Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

The gates of Biyou Palace slammed shut behind everyone, and the atmosphere inside the hall immediately became heavy.

The Tongtian Sect Leader sat high on the cloud platform, his gaze slowly sweeping over his disciples below. His expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. But those who knew him well understood that the calmer he appeared, the more displeased he was.

Duobao knew perfectly well that his master was in a bad mood, and he himself was in no better shape.

Ever since Chen Qing spoke about fortune and rules on Kunlun Mountain, Duobao has always had reservations about his master's practice of taking on many disciples.

As a disciple, he couldn't say anything about his master's decisions, much less interfere.

This time, Chen Qing happened to come to Jin'ao Island. The disciples of the Jie Sect originally wanted to give him a good welcome and introduce some of the newly joined junior brothers to their senior brother.

But who would have thought that those guys who were usually so respectful in front of them would dare to show their disrespect to their senior brother in front of everyone?

This may seem like a small matter, but it made Duobao and the others feel extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover, Duobao was not entirely unaware of those people's usual actions. To put it bluntly, they were tarnishing the reputation of the Jie Sect. However, out of consideration for their fellow disciples and because their master was always lenient, they dared not say anything. Now, they could take this opportunity to make things clear.

Duobao stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, I believe that those who disrespected our senior brother today must be severely punished. If they are not punished, who knows what kind of trouble they will cause in the future? It is truly unacceptable."

Tongtian frowned slightly, but did not reply. Instead, he glanced at Chen Qing.

Chen Qing shook his head and said calmly, "Uncle-Master, those disciples don't recognize me, so their actions today are understandable. Besides, now is not the time to dwell on these things."

Tongtian waved his hand, "Xiaoqing, you don't need to speak up for them. Although those people are my disciples, they were disrespectful to you, which is no small matter. On this matter, your uncle is on your side."

Chen Qing smiled wryly; he didn't take those people's attitudes to heart at all. The reason he frowned was because he was worried that the Jie Sect would repeat the same mistakes.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Qing said solemnly, "Uncle-Master, although you established the Jie Sect and have the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler to suppress its fortune, fortune is like flowing water; if you don't advance, you retreat. If your disciples are capable, then it's fine; but at the rate you're taking in disciples at this speed... I'm afraid this won't work in the long run."

He paused, then continued, "You, Uncle, are well aware of the backgrounds and character of those disciples. Each one of them is shrouded in malevolent energy and burdened with overwhelming karma; where is there even a trace of the aura of immortals? No matter how abundant the fortune of the Jie Sect is, it cannot withstand such gradual depletion. At that point, let alone the Primordial Measuring Ruler, even the finest treasures will be unable to suppress it."

Chen Qing finished speaking in one breath and then quietly looked at Tongtian. Having said all that, with his uncle's intelligence, he should understand what he meant.

Although he was a disciple of Laozi, he always held Tongtian, his free-spirited and generous uncle, in high esteem, and his friendship with Duobao and others was also extraordinary. He truly did not want to watch the Jie Sect repeat the tragedy of the Investiture of the Gods.

Tongtian frowned after hearing this.

The way of destiny is profound and mysterious; even sages can only grasp a little of it and cannot fully comprehend its mysteries. But he is clear on one point: the amount of destiny directly relates to the rise and fall of a power.

Take Chen Qing, for example. He's clearly someone with great fortune. His cultivation has progressed rapidly, with one lucky encounter after another – this is a manifestation of good fortune.

The same applies to a religious sect. When its fortune is abundant, the sect prospers; when its fortune is deficient, the sect withers. As a saint, the amount of fortune he possesses has little impact on him personally, but his disciples cannot bear the burden.

Once the fortune of the Jie Sect is severely depleted, the disciples will either stagnate in their cultivation or die and their souls will be destroyed. This is by no means an exaggeration.

After pondering for a long time, Tongtian finally spoke: "Tell me your thoughts."

Seeing that his martial uncle had grasped the point, Chen Qing smiled slightly and said, "Martial Uncle, to resolve this matter, we first need your support. And the biggest problem is that your threshold for accepting disciples is too low."

Tongtian looked somewhat embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Those people... they all came after hearing about me when I was preaching on Jin'ao Island. They knelt outside the door and begged me, and my heart softened, so..."

Chen Qing rolled his eyes; he knew it would turn out this way.

"Uncle-Master, we don't object to accepting disciples, but you also have to think about Duobao and the others. What use are those people who are full of karma and have bad character, other than ruining the sect's reputation and wasting its fortune?"

Tongtian looked troubled: "But... we've already taken them all, we can't just kick them all out, can we?"

Chen Qing thought for a moment and said, "Since we've already accepted them, it's indeed inappropriate to just kick them out. But for those with heavy karma and bad character, I think we should make a clean break and not let them stay."

Tongtian nodded silently.

His original intention in establishing the sect was "education for all," hoping to open up another path of cultivation for all living beings in the prehistoric world and strengthen the influence of the Jie Sect.

But now, after being awakened by Chen Qing, he realized the seriousness of the problem. Although he was carefree, he was not unreasonable and naturally would not accept disciples as casually as before.

Seeing that Tongtian had already accepted, Chen Qing simply recited the effective sect management methods from his previous life's memories:

"My master has many disciples, of varying quality. We might as well divide them into several levels. Those with deep blessings and upright character will be accepted as personal disciples; those slightly less fortunate will be listed as inner disciples; and the rest will be classified as outer disciples."

He paused, then continued, "These identities are not static. Those who have rendered meritorious service to the Jie Sect, or who possess great fortune and merit, may be promoted. However, their character must be rigorously examined before any promotion."

Seeing that Tongtian did not object and that Duobao and the others were listening intently, Chen Qing continued, "In addition, I suggest establishing a special assessment agency to regularly assess the cultivation and conduct of the disciples."

Anyone who corrupts the sect's reputation or acts recklessly will be expelled from the sect. In serious cases, their cultivation will be abolished, and even…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

"This matter concerns the rise and fall of the Jie Sect, and is of great importance. It must be handled with strict discipline. Hesitation will only lead to further chaos."

Duobao and the others listened in stunned silence, yet they seemed to have gained some insight. Although the rules and regulations their eldest brother had set were strict, upon closer examination, they were indeed all quite reasonable.

Tongtian frowned. He was naturally carefree and disliked cumbersome rules and rigid hierarchies. But after carefully considering Chen Qing's words, he had to admit that it was indeed a good way to rectify the teaching style and motivate disciples. However, he was still somewhat hesitant.

As the senior disciple of the Jie Sect, Duobao usually handled sect affairs on behalf of his master and was more familiar with the situation within the sect than Tongtian.

Knowing his master's character well, and seeing Tongtian still hesitating, he immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Master, I think Senior Brother is absolutely right. Our Jie Sect is a disciple of a sage. If people of questionable character could easily infiltrate, it would truly damage the sage's reputation."

He paused, then said earnestly, "The method proposed by the eldest brother may seem strict, but in reality, it has no impact on disciples with upright character."

Those who are truly restricted are merely those with wicked intentions.

Moreover, this system also provides opportunities for ordinary disciples to advance, which aligns perfectly with the teachings of our Jie Sect, which emphasize education for all.