Chapter 2015: Succeeding as Sect Leader

Back at the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, he had fought his way through inner disciples, core disciples, and even elders, earning respect through his swordsmanship. Yet even then, he was only made the young sect leader—the so-called heir to the sect.

At the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, he had been here for barely an hour, still unclear about who he was, and they wanted him to be the sect leader?

Was this a joke?

This was one of the six great sects, the most prestigious power in the heavens. Were they choosing a sect leader or picking cabbages?

Could it be that they thought the sect had existed too long and wanted to destroy it first?

Otherwise, how could they be so reckless?

If he hadn't seen the grandeur of the mountain gate with his own eyes, he would have suspected he had stumbled into a pyramid scheme.

"Yes!" Sect Leader Qin nodded, his gaze burning with enthusiasm.

Having witnessed it himself, he could confirm that the man before him was the most suitable candidate for sect leader, even more so than himself.

Especially his astonishing beast-taming skills, which, if passed down, would elevate the sect's overall strength even further.

Seeing his sincerity, not like he was trying to deceive him—and besides, there was nothing worth deceiving—Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment but did not immediately agree. "I have urgent matters and need to go to the Sea of Stars. I may not be able to stay here long, and... I know nothing about managing a sect."

He had been the head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, the dean of the Master Teacher Academy, and the head of the Zhang family, but he had never actually handled affairs; he had always focused on cultivation.

Now they wanted him to be the sect leader... He really couldn't do it.

"Actually, I know nothing about managing a sect. The sect leader is just a symbol, someone to guard the sect and reassure the disciples. The specific matters are handled by the elders of each peak; there's no need to worry too much!"

Sect Leader Qin said.

Startled, Zhang Xuan then understood.

That made sense. The sect leader was a symbol of the sect; he didn't need to be skilled in management. As long as he had enough strength and power to earn everyone's trust, that was enough.

Seeing that he understood, Sect Leader Qin continued, "Moreover, if you really want to go to the Sea of Stars, you need the identity of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect leader even more!"

Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

"The Sea of Stars is the headquarters of the Star Chasing Palace. It contains countless islands, each inhabited by native races from the abandoned continent. They are not very friendly, especially towards outsiders, whom they strongly reject. Therefore, the mortality rate for outsiders is high, and even Immortal Lord-level experts fall in droves!"

Sect Leader Qin explained. "But with the identity of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect leader, whatever you do, you have a guarantee. At the very least, no one will dare to cause trouble!"

As one of the six great sects, the sect leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect—at least, no one would dare to openly oppose him.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

On the way here, he had specifically asked Elder Liao about the Sea of Stars, and it was just as the other had said.

Not only were they somewhat xenophobic, but it was said that the people there were skilled in killing and had bad tempers.

If he rushed in recklessly, not only would it be hard to learn the soul secret technique, but he would also be unable to inquire about Luo Ruoxi's situation.

"Becoming the sect leader allows you to freely mobilize the many disciples hidden in the Sea of Stars, making it easier to gather information..." Seeing his expression, Sect Leader Qin seemed to read his thoughts and continued.

"This..." Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. "In that case... I can agree!"

If he tried to gather information alone, it would take who knows how long. But as the sect leader, with countless disciples of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, it would be much simpler!

Not to mention others, the kind of servant who brought him to Lingyun Mountain—there were countless such people throughout the heavens.

Wherever there were trading houses or places that rented sacred beasts, there should be them... The sources of information would be vast!

With so many people, collecting techniques and information about divine bloodstones would surely be twice the result with half the effort, with no obstacles.

"Excellent! I will prepare now. In a month, we will hold the succession ceremony..."

Sect Leader Qin quickly nodded.

"A month later?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I can't wait that long... There's no need for a succession ceremony either. I'm not in a position to show my face right now."

"Not convenient?" Sect Leader Qin frowned.

He was about to become the sect leader, not join some illegal organization. Why did he seem worried?

"I am currently only at the peak of the True Immortal realm. Although I can use some secret technique to barely defeat a peak Immortal Lord sacred beast, my cultivation is still too low. I'm afraid that attracting too much attention might draw the notice of the Divine Hall..."

Pausing, Zhang Xuan explained, "I heard that at the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, that genius who comprehended the Sword Intent of the Gods was ambushed by the Divine Hall and almost killed."

He had to be careful.

Right now, he didn't have the Book of Heaven's Path. If another Immortal Lord as powerful as before appeared, he would be in a very passive position.

It was better to be cautious.

"Ambushed by the Divine Hall?"

Understanding, Sect Leader Qin narrowed his eyes. "I have already received a message from Han Jianqiu about this..."

The reason he had worried that the other might be a Divine Hall expert was precisely because of the latter's aggressive behavior in recent years, along with Han Jianqiu's message.

He had known Han Jianqiu for many years and knew his temperament. For him to suddenly appoint a new sect leader without any warning was clearly suspicious.

Only after inquiring did he learn that someone was going to make a move on that disciple of his who had comprehended the Sword Intent of the Gods.

Although not detailed, he could guess that it must be the Divine Hall.

The Lingyun Sword Pavilion had produced a genius, and the Divine Hall was so ruthless...

If the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect also produced one, would the same situation occur?

After a moment of thought, Sect Leader Qin said, "Your concerns are valid. In that case, how about this: I will announce now that the position of sect leader is passed to you. As for your introduction, you are a long-cultivating elder of the sect, whose cultivation has long reached the peak of the Immortal Lord realm... That way, taming the flood dragon and other beasts would be effortless and not too extraordinary."

"Thank you, Sect Leader Qin..."

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

If his strength was said to be at the peak of the Immortal Lord realm, taming the three sacred beasts would be taken for granted, not so heaven-defying, and should not attract the Divine Hall's attention.

"Mm."

Nodding, Sect Leader Qin said no more. With a flick of his wrist, a token floated up in his palm, and then a loud voice resounded throughout the entire mountain range.

"From today onward, the position of sect leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is passed to Elder Zheng Yang! He has just tamed the four sacred beasts of Lingyun Mountain, and his beast-taming skills are unparalleled in ancient and modern times..."

Introducing Zhang Xuan in detail, Sect Leader Qin's words were exactly as they had discussed.

"We're changing sect leaders too?"

"This Elder Zheng Yang—why haven't I heard of him before?"

"Didn't the sect leader just say? He's a reclusive elder. Recluses—even many disciples don't know them, let alone elders."

"That's true..."

...

As the voice sounded, all the disciples were stunned.

They were full of curiosity about this Zheng Yang, who had suddenly become the sect leader.

However, with the precedent of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, although this was shocking, it didn't cause too much of a stir.

Recluses were generally unknown. Many reclusive inner disciples were not recognized, let alone elders.

...

"The sect leader is passing on the position already?"

Elder Yuan and the others, although they had guessed that the sect leader might agree, hadn't expected it to be so fast!

This Zheng Yang had been at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect for barely over an hour, and he was already being passed the position...

That was incredibly efficient!

"Look, the flood dragon!"

"It should be the one from Lingyun Mountain, along with the Nine-Headed Fire Phoenix and the Seven-Tailed Saber-Toothed Tiger..."

"Yes, they have indeed been tamed by the sect's elder. This Sect Leader Zheng Yang is truly remarkable!"

While they were still in shock, they heard a commotion outside. Looking up, they saw the several sacred beasts from Lingyun Mountain all hovering in the air, seemingly showcasing Zheng Yang's achievements.

Those who had doubts and complaints about this suddenly appearing Elder Zheng Yang now became completely convinced, with no further suspicion.

"Everyone, I am Zheng Yang, your new sect leader. I have made improvements to the beast-taming techniques you have been learning. Now, all disciples, please go to your respective elders to receive the new ones..."

Then, the voice of the new sect leader rang out in the air.

It was deep and steady, inspiring admiration.

"New beast-taming techniques?"

"The beast-taming techniques of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect have been passed down for thousands of years. Changing them outright—isn't that a bit rash?"

"I think so too..."

All the disciples were full of doubt, wondering what this new sect leader intended to do.

...

Mu Xu was an inner disciple of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, ranked around a thousand overall.

This ranking wasn't too low among the over ten thousand inner disciples, but now he faced the biggest problem...

Being stripped of his inner disciple status!

Not because he had made a mistake or disrespected the sect, but because within three years of becoming an inner disciple, he had failed to tame a sacred beast of corresponding strength!

According to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's rules, those under twenty who reached the fourth level of the Ancient Sage realm could become inner disciples, but they needed to tame a Void-Breaking sacred beast within three years to keep their status.

Once the time was exceeded, they would automatically be stripped of their inner disciple status and even forced to leave the sect, never to return.

Three years seemed generous, but in reality, it was very tight for beast taming.

After all, taming required searching, capturing, and building a bond... Each step was not easy.

After becoming an inner disciple, he had started searching. Only last year did he find a suitable sacred beast... a peak Void-Breaking realm Stone Flame Beast!

This sacred beast could perfectly complement his cultivation technique and movement technique, unleashing even greater combat power. However... it was proud and refused to submit. No matter what methods he used, it remained indifferent.

He had prepared various delicacies and treasures... but it wouldn't even look at them, as if he didn't exist.

In a year, he had tried no fewer than twenty taming techniques, all unsuccessful.

Today was the final deadline.

If he didn't succeed, he would have to leave the inner sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

"I'll give it my all!"

Sighing, a determined look in his eyes, Mu Xu gritted his teeth and pushed open the door, entering the room.

Inside the room, in a large cage, was a sacred beast with rocky skin, standing stubbornly in place, motionless like a statue.