Chapter 44

Chapter 43: The Grand Elder's Strategy (Part 1)

After Zhou Tangzhu left, Li Qiyi casually flipped through the roster of the Xishi Peak Martial Hall disciples. There were a total of three hundred disciples under the Xishi Peak Martial Hall, with the longest-serving disciple having been there for nearly five years.

After glancing at the roster, Li Qiyi looked at Nan Huairen, who was present, and asked, "What do you think?"

Nan Huairen chuckled and said, "Big Brother, I dare not rashly speculate. If Big Brother insists on hearing my humble opinion, I can only boldly share a few thoughts."

Nan Huairen was smooth and tactful in his speech. He had already pledged his allegiance to Li Qiyi and was naturally on Li Qiyi's side.

"Shut up—" Li Qiyi gave him a cold glance and said, "If you put your cunning mind to cultivation, perhaps your Daoist powers could advance to a new realm."

Hearing this, Nan Huairen laughed awkwardly and said, "Personality is innate; one is destined to be the kind of person they are."

"Alright, stop trying to be so cunning. Tell me your thoughts," Li Qiyi waved his hand lightly, not minding Nan Huairen's wordplay. He knew that someone as smooth as Nan Huairen couldn't be changed.

Nan Huairen said in a low voice, "I heard a bit of news. According to the Grand Elder's intention, Big Brother was originally supposed to teach at the Qiyu Peak Martial Hall. However, the Second Elder has always insisted that Big Brother should teach at the Xishi Peak Martial Hall."

"Tell me the difference," Li Qiyi smiled, already having a plan in mind.

Nan Huairen didn't dare to show off in front of Li Qiyi, but he still carefully shared his thoughts, saying, "The Second Elder has significant influence over the Xishi Peak lineage. Senior Brother He Yingjian, for example, comes from this lineage. Although he is only a third-generation disciple, he is already on par with the senior uncles of the hall."

Nan Huairen didn't easily express his own views, stopping at the right point. He knew that Li Qiyi was no fool, and his mind and strategies were even more terrifying than anyone could imagine.

"Oh, what about the factions of the six grand elders?" Li Qiyi smiled and asked.

"About that..." Nan Huairen hesitated for a moment. As a third-generation disciple, he wasn't entirely sure about the factions of the six grand elders.

"This is simple; it all depends on whether the Grand Elder has the ambition to become the sect leader," a gentle voice said at that moment.

Second Brother Tu Buyu walked in. Despite being over a thousand years old, he was still agile and had a gentle smile on his face.

"Tell me more," Li Qiyi didn't mind Tu Buyu's presence and wasn't afraid of his involvement.

Tu Buyu smiled and said, "Big Brother, in our Xianyan Ancient Sect, in terms of influence, no one can match the Grand Elder. He is serious and fair in his dealings, and more importantly, he is the direct disciple of the previous sect leader. By seniority, he has the best chance to become the leader of the Xianyan Ancient Sect."

"Wasn't the top disciple of the previous generation our Master?" Li Qiyi was somewhat surprised by Tu Buyu's words. He had assumed that as the sect leader, Su Yonghuang was the direct disciple of the previous sect leader.

Tu Buyu shook his head and smiled, "Master's situation is a bit special, different from the Grand Elder. Among the first-generation disciples, the Grand Elder has always had the best chance to inherit the sect leader position. In fact, among the six grand elders, except for the Second Elder Cao Xiong, the other four grand elders have generally supported the Grand Elder."

"What about the Grand Elder's thoughts?" Li Qiyi smiled, stroking his chin.

Tu Buyu shook his head and said, "What the Grand Elder thinks, only he knows. Cao Xiong has always wanted to become the sect leader, which is common knowledge. However, the Grand Elder has never expressed his stance, even with the support of the other grand elders. Some attitudes can't withstand the test of time. From what I see, the other four grand elders have likely wavered in recent years."

Looking at Tu Buyu, Li Qiyi couldn't help but smile and said, "Master is often away, and I am not in the Xianyan Ancient Sect. It seems that Master and I are still quite well-informed!"

This was worth pondering. Su Yonghuang, who didn't stay in the Xianyan Ancient Sect, was deeply aware of the sect's affairs. However, Li Qiyi didn't care about the Grand Elder's or Su Yonghuang's stance. His determination to rebuild the Xianyan Ancient Sect was unshakable. No one could stop him, not even his nominal Master, Su Yonghuang!

"Big Brother is joking. As a disciple of the Xianyan Ancient Sect, the sect is our home, and we naturally care about it," Tu Buyu smiled gently.

When Tu Buyu spoke, Nan Huairen wisely kept quiet, standing to the side. Tu Buyu, who had lived for over a thousand years, had more authority to speak about the Xianyan Ancient Sect.

Without a doubt, Tu Buyu was a cunning old fox. Li Qiyi glanced at him and smiled calmly, saying, "Since the younger brother has returned, he should know Master's stance."

Smart people understood Li Qiyi's words, and he didn't hide his intentions, speaking directly.

Tu Buyu's expression didn't change, and he smiled, saying, "Big Brother is the chief disciple of the Xianyan Ancient Sect, representing the glory of our sect. Whatever Big Brother decides, Master will not interfere."

What a skilled player, worthy of being a thousand-year-old fox. This made Li Qiyi somewhat interested in Tu Buyu, who had lived for over a thousand years. What about his Master, Su Yonghuang?

Li Qiyi smiled faintly at Tu Buyu's words but didn't comment further. However, he wasn't in a hurry to act. He would wait until his Daoist powers reached a higher realm before making his plans.

After listening to Tu Buyu, Li Qiyi didn't comment and simply instructed Nan Huairen, "Huairen, bring me the cultivation techniques of the Martial Hall disciples. I want to see what they are practicing."

Nan Huairen responded and hurried to get the techniques, not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.

However, before Nan Huairen could bring the techniques, Li Qiyi was summoned by a disciple sent by the Grand Elder.

The Xianyan Ancient Sect once had a thousand main peaks, but now it truly controlled only seventy-three. Moreover, these seventy-three main peaks were beginning to decline, with the essence of heaven and earth starting to wither.

As the Grand Elder, Gu Zhanglao naturally had the right to occupy one of the main peaks, and the peak he occupied still had a relatively abundant essence of heaven and earth.

The Grand Elder received Li Qiyi in the hall. For a third-generation disciple to be received alone by the Grand Elder was a great honor for many young disciples of the Xianyan Ancient Sect.

Li Qiyi sat down in the hall, calm and relaxed, showing no signs of restraint in front of the Grand Elder, still at ease.

The Grand Elder sat at the head of the table, looking at Li Qiyi for a long time without speaking. Li Qiyi also remained silent, waiting for the Grand Elder to speak.

After a long time, the Grand Elder finally spoke, looking at Li Qiyi and sighing, "Li Qiyi, I can't understand you. If you are sent by the Nine Holy Demon Sect, then you are too arrogant."

The Grand Elder's opening words were quite direct. Li Qiyi smiled faintly and said, "What does the Elder think? Am I a spy sent by the Nine Holy Demon Sect?"

"Whether or not you are, it's not up to me alone to decide," the Grand Elder looked at Li Qiyi and finally said solemnly.

Hearing this, Li Qiyi couldn't help but smile, already having a plan in mind. He looked at the Grand Elder and said, "What others think is not important. What does the Elder think? For example, if I take up the position of teaching at the Xishi Peak Martial Hall."

The Grand Elder stood up, walked to the window, and stood there silently for a long time, almost like a stone statue. After a long while, he turned to look at Li Qiyi and finally said, "The affairs of the Xianyan Ancient Sect are not something I alone can control, especially now!"

"The other four grand elders have wavered in their stance!" Li Qiyi smiled, recalling Tu Buyu's words. He understood the Grand Elder's position. Although the other four grand elders had always supported the Grand Elder, even supporting him to become the sect leader, their stance couldn't withstand the test of time. Cao Xiong was ambitious, and over time, the other four grand elders had inevitably wavered.

"I grew up in the Xianyan Ancient Sect, and my master's grace is as heavy as a mountain," the Grand Elder finally said solemnly. "In the Xianyan Ancient Sect, I do not want to see the day when the sect faces a great calamity more than anyone else!"

Li Qiyi sat quietly, waiting for the Grand Elder to continue. After a while, the Grand Elder looked at Li Qiyi and said solemnly, "Our enemies should not come from within the Xianyan Ancient Sect, but from outside, like the Holy Sky Sect."

"The Elder's guidance is enlightening," Li Qiyi nodded seriously, showing a rare moment of earnestness.

The Grand Elder sat down and sighed, saying, "Thirty thousand years ago, our Xianyan Ancient Sect fought the Holy Sky Sect and suffered a crushing defeat, retreating to our ancestral land and losing control over the entire ancient kingdom. Over these thirty thousand years, many of our senior figures have passed away, and the decline of the Xianyan Ancient Sect has been difficult to reverse. Although we have declined, we still have things that the Holy Sky Sect covets. Although the Holy Sky Sect has held back, it's because they have concerns. If one day they discover we have no trump cards left, it will be the day of our destruction!"

The battle between the Xianyan Ancient Sect and the Holy Sky Sect was something Nan Huairen had mentioned. In fact, fifty thousand years ago, even when Li Qiyi