The Beginning of Faction Merging

Zhang Wan remembered that his nominal masters, Wang Yue and Li Guannian, had told him that around the middle of each month, he could visit them and meet his fellow disciples, his senior brothers and sisters, to get acquainted.

Now that he had officially become their disciple, it was necessary for him to get to know these fellow disciples.

This would avoid the awkwardness of running into someone later and not recognizing them, not even realizing they were part of the same group.

Moreover, being disciples under the same master naturally fostered a closer relationship than with other disciples. Getting to know them better would make it easier to ask for their help in the future.

On the appointed day in the middle of the month, Zhang Wan went to Wang Yue's cave dwelling early.

Compared to his own modest residence, Wang Yue's cave dwelling was more than ten times larger.

It occupied a considerable area, and other disciples' cave dwellings were only visible from a great distance.

Clearly, the treatment afforded to late-stage Postnatal martial artists within the sect was far beyond what they, as mid-stage Postnatal martial artists, could expect.

Zhang Wan wasn't envious, though. He was quite comfortable in his own little place.

However, the arrangements within Wang Yue's cave dwelling were rather novel, catching Zhang Wan's eye.

Upon entering, someone approached him and, calling him "Uncle-Master," led him to where Wang Yue was.

Zhang Wan didn't recognize this person, but from their self-introduction, it seemed they were a disciple taken in by one of Wang Yue's other disciples.

This made Zhang Wan raise an eyebrow.

He hadn't expected that simply taking a master would result in not only a bunch of senior brothers and sisters but also a whole host of junior nephews?

Tsk, what a significant faction this was!

Although he knew it couldn't compare to the factions centered around the sect's Prenatal experts, among the outer disciples, it was definitely a powerful faction!

This nominal master was a worthwhile choice.

Upon arrival, a banquet was already laid out. Wang Yue sat at the head of the table, while the other nominal master, Li Guannian, sat beside him. Their positions were perfectly balanced, facing each other.

Zhang Wan wasn't surprised by this arrangement.

His two nominal masters had told him earlier that the main purpose of this gathering was to introduce him to the other disciples.

Holding separate banquets would be too troublesome, so they decided to combine them.

Normally, the disciples would just pay their respects and exchange a few words, without a special banquet.

However, despite what his nominal masters said, Zhang Wan could discern another intention behind their actions.

They were both leaders of different factions.

Logically, even if they found it troublesome, they should have held two separate banquets to introduce him to the senior brothers and sisters of each faction individually.

Instead, they had merged them into one.

Furthermore, he was being taken in as a disciple by both of them simultaneously.

This was more than just a sign of Wang Yue and Li Guannian's good relationship.

It subtly implied an intention to merge their two factions!

"Indeed, if both sides are grooming me as their successor, merging is the best option," Zhang Wan mused.

"This way, when I reach the Ninth Level Postnatal in the future, it will be easier to take over and unify everything."

"And, if I ultimately fail to reach the Ninth Level Postnatal, a merged faction would have a better chance of surviving the sect's internal power struggles after Wang Yue and Li Guannian are gone."

This unspoken intention was not lost on Zhang Wan. Many of Wang Yue and Li Guannian's disciples, as well as their bloodline descendants present, understood it as well.

Some were hopeful, some were indifferent, and some were resentful.

Those in the first two groups either had their potential exhausted and were seeking a strong backer for their future, or they weren't particularly enthusiastic about power struggles.

Both groups were fine, and Zhang Wan was happy to build good relationships with the senior brothers and sisters in these categories.

The remaining group was different.

They felt that Zhang Wan's appearance had stolen benefits that rightfully belonged to them, and they were very displeased with him.

Zhang Wan couldn't be bothered with this group of senior brothers and sisters.

If his nominal masters, Wang Yue and Li Guannian, believed someone among them had the potential to inherit their legacy and protect their faction, would they have gone through the trouble of jointly accepting him as a disciple?

Would Wang Yue and Li Guannian do this if they had other viable options?

At this point, they couldn't even see clearly that they lacked the ability to inherit the faction, protect its interests, or even secure their own future gains.

Or perhaps they could see it but still couldn't accept that he had come later and surpassed them.

Such senior brothers and sisters truly didn't need much attention.

As long as they didn't cause trouble in front of him, he wouldn't bother with them.

But if they insisted on seeking attention by targeting him, he wouldn't be polite!

Consequently, the people from Wang Yue's and Li Guannian's factions witnessed Zhang Wan's constantly shifting demeanor at the banquet.

When conversing with some, he was as pleasant as a spring breeze. Yet, when speaking with others, he didn't hesitate to use contemptuous words and vulgarities, completely disregarding whether they were senior brothers or sisters. If they provoked him, he would immediately unleash a torrent of unceremonious scolding!

His insults were quite harsh.

The offending senior brothers and sisters were so enraged that they felt like challenging Zhang Wan to a fight to the death.

But when it came to fighting, Zhang Wan flatly refused to fight or concede.

There was no trace of shame on his face for conceding so readily.

Yet, while conceding, he wouldn't stop his verbal barrage.

He was all talk and no action.

However, this was within the sect's grounds, and disciples were forbidden from fighting privately without cause. With Wang Yue and Li Guannian watching, the senior disciples who were unhappy and had provoked him could only retreat in dejection.

Wang Yue and Li Guannian felt a mix of dissatisfaction and helplessness, yet also a deep admiration for Zhang Wan's unapologetic scolding of his displeased fellow disciples.

Of course, their nominal masters were not pleased with Zhang Wan's disrespect towards the senior disciples.

Compared to Zhang Wan, they had deeper emotional ties with these senior disciples.

But Wang Yue and Li Guannian were also acutely aware that these individuals lacked the capability to take over the factions, and they knew how many difficulties and how much discontent Zhang Wan would face if he took over.

At such a time, if Zhang Wan appeared weak and easily bullied, the faction's future would truly be bleak.

A strong attitude was what a faction heir should possess.

Coupled with Zhang Wan's gentle demeanor towards the senior disciples who were kind to him, Wang Yue and Li Guannian were even more satisfied.

Especially his shameless attitude of refusing to be provoked into a fight in the arena, and instead conceding outright – prioritizing a verbal victory over a physical one – made Wang Yue and Li Guannian look at him with astonishment, each giving a mental thumbs-up to their chosen successor!

Martial artists strive for victory through strength and press forward fearlessly, but when it's time to back down, one must back down! If one doesn't know when to yield, they might perish halfway before growing strong enough to contend with the world!

Facing provocation from a stronger cultivator, backing down out of prudence was not shameful.

If one's Dao heart shattered simply because they chose to yield, then that martial heart was far too fragile.

As Wang Yue and Li Guannian grew increasingly pleased with Zhang Wan, the members of both factions also began to fear him.

His rapid change of expression and utter shamelessness made him a terrifying prospect, even just to think about!