The Kaoshan Sect was the greatest beneficiary.
Once news of the sweeping victory at Chiyan Valley spread, the Kaoshan Sect underwent a complete transformation.
These past few days, the stream of carriages and horses outside the Kaoshan Sect outpost in Qinghe Prefecture City had never stopped.
The proprietor of the East Market grain shop personally delivered two cartloads of fresh grain, saying they were "to congratulate the Dao Child";
The old smith from the West Street smithy worked through the night with his apprentices to make an iron banner bearing the words "Cloud Province's foremost sect," and insisted on hanging it outside the outpost;
Even the small households in the south of the city, who normally had little contact with the Kaoshan Sect, sent greeting cards to inquire after them, each phrased more respectfully than the last.
The disciples at the outpost felt the change most keenly. Before, when they went out on errands and walked the streets of the prefecture city, people regarded them normally, with courtesy at most.
Now, whenever they went out, the people they passed would step aside and nod in greeting.
The storytellers in the teahouses had recounted "the Mysterious Abyss Daoist Heir shattering the Demon Blade with one punch" more times than anyone could count.
With every telling, the listeners slapped their tables and cheered.
Bold youths chased after Kaoshan Sect disciples to ask, "Is the Dao Child taking apprentices?" Their questions left the disciples unsure whether to laugh or cry, though inwardly they were delighted.
The Kaoshan Sect disciples walked the streets with straight backs and steps far more assured than before.
They knew exactly who had given them this prestige.
Previously, the Kaoshan Sect had ranked somewhere in the middle of the Six Great Powers, neither high nor low—perhaps even toward the