The Sect's Trust

Qin Xiangqian felt as though his brain had turned into a pot of rice porridge.

Senior Brother Xinghe had taken it upon himself to inquire into a sect secret, and instead of the Grand Elder's thunderous fury, he had gotten a "well said"?

Qin Xiangqian felt his entire worldview had been turned upside down.

The depletion of the No. 1 Spirit Mine was unquestionably a secret of the Vast Heaven Sect.

Absolutely no one should have been allowed to inquire into it on their own. If word got out, it could do unimaginable harm to the sect.

Only the heads of the various palaces were qualified to know a secret of this magnitude. Even ordinary elders had no right to know.

And anyone who took it upon themselves to investigate a secret of this magnitude would receive the harshest punishment, even if they escaped death.

But now... what the hell was that "well said" supposed to mean?

Just moments ago, Qin Xiangqian had thought he was going to die.

Senior Brother Xinghe had committed a grave offense by inquiring into a secret, but Qin Xiangqian had disclosed such classified information without authorization. That was surely a one-way road to death.

But why were all the elders and the sect master still smiling?

Didn't they care at all?

"Xinghe, since you know about it, tell us what you think."

It was Sect Master Gu Mingchao who spoke, and his words left Qin Xiangqian completely dumbfounded.

What did the sect master mean by that?

Senior Brother Xinghe hadn't been punished for knowing the secret, and now he was even being asked for his thoughts?

This was a major matter that could affect the sect's future. Ordinary elders weren't even qualified to hear about it, much less offer their opinions.

Yet the sect master had actually asked Senior Brother Xinghe what he thought?

Qin Xiangqian felt this had to be a dream... but even for a dream, it was fucking hard to believe.

"Sect Master, President Qin just told me what happened. The No. 1 Spirit Mine accounts for a tenth of our Vast Heaven Sect's spirit stone output. Now that it has been depleted, the impact on the sect will be enormous, so I believe we should choose a vein to replace the No. 1 Spirit Mine as soon as possible."

The sect master and the elders nodded, motioning for Chu Xinghe to continue.

"President Qin and I discussed it outside. He had an idea he didn't dare share with everyone just now. In fact, he has someone in mind to choose the spirit mine."

"Who?" the Grand Elder asked, looking at Qin Xiangqian.

Qin Xiangqian's forehead was covered in sweat, but he hurriedly answered with respect, "Grand Elder, it's Senior Brother Xinghe!"

"What?"

The elders were bewildered by Qin Xiangqian's answer.

But they soon seemed to remember something.

"Is it because of what happened with the raw stones last time?"

"Yes, Sect Master. Senior Brother Xinghe received the Medicine Saint Inheritance and has an ability to distinguish raw stones that ordinary people can hardly hope to match. Even the elders of the Shi Clan would probably fall short of Senior Brother Xinghe. If he could go to Spirit Vein Mountain and identify the veins through their raw stones, he would surely be more accurate."

Qin Xiangqian said it all in one breath, and the elders and sect master began to discuss it.

Listening to the elders, Qin Xiangqian broke out in a sweat again.

He had expected that as soon as he spoke, an elder would jump out and say that Chu Xinghe was only a sect disciple and couldn't possibly make such a decision, or something along those lines.

But to Qin Xiangqian's utter astonishment, not a single elder said Chu Xinghe wasn't qualified. Instead, they were discussing whether he could really find a better vein.

Now Qin Xiangqian understood that Senior Brother Xinghe's standing in the Vast Heaven Sect had reached a level beyond his imagination.

The sect master and the elders of the various palaces had all tacitly accepted that Chu Xinghe was qualified to discuss sect affairs here. No disciple in the Vast Heaven Sect's history had ever managed that before.

"Xinghe, what do you think?" the sect master asked, looking at Chu Xinghe with a smile.

"Sect Master, it is my duty!"

"You know how much is at stake, don't you? If you make a mistake, you'll be severely punished." The sect master was still smiling.

"In serving the sect, I have given no thought to whether I might be severely punished. I know only that I must devote myself to the task."

"Hahaha... good child... I'll discuss this with the elders. You may go back for now."

"Yes!"

Chu Xinghe said no more. He nodded and pulled Qin Xiangqian out of the Haotian Grand Hall.

Only once they were outside the hall did Qin Xiangqian realize that, in that short time, his clothes had been almost soaked through with cold sweat.

But Senior Brother Xinghe looked perfectly calm.

Qin Xiangqian thought Senior Brother Xinghe was probably the only person who could remain so composed before such a gathering of the sect's big shots.

Inside the Haotian Grand Hall, Gu Mingchao looked around at the others.

"What do you think?"

"There's no need to speak of Xinghe's abilities, but he's still young. If something does go wrong, I'm afraid it would be a blow to him."

"Indeed. If he chooses wrongly, the sect's loss would be a small matter, but I couldn't bear to punish him."

"Punishment would be one thing. Even if we demoted him to the outer sect, it would be nothing more than a title. But I'm afraid being punished would blunt the boy's edge."

The elders all chimed in. If Qin Xiangqian had been there to hear them, he might have spat blood on the spot.

So... they didn't care at all what losses Chu Xinghe might cause the sect by choosing wrongly?

And even if they punished Chu Xinghe, it wouldn't be because they were angry in the slightest?

They were only worried that being punished would hurt Chu Xinghe's confidence?

"I think things have gone too smoothly for him so far. If he really does mess this up, a setback wouldn't do him any harm," the sect master finally said, looking around the room.

The Grand Elder nodded.

"The sect master is right. He isn't the sort to be discouraged by punishment. Rather, he's the sort who grows braver with every setback. He'll have to get involved in more of the sect's affairs in the future. As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. There's no harm in letting him handle this and gain some experience."

All the elders nodded at the Grand Elder's words, and even the sect master looked on in agreement.

In the end, the sect master made the decision: Chu Xinghe would handle the matter. If he succeeded, everyone would be happy. Even if he made the wrong choice, the Vast Heaven Sect could withstand the blow. If that loss could give Xinghe some experience, they all thought it well worth it.

Chu Xinghe wasn't kept waiting long. Just after noon, he returned to the Haotian Grand Hall.

This time, however, he hadn't barged in. The sect master had summoned him.

Only the sect master and the Grand Elder remained in the Haotian Grand Hall now.

Qin Xiangqian had been summoned along with him.

"Greetings, Sect Master, Grand Elder."

After they bowed, Sect Master Gu Mingchao spoke. "Xinghe, this spirit mine is a matter of great importance. Something this important would normally have to be handled by someone at least at the level of a palace head, but you possess the Medicine Saint Inheritance and are the best candidate. Therefore, the sect has decided to entrust this matter to you. No elders will accompany you; you will handle it on your own!"

The sect master finished in one breath. Chu Xinghe looked solemn.

Qin Xiangqian was dumbfounded...

Ever since leaving the Haotian Grand Hall earlier, he had been wondering whether the sect would really entrust the matter to Senior Brother Xinghe.

After all, far too much was at stake. Qin Xiangqian had thought that even if the sect ultimately agreed to let Senior Brother Xinghe go, it would at least send a palace head or even the Grand Elder himself to lead the party and make the final decision.

But now Qin Xiangqian was truly stunned. Not only had the sect agreed, it had given Chu Xinghe full authority to handle the matter without even sending an elder along...

This was no longer a question of trust... what an astonishing symbol of power and standing!

Qin Xiangqian looked at Chu Xinghe. At that moment, he knew he had struck it rich. Senior Brother Xinghe wasn't just a thigh to cling to! He was a pillar that reached the heavens!

With Senior Brother Xinghe to cling to, wouldn't he soar straight into the azure clouds?

"Thank you, Sect Master and elders, for your trust."

Chu Xinghe nearly burst into a rendition of "Good Days."

"All right. Next, you may choose some disciples from the sect to accompany you. If there's anything to be done, you can leave it to them."

"Yes!" Chu Xinghe nodded in agreement.

"Buzz!" A streak of white light flew from the sect master's hand. It was the Haotian Token, lost and now recovered.

The Haotian Token flew back into Chu Xinghe's hand, and the sect master said, "Xinghe, take this Haotian Token. With it, you have full authority to handle the spirit mine matter. There's no need to report to the sect."

"Thank you, Sect Master." "Good Days" had already begun playing on its own in Chu Xinghe's head.

Full authority, with no need to report to the sect—that meant every decision had been left to him.

Away from the sect, the Haotian Token carried the same authority as the sect master's presence. In other words, even if he poked a hole through the heavens, it would be fine.

The right time, the right place, and the right people had all come together for him. How could he possibly lose this time?

Even after leaving the Haotian Grand Hall, Qin Xiangqian's mind was still in a jumble.

He could hardly believe what he had heard.

No elder needed to accompany him. The sect trusted Chu Xinghe completely, leaving everything to him to handle with the Haotian Token, without even requiring a word of report to the sect.

Qin Xiangqian felt that even if the sect master now said he was immediately passing the position of Vast Heaven Sect master to Senior Brother Xinghe, it wouldn't be entirely beyond his ability to accept.

Chu Xinghe wasted little time choosing the disciples who would accompany him.

The "lucky general" Ma Liang heard from somewhere that Senior Brother Xinghe was going out and immediately came to find him, crying and shouting that he wanted to follow him.

Chu Xinghe had initially wanted to refuse this fake lucky general, but after considering Ma Liang's talent for stirring up trouble, he nodded and agreed.

After all, away from home, more trouble was better than less, right? Maybe Ma Liang would give him a new surprise.

Besides Ma Liang, Junior Sister Wan Lin came too.

Having comprehended Staff Intent, Wan Lin had now become a core disciple.

So he would take her along as well.

He then chose some disciples he knew well. They all had one thing in common: in their respective palaces, they were all notorious troublemakers, exceptionally skilled at stirring up trouble.

They did, however, hold Senior Brother Xinghe in high regard. Every one of those chosen wept with joy.

Though they didn't even know where they were going or what they were going to do, they could finally fight side by side with Senior Brother Xinghe!

When the senior brothers of Spirit Crane Palace learned that Chu Xinghe was going out again, none of them wanted to see him leave. Chu Xinghe then received a huge pile of pills, some he knew how to use and some he didn't.

As for spirit stones... Senior Brother Feng Fei, who had been called stingy last time, prepared two whole chests of high-grade spirit stones.

Chu Xinghe just wanted to know how lucrative the Vast Heaven Sect's procurement business was. Did nobody care that Senior Brother Feng was embezzling so much?

This time, it wasn't just Spirit Crane Palace. Even senior and junior brothers from the other palaces came to give him things.

Talismans from Talisman Arts Palace... deadly poisons from Everlasting Spring Palace... hidden weapons from Hundred Ice Palace...

All sorts of odds and ends filled two storage rings.

And that was less than half of what they had offered, only because Chu Xinghe had refused them again and again.

If he had accepted everything, he might have needed to fill all ten fingers with storage rings to carry it all.

After all, he was going to choose a spirit mine, not chop people up. Why bring so many things for fighting?

Once everything was ready, the sect master also arranged a teleportation formation.

Qin Xiangqian's eyes filled with tears again. Just look at this treatment... he had walked his legs off going back and forth, while Senior Brother Xinghe could simply teleport whenever he went out...