Chapter 458: Fairy Inspects the Dao Seeking Sect

When mortals mark their birthdays, they treat every single year with the utmost reverence; cultivators, however, are cut from a different cloth, easily living through centuries and millennia, often retreating into secluded cultivation, and if they were to celebrate every year, they would die of pure vexation.

The custom among cultivators was a modest celebration every decade, and a grand jubilee every century.

As it was for individual cultivators, so it was for the sects.

The twelve-thousandth anniversary of the founding of the Wendao Sect was an occasion truly worthy of a grand celebration.

Within the Central Continent, very few factions possessed a heritage longer than that of the Wendao Sect; among the Five Great Immortal Sects, Wendao Sect was the earliest established.

When the time came, every major power would surely arrive with congratulations—the Imperial Court, the other four Immortal Sects, and the transcendent super-sects went without saying, while it remained uncertain if even the first-rate sects would be permitted to attend.

It could be said that merely being invited to offer congratulations at the Wendao Sect was a testament to one's political capital.

One could well imagine how bustling with noise and excitement the Wendao Sect would be two months from now.

At the mere thought of what was to come in two months, Lu Yang felt his scalp go numb.

He was only in the Golden Core Stage; why was he being saddled with such a monumental task? Was it not far too early?

“What do you mean *you* have to do it? It is clearly this Immortal who is serving as the Acting Sect Master!” The Immortal Fairy corrected Lu Yang’s perspective.

As a new official taking office, she was eager to kindle her three ceremonial fires, and the very first fire burned right down upon Lu Yang.

“Come, yield the body to this Immortal.”

This was the command of the Sect Master, not to be disobeyed, and Lu Yang could only obediently surrender control of his body.

Possessing Lu Yang’s body, the Immortal Fairy stretched luxuriously, her face brimming with smiles.

“Hehe, as expected, having a physical body and being without one are two completely different sensations.”

The Immortal Fairy aimed her gaze toward Yun Zhi, lighting her second fire: “And you, Little Girl Yun, spread the word across the entirety of the Wendao Sect that this Immortal is now the Acting Sect Master.”

“Understood.” Yun Zhi’s attitude toward this Acting Sect Master was far better than her attitude toward the actual Sect Master; she did exactly whatever the Immortal Fairy commanded.

Under the propaganda of the Eldest Senior Sister, the news that Lu Yang had once again become the Acting Sect Master spread like wildfire throughout the Wendao Sect.

“What? Lu Yang is the Acting Sect Master again? What did he do this time!”

“Was it the Sect Master who appointed Lu Yang as the Acting Sect Master?”

“Hasn’t the Eldest Senior Sister always been the Acting Sect Master on behalf of the Sect Master? Why has it changed to Lu Yang this time?”

Conspiracy theorists among them fell into a long silence upon hearing the news, before speaking to others in hushed, mysterious tones: “According to my analysis, this change in the Acting Sect Master likely involves a power struggle at the absolute highest echelons!”

The others were startled upon hearing this, for they were all clever individuals who immediately caught the implication: “Are you saying the Sect Master felt the Eldest Senior Sister had held onto power for too long, and wishes to replace her with Lu Yang, pitting the senior sister and junior brother against each other in a fierce battle for dominance?”

“No, I am saying the Eldest Senior Sister wanted to rest and asked the Sect Master to return, but the Sect Master refused and specifically designated Lu Yang to take the fall.”

“That analysis actually seems to hold a bit of weight.”

The Immortal Fairy used Lu Yang’s body to stroll leisurely through the sect, the radiant smile blooming on his face making Lu Yang look several years younger than his actual age.

“Greetings, Sect Master.”

“Greetings, Sect Master.”

Lu Yang’s senior brothers and sisters—no, in Lu Yang’s eyes now, they had transformed into ordinary disciples of the Wendao Sect—all greeted Lu Yang with utmost docility.

“Good, good, all is well.” The Immortal Fairy nodded, raising her hand slightly to signal that they need not be so passionately enthusiastic; she had only been in office for half an hour, and there were still two months ahead.

She paced her way to the arena frequently used by the disciples, where two cultivators in the Soul Formation Stage were locked in fierce combat, one side calling down rolling thunder, the other shifting the boundaries of space, the clash of both parties presenting a dizzying display of various magical arts.

The surrounding disciples looked at Lu Yang warily, deathly afraid that he would once again employ the power of absolute decree to fight above his cultivation realm.

Lu Yang was also warily watching himself.

The Immortal Fairy stood beside the arena, her hands clasped behind her back, silently watching the two fight without the slightest intention of stepping onto the stage.

Now that Lu Yang had formed the Invincible Core with her assistance, there was no longer any need to fight above his realm to cultivate an aura of invincibility.

What fun was there in stepping up to fight? It would merely amount to the two on the stage pretending they did not yet know he was the Acting Sect Master, just so they could give him a thorough thrashing.

This was an early warning provided by the Invincible Core, and it was highly pragmatic.

The Immortal Fairy followed the advice of the Invincible Core, standing silently beneath the stage, suppressing her itching desires and not daring to ascend.

“Their form is rather ordinary,” she offered a faint critique, her tone smooth and unruffled, fully embodying the demeanor of a supreme master.

The Immortal Fairy had no real business descending the mountain; she had come purely to flaunt her status.

She then strolled over to the "One More Time" Barbecue Shop on the commercial street, where the Immortal Cultivator and the high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect happened to be gathered.

The entire lineage of the Immortal Line was present, alongside the complete upper echelon of the Immortal Sect, constituting a formidable lineup.

The high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect were exceptionally thrilled; as expected, following Lu Yang promised a bright future, for just a few days ago Lu Yang was a mere junior disciple, yet now he had risen to become the Acting Sect Master.

Master Liu and Master Gao wore peculiar expressions, their ancient memories stirred; the last time Lu Yang became the Acting Sect Master, he had tricked the two of them into becoming barbecue masters here.

Four months had flown by in the blink of an eye.

“Business is grand, I presume?”

“Thanks to the blessing of the Grand Boss, business is exceptionally prosperous.” While others could not perceive Lu Yang’s difference, how could the Immortal Cultivator—as the Third Boss of the Immortal Line and the possessor of the embryonic form of the Immortal Dao Fruit—not know that it was the Immortal Fairy currently controlling the body?

“Work hard; this barbecue shop is the storefront of our Immortal Line, and the brand must never be tarnished!” the Immortal Fairy exhorted.

“Yes!” Receiving the affirmation of their leader, the crowd was greatly encouraged.

“Mhm, an excellent attitude. Currently, the Jiuyou Sect is expanding its market and opening shops everywhere. Little Girl Yun has also followed this Immortal's instructions to place demands before some Emperor of Xia, and the Xia Emperor stated he would definitely provide his utmost support for our shop openings.”

Since she had assumed the mantle of Acting Sect Master, it was only natural for the previous Acting Sect Master to relay the contents of past meetings to the incumbent.

“To think there is such a wonderful turn of events!” The high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect were deeply moved; they had thought this Acting Sect Master was merely a titular position, never imagining it held such actual authority, capable of commanding the Eldest Senior Sister with a single word and even prompting the Xia Emperor to personally intervene.

With the support of the Imperial Court, the "One More Time" Barbecue Shop would surely blossom across the entire continent, becoming the titan of the barbecue industry.

“Which of you is skilled in painting? You may paint the scene of this Sect Master inspecting this establishment, to be hung at the entrance.”

The Immortal Fairy had heard that the Emperor’s calligraphy was incredibly valuable among the common folk; if any shopkeeper could hang the Emperor's script, their business would become roaringly successful.

She was a grand and noble Immortal, concurrently serving as the Acting Sect Master; with these dual identities superimposed, was she not far more honorable than a mere Emperor?

“Allow me.” The Immortal Cultivator volunteered eagerly, ready to gallop at the beck and call of the Grand Boss.

This was a stroke of fortune bestowed by the Fairy, one that must be firmly grasped.

As the Third Boss, he understood best of all just how powerful the Grand Boss truly was.

Very quickly, the Immortal Cultivator produced the painting.

In the depiction, Lu Yang stood at the dead center, while the Immortal Cultivator and the high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect surrounded him, looking for all the world as though they took Lu Yang as their sole leader.

This painting was naturally hung at the entrance, drawing the gaze of anyone who passed by.

Lu Yang stroked his chin, always feeling the contents of this painting were exceedingly strange, yet unable to articulate exactly what was amiss.

The Fairy still wished to wander about, such as making a complete round through the peaks of the First Elder down to the Eighth Elder to make her name echo through the Wendao Sect, but just as the plan was taking flight, she saw the Eldest Senior Sister appear beside her out of nowhere.

“Sect Master, it is time for you to handle the affairs of the sect.”