Chapter 25: The Most Senior Sycophant

At the main peak of the Yaoguang Sacred Land, Xiao Chenxin stood in the slightly dilapidated great hall. He cast his gaze toward the various peak masters present and spoke in a deep, solemn voice.

"I have summoned you all today because of a matter of great importance: our Holy Master has become a sycophant."

As soon as these words were uttered, the peak masters stood up in unison, their faces etched with disbelief.

"Is this true, Grand-Uncle Master?"
"This is not a matter for joking! If the Holy Master has truly become a sycophant, won't our Yaoguang Sacred Land face another catastrophe?"
"Grand-Uncle Master, do you have any evidence to prove that the Holy Master has indeed become a sycophant?"

They were, as expected, the peak masters of the Yaoguang Sacred Land; the first thing they thought of when faced with a problem was to verify the truth of the information. However, this was precisely the point Xiao Chenxin could not explain. He could not reveal the existence of the system. Even if he did, these people would not necessarily believe him, for they could neither see nor comprehend the power of the system. Normal explanations simply would not work, and time was of the essence.

Xiao Chenxin gave a light cough. "Judging by my many years of experience as a sycophant, the Holy Master has indeed become one. I can guarantee this with my status as your Grand-Uncle Master."

If he could not explain it, he would use his authority to suppress their doubts. It was the only fast solution he could conceive. As expected, after Xiao Chenxin threw out this statement, the peak masters fell silent.

Xiao Chenxin asked suspiciously, "What? You don't believe me?"

The Master of the Pill Peak quickly replied with a fawning smile, "No, no. Grand-Uncle Master, you are the most senior sycophant in our Sacred Land; we certainly believe your words. It is just surprising—the Holy Master has never been interested in men, so how could she have become a sycophant?"

The Pill Peak Master’s words left Xiao Chenxin speechless. Was he praising him or insulting him? But clearly, this was not the time to dwell on such details. Concerned with his status as Grand-Uncle Master and his standing within the Yaoguang Sacred Land, he had to act quickly. Ignoring the Pill Peak Master’s pedantry, he looked toward the others.

"What about you? If you have questions, ask them now. Once today's discussion concludes, these orders must be strictly executed! I will not provide any further explanations."

The peak masters shook their heads in unison. Since their Grand-Uncle Master had come up the mountain, they had never seen him so urgent. They had no heart to inquire about the intricate reasons; they only wanted to carry out what he had entrusted to them.

"Grand-Uncle Master, please tell us what we must do."
"Yes, let us act first. We can ask for details once the tasks are completed."
"Rest assured, Grand-Uncle Master, we know the difference between priority and secondary matters. Besides, if we cannot trust you, whom can we trust?"

Seeing their fervor, Xiao Chenxin nodded. "Very well. Choose two among you who are eloquent to go to the Holy Master every day. Hold her back; do not let her leave the Yaoguang Heavenly Pond, and above all, do not let her know what we have done."

"The rest of you, immediately assemble the sect disciples and drive away every farmer within a hundred miles—no, a thousand miles—of our Yaoguang Sacred Land!"

"Especially those with thick calluses on their hands, those who speak insolently, those who love to spit, and especially those currently living in thatched huts—not a single one is to remain. Expel them all!"

The faces of the peak masters were filled with astonishment. It was not hard for them to deduce from the order who the Holy Master had become a sycophant for. A farmer! A farmer living in a thatched hut, who spoke insolently and loved to spit! The news was far too explosive. Once they grasped this "truth," they understood why their Grand-Uncle Master was so desperate to bypass the Holy Master and command them directly. If the Holy Master showed even the slightest favor toward such a person, the reputation of the Yaoguang Sacred Land would be dragged through the mud.

They scrambled to speak: "Grand-Uncle Master, please rest assured. We will handle this immediately. Not a single farmer will remain within a thousand miles!"
"Two days—no, within a single day, it will be purged!"

Xiao Chenxin nodded. "Very good. Once you have finished these tasks, I will explain the reasons to you in full."

The peak masters turned and ran without looking back. From the moment Xiao Chenxin issued the order until the entire Yaoguang Sacred Land was mobilized, barely a quarter of an hour had passed. The disciples of the Yaoguang Sacred Land were near madness, shouting as they charged out of the gates, all to protect the secret that their Holy Master was a sycophant! Being a sycophant was acceptable—in the sect, you could even be a sycophant to the Grand-Uncle Master! At least the Grand-Uncle Master was one of their own and would not harm his own people! But the person the Holy Master was fawning over was nothing but a mediocre farmer!

Heaven knows what outrageous demands that farmer might make, just as others had done before! The urgent sense of crisis drove the disciples of the Yaoguang Sacred Land to clear the area within a thousand miles with terrifying speed.

...

In Zhenyue City, Ye Chen sat upright in his room, silently sensing the flow of spiritual energy within his body, circulating it according to the sword manual left by Ling Hu. Suddenly, a sharp pain radiated from his chest. Ye Chen quickly halted his cultivation and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"The sword manual left by Master is incredibly profound. I only misdirected a sliver of spiritual energy and was nearly injured by the sword qi."

After exerting all his effort to suppress the spiritual energy in his body and ensuring it would no longer spiral out of control, Ye Chen stopped his training and stared at the *Twelve Swords of Heaven-Slaying* in his hand, lost in thought.

"Master said that as long as I can master this sword technique, I will be invincible within the same major realm."

"Perhaps I don't need to wait three years. Once I master this manual and step into the Golden Core Realm, I will be able to suppress Xiao Chenxin and win back Master."

Just as he was thinking this, Ye Chen heard a commotion outside and immediately rose to go to the door. He saw Lin'er rushing into the room in a panic.

"Brother Ye Chen, let's go! The people from the Yaoguang Sacred Land are coming!"
"They are expelling everyone within a thousand miles of their sect. Within a day, not a single person is to remain!"

Ye Chen’s eyes widened. "The Yaoguang Sacred Land is a righteous sect. There are many commoners living nearby; how could they do such a thing?"

Lin'er shook her head frantically. "I don't know either. People from the towns ahead have already been rounded up."

As she spoke, they saw a disciple of the Yaoguang Sacred Land use his spiritual energy to construct a massive, illusory bag, scooping up tens of thousands of people from an entire town. He flew over the sky above Zhenyue City and shouted coldly:

"By order of the Holy Master of the Yaoguang Sacred Land: all commoners and cultivators are forbidden from stepping within a thousand miles of our Yaoguang Sacred Land. Any violation will be punished according to the rules of our Sacred Land!"

"Half of Zhenyue City lies within that distance. Everyone, leave at once!"

As the disciple finished speaking, several cultivators took to the air to confront him.

"What is the meaning of this, Yaoguang Sacred Land!"
"Why must we leave?"
"Could it be that you have discovered a supreme treasure and are unwilling to share it with us!"
"You! How utterly selfish!"