Qingyunzi glared fiercely at Third Brother. If it weren't for this guy's laziness, there wouldn't have been any mistakes this time.

Reform what?

Anyway, they could maintain the status quo and wait until they were gone, leaving only Zhang Yang. He could change whatever he wanted then, and they wouldn't be bothered.

But now, all the burdens fell on their shoulders!

Zhang Yang, full of passion, took a few steps forward to stand before Qingyunzi, gazing at him. "Master, I know your heart is steadfast in seeking the Dao, and ascending to the Immortal Realm has always been your goal.

Even if you put aside all sect affairs, you've only reached the Nascent Soul Stage over the years.

Why?

Because no matter how extraordinary your talent or how firm your resolve, you lack the resources to cultivate.

If you had enough spirit stones and elixirs, you might have already reached the Integration Stage by now, right?

If, after the reform, there are enough elixirs and spirit stones for you to cultivate, with an endless supply of other resources, would you still be willing to reform?"

Qingyunzi's long-calm Dao heart wavered slightly, but he said nothing.

He had lived for hundreds of years; how could he easily break away from his past life?

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Zhang Yang turned to the first man in a green robe on his right and asked, "Uncle-Master Lingyun, you're a sword cultivator. The most important thing for sword cultivators is to practice the sword. You treasure your flying sword so much, treating it like a wife. But over the years, your 'second wife' has had a miserable time, not getting any rare treasures to 'consume,' just plain broth. Doesn't that make your heart ache?"

The man in the green robe rubbed his fingers, expressionless.

"Third Uncle-Master, wouldn't you like a constant supply of spirit herbs for your alchemy?" Zhang Yang smiled at Third Uncle-Master.

Third Uncle-Master grinned. He was devoted to alchemy... otherwise, he wouldn't have let Zhang Yang go to the Sect Inauguration Ceremony.

"Fourth Uncle-Master, I heard there's a beauty-preserving pill that can keep you youthful. Unfortunately, it's expensive, costing over a hundred thousand spirit stones per pill." Zhang Yang looked at the woman in the green dress and sighed.

The woman in the green dress sighed, casting a resentful glance at Qingyunzi.

Qingyunzi's eyebrows twitched incessantly. The Azurecloud Sect was so poor; where could they find over a hundred thousand spirit stones to buy beauty-preserving pills?

He glared at Zhang Yang fiercely, regretting ever taking this brat as a disciple.

Zhang Yang approached the man in black, slapped the table, and asked, "Fifth Uncle-Master, you spend all day drawing talismans on paper so rough it could chafe your backside. Is that worthy of your spirit-grade talisman pen?"

His actions showed he was used to being informal with Fifth Uncle-Master.

Fifth Uncle-Master chuckled, extending his hand to Zhang Yang. "How about giving me some good ones? You brat, it's easy for you to talk. Even the worst talisman paper at the Azurecloud Market costs a hundred spirit stones per sheet. How many sheets of rough paper do I have to draw to afford even the worst talisman paper?"

Even drawing talismans on rough paper had some effect for ordinary people.

But it could only sell for a little money.

Zhang Yang shook his head, knowing that Fifth Uncle-Master was responsible for making money. With so many people relying on one person to earn money, how could they not be poor?

"That's why we need reform!" Zhang Yang nodded emphatically, his gaze sweeping over the last two people before returning to Qingyunzi. "Master, the problems of the Azurecloud Sect are urgent. Reform is imperative."

Everyone's eyes turned to Qingyunzi.

Qingyunzi stroked his chin in silence, neither denying nor agreeing.

Zhang Yang spoke with heartfelt urgency, "Master, if you cultivate to the end and successfully ascend to the Immortal Realm, and meet the ancestors there, what will you tell them about the current state of the Azurecloud Sect? Will you say that the younger generation is so poor they can't even recruit disciples? That a sect with thousands of years of heritage has dwindled to just a few people?

Can you say that?

Even if you don't ascend to the Immortal Realm and eventually pass away, what will you tell the ancestors who didn't ascend when you meet them in the underworld?

As the current sect master, you bear the greatest responsibility for the state of the Azurecloud Sect.

Now, I am willing to take your place and save the Azurecloud Sect through reform, yet you still disagree?"

Zhang Yang stood on the moral high ground, delivering a torrent of words to his master.

Because he had no choice.

Practicing Qi Refining every day, his cultivation progressed at a snail's pace, making him more frustrated the more he practiced.

At this rate, even after hundreds of years of Qi Refining, he might not achieve anything and would die of old age.

More importantly, Qingyunzi and the other elders clearly intended for Zhang Yang to become the next sect master.

Once the old guys ascended or passed away, the entire Azurecloud Sect would be left with just one person... The thought of such desolation sent chills down Zhang Yang's spine.

At that time, reform would be up to Zhang Yang, but would he waste these hundreds of years?

Another issue was that it would be a shame if the old guys didn't contribute their skills to the reform.

The other senior brothers and sisters watched as Zhang Yang confronted Qingyunzi, feeling a bit surprised and observing Qingyunzi's expression.

They knew very well what kind of abilities this sect master senior brother had. If he turned hostile, they wouldn't be able to handle it.

Qingyunzi remained expressionless, but the bulging veins on his clenched fist revealed his inner turmoil.

He cursed inwardly: This brat, if I hadn't acted on a whim back then, how could I have taken him up the mountain?

I've taken in a troublesome disciple!

After a long while, Qingyunzi squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, "This reform..."

Zhang Yang decisively waved his hand, "Master, you don't need to worry about anything. Just focus on your closed-door cultivation. When you come out next time, you'll see the results."

"Fine, I'll go into seclusion for a year!" Qingyunzi gritted his teeth. "If I don't see results in a year, just wait and see how I'll deal with you!"

Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow, "A year? You'll know the results of the reform in half a year, Master!"

"I'll go into seclusion for half a year!" Qingyunzi turned to leave.

"Wait!" Zhang Yang called out urgently.

"What now?" Qingyunzi glared at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang smiled and extended his hand to Qingyunzi, "Master, for the success of the reform, please give me the Sect Master's Token! I need the highest authority in the Azurecloud Sect!"

Though the Azurecloud Sect was poor, it still had its foundation.

This foundation required the Sect Master's Token to access.

Qingyunzi snorted coldly, casually tossing over a token before disappearing.

He handed the Sect Master's Token directly to Zhang Yang.

The others exchanged glances. Was this an early transfer of authority?

Zhang Yang wasn't fazed, calmly putting away the token. He smiled at the woman in white sitting at the end, "Seventh Uncle-Master, I'd like to see the financial records of the Azurecloud Sect."

The sect's accounts were kept by the seventh elder, who usually managed the finances.

Seventh Uncle-Master laughed heartily, tossing the account books to Zhang Yang as if they were a hot potato, "Here you go. I don't want to deal with this mess, scraping together a few spirit stones every day and still getting complaints!"

At that moment, a commotion came from outside the main hall.

The group was momentarily stunned, as the Azurecloud Sect was usually so quiet that they weren't used to visitors.

Then they remembered the newly recruited disciples, who must have run from the mountain gate to the main hall.

"The people you recruited, you handle them!"

The six of them spoke in unison, leaving Zhang Yang with those words before quickly floating away.

Zhang Yang walked out of the sect's main hall, looking at the few people who had already arrived at the square, a peculiar smile on his face. "Ten years! I've waited a whole ten years! Finally, my true journey of immortal cultivation is about to begin!

Living in the wild, meditating and refining Qi, is that what you call immortal cultivation?

That's the life of a savage!

Let me show you how to truly cultivate immortality!"

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Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan