The following day.
The bells of the Sword Pavilion tolled nine times as it reopened to gather all the pavilion elders.
Xu Xian announced to the assembly that he would accept a disciple on behalf of his master.
Ranked twelfth under the Sword Ancestor was Tu Kongkong.
With that, the title of Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sword Sect changed hands.
The announcement was broadcast to the entire sect.
Compared to thirteen years ago when Xu Xian became the Little Grand-Uncle, the stir caused by Tu Kongkong was much smaller.
To the disciples of the sect, it felt more like a natural progression.
Back then, Xu Xian had become the Little Grand-Uncle after breaking a sword stele without even drawing a sword, making him a unique figure with no precedent before or after him.
Tu Kongkong, however, was not the first.
Above her were Ye Xianyu, Lin Fengmian, Yao Xiqiao, Lei Yunche, Jiang Wanyin, and the others.
She was outstanding, but she was not the only one.
Tu Kongkong was quite happy because, from that day on, everyone called her Little Grand-Uncle, which gave her a lot of face, just like Xu Xian.
Yet, she was also unhappy.
She could no longer call Xu Xian her master; she had to call him Senior Brother.
As the saying goes, a teacher is as a father.
The title of Senior Brother simply did not feel as close as Master.
Furthermore.
She discovered that after becoming the Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sword Sect, Xu Xian seemed to have become much stricter with her.
Her allowance of merit points was cut off, and she was required to earn them herself.
In short.
She felt they had grown distant.
At first, she even wondered if it was because she had taken his title as the Little Grand-Uncle.
Because of this, she specifically went to apologize to Xu Xian.
But clearly, that was not the case.
Xu Xian spoke with her through the entire night, teaching her with great care and patience.
She came to understand his intentions and knew what she needed to do.
Xu Xian had told her.
"You are a disciple of the Sword Ancestor now, so you can no longer be as casual and perfunctory as you were when you were my disciple."
"Since you have become the Little Grand-Uncle, you must understand the responsibilities you will bear in the future."
He spoke of how greater power brought greater responsibility.
He spoke of being strict with oneself and kind to others.
And so much more.
Tu Kongkong understood some of it, but not all.
Still, she knew that following Xu Xian's guidance would never be a mistake.
After all.
Chu Yi had said they were family, they were on the same side, and those on the same side do not harm one another.
She was a half-demon.
Half human and half demon, she had lived in the world of the demon race, a place that made her very uncomfortable and unhappy.
So she had left and come to the Wendao Sword Sect.
Everyone here was human.
She was happy here, she was joyful, and she liked it very much, so she wanted to be a human and stay with her own people.
Xu Xian often watched the young girl as she cultivated tirelessly day and night.
He also followed her when she left the sect to enter the mortal world and help people.
He watched her in silence.
He had ended up becoming the very person he used to dislike.
He gradually began to understand Ye Xianyu's actions, perhaps in the same way she had eventually understood why their master had done the same.
The title of Little Grand-Uncle brought more than just prestige and status; it carried responsibility and duty.
Because so much hope was placed upon the role, the recipient never received preferential treatment in resources, but rather more rigorous demands.
As her master, Xu Xian could have doted on her and pampered her, sparing her from the hardships of cultivation and the trials of life.
But as his junior sister.
As the future successor to the Sect Master, she had to grow step by step on her own.
She had to be outstanding.
She had to be brave.
She had to be fearless.
She needed the courage and perseverance to challenge everything.
In truth, this was not strange.
In any sect, any dynasty, or even for the heir of an ordinary family, the requirements would always be more stringent.
The only difference was the method.
Take Chi Ji, for example.
As the sole goddess of the Crimson Demon Palace and its future successor, she received immense help in her cultivation and could spend money recklessly.
However, she was also restricted in many ways.
For instance.
She could not leave home whenever she pleased.
She had to handle various social situations, attend various events, and maintain all sorts of false relationships.
She had her own grievances.
In contrast, the free-range model of the Wendao Sword Sect, which forced one to learn self-reliance, was clearly more humane.
It did not just allow you to grow as resiliently as wild grass.
At the same time.
It allowed everyone in the sect to see that you were not being treated differently.
Your growth was entirely due to your own strength.
In the future, this would give you more credibility.
When the day came for you to truly lead the sect, you would be able to act with relative fairness and justice.
Only then...
Could the sect continue to endure.
In such a sect, the growth of a genius was arduous and long, but once they matured, internal conflicts were minimal, allowing them to go much further.
Sometimes, one had to admit that certain rules that seemed bizarre or ridiculous often had unexpectedly profound effects.
At the very least, in the Demon Abyss, Xu Xian often heard the commoners privately discussing how the geniuses of the demon race only had good lives because of their fathers, otherwise they would be nothing.
But in the Wendao Sword Sect, such a situation did not exist.
Take Xu Xian as an example.
He used the same Spirit Body Manual, chose techniques from the Dao Pavilion like everyone else, and took a sword from the Sword Mound the same way.
In fact, he even received a thousand fewer merit points in monthly support than normal disciples.
It led to him eating porridge every single day.
Under such circumstances, what could anyone else say?
They certainly couldn't claim they could have done the same, could they?
Time flowed quietly, and Tu Kongkong entered the mortal world several times to complete missions, slaying demons, exorcising ghosts, saving lives, and guiding people.
She gradually grew through these experiences, just as Xu Xian had in the past.
She also slowly found her own dao and the path she wished to walk.
When four months had passed.
Under the stimulation provided by Tu Kongkong, Xia Chu Yi finally succeeded in foundation establishment, also using only a single Foundation Establishment Pill.
Yao Xiaoxiao told her, "You are truly amazing, just like me. I only used one back then too."
The day after Xia Chu Yi reached foundation establishment, she was led by Li Qingshan personally, with Xu Xian accompanying them, to enter the Sword Mound and take a sword.
The young girl was also full of confidence, vowing not to return until she had claimed an immortal sword.
She even said to Li Qingshan, "Just wait. Once I come out, I'll make you call me Martial Aunt."
Li Qingshan did not know whether to laugh or cry, seeing that the little one had long harbored such intentions.
But then again, if Xia Chu Yi truly became his Little Junior Martial Aunt, the talkative disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect would probably gossip about it for a hundred years.
They would say that he, Li Qingshan, had brought back two people, and both had ended up becoming his seniors.
Just thinking about it was quite embarrassing.
Yet, from the perspective of being Xia Chu Yi's master, he hoped she really could pull out an immortal sword.
After all, what master did not hope for their disciple to be successful?
So...
Li Qingshan was conflicted, but also nervous and uneasy.
In contrast, Xu Xian, acting as her uncle, was surprisingly calm.
Time passed slowly.
During the wait, every moment felt like a year.
Yet time also passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, over a month had gone by.
At the Sword Gate.
A golden glow flashed, signaling that everything had finally settled.
Li Qingshan gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Heh, that brat actually managed to do it."
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