《Eldest Senior Brother》


 Chapter 1: Zhang Yang, the Eldest Senior Brother

    "Take in disciples!"


    "Must take disciples!!"


    "No matter what their aptitudes are, we''ll take them all in today!!!"


    Zhang Yang was determined in his heart. Holding the sect''s disciple record album, he went to open the mountain gate.


    Taking in disciples for the sect was also known as opening the mountain gate. Today was the day when the Qingyun Sect opened its mountain gate.


    Before Zhang Yang went down the mountain, Third Uncle Master had instructed him that the sect was too poor and that not a single disciple should be taken in during this opening of the mountain gate. He was supposed to think of all ways to eliminate all the disciples who came for the assessment!


    However, Zhang Yang didn''t plan to do so.


    At the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect, dozens of teenagers, both male and female, were standing there. There were an unusually large number of them.


    When these teenagers saw someone from the Qingyun Sect coming, they immediately perked up, subconsciously straightened their backs, and looked at Zhang Yang with eager eyes.


    Before they came, they had heard that the assessment of the Qingyun Sect was extremely strict. In the past hundred years, only three people had successfully passed the assessment and entered the Qingyun Sect.


    What kind of difficult assessment questions would the Qingyun Sect come up with this time?


    Facing the eager eyes of everyone, Zhang Yang smiled and asked, "I''m the person in charge of the assessment for the Qingyun Sect this time. I''d like to ask you all, do you all want to join the Qingyun Sect?"


    A group of people nodded vigorously. If they didn''t want to join the Qingyun Sect, who would come here?


    "To join the Qingyun Sect, all you need is sincerity. I''ve already felt your sincerity, and you''ve all passed the assessment." Zhang Yang took out the sect''s disciple record album and said to everyone, "Come on, drip your blood on the sect''s disciple record album. From now on, you''ll be disciples of our Qingyun Sect. My name is Zhang Yang, and I''m your eldest senior brother. Come to me if you have any problems in the future."


    "What!?"


    All the people waiting for the assessment couldn''t help but be stunned.


    "Don''t you want to join the Qingyun Sect?" Zhang Yang asked.


    "I do!"


    A chubby boy stood out.


    He had reached a dead end, and even if the Qingyun Sect was a pit of fire, he would jump into it.


    The chubby boy bit his finger, and with his bleeding finger, he pressed it on the jade album. A flash of light passed by, and the figure of the chubby boy appeared on the jade album. The registration was successful.


    Seeing that he had been registered in the sect''s disciple record album, the chubby boy felt a huge stone in his heart fall, and he couldn''t help showing a happy smile.


    The others also reacted and quickly stepped forward one by one, dripping their blood on the jade album one after another.


    More and more figures appeared on the album, which alerted Qingyunzi, the current sect leader of the Qingyun Sect who was in seclusion.


    Qingyunzi scanned the entire sect area with his vast spiritual sense and instantly understood what had happened.


    "Zhang Yang!"


    An ethereal voice surged like a tide from Qingyun Peak towards the mountain gate of Qingyun Peak, as if the mountains were speaking. It rang in everyone''s ears.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Master!"


    Zhang Yang, who had been smiling, couldn''t help but freeze his smile.


    "Who told you to take in so many people... Come up here right now!" One could tell from the voice that Qingyunzi was gnashing his teeth.


    Zhang Yang quickly said, "Master, don''t be impatient. There are still a few people who haven''t finished registering. I''ll come up immediately after they''ve registered. Hurry up, whoever hasn''t registered in the sect''s disciple record album yet, don''t blame me if you miss this opportunity."


    Although the others had noticed that something was wrong, from what had happened just now, it was indeed an opportunity to join the Qingyun Sect in front of them.


    Those who hadn''t registered in the album rushed forward and were all successfully registered in the Qingyun Sect''s disciple record album.


    Zhang Yang put away the sect''s disciple record album and said to everyone, "You are all disciples of the Qingyun Sect now. Here''s your first task after entering the sect. Run up this mountain road. I''ll wait for you in the sect''s main hall."


    After saying that, he leaped towards the peak.


    The others looked at each other and then rushed up the mountain road in a swarm.


    Zhang Yang flew back to the sect''s main hall. There were already seven people sitting in the hall, both male and female. The one sitting in the middle was Qingyunzi.


    At this time, Qingyunzi was glaring at a man with messy hair on his left and scolding him, "Third Brother, I asked you to preside over the ceremony of opening the mountain gate this time. How on earth did you handle this? Why did you entrust such an important matter as opening the mountain gate to that rascal Zhang Yang?"


    Third Uncle Master looked aggrieved. "I was busy refining a furnace of pills. It had reached a critical moment, so I asked that kid Zhang Yang to go on my behalf. Before going down the mountain, I had already told him that not a single disciple should be taken in during this opening of the mountain gate. I''d like to ask you, Sect Leader Brother, what''s the big deal that has called all of us here?"


    When all the people of the Qingyun Sect gathered together, it definitely meant something serious had happened.


    Could it be that someone had attacked the Qingyun Sect, a matter related to life and death?


    "What''s the big deal?" Qingyunzi happened to see Zhang Yang flying in and pointed at him tremblingly. "Ask him. Ask him what he has done. Brat, take out the sect''s disciple record album. Take it out and show it to them."


    "It''s just taking in some disciples!" Zhang Yang muttered and took out the sect''s disciple record album and activated it.


    When they saw one figure after another emerging from the sect''s disciple record album, everyone present was shocked and looked at Third Uncle Master one after another, scolding him, "You''re really damned! What''s so good about that lousy pill of yours? Why couldn''t you go to open the mountain gate yourself and had to let Zhang Yang go instead? Don''t you know what kind of person he is? Now it''s all over. We won''t have any peace!"


    Third Uncle Master pounded his chest, unable to say a word.


    Qingyunzi let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky helplessly. "In the past three hundred years, our Qingyun Sect has only taken in seven or eight disciples. This time, more than eighty disciples were taken in during the opening of the mountain gate... Heaven is going to destroy our Qingyun Sect!"


    "Master, Uncle Masters, it''s not that serious!" Zhang Yang comforted the elders.


    "Brat, you don''t understand. Taking in disciples means we have to provide them with cultivation resources!" Qingyunzi looked worried. "Our Qingyun Sect is poor! With the current resources of the sect, there aren''t even enough for the few of us... If it weren''t for the fear that there would be no one to continue the sect after we leave, we wouldn''t have taken you as a disciple ten years ago.


    Now that you''ve suddenly taken in so many people, what resources do we have to provide them for cultivation?


    Taking in disciples for the sect doesn''t mean it''s over once they''re taken in. We have to be responsible for them."


    The seven people thought that it was already a headache just to cultivate Zhang Yang. Now suddenly there were seventy or eighty more people... Everyone felt dizzy.


    "Elders, listen to me!" Zhang Yang raised his voice. "Precisely because our Qingyun Sect is poor, it''s time for us to reform. If we don''t reform, our Qingyun Sect will go bankrupt sooner or later! And the beginning of the reform starts with this opening of the mountain gate!"


    "Reform?"


    The several people looked at each other, a bit confused.


    Since they took Zhang Yang up the mountain, they had often heard some new words.


    However, these new words were not difficult to understand, and they could also understand their meanings.


    "Master, I''ve read the Qingyun Annals and learned about the history of the Qingyun Sect. A thousand years ago, the Qingyun Sect was a top-notch major sect. At its peak, there were over a thousand disciples and it occupied a vast territory. But now, including you elders and me, there are only eight people in the Qingyun Sect in total.


    If the ancestors of past generations knew that the Qingyun Sect had declined to such an extent, they would probably be so angry that they''d jump out of their coffins.


    Why has our mighty Qingyun Sect declined to this point?


    The first reason is the lack of people.


    With more people, things will be easier to handle.


    So, the first step of the reform is to take in disciples."


    Zhang Yang was impassioned, spitting as he talked. "I''ve wanted to do this for a long time, but the elders have always disagreed. Finally, I''ve got the chance to take the first step of the reform. With dozens of disciples taken in this time, the Qingyun Sect is going to soar!"

 Chapter 2: Ill Teach You How to Cultivate Immortality

    The Seven Disciples of Qingyun Sect looked at each other in dismay. Carry forward the sect?


    Qingyunzi glared at the third disciple fiercely. If it hadn''t been for this guy''s laziness, there wouldn''t have been this mishap this time.


    Why reform?


    Anyway, they could maintain the status quo. When they passed away in the future and only Zhang Yang was left, he could do whatever he wanted with the reform. At that time, they wouldn''t be bothered.


    But now, all the burdens were on their shoulders!


    Zhang Yang walked up to Qingyunzi in high spirits and stared at him. "Master, I know you have a firm heart in seeking the Tao, and ascending to the Immortal Realm has always been your goal.


    Even if you put aside all the affairs of the sect, you''ve only reached the Yuan Ying Realm after all these years.


    Why?


    Because even though you''re extremely talented and have a firm heart in seeking the Tao, you don''t have enough resources for cultivation.


    If you had enough spirit stones and spirit pills to take, you might have already reached the Harmonization Realm by now, right?


    Suppose after the reform, there are sufficient spirit pills and spirit stones for you to cultivate, and other cultivation resources keep flowing in. Would you still be willing to reform then?"


    Qingyunzi''s heart, which had been calm for many years, couldn''t help but stir a little, but he didn''t say anything.


    He had lived for hundreds of years. How could he easily break his past life?


    Zhang Yang turned his head and looked at the man in the green robe sitting at the first position on the right. He asked, "Uncle Lingyun, you''re a sword cultivator. For sword cultivators, practicing swordsmanship is the most important thing. Usually, you cherish your flying sword so much that you almost treat it like your wife. However, in recent years, your ''second mistress'' has had a really hard time. She couldn''t get any rare treasures at all and lived a plain life. Don''t you feel heartbroken?"


    The man in the green robe rubbed his fingers and remained expressionless.


    "Third Uncle, wouldn''t you like to have a continuous supply of spirit herbs for you to make pills?" Zhang Yang smiled and looked at the third uncle.


    The third uncle grinned. He practiced the art of alchemy and was obsessed with making pills... Otherwise, he wouldn''t have let Zhang Yang open the mountain gate this time.


    "Fourth Aunt, I''ve heard that there''s a kind of beauty-preserving pill. Taking it can keep you young forever. However, the price of this beauty-preserving pill is extremely high. One pill costs more than a hundred thousand spirit stones." Zhang Yang looked at the woman in the green dress and shook his head with a sigh.


    The woman in the green dress let out a sigh and looked at Qingyunzi with a sad expression.


    Qingyunzi''s eyebrows twitched constantly. Qingyun Sect was so poor. How could it afford to buy the beauty-preserving pill that cost more than a hundred thousand spirit stones?


    He glared at Zhang Yang angrily. He should have known better than to take this kid as his disciple back then.


    Zhang Yang walked up to the man in black, slapped the table and asked, "Fifth Uncle, you''ve been using the grass paper that''s even too hard to be used for wiping buttocks to draw talismans all day long. Don''t you feel sorry for your talisman pen that''s at the spirit weapon level?"


    From his actions, it was obvious that he was used to being casual with the fifth uncle.


    The fifth uncle chuckled and stretched out his hand towards Zhang Yang. "Then why don''t you give me something better? You''re really talking without thinking. The worst talisman paper in Qingyun Market costs a hundred spirit stones a piece. How many pieces of grass paper do I have to draw on to be able to afford one piece of the worst talisman paper?"This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Even drawing talismans on grass paper had some effect for ordinary people.


    However, it could only earn a little money.


    Zhang Yang shook his head. He knew that the fifth uncle was in charge of making money. With so many people relying on just one person to make money, it was no wonder the sect was so poor!


    "So, that''s why we need reform!" Zhang Yang nodded heavily. His eyes swept over the last two people and finally returned to Qingyunzi. "Master, the problems of Qingyun Sect are urgent. Reform is inevitable."


    The others all looked at Qingyunzi.


    Qingyunzi stroked his chin and didn''t say anything. He neither denied nor agreed.


    Zhang Yang was filled with grief and indignation. "Master, if you finally succeed in cultivating and ascend to the Immortal Realm and meet the ancestors in the Immortal Realm, what will you tell them when they ask you about the current situation of Qingyun Sect? Will you tell them that we''re so poor that we can''t even recruit disciples? The Qingyun Sect that has been passed down for thousands of years will end up with only a few people left?


    Can you say that?


    Even if you don''t ascend to the Immortal Realm and die of old age in the end, when you meet those ancestors who didn''t ascend in the Underworld, what are you going to tell them?


    As the current sect leader, you should bear the greatest responsibility for the situation of Qingyun Sect.


    Now that I''m willing to replace you and save Qingyun Sect through reform, you still don''t agree?"


    Zhang Yang stood on the moral high ground and lectured his master.


    Because he was also forced to do so.


    He practiced Qi all day long, but his cultivation progress was as slow as a turtle crawling. The more he practiced, the angrier he got.


    At this rate, even if he practiced for another few hundred years, he probably wouldn''t achieve anything. He would die of old age before that.


    What''s more important was that the several elders of Qingyunzi clearly intended to let Zhang Yang be the next sect leader.


    When these old guys ascended or passed away, there would only be one person left in the whole Qingyun Sect... Zhang Yang shuddered at the thought of that desolate scene.


    By that time, he could have the final say in the reform. But was it okay to waste these hundreds of years like this?


    Another situation was that these old guys had great skills. It would be a pity if they didn''t contribute to the reform.


    The other several fellow disciples were a bit surprised to see Qingyunzi being lectured by Zhang Yang. They were all observing Qingyunzi''s expression.


    They knew best what kind of abilities the sect leader, their senior brother, had. If he got angry, they wouldn''t be able to handle it.


    Although Qingyunzi''s face was expressionless, judging from his clenched fists with bulging veins, one could tell what was going on in his heart.


    He was cursing in his heart: This brat! If it hadn''t been for my whim back then, why would I have taken him up the mountain?


    I''ve taken in a troublemaker!


    After a long while, Qingyunzi finally squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: "This reform..."


    Zhang Yang waved his hand decisively. "Master, you don''t have to worry about anything. Just go into seclusion. When you come out of seclusion next time, you''ll be able to see the results."


    "Humph, okay, then I''ll go into seclusion for a year!" Qingyunzi gritted his teeth. "If I don''t see any results after a year, just wait and see how I''ll deal with you!"


    Zhang Yang raised his eyebrows. "A year? Master, you''ll know the results of the reform in half a year!"


    "I''ll go into seclusion for half a year!" Qingyunzi turned around and was about to leave.


    "Wait!" Zhang Yang called out hurriedly.


    "What now?" Qingyunzi glared at Zhang Yang and asked angrily.


    Zhang Yang smiled and stretched out his hand towards Qingyunzi. "Master, for the success of the reform, please give me the sect leader''s token! I need the greatest authority of Qingyun Sect!"


    Although Qingyun Sect was poor, it still had some heritage.


    To access this heritage, the sect leader''s token was required.


    Qingyunzi snorted coldly, casually threw over a token, and then disappeared in a flash.


    He directly gave the sect leader''s token to Zhang Yang.


    The others looked at each other in surprise. Was this an early passing on of the position?


    Zhang Yang wasn''t intimidated either. He calmly put the token away and smiled at the woman in white sitting at the last position. "Seventh Aunt, I''d like to take a look at the income and expenditure situation of Qingyun Sect."


    The account books of Qingyun Sect were kept by the seventh aunt. Usually, she was in charge of the accounts.


    The seventh aunt laughed and threw several account books to Zhang Yang as if she were throwing away a hot potato. "Here you are. I don''t want to take care of this lousy thing anymore. I can''t even dig out a few spirit stones from it, and it always makes everyone complain!"


    At this moment, there was a commotion outside the main hall of the sect.


    The few of them were stunned for a moment. After all, Qingyun Sect had been so quiet for a long time that they were a bit unaccustomed to suddenly having people coming.


    Then they realized that these should be the newly recruited disciples who had run from the mountain gate to the main hall.


    "You recruited them, you deal with it!"


    The six of them said in unison, threw a sentence to Zhang Yang, and quickly floated away.


    Zhang Yang walked out of the main hall of the sect. Looking at the several people who had already arrived at the square first, a strange smile appeared on his face. "Ten years! I''ve been waiting for a whole ten years! Finally, I''m really going to start my great cause of cultivating immortality!


    Living in the open and meditating to practice Qi, is that called cultivating immortality?


    That''s just the life of a savage!


    I''ll teach you how it should be done to cultivate immortality!"

 Chapter 3: Terribly Poor, Filthy Rich

    Zhang Yang looked at the people on the square and was a bit surprised that the chubby little guy had arrived first.


    What a nimble fat guy!


    He took out a piece of paper and a pen, handed them to the little fat guy, and ordered, "I''ll give you a task. Register the names of everyone according to the order in which they arrived at the square. When everyone is here, I''ll explain the matters about entering the sect. By the way, what''s your name?"


    The little fat guy grinned. "Reporting to Senior Brother, my name is Wang Baole! And I''m the first one to arrive!"


    "Very good!" Zhang Yang nodded and handed the paper and pen to Wang Baole.


    Then, he picked up the account book of Qingyun Sect and started looking through it.


    The top priority, of course, was to figure out how many assets Qingyun Sect still had.


    Wang Baole, on the other hand, took the paper and pen, asked everyone''s names in the order of their arrival, and began to register.


    The moment Zhang Yang opened the account book, his expression changed at once.


    "The ancestors of past generations were really useless!" Zhang Yang muttered in his heart, shaking his head repeatedly.


    He had always thought that Qingyun Sect was so poor that all it had left were a few mountains.


    Unexpectedly, the first sentence at the beginning of the account book shocked him.


    "With Qingyun Peak as the center, an area within a radius of three hundred miles belongs to Qingyun Sect."


    What did a radius of three hundred miles mean? Zhang Yang knew it best in the past.


    That was the scope of an entire large province!


    With such a large territory, how could it have no money? So poor that it didn''t even dare to recruit disciples? How incompetent did one have to be to make it like this?


    Most importantly, there was no record of the industries within this three-hundred-mile radius at all.


    Zhang Yang clearly remembered that Qingyun Market was just a few miles away from Qingyun Sect and was also within the scope of Qingyun Sect. It was an industry of Qingyun Sect.


    Even more outrageous was that he had been to Qingyun Market, and the restaurants, pharmacies and other businesses there were paying taxes.


    Where did these taxes go?


    The more Zhang Yang looked at the account book, the angrier he got. Were these cultivators'' minds all focused on cultivation and they knew nothing else?


    When he saw the end of the account book and found that there were only 103 lonely spirit stones left in the account, Zhang Yang couldn''t hold it in anymore.


    The magnificent Qingyun Sect, a sect with a history of five thousand years, was left with only 103 spirit stones in the end...


    No wonder every time he wanted to buy pills to take, Seventh Aunt would persuade him earnestly, "Zhang Yang, using pills to cultivate is a low-level method. Moreover, the spiritual energy cultivated in that way is impure and will also lead to impurities in the body, which is very disadvantageous for us cultivators. The best way to cultivate is to refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth..."


    What low-level method! It was simply because there was no money!


    After all, even the cheapest Qi-nourishing pill cost two hundred spirit stones!


    Apart from spirit stones, there were no materials for refining weapons, no spirit herbs for alchemy... There was nothing!


    On the entire Qingyun Peak, the seven senior brothers and sisters of Qingyunzi often went into seclusion.


    As for Zhang Yang himself, he could indeed look for medicinal herbs on the Seven Peaks of Qingyun to sell, but how many could he find by himself?Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Would he still have time to cultivate?


    So, in the past ten years, Zhang Yang had been very distressed and had long wanted to reform.


    However, to be fair, the several elders had been quite nice to him.


    Since taking him up the mountain ten years ago, they had immediately prepared a set of outfits for him, and even high-end items like spatial rings.


    It would have cost hundreds of thousands of spirit stones to buy all these things.


    From this point of view, the Seven Disciples of Qingyun really did their best to cultivate their disciple and were several responsible and good elders.


    Of course, this also led to Qingyunzi and the others feeling as if it were the end of the world when they heard that Zhang Yang had recruited dozens of disciples.


    "Senior Brother, I''ve finished registering. There are eighty-seven people in total!" Wang Baole showed the list to Zhang Yang. "Please give instructions, Senior Brother. What should we do next?"


    Zhang Yang closed the account book, took the list from Wang Baole, glanced at it, and put it away.


    He stood up and looked at the eighty-seven teenagers on the square.


    The teenagers subconsciously straightened their bodies, waiting for Zhang Yang to announce something.


    They were already disciples of Qingyun Sect, so of course they had to act according to the rules of Qingyun Sect in the future.


    Zhang Yang swept his eyes over everyone and said, "First of all, congratulations to all of you for being able to enter Qingyun Sect!


    Our Qingyun Sect was founded more than five thousand years ago, and as many as seventeen people have successfully ascended to the Immortal Realm in history. So, it''s an honor for all of you to be able to join Qingyun Sect.


    However, have you noticed a problem?


    Where will you live in the future?"


    Everyone couldn''t help but look around. Besides the main hall in front of them, there were also a few towers.


    As for the rest, it was all mountain forests, and there were no houses at all.


    But since they had already joined the sect, shouldn''t the sect solve the problem of accommodation?


    Zhang Yang''s expression became serious, and he continued, "You should have heard that in the past few decades, our Qingyun Sect has only recruited one person, that is, me. According to the usual practice, we would have strictly selected disciples this time as well.


    However, this time our sect has encountered a once-in-a-hundred-year major change.


    This major change is closely related to each and every one of us here.


    That''s why I opened the door wide and guided all of you fellow disciples up the mountain to jointly deal with this once-in-a-hundred-year major change.


    If we handle it well, there will be a place for us in the future world, and even among those who ascend to the Immortal Realm, there will be some of us.


    If we don''t handle it well, we''ll be doomed.


    Fellow disciples, don''t think about escaping. This is something you can''t escape from at all.


    I want to ask you, are you willing to face it together with me?"


    The people on the square looked at each other in dismay.


    They sensed the seriousness of the situation from Zhang Yang''s words.


    But what exactly had happened?


    Wang Baole swallowed and asked, "Senior Brother, what should we do?"


    Zhang Yang said slowly, "The question of what to do, we''ll discuss it slowly later. What you need to do first now is to quickly build a place to live. The seven peaks behind the main hall already have sect elders on their peaks. Except for the peaks, you can choose suitable locations on the mountains to build houses. Everyone, get to work quickly and solve the accommodation problem as soon as possible. You have two days. After two days, gather here again, and I''ll teach you the cultivation methods."


    After a pause, Zhang Yang''s tone turned cold. "Remember, you''re already fellow disciples. Fellow disciples should love and help each other.


    "If you dare to bully others, the consequences are not something you can bear."


    After saying that, he leaped into the air and flew away.


    The people on the square were a bit confused.


    They felt that something was wrong, but after all, it was their first time to join a sect, and they didn''t know what other sects were like.


    After being confused for a while, everyone still decided to build a place to live.


    After all, since they were already here, they couldn''t sleep on the ground, could they?


    On the peak of Qingyun Peak, Qingyunzi, who claimed to be going into seclusion, and the other six people were sitting together.


    They were watching the situation in front of the main hall through a magic mirror.


    "Senior Brother, what should we do now?" Dan Chenzi, the third disciple, frowned tightly and looked at Qingyunzi. "I''m sure that among these eighty-seven disciples, most of them are spies sent by other sects. Now that Zhang Yang has taken all these people in, how should we deal with it?"


    Qingyunzi said angrily, "If it hadn''t been for your laziness, would this situation have occurred?"


    Dan Chenzi smiled bitterly and said, "I didn''t expect Zhang Yang to do this either... We couldn''t leave the sect casually anyway, and all the sect''s spirit stones were used on the grand formation... It''s already a problem to support these disciples, let alone the fact that there are spies among them. Why don''t we just find an excuse and drive them all down the mountain!"


    "Nonsense! Taking them up the mountain and then driving them down immediately. Does Qingyun Sect want any face?" Qingyunzi glared at Dan Chenzi. "Even if we want to do that, we should wait for a while at least!"


    Qingyunzi was full of worry. Now that the people had already been taken up the mountain, if Qingyun Sect couldn''t support the disciples and let them starve to death, the reputation built up over thousands of years would be completely ruined!


    What should be done?


    Suddenly, Second Uncle Ling Yunzi''s face changed. "Oh no! That kid Zhang Yang is coming to find me!"


    Could anything good happen when he came to find someone at this time?


    The others all looked at Second Uncle, with a look of schadenfreude on their faces.


    "Go quickly! Don''t get us into trouble!" Everyone urged.


    Second Senior Brother flew back to his peak with a bitter face.

 Chapter 4: Chopping Firewood with a Flying Sword

    "Uncle! Uncle!"


    Zhang Yang arrived at the peak of Lingyun Peak, where Ling Yunzi was.


    The Seven Disciples of Qingyun each occupied a peak and had their own titles.


    Although Qingyun Sect had few disciples, it definitely wouldn''t be a good thing for anyone to underestimate it.


    Ling Yunzi walked out and asked impatiently, "What''s the matter?"


    Zhang Yang said with a smile, "There''s something I need to trouble Uncle with. I want to patrol the Qingyun territory. However, my cultivation level is low. I''m just a Golden Core cultivator. If I encounter powerful demonic beasts or villains breaking into Qingyun, it''ll be very bad. So, I''d like to ask Uncle to accompany me on this trip."


    Seeing that it wasn''t a big deal, Ling Yunzi nodded and agreed.


    "Uncle, before we leave, I also need to ask Uncle for a favor!" Zhang Yang pointed in the direction of the main hall. "If we only rely on them, I''m afraid they won''t be able to build shelters in two days. Please draw your sword, Uncle, and help them cut down some trees to make it easier for them to build houses and courtyards."


    The corners of Ling Yunzi''s mouth twitched constantly. He really didn''t know what to say.


    He, a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator, was going to chop firewood... and with a flying sword at that...


    The others who had been watching Zhang Yang through the magic mirror, ready to see how Zhang Yang would carry out the reform, couldn''t help snickering when they saw Ling Yunzi''s expression.


    They knew that nothing good would happen if Zhang Yang found them at this time.


    Ling Yunzi took a deep breath and leaped into the air, flying towards the direction of the main hall.


    While still in the air, his flying sword had already appeared, and the sword qi swept towards the towering trees that had been standing beside the main hall for who knew how many years.


    He had already vented his resentment on those big trees.


    The people on the square in front of the main hall were frowning at this time. Many of them didn''t know how to build houses at all.


    Most importantly, they didn''t even have any tools in their hands. How could they cut down timber to build houses?


    Suddenly, an extremely powerful sword qi slashed into a big tree. The tree, which was as thick as several people could embrace, quickly turned into pieces of wood under the sword qi.


    One tree after another fell down, and piles of wood appeared...


    Zhang Yang flew over, looked at the stunned people, and said loudly, "What are you standing there for? Thank Uncle Ling Yun quickly!"


    Everyone came to their senses and said one after another, "Thank you, Uncle Ling Yun!"


    "Didn''t you eat? Louder, in unison. Three, two, one, thank you, Uncle Ling Yun!"


    "Thank you, Uncle Ling Yun!"


    Everyone shouted at the top of their lungs. The deafening sound echoed throughout Qingyun Sect.


    Ling Yunzi, who was wielding his sword, felt the vitality of the people and saw their expressions. The resentment in his heart decreased a lot out of thin air.


    After that, he concentrated on using his sword and cut down more than a dozen big trees in a row.


    "Uncle, that''s enough! Don''t cut down any more!" Zhang Yang called out to stop him.


    Ling Yunzi put away his sword and stood with his hands behind his back, looking like a master.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The more than eighty people who had just joined Qingyun Sect were looking on with admiration in their eyes.


    If they hadn''t had much of an idea about cultivating immortality before, after seeing Ling Yunzi''s display, they began to yearn for their future cultivation and also developed a sense of identity with Qingyun Sect.


    "Everyone, get to work and help each other. Build your houses as soon as possible!" Zhang Yang gave an order and then said to Ling Yunzi, "Uncle, let''s go!"


    He took the lead and flew out of Qingyun Sect, and Ling Yunzi naturally followed.


    On Qingyun Peak, the people who had been watching the scene just now were lost in thought.


    After a moment of silence, Qingyunzi said faintly, "I need to go into seclusion. I''ll see you in half a year. As for you, you''d better help those kids. Since they''ve joined our Qingyun Sect, we can''t just leave them alone!"


    Then he left.


    The other five people looked at each other, not knowing what to say.


    Even if they wanted to help, they didn''t know where to start!


    They didn''t know how to build houses either!


    Finally, the several people went back to their own places respectively, planning to wait until Zhang Yang came back.


    Judging from Ling Yunzi''s situation just now, if Zhang Yang needed them, he should come to find them.


    On the other side, Ling Yunzi asked Zhang Yang somewhat puzzledly, "Where are you going?"


    He couldn''t figure out Zhang Yang''s purpose at all.


    Zhang Yang said with a smile, "Uncle, actually our Qingyun Sect isn''t poor at all. We just don''t know how to make use of it."


    "Make use of it?" Ling Yunzi was confused.


    What was there to make use of in Qingyun Sect?


    Zhang Yang smiled and pointed to the vast land beneath their feet. "The area within a radius of three hundred miles is all Qingyun Sect''s territory. Everything on this land should belong to Qingyun Sect. However, we haven''t exploited these resources at all in these years."


    Ling Yunzi understood a bit. He looked at Zhang Yang and said, "So, you recruited a lot of people and let them exploit the resources?"


    Zhang Yang shook his head. "Of course, it''s not just that. I just didn''t expect that the territory Qingyun Sect owns is so large. Eh, there''s a village ahead. Let''s land there."


    When the people in the village saw someone flying towards the village, after being stunned for a while, they couldn''t help but kneel down and shout, "Immortal Master!"


    Zhang Yang quickly helped them up and said, "Get up! Get up quickly!"


    Everyone looked at Zhang Yang with a mixture of fear and longing in their eyes.


    They had long heard of the existence of immortal masters. They didn''t expect to see one alive today.


    Zhang Yang looked at everyone and asked, "Where''s the village head?"


    An old man with grey hair trembled as he stood up. He lowered his head and didn''t dare to look at Zhang Yang at all. "I''m the village head here. My name is Li Fugui. I don''t know what instructions the Immortal Master has."


    "Old man, don''t be polite!" Zhang Yang said with a smile. "We''re from Qingyun Sect. It''s about seventy or eighty miles away from your village. We''re all neighbors!"


    "Qingyun Sect!" Village head Li Fugui said in surprise. "We''ve heard of it. I didn''t expect that the Immortal Master is from Qingyun Sect. By the way, it seems that someone from our village also went to Qingyun Sect to participate in the assessment... Old Ninth... Li Dagou, your son went to Qingyun Sect to participate in the assessment, right?"


    A burly man with thick arms scratched his head and stood up. He nodded a bit embarrassedly. "My son was a bit extraordinary when he was born, so he went to Qingyun Sect to try his luck. It''s been many days, and he hasn''t come back yet... Immortal Master, my son''s name is Li Er. I don''t know if he passed the assessment or not. My son is very good. Please be merciful, Immortal Master..."


    Zhang Yang nodded and smiled. "He''s already a disciple of Qingyun Sect!"


    Was there anyone who didn''t pass the assessment this time?


    He had indeed seen Li Er''s name.


    Li Dagou was stunned and couldn''t help but kneel down, with tears streaming down his face. "Thank you, Immortal Master!"


    For an ordinary family, having a member become an immortal master was such a great honor.


    Zhang Yang quickly helped Li Dagou up and said with a smile, "In the future, Qingyun Sect may recruit more disciples. Once every ten years, those under the age of fifteen can go to participate in the assessment. Qingyun Sect will welcome them very much.


    I''ve come here this time to inform you of one more thing. If the village encounters people bullying you or other situations, you can go to Qingyun Sect for help.


    In addition, if you find any good spirit herbs or medicinal materials on the mountain, you can also send them directly to Qingyun Sect. We''ll have a fair trade with you, and we may even trade some pills or spirit talismans that you can use."


    All the villagers were overjoyed and asked one after another, "Immortal Master, is it true?"


    This was an extra way out for ordinary villagers.


    Compared with trading in the market, of course they were more willing to trade directly with Qingyun Sect.


    So, everyone was very excited.


    "Of course it''s true!" Zhang Yang nodded. "When you arrive at Qingyun Sect, just mention my name. I''m Zhang Yang!"


    "Thank you, Immortal Master Zhang!" Everyone thanked him again.


    "If you find something that you don''t recognize but think it''s a good thing, you can also send it to Qingyun Sect. We''ll identify it for you, and then you can decide whether to trade or not." Zhang Yang reminded them again and then flew away from the village with Ling Yunzi.


    The people in the village watched Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi leave with envious eyes. Then, they turned around and ran towards the mountain forest to look for medicinal materials.

 Chapter 5: Someone Stealing Minerals

    Ling Yunzi looked Zhang Yang up and down and asked, "You''ve already read the account book. You can''t be unaware of how much money Qingyun Sect has, right? When those villagers bring medicinal herbs over, I wonder what you''ll use to buy them."


    "Uncle, don''t worry. There will definitely be a way to solve this," Zhang Yang replied with a smile.


    The reason he brought Ling Yunzi, a master, out of the sect was partly for self-defense and partly to go to Qingyun Market.


    Qingyun Market had been collecting taxes for so many years, yet not a single coin had been given to Qingyun Sect. He didn''t know who was in charge of Qingyun Market, but it was time to get an explanation anyway.


    Would he still have to worry about having no money then?


    After that, whenever they came across a village, Zhang Yang would go down and "offer his regards".


    While learning about the situation of the villages, he would also tell the villagers that as long as they found spirit herbs or other things on the mountain, they could go to Qingyun Sect for trading.


    Ling Yunzi''s expression grew more and more solemn. He had seen everything. There were already seven or eight villages. Did Qingyun Sect have that much money?


    He seriously warned Zhang Yang, "Kid, I have to remind you that no matter how you carry out the reform, you mustn''t harm those ordinary people. Their lives are already very difficult. If you dare to rob them of their things, I''m afraid none of us will agree."


    He now seriously suspected that Zhang Yang had the intention of robbing the numerous villagers around, simply because Qingyun Sect really couldn''t afford to pay that much.


    Zhang Yang looked at Ling Yunzi and said earnestly, "Uncle, we''ve known each other for ten years anyway. Have you ever seen me bully ordinary people?"


    "No, I haven''t," Ling Yunzi nodded.


    Sometimes he even felt that Zhang Yang treated those ordinary creatures better than he treated cultivators.


    Zhang Yang said with a solemn expression, "Over the years, all the elders have overlooked a very big problem. If Qingyun Sect wants to thrive, relying solely on powerful cultivation levels is useless. Many things in the sect need people to do them. That''s why the first step of my reform is to recruit a large number of disciples.


    Where will the disciples of Qingyun Sect come from?


    First of all, from the villages within the territory of Qingyun Sect. Among them, there are quite a number of people who can cultivate.


    Those with good talent will be cultivated as the backbone of the sect. Those with not-so-good talent can plant medicinal herbs and do some miscellaneous tasks for the sect. That''s still better than them dying of old age in the villages, right?


    So, not only can''t we bully the people in these villages, but we also have to protect them well.


    The Tao is never far from people. If we distance ourselves from people, I''m afraid it won''t be that easy to cultivate the Great Tao."


    Ling Yunzi felt a lot more relieved after hearing Zhang Yang''s reasonable words.


    Suddenly, something occurred to him. The Tao is never far from people?Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    In these years, because Qingyun Sect was poor, they had adopted an aloof attitude and focused on cultivating in seclusion in the mountains.


    In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred years had passed. Ling Yunzi clearly felt that his cultivation progress was getting slower and slower.


    Was it because they were too far away from "people" that they were also far from the Great Tao?


    "The Tao is never far from people!" Ling Yunzi asked curiously, "Where did you learn so many principles?"


    Zhang Yang replied matter-of-factly, "Uncle, I''m probably the only one in Qingyun Sect who often goes to Qingyun Market. Of course, I figured out these principles by myself!"


    He thought to himself that if you had experienced that era of information explosion, where you could read all kinds of alchemy scriptures and Taoist books at will, you would probably also know these things.


    Ling Yunzi nodded. "Anyway, we can''t bully ordinary people."


    "Don''t worry!" Zhang Yang promised. Suddenly, he pointed in a direction and asked in surprise, "Uncle, this place should also be within the territory of our Qingyun Sect, right?"


    "This place is a little over two hundred miles away from Qingyun Peak. Of course, it''s within the territory of Qingyun Sect," Ling Yunzi replied.


    Zhang Yang exclaimed, "Then why are there people mining in the territory of Qingyun Sect?"


    Wasn''t this stealing Qingyun Sect''s minerals? Who was so bold?


    Ling Yunzi asked, puzzled, "What''s the problem? Perhaps the nearby villagers discovered the minerals and are digging them."


    Zhang Yang rolled his eyes. These sect elders had really damaged their brains from cultivation.


    Would villagers mine in the mountains?


    Usually, when they went up the mountain to gather herbs, they had to worry about fierce beasts. Encountering a demonic beast could put the whole village in danger of being wiped out.


    Moreover, mining required professional tools and financial support, which was simply beyond the ability of villagers.


    "Let''s go and take a look."


    Zhang Yang called out, landed on the ground, and approached the mine.


    When they got close to the mine, they found many ragged ordinary people carrying baskets on their backs to transport minerals. Around them were some burly men holding whips in their hands and driving the miners forward. "You useless bunch, move faster! Stop dawdling! I''ll beat you to death. If you don''t hurry up and work, there''ll be no dinner for you today. Everyone must dig out another three hundred catties today. Whoever fails to complete the task will be thrown into the wild to feed the wolves."


    Ling Yunzi frowned when he saw the situation at the mine.


    Zhang Yang, on the other hand, was looking around the mine. After observing for a while, he asked, "Uncle, have you noticed any masters?"


    He was afraid that there might be a master guarding the mine. If so, they might get wiped out.


    Ling Yunzi said impatiently, "The strongest one is that man in the brocade robe. He''s just started on the path of cultivation. You can even deal with him."


    Zhang Yang got an idea. He showed himself and walked towards the mine, shouting, "Everyone, stop! How dare you steal minerals?"


    The many vigilant men couldn''t help but be stunned and instinctively looked at the man in the brocade robe.


    The man in the brocade robe was also stunned and said, "This is a desolate mountain area. I''ve never heard that it has an owner. How can you say it''s stealing minerals? Don''t tell me you''re also jealous of this copper mine and deliberately looking for trouble. Well, you''ve got the wrong idea. The Xiao family in Anqing City is not afraid of anyone else."


    "The Xiao family in Anqing City?" Zhang Yang was taken aback. He knew Anqing City. It was more than three hundred miles away from Qingyun Sect and was the largest city nearby.


    "Then do you know who I am?" Zhang Yang asked.


    The man in the brocade robe sneered, "I don''t care who you are. If you dare to cause trouble for my Xiao family, be prepared to die. Everyone, attack and kill him. Throw his body into the wild!"


    The burly men on guard immediately surrounded Zhang Yang.


    "Seeking death!" Zhang Yang raised his hand, and a bolt of heavenly lightning fell from the sky with a rumble and struck the ground.


    He was, after all, a cultivator who could fly and had truly embarked on the path of cultivation. He was not comparable to these ordinary people in front of him.


    The man in the brocade robe was startled when he saw Zhang Yang use the heavenly lightning spell and shouted, "Stop! There must be a misunderstanding! I''m Xiao Jian from the Xiao family. Our family head is good friends with Taoist Qingfeng of the Qingfeng Sect."


    He knew very well that anyone who could use the heavenly lightning spell must be an immortal cultivator.


    So, he immediately reported the name of his backer.


    "Qingfeng Sect? No matter what sect it is, it can''t steal our sect''s minerals!" Zhang Yang''s expression turned serious. "This is the territory of Qingyun Sect. Everything here belongs to Qingyun Sect. Go back and report to your family head. Within one month, come to Qingyun Sect to give us an explanation and make compensation. Otherwise, we will take measures. Don''t say that we didn''t warn you in advance!"