Conflict

Time drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, three full years had passed.

Over those three years, Wang Zhifan rarely moved about outside. He spent most of his time within the Ascension Pavilion, painstakingly guiding his disciples in their cultivation.

Naturally, the Ascension Pavilion had also developed comprehensive systems for rewards, punishments, assessments, promotions, and other matters, no longer appearing as structurally crude as it had in the beginning.

The number of disciples had likewise undergone earth-shaking changes. The number of core disciples alone had surpassed eight thousand, each one carefully selected and worthy of being called a genius. Together with the far more numerous inner and outer disciples, the total had reached the tens of millions, making the Ascension Pavilion a true colossal force.

Such a newly risen giant naturally drew the attention of countless forces in the cultivation world. Especially after Wang Zhifan became something of a shut-in and rarely went outside to stir up trouble, certain factions that had long been suspicious of the Ascension Pavilion began to believe it was all bark and no bite. Their covert actions became increasingly frequent as they continuously tested its limits.

Wang Zhifan knew this perfectly well, but he had never invested much effort in dealing with it. He had merely established the relevant internal departments to handle such matters. But today, the outside world's patience had clearly reached a critical point, and he felt that he could delay no longer. This instance had already consumed more time than he had expected.

At that moment, in a concealed space within the Ascension Pavilion, Wang Zhifan took the Mythic Hourglass from his pocket and discovered that the sand remaining inside had noticeably decreased. He could not help but think to himself:

*I can't delay any longer. This instance needs