: what qualifications do you have to become Sect Master?”
“Even if the Patriarch chooses one of you today, do you have the ability to lead the Qingyun Sect back to its former peak?”
“No! Your eyes are fixed only on the Sect Master position. You think becoming Sect Master means enjoying all the sect’s resources. You have no Qingyun Sect in your hearts, only your own desires!”
Sun Yi radiated authority and activated group-roasting mode. The five Golden Core elders were furious. If looks could become arrows, he would already have been pierced by ten thousand of them.
Even a clay figure has a temper. How could five Golden Core elders endure being mercilessly roasted by a mere third-level Qi Refining ant?
Elder Jin Jue struck back first. “We are sect elders, of course we care about the sect. Naturally we will work to make it stronger.”
“Exactly. Even if we made mistakes before, how can you decide that we cannot develop the sect properly after becoming Sect Master?” Qin Chu spoke angrily as well.
Li Tai immediately retorted, “Hmph. You say we cannot be Sect Master. Do you think a mere third-level Qi Refining ant like you can do it?”
Han Yun gave a cold laugh. “We are at least Golden Core cultivators. If even we cannot do it, a third-level Qi Refining ant like you is even less qualified.”
Finally Ye Luo looked at Sun Yi with a mocking smile. “Even if we cannot become the new Sect Master, you are not qualified either. Otherwise the entire Qingyun Sect would become a laughingstock of the cultivation world.”
Patriarch Qingxuan frowned slightly as he watched Sun Yi and the elders clash. For the first time, he realized how serious the sect’s problems were. Choosing a suitable new Sect Master was far harder than he had imagined.
Seeing the five elders lose their tempers, Sun Yi smiled disdainfully. “Your failure does not mean I will fail. If people laugh after I become Sect Master, let them laugh. Once the Qingyun Sect grows strong, we will beat those who mocked us until they stop. If once is not enough, we will beat them again.”
“A high realm and strong combat power have little to do with whether I can develop the sect. Which sect needs its Sect Master to fight every battle personally? If I can take the position, then even as an ordinary person without cultivation, I could still make the sect grow stronger!”
Everyone was stunned again. Qingxuan found this novel argument interesting; Sun Yi was unlike anyone he had met before.
Jin Jue looked at him with furious laughter. “You say you can do it. How will you prove it?”
Sun Yi smiled confidently at the five elders and asked a question.
“Then answer this: how is the Qingyun Sect’s current location? Does it have room to develop? If we want to grow, where should we begin, what difficulties will we face, and how should we solve them?”
The five elders fell silent. Qingxuan also sank into thought, unsure why Sun Yi had asked. They understood the sect’s location better than anyone.
Sun Yi would not let them remain silent. He looked at Jin Jue first. “Elder Jin Jue, dare you give us your view?”
“Hmph. What is there to say? To the west of the Qingyun Sect lies the Myriad Demon Forest, where countless demon beasts covet the Chaos Demon Commandery. To the north is the Endless Ice Plains, a famous deadland filled with ice and snow demons. Although those demons rarely leave the plains, that also limits our expansion northward. To the south is the Endless Sea, full of endless sea demons and danger. To the east we are nearly cut off from the other commanderies. Even within the Chaos Demon Commandery, the Black Wind Stockade and Evil Spirit Valley eye us covetously. For the Qingyun Sect, the entire commandery is a land of four dead ends.”
“Most resource sites in the Chaos Demon Commandery have already been divided up. It is extremely difficult for our sect to develop.”
“So you think the Chaos Demon Commandery is dangerous and offers no future for the Qingyun Sect?” Sun Yi asked with interest.
“Of course! It is called a land of four dead ends. How could it be good? Otherwise, why would the Qingyun Sect have ended up occupying it?” Jin Jue answered angrily.
Sun Yi smiled and looked over the other four elders. “Do you all think the same?”
“Is that not obvious?” Qin Chu snorted.
“Even a fool can see the problem. Why ask?” Li Tai snorted as well.
“If we had another choice, do you think the Qingyun Sect would have chosen this place?” Han Yun said coldly.
Ye Luo stared at Sun Yi disdainfully. “Since you ask, do you have a different opinion? I would like to hear your brilliant view.”
Everyone turned toward Sun Yi, and even Qingxuan became curious about his answer.
Sun Yi secretly laughed at their curiosity but declared confidently, “In my view, the Chaos Demon Commandery is not a land of four dead ends. It is a treasure land granted by heaven.”
“Nonsense!” Jin Jue immediately attacked, and the other elders snorted. Even Qingxuan frowned, thinking Sun Yi was talking nonsense.
Sun Yi calmly looked around. “Do you know what a crisis is? A crisis is danger accompanied by opportunity. The Chaos Demon Commandery is dangerous, but it also contains rare opportunities.”
“The Myriad Demon Forest is vast. If we use it properly, it can provide countless demon cores and beast materials. Since few cultivators enter, it must also contain many spirit herbs and spirit ores. The Endless Ice Plains can provide large quantities of ice-attribute beast materials and herbs, while the demon beasts of the Endless Sea can provide abundant cultivation resources. All three directions can supply us with resources and temper our disciples. If that is not a treasure land, what is?”
“As for the Black Wind Stockade and Evil Spirit Valley, each has only one Nascent Soul cultivator. Once our strength is sufficient, we can eliminate them and control the Chaos Demon Commandery completely. Such a vast territory could provide how many disciples if developed properly? Here we can grow without competing with the great sects.”
Jin Jue sneered. “Leaving those two forces aside, do you think the demon beasts in the Myriad Demon Forest are fools who will stand still and wait to be killed? Do the spirit ores and herbs wait for you to pick them up? Do you know what the Myriad Demon Forest is? It is the most dangerous forbidden zone on the Tianyuan Continent!”
Sun Yi swept his gaze over them. “Do you believe the Myriad Demon Forest, the Endless Ice Plains, and the Endless Sea are forbidden zones because Divine Sense is useless there and a cultivator entering has almost no chance of survival?”
“Is that not the case? Because of their environments, demon beasts can conceal their auras perfectly in the Myriad Demon Forest and the Endless Ice Plains. Divine Sense is useless. One disturbance can surround a cultivator with beasts and draw out something powerful. Even a Golden Core cultivator who enters carelessly will die. Everyone knows this.”
Sun Yi shook his head firmly. “It is true that those places let demon beasts hide their auras. But if our cultivators could discover nearby beasts in advance, making Divine Sense usable in another way, would the danger remain?”
Sun Yi understood the Myriad Demon Forest well. Divine Sense was useless there, but a detection radar could work. Earth technology could be useful sometimes. The forest was the Qingyun Sect’s opportunity and the key to securing his position as Sect Master.
Ye Luo snorted. “If Divine Sense could be used there, it would certainly be safer. But that is easier said than done. Can you do it? Can you make Divine Sense usable inside the Myriad Demon Forest?”
“Of course I can. Even if I cannot do it now, I must do it eventually. I am already preparing a treasure that can replace Divine Sense and resolve the danger of the forbidden zone. A Sect Master should not run from problems at the first sign of difficulty; he should do everything possible to solve them.”
Qingxuan looked at Sun Yi skeptically. “You can really make a treasure that replaces Divine Sense in a forbidden zone? How could a mere third-level Qi Refining cultivator solve the problem that limits Divine Sense there?”
“I can, but I need time and the sect’s full support.”
Qingxuan suddenly asked, “If I give you a chance, how long will you need, and how will you do it?”
Sun Yi was delighted. “If you are willing to give me a chance, I am confident I can solve the problem within a year. To you and the elders, a year is only the blink of an eye. But on the condition that you fully support me.”
Qingxuan looked at him with a meaningful expression. “A mere year is indeed very short. I do not mind giving you a chance to prove yourself. What support do you need from me?”