Although Zhou Yong had long been helping his master manage the Righteous Qi Sect, only after formally taking over as sect master did he realize how difficult it was to run such a vast sect. Every day left him frazzled and overwhelmed.
Especially after Li Dalong had disguised himself and slain Blood Demon, Zhou Yong had to handle the aftermath of the battle, deal with other factions, and attend to sect affairs. He was so busy all day that he had no time even to cultivate.
What he found hardest to bear was that, despite his determination to revive the sect, the reforms he introduced met resistance at every turn. Every step was a struggle, and these past few days had left Zhou Yong deeply discouraged.
As he happened to have nothing pressing to do that day, he brought food and wine to his eldest senior brother, Li Dalong, to pour out his troubles.
Seeing how poorly Zhou Yong looked, Li Dalong asked:
"You look awful. What's wrong?"
Zhou Yong looked at Li Dalong with a troubled expression and gave a helpless smile. "Eldest senior brother, don't even ask."
Zhou Yong drew a deep breath before continuing, "The sect's affairs are endless and complicated. They keep me tied down, leaving me no time to cultivate. My cultivation is advancing so slowly."
"Now that I've taken over as sect master, I don't want to disappoint our master. I truly want to restore the sect to its former glory!"
"But everything I want to do meets resistance within the sect. Most of the elders refuse to support me, so I can't get anything underway."
"Most of the elders pay lip service while defying me behind my back, leaving the disciples like a heap of loose sand. Even our subordinate factions now each have their own agendas."
Something stirred in Li Dalong's mind. He knew the importance of cultivation and understood Zhou Yong's predicament. Zhou Yong's cultivation was lower than that of the elders, and their master had forced through the transfer of leadership when an enemy stood at their gates and the sect's survival hung in the balance. It was only natural that the elders obeyed in public while defying him in private. As sect master, Zhou Yong could not command their respect, so naturally he could not implement what he wanted. Fortunately, the former sect master still helped keep them in check, and the elders remained fairly restrained.
After pondering for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up as an idea came to him. He raised his cup, gesturing for Zhou Yong to join him, then drained it in one gulp.
Zhou Yong followed suit, draining his own cup, then said glumly:
"If only my cultivation were as high as that senior's in our sect, I'd like to see who would still dare obey me in public and defy me in private."
"And those fence-sitters among our subordinate factions-would they still dare keep a foot in both camps?"
"The sect's strength has declined terribly. Reviving it will be a heavy burden and a long road! Ah!"
Li Dalong smiled and comforted Zhou Yong. "Junior brother, you're the youngest sect master in the history of the Righteous Qi Sect. You still have plenty of time to realize your ambitions."
"The Righteous Qi Sect has been in decline for so many years. Reviving it isn't something that must happen right this instant. Don't be too hasty."
"Set aside your impatience and work toward it gradually."
"But eldest senior brother, the sect can barely keep running now. Our outlying subordinate factions even dare openly stop paying tribute. Between keeping the sect running and supplying cultivation resources to the disciples, we're already spending more than we bring in."
"If this continues, once the sect's reserves run dry, it will fall apart."
Zhou Yong spoke to Li Dalong, weighed down with worry.
"There's no need to worry, junior brother. I have an array that can help solve your cultivation problem."
At this, a glimmer of delighted surprise flashed through Zhou Yong's eyes, and he hurriedly asked:
"Senior brother, is that true?"
"Come with me." Li Dalong beckoned to Zhou Yong.
He then led Zhou Yong into his cave abode.
"Stand here, then sit down and circulate your cultivation technique."
Li Dalong addressed Zhou Yong.
Following Li Dalong's instructions, Zhou Yong sat cross-legged inside the array and began circulating his cultivation technique.
Once Zhou Yong was ready, Li Dalong retrieved supreme-grade spirit stones from the system space with a thought. With a wave of his hand, he placed them on the Spirit-Gathering Array's nodes and activated it.
Zhou Yong was immediately enveloped by a surging tide of spiritual energy. The spiritual energy inside the array was several times more active than usual, and its concentration was several times greater than in the Righteous Qi Hall. He hurriedly circulated his cultivation technique to absorb and refine it. In just a short while, he could already feel a slight increase in his cultivation.
After letting Zhou Yong experience it for a while, Li Dalong transmitted his voice to him through his divine sense.
"All right, today was just to let you try it out. Stop cultivating for now."
Hearing Li Dalong's words, Zhou Yong immediately stopped and rose to his feet, his delighted surprise written all over his face.
"Senior brother, this is the legendary Spirit-Gathering Array, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's a Spirit-Gathering Array I obtained by chance."
Li Dalong told Zhou Yong, "This array gathers spiritual energy more quickly and increases your cultivation speed. But you must keep it strictly secret. If word gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"I'll set up a separate one for you later. No matter how busy you are, you must make time to cultivate every day. The sect is going through troubled times, but you can't devote all your energy to those miscellaneous affairs. Cultivation is the foundation."
"Only by improving your cultivation and advancing your realm can you gain better control of the Righteous Qi Sect. Don't put the branches before the roots."
"And don't tell anyone in the sect about the Spirit-Gathering Array. As for everything else, leave it until you're stronger."
"Eldest senior brother, I understand."
Zhou Yong nodded as he answered.
"All right, don't linger here too long. Head back first. I'll come to your place tonight to set up the Spirit-Gathering Array."
"And from now on, don't let anyone near your cultivation chamber."
Li Dalong solemnly warned Zhou Yong.
"All right, senior brother. I'll head back, then. I'll come drink with you again another time."
Zhou Yong spoke to Li Dalong, then turned and headed out of the forbidden grounds. I only came to pour out my troubles to eldest senior brother today, but I never expected him to solve more than half my problems. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Indeed, he had arrived with a heavy heart and left light and carefree.
After Zhou Yong left, Li Dalong began crafting the formation flags and other items needed for the Spirit-Gathering Array he would set up that evening. He also prepared a storage pouch containing enough supreme-grade spirit stones for Zhou Yong's daily cultivation. Supreme-grade spirit stones were rare, but fortunately, his check-in rewards had provided quite a few. They also produced the best results. Zhou Yong had only just reached the late Golden Core realm. With this, he would soon be able to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Without much effort, Li Dalong finished crafting the materials needed for Zhou Yong's Spirit-Gathering Array. Rather than resume cultivating, he picked up the unfinished spirit wine Zhou Yong had brought and began drinking. Back then, he had eaten fried chicken and drunk beer alone in a rented room. After transmigrating, he was still drinking alone, only now it was spirit wine in a cave abode.
Time passed as he drank and mused, until the hour he had agreed upon with Zhou Yong arrived. With a stir of his spiritual power, Li Dalong appeared inside Zhou Yong's cultivation chamber. Excited, Zhou Yong had been waiting there for him well in advance. After returning to the sect that day, Zhou Yong had instructed the disciples that, from then on, no one was permitted to approach his cultivation chamber without the sect master's permission.
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