Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 319 Good things happen one after another
The Qinghe Sword Sect has very few disciples, and even fewer true monks.

Even Zhang Qi only liked to dress up as a Taoist priest, which was a common habit among most cultivators.

In the Qinghe Sword Sect, there are not many people who actually use their Taoist name instead of their real name.

Therefore, the title of Yuji Daoren is quite special.

He seemed to appear out of nowhere, as if he had never been heard of before.

Everyone had initially speculated that the leadership of the Qinghe Sword Sect would be passed to Wang Wancheng, since he was the oldest of Zhang Qi's surviving disciples. Wang Wancheng was the most senior and had the highest prestige; even if he hadn't made any significant contributions, he had certainly put in a lot of hard work.

No one in the Qinghe Sword Sect would object to appointing Wang Wancheng as their leader.

Besides Wang Wancheng, it should be Sheng Huai'an.

This person is not Zhang Qi's disciple, but rather the last disciple of Zhang Qi's deceased junior brother.

When the Qinghe Sword Sect was established, Zhang Qi had several fellow disciples of the same generation. They did not follow the same master, but were comrades-in-arms in the fight against evil. When the Qinghe Sword Sect was established, they addressed each other as fellow disciples.

Unfortunately, after the war between the righteous and the demonic forces, most of Zhang Qi's junior brothers perished, and the last one was also seriously injured and could only stay behind closed doors to recuperate after the war.

Zhang Qi put in a lot of effort, but in the end he couldn't save him. In the end, Zhang Qi was the only one left among his generation.

Before his death, this junior brother took on a disciple, who was Sheng Huai'an.

However, because his time was running out, Sheng Huai'an was actually personally trained by Zhang Qi. Sheng Huai'an usually kept a low profile, and not many people knew his name. They only knew that he went out to exorcise demons and almost never returned empty-handed.

This is nothing special in the Qinghe Sword Sect; after all, who hasn't killed a few demons?

Sheng Huai'an became famous throughout the land because Lu Xingzhou was drinking with Zhang Qi once and asked who among the disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect had the best swordsmanship. Zhang Qi then mentioned the name Sheng Huai'an.

Moreover, Zhang Qi said that Sheng Huai'an was extremely talented, no less so than himself. If he had been born during the war between good and evil, his swordsmanship might have been comparable to his. It was just a pity that he was born in a peaceful era, and his introverted personality and lack of experience meant that his talent was not sharp enough.

Therefore, the name Sheng Huai'an spread, and everyone knew that he was Zhang Qi's most valued swordsmanship genius.

However, Sheng Huai'an remained secluded and rarely interacted with other sects.

Wang Wancheng and Sheng Huai'an, one with high status and the other with superb swordsmanship, how could the sect leader not choose one of these two? Where did this Yuji Daoist come from?

No one in the world understood this, and they were all extremely curious about this sect leader.

However, after Zhang Qi passed away, no matter who came to see him, the sect leader would use seclusion as an excuse to refuse to see outsiders.

The Mirage Faction also sent envoys to request an audience, but they were turned away.

This attitude has indeed caused some dissatisfaction among other sects.

Who would have thought that the sect leader would actually come to visit in person?

Zhou Lang was a little flustered, wondering what the purpose of this Jade Pivot Daoist's sudden visit was. Logically speaking, shouldn't a leader of a sect send a message to inform the Mirage Sect beforehand so that they can prepare to receive him? How could he just show up like that? This was truly against the rules.

Did the Qinghe Sword Sect know many secrets?
Regardless, Zhou Lang had no choice but to bite the bullet and face the challenge.

Ningzhen Hall is where the Mirage Sect receives distinguished guests. When Zhou Lang arrived, he saw several elders of the Mirage Sect bowing and scraping around Daoist Yuji.

Zhou Lang was somewhat displeased by this, but he knew that this attitude was just normal.

After all, that was the Qinghe Sword Sect, the number one righteous sect for thousands of years.

Even if it was because of Zhang Qi's existence, the Qinghe Sword Sect is not declining, so it should be treated with utmost respect.

This is something Zhou Lang finds unbearable. Now that Zhang Qi is gone, the Mirage Sect can also compete for the title of the best in the world.

Thinking of this, Zhou Lang couldn't help but slightly raise his chin, straighten his back, and walk towards the Jade Daoist.

In Zhou Lang's view, this Daoist Yuji wore a tattered Daoist robe and had a somewhat otherworldly appearance, but a slight sense of his presence revealed that he was only at the Returning to the Void Realm. Moreover, Daoist Yuji must have only recently broken through to the Returning to the Void Realm.

Cultivators at this level can shatter the void and traverse thousands of miles in a single step. However, if they are not skilled enough, the aura of shattering the void will remain around them. Most cultivators who have just broken through to this level will retain this aura.

Such remnants were also found on the body of Daoist Yuji.

Therefore, Zhou Lang judged that he had only recently broken through to the Void Returning Realm.

This is very strange. Why would Zhang Qi choose a disciple who has just broken through to become his successor?
Moreover, Daoist Yuji doesn't look like a disciple of the Qinghe Sword Sect at all.

Zhou Lang wasn't very skilled with a sword either, but he had seen many disciples of the Qinghe Sword Sect, and this Yuji Daoist had a completely different demeanor.

Could it be fake?
The thought flashed through Zhou Lang's mind, but he quickly put it aside because he saw the sect leader's token hanging on Yuji Daoist's waist. This had once belonged to Zhang Qi, so he was certain he wouldn't mistake it.

Despite his doubts, Zhou Lang had no choice but to bite the bullet and go forward to exchange pleasantries.

"I was unaware of the Qinghe Sect Leader's visit; I apologize for not greeting you properly. The Sect Leader Sister is currently in seclusion. I am Zhou Lang, the Vice Sect Leader of the Mirage Sect..."

Zhou Lang tried to communicate with the Jade Master calmly and also attempted to find out his purpose in coming to the Mirage Sect.

Unexpectedly, Daoist Yuji said frankly, "I received a visiting card from the Mirage Sect before, but I was in seclusion and unable to meet them, which I suppose was impolite. Now that I have some free time, I have come to apologize in person. Please do not take offense, fellow Daoist."

This reason isn't exactly normal, but it's barely acceptable.

Zhou Lang had no choice but to continue being polite, saying "I dare not, I dare not," and then continued to inquire about information.

This Taoist Yuji seemed to have no guile; he answered Zhou Lang's questions exactly as he asked them.

Soon, Zhou Lang confirmed his guess: Daoist Yuji had only broken through to the Returning Void Realm after Zhang Qi's death. Before that, he had been in seclusion at the Qinghe Sword Sect and never met outsiders.

Zhou Lang then exchanged pleasantries with Daoist Yuji and chatted about world affairs.

"Sect Leader Yu Ji, the demonic cultivators have been making frequent moves lately, and I've heard that demons have also appeared along the banks of the Qinghe River. If this continues, I fear the world will descend into chaos. I wonder what the Qinghe Sword Sect plans to do in response?"

This is a matter of concern to everyone in the world. As the leader of the righteous path, the Qinghe Sword Sect should be led by Daoist Yuji to fight against the demonic sect. However, the Qinghe Sword Sect has been trapped in Qinghe recently, and no one knows what its plans are.

Upon hearing Zhou Lang's question, Daoist Yuji shook his head and said, "I have just emerged from seclusion and know nothing about this world, so I cannot answer your question for the time being. However, I am currently traveling around, and perhaps I can give you an answer after some time."

This answer is even more outrageous. How can the dignified leader of the Qinghe Sword Sect act like an inexperienced youth, only now setting out to travel? Could it be that he has never left home before reaching the Void Returning Realm?
This is far too frivolous. How can the Qinghe Sword Sect allow such a person to be its leader? By the time Daoist Yuji returns from his travels, the world will have changed hands.

He was initially dissatisfied, feeling that the Qinghe Sword Sect was very irresponsible, but then Zhou Lang thought to himself, isn't this exactly the good thing he has been dreaming of?

After trying to communicate with Daoist Yuji again, Zhou Lang became more and more certain of his guess. Although the person in front of him was a cultivator in the Returning Void Realm, he was like a blank sheet of paper, with no scheming in his heart.

Every sect has such people, but most of them are newly recruited disciples. I've never seen someone who only begins to experience human relationships after reaching the Void Returning Realm.

Zhou Lang's face immediately lit up with a smile.

The Qinghe Sword Sect is facing a talent shortage and its leader lacks any sense of responsibility, which is a sign of its decline.

Great news! Incredible good news!

Regardless of what's really going on with this sect leader, let him continue to eat, drink, and have fun.

Previously, Zhou Lang was worried that Chen Ye's close relationship with the Qinghe Sword Sect might hinder his plans, but now this is a good opportunity.

If we treat Daoist Yuji well, the Qinghe Sword Sect might not necessarily side with Chen Ye.

Good things kept happening one after another. Zhou Lang felt that even the heavens were helping him, and it seemed that the Mirage Sect would soon become the leader of the righteous path.

(End of this chapter)