"Reporting to the Grand Elder, Hall Master Lin has arrived..."
Still in the Spirit-Taming World, within Central Province, Grand Elder Lianshan sat in the hall of a secluded, nameless manor, listening to his subordinate's report.
He raised a hand and said, "Show him in."
"Yes!"
Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in fine brocade entered, looking much like a wealthy merchant of the mortal world.
He appeared potbellied and vulgar, but in truth, he was a newly risen expert within the sect order. His origins could be traced back to a steward of the Universal Trade Association who had begun secretly serving as a member of the Demon Alliance thirty years ago.
After the Shadow King's capture, the destruction of the Lin Mountain Branch Headquarters, the breach of the Inner Vista Grotto Heaven, and the sect order's senior leaders' flight to the Demon Realm, he had used his concealed identity to shelter sect followers. He had held things together single-handedly until the day the Grand Elders finally returned.
Such a man had proven his ability and loyalty through his actions. It happened that the Sacred Sect was in urgent need of capable people, so Grand Elder Lianshan and the others had made an exception to promote him. They had used precious, rare resources to remake him from the inside out and improve his Dharma lineage, greatly strengthening his foundations and cultivation. By sheer effort, they had transformed an ordinary talent-one otherwise destined to remain at late Human Rank, scarcely able to advance any further in his lifetime-into a formidable late Earth Rank expert. They had then entrusted him with important duties, making him an example to their subordinates.
Now, he had become Grand Elder Lianshan's capable right-hand man in developing their affairs here. It was precisely through his connections and