"?" A small question mark slowly appeared on Chu Liang's forehead. He couldn't help but say, "Master, Jade Sword Peak has the greatest influence among all the peaks, with nearly a hundred disciples, and several have reached the renowned Golden Core Realm. Their chances of securing the chief position are indeed the highest. As for my disciples... I only broke through the Divine Sense Realm a few days ago."
The chief disciple is the facade of each generation of Shushan, and such a figure naturally faces fierce competition, needless to say.
The head of the peaks is the most prestigious and powerful among the thirty-six peak masters. In the situation where the four senior elders of the town mountain cannot become the head of the sect, it can be said that the head of the peaks is the first candidate for the next head of the sect.
As for the Empress Phoenix...
She is notorious in Shushan, known for her alcoholism, fighting skills, and explosive temper. Initially, she managed to secure a position as a peak master by virtue of her strong cultivation, but the head of Shushan has always been reluctant to assign disciples to her, fearing that she might lead them astray.
It was only when she went down the mountain to perform chivalrous deeds and rescued Chu Liang, a disciple with potential, that she finally took on a disciple, and no one could say anything against it. It seemed she found out from experience that taking on disciples was not all fun, as she never took on a second one afterward.
Now, she suddenly wants to compete for the position of chief disciple with this single-stem and even contend for the head of the peaks... even Chu Liang himself is a bit surprised.
How dare she think of such things?
Then, the Empress Phoenix walked over and patted his shoulder, "You don't need to feel too much pressure. You should have at least six months to prepare properly... If you can really become the chief disciple at that time, I won't treat you unfairly. You can ask for whatever you want..."
Upon hearing this, Chu Liang glanced at the Empress Phoenix's chest.
"Ah—" The Empress Phoenix's expression suddenly turned dangerous as she pointed at him, "What are you thinking?"
"Mentor, you misunderstand." Chu Liang said, "The disciple just meant that since mentor has staked the Phoenix Blood Jade, such a treasure, the disciple will definitely prepare with all his effort, that's for sure. It's just... this matter is indeed quite difficult, so if the disciple fails at that time, I hope mentor won't blame him."
"Oh, looking at the jade, are you." The Empress Phoenix touched the jade on her chest and chuckled.
She continued, "Anyway, you just need to take care of your business. If you become the chief disciple and I become the head of the peaks, there will be a lot of resources tilted... By then, we, master and disciple, will split three-seven, wouldn't that be great?"
Fantasizing about the beautiful future, she couldn't help but let out a trembling laughter.
"Hehehehehe..."
...
Chu Liang walked out of the loft, calmed his emotions, and then headed to his next destination.
Shushan main peak, the Tongtian Peak.
Among the thirty-six peaks of Shushan, the Tongtian Peak is where the head of the sect resides in the Infinite Palace, and it is also a place similar to the capital city, where the important halls of the sect are located.
With a flick of his finger, Chu Liang's hand transformed into a flying sword, which swiftly hovered in front of him. In an instant, the sword light lifted off from the Silver Sword Peak.
Flying with the sword!
A roaring wind sounded in his ears, and beneath his feet was an endless sea of clouds. The thirty-six peaks appeared from the sea of clouds, their lofty and rugged peaks resembling ingredients boiling in a hotpot.
Streams of light shuttled between the mountains, all of them hurried Shushan disciples. Those who couldn't fly here would find it difficult to move an inch. Occasionally, some spirit birds and divine beasts soared past, and the disciples controlling the sword light had to give way one after another. Those who could afford to raise these large creatures as mounts, even if they were not peak masters or elders, were mostly of remarkable background, and it wasn't worth risking a collision with them.
Within Shushan, disciples need to complete tasks for the sect in order to obtain the resources necessary for their daily lives and cultivation. The place where tasks are obtained is known as the "Exchange Sword Pavilion".
In the immortal cultivation world, gold and silver jewelry are usually meaningless to most cultivators. Therefore, the currency commonly circulated in the Jianghu world is usually equivalent items such as spirit stones used for forging and smelting, elixirs for practice, and versatile talismans.
Among them, Lingstone is the hardest.
So, within the Shushan sect, Lingstone coins were used as the currency of the sect. In the early days, the manufacturing process was quite rough, directly grinding the Lingstone into a round shape and cutting it in half, which was then called "Steamed Bun Coin" based on its shape.
However, the simplicity of the Steamed Bun Coin led to disciples making inferior imitations, causing adverse effects. Therefore, the sect improved the craft and carved Lingstone into intricate and delicate butterfly shapes, known as "Butterfly Coins".
But the problem with Butterfly Coins was that the craft was too complex, making mass production difficult and unable to meet the sect's growing demand. Finally, the then head of Shushan sect came up with a solution, crafting Lingstone into a simple small sword shape and injecting a special sword energy, making it simple and impossible to replicate.
For the next thousand years, Shushan used these "Sword Coins", which is also the origin of the name "Exchange Sword Attic".
Exchange Sword Attic, Second Floor.
The grand and imposing Exchange Sword Attic only had three floors, but it appeared particularly magnificent due to its large area and high dome. Most affairs were handled by the serving disciples, but a few elder attendants sat upstairs every day, ready to tackle difficult problems.
Chu Liang came to the chamber of one of the elders.
"Old Shen, I've come to disturb you again," he greeted with a smile as soon as he entered the room.
"Haha, young Chu," replied the elder in a wide robe, slightly balding but with an ethereal temperament and a genial smile. "What disturbance brings you back so soon? It seems that the last task was completed quite smoothly, eh?"
"Well, thanks to your guidance, it went fairly well. I am here today to report the completion," Chu Liang replied.
"Alright, no rush, let's have a game first," the elder waved his sleeve, and a chessboard and two sets of pieces appeared on the table, black and white.
"Last time, I luckily won a round against Old Shen. It seems you are still unsatisfied," Chu Liang said without hesitation as he seated himself.
"Naturally, I have to seek revenge. I've thought about it for a long time and figured out a way to break your game," the elder made the first move.
"Well, then as the tradition goes, if you lose, you have to give me some insider information," Chu Liang said, looking innocent.
Half an hour later.
The sunlight had moved up a bit.
The smiling young man, with his hands wrapped in his sleeves, looked at the old man across the chessboard, lost in thought. "Old Shen, it's indeed a deadlock."
"Oh..." Old Shen scratched his smooth head and glanced a few times at the chessboard before pulling his gaze away, shaking his head. "You, boy... You always wear a smile and look harmless, but on the chessboard, you are relentless and cunning..."
"Heh, it's just luck. There were a few moments where I almost lost," Chu Liang said.
"Ah, I can't compete with the vigor of you young people," the elder reclined and patted his belly, then said, "Apart from reporting the task, you're also here to take on a new one, right?"
"Yes, but there are so many missions in the divine state, it's hard to choose from hundreds or even thousands," Chu Liang said.
"Let me think... You prefer demon-slaying tasks, right? How about this..." Old Shen paused for a moment, then raised his hand, and a stick slipped out of the tube behind and landed in his palm, "Check this one out."
Chu Liang took the stick and read the small characters written on it.
"The Mansion of the Xing Prefecture in Xingzhou City is capturing demons."