owlsbooks Chapter 98 One Promotion After Another
Chapter 98 One Promotion After Another
The subtle change in the purple-robed man's expression was noticed by the Maple Leaf Sect Master, who immediately said calmly, "Junior Brother Ouyang is right. Since Elder Du was recommended by Senior Xiao, Elder Du's status in our Qixia Sect cannot be too shabby."
We had discussed this matter beforehand, and consulted our sect's patriarch. We've finally settled on a position; Venerable Du, you might want to take a look and see if you're satisfied.”
After the Maple Leaf Sect Master finished speaking, he flicked his sleeve, and a beam of azure light shot out, drawing a graceful arc in the void before landing steadily on the wooden table in front of Du Fan. It was a palm-sized azure wooden plaque, its surface shimmering with azure light, quite extraordinary.
The two elders of Qixia Sect remained calm and smiled, clearly already aware of the matter, and therefore showed no surprise.
Qiao Jiangnan quietly released a wisp of divine sense, scanned the wooden plaque, was first taken aback, then showed a look of joy, and smiled and said: "Fellow Daoists, you are really thoughtful. I will report this matter to Vice Alliance Leader Xiao. I believe she will appreciate your sect's kindness."
The Maple Leaf Sect Master smiled and waved his hand without saying a word. Then, he turned his gaze to Du Fan with a smile.
Du Fan was completely confused. After a moment of bewilderment, he picked up the wooden sign and examined it.
On one side of the wooden sign was a bright red maple leaf, raised above the wood, which was truly lifelike and extremely realistic.
On the lower side of the wooden plaque, the three small characters "Qixia Sect" are engraved. The characters are restrained and unassuming, giving people a sense of depth and solemnity.
Du Fan understood that this token represented the identity of a sect, and with a hint of anticipation, he turned the wooden plaque over.
On the back of the token were only four large characters, but these four characters made Du Fan pause for a moment. After a long while, he raised his head with a strange expression and glanced at the Maple Leaf Sect Master, who was smiling in a half-smile.
On the back of the wooden plaque were four characters that read, "Honorary Elder"...
"This junior thanks Senior Maple Leaf." Du Fan was both amused and exasperated, but could only clasp his hands in thanks.
"Haha, Elder Du, no, in the Qixia Sect, I should call you Elder Du. Please don't misunderstand, there is no difference between an honorary elder and an elder. In terms of sect power and treatment, they are exactly the same."
The reason for creating such an unprecedented position is because Elder Du's situation is special, and it is to avoid outside criticism and some unnecessary trouble.
Elder Du, please rest assured, your status within our sect is definitely higher than that of our sect's honored elders. In terms of reputation, you will likely surpass most of our sect's elders in some time to come.
The Maple Leaf Sect Master laughed heartily, stroking his beard as he explained to Du Fan.
"Sect Master is too kind. How could I have thought that way? Thank you for your kindness." Du Fan immediately straightened his expression, stood up, and bowed respectfully.
"Elder Du, there's no need to be so polite. From now on, we'll be of the same generation. I've also selected a villa for you in a place with abundant spiritual energy on the main peak. If you're feeling tired, you're welcome to go and rest there anytime. We can discuss other matters later."
The Maple Leaf Sect Master waved his hand and said gently.
"Since that's the case, I am indeed a bit tired, so I won't bother you seniors any longer and would like to go back and rest," Du Fan said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"No problem, Junior Nephew Zeng, come in for a moment." The Maple Leaf Sect Master nodded and raised his voice as he spoke.
In an instant, a middle-aged man dressed in a yellow brocade robe walked in through the main entrance of the hall. He strode into the hall, bowed deeply to everyone present, and stood respectfully with his hands clasped.
"This is Elder Du, the newly promoted honorary elder of our sect. Take him to the villa I previously selected. If Elder Du has any requests, you must fulfill them to the fullest extent, understand?" The Maple Leaf Sect Master's expression darkened slightly as he gave the order.
"Yes, nephew, I will remember!" Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man in the brocade robe felt a chill run down his spine and immediately bowed again, replying respectfully.
"Esteemed seniors, I shall take my leave now."
Du Fan clasped his hands in greeting to the four Golden Core experts, then looked at Qiao Jiangnan with a hint of gratitude. The other party simply smiled and remained silent.
The next moment, Du Fan was led out of the main hall by the middle-aged man in brocade robes.
"Elder Du must be a prodigy. At such a young age, he has already gained the favor of Senior Xiao. His future is limitless." The middle-aged man in purple robes praised Du Fan as he left.
"Brother Du is able to gain the appreciation of Vice Alliance Leader Xiao, which is naturally due to his outstanding abilities. This time, Vice Alliance Leader Xiao ordered me to escort Brother Du to Qixia Sect so that Brother Du can use your place to conduct some secret research. I hope that you fellow Daoists can provide convenience in this regard."
Qiao Jiangnan's eyes flashed, and he said meaningfully.
"Elder Qiao, you can rest assured about this. The villa I chose has several mysterious restrictions set up around its walls and houses. Once these restrictions are activated, even the Supreme Elders and Supreme Elders of the sect will not be able to investigate it in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, the Maple Leaf Sect Master's expression turned serious, and he spoke in a solemn tone.
"Sect Master Maple Leaf, you flatter me. My only concern was that your disciples might unintentionally disturb Brother Du, thus affecting some of his work. I absolutely did not mean to avoid you all, haha..."
However, if it's just about the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, there's no need to trouble your sect. Vice Alliance Leader Xiao's intention is to let Brother Du cultivate here and receive guidance from your sect.
After all, Brother Du's cultivation level is still low and his aptitude is average. The Seven Star Merchant Alliance is not good at cultivating disciples. If we put him in our alliance, it will inevitably delay Brother Du's cultivation for life, which would be too much of a pity for such a genius.
But Qixia Sect is different. Your sect is not only one of the few super sects, but your ability to teach and impart knowledge is renowned throughout the land. I hope Sect Master Maple Leaf can take care of this matter.
Qiao Jiangnan first chuckled, then changed the subject and revealed another purpose of his trip.
"Elder Qiao, you flatter me. I have naturally considered this matter."
The Maple Leaf Sect Master was quite pleased to hear Qiao Jiangnan's subtle flattery. After a slight smile, he turned to the Peony Fairy and said:
"Junior Sister Peony, you've just broken through, and besides consolidating your cultivation, there's nothing else of great importance to attend to. Besides, you mainly cultivate water-attribute techniques, so how about I entrust Elder Du's matter to you?"
"No problem, I will do my best." The Peony Fairy's beautiful eyes flashed, and she smiled sweetly as she agreed.
"Then I'll have to trouble Fairy Peony. With your guidance, I believe that even if Brother Du's aptitude is a bit ordinary, his cultivation will be fine in the future." Qiao Jiangnan was overjoyed to hear this and immediately expressed his gratitude.
"Brother Qiao, now that we've finished discussing business, you should come to my place for a few drinks later. I recently wrote a new poem, and I hope you can offer some suggestions."
The middle-aged man in purple robes suddenly laughed, fiddled with the strange book in his hand, and said the following.
"Oh? Brother Ouyang has produced another masterpiece recently! I must be the first to see it. I have just finished a landscape painting myself, which I can compare with yours."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Jiangnan's eyes lit up, gleaming with a strange light, and he spoke with great interest.
"Haha, I almost forgot. You two became friends through poetry and painting back then and formed a brotherhood. In the cultivation world, this is truly a rare and elegant affair, which is talked about by many."
Suddenly remembering something, the Maple Leaf Sect Master burst into laughter, causing the Peony Fairy beside him to smile wryly.
After a short chat, Qiao Jiangnan was pulled away by Elder Ouyang, who looked excited, while the Maple Leaf Sect Master exchanged a few words with Fairy Peony before dispersing.
……
"Elder Du, we'll arrive after passing through that peach grove."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Steward Zeng."
"It's what I should do, Elder Du, please don't be so polite."
The two people speaking were naturally Du Fan and the middle-aged man in brocade robes who led the way. After leaving the main hall, they walked for about half an incense stick's time and arrived at a peach blossom forest. It seemed that they were not far from the villa mentioned by the Maple Leaf Sect Master.
"Steward Zeng, we have been walking on this mountain for about half an hour, yet we have not seen a single disciple of the sect. Could it be that the Qixia Sect does not have many disciples?"
After a slight hesitation, Du Fan spoke up and asked the question that had been bothering him.
The Kongsang Sect, where he used to belong, had about 20,000 cultivators in total. Although the Kongsang Sect was once a considerable force in Qingzhou, he understood that it could not compare with the Qixia Sect.
Even if the number of disciples in the Qixia Sect is not large, it should still exceed 20,000. However, since he left the main hall, he has not seen a single one, which greatly surprised him.
"Could it be that everyone in the Qixia Sect is an elite, with no ordinary disciples?" Du Fan couldn't help but wonder.
"Our Qixia Sect does indeed have very few cultivators, not even as many as the population of a small mortal town, only a little over a million," the steward surnamed Zeng nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"What? How much did you just say?" Du Fan was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.
"Elder Du is referring to the total number of people in the Qixia Sect. The entire sect probably has over a million people, but I don't know the exact number. If Elder Du is interested, I can look it up for you."
Although the steward surnamed Zeng was surprised, he still spoke respectfully.
"Oh, no need. I was just asking casually. Over a million people is not a small number. Don't they usually live on the main peak?"
Du Fan heard it clearly this time, and was shocked. He gasped in shock, but he had experienced some ups and downs, so he coughed lightly to cover up his shock and then spoke as if nothing had happened.