"Sister Hua, from today onward, you are the Grand Steward of my Lingxiao Palace. From the Grand Elders down to the lowest-ranked disciples, all fall under your jurisdiction and answer to your commands!" Yang Kai patted Hua Qingsi's shoulder and regarded her with a solemn expression.
Hua Qingsi's long lashes fluttered as she stared, somewhat dazed.
"Come, come—inside this ring are two hundred million high-grade source crystals, three billion mid-grade source crystals, ten billion low-grade source crystals, along with various materials. Take it for now; all of these cultivation resources fall under your management."
A spatial ring was pressed into Hua Qingsi's hands.
"Wait!" Hua Qingsi's delicate brows furrowed as she looked at Yang Kai. "Since when did I become the Grand Steward of your Lingxiao Palace?"
She had merely sensed the commotion over at Thousand Leaves Peak and wanted to go investigate. On the way, she had run into Yang Kai, who had stopped her, stuffed a resource-laden spatial ring into her hands, and then spouted a bunch of nonsense.
"I just said—from today onward!" Yang Kai stared at her with an air of gravity, looking for all the world as though he were entrusting her with the solemn duty of safeguarding the sect's peace and leading it to glory.
"Why on earth would I want to be some Grand Steward?" Hua Qingsi said, displeased.
Yang Kai replied with a straight face, "I've given this serious thought. Looking at the current state of Lingxiao Palace, no one is more suited to this position than you, Sister Hua. Those who can do more should do more—this is a very important role. Don't disappoint your Palace Master."
"Lingxiao Palace, my foot," Hua Qingsi snorted. "There are barely a handful of people here."
Setting aside the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples who were temporarily staying there, Lingxiao Palace currently consisted of only the three great Demon Kings serving as Guest Elders, along with Chi Yue, Ai Ou, and a handful of others.
Yang Kai scratched his cheek. "Everything's hard at the beginning. There'll be plenty more people later. Just use this to get your feet wet…"
"Practice on whom?" Hua Qingsi asked, eyeing him with disdain.
Yang Kai jerked his thumb toward the Thousand Leaves Sect. "Aren't there a few hundred people over there?"
"They're not part of Lingxiao Palace."
"They're not yet—but that doesn't mean they won't be in the future." Yang Kai grinned.
Hua Qingsi looked him up and down, then gave a knowing "oh." "So you're trying to poach their people."
Yang Kai kept a straight face. "Nonsense—this Palace Master would never stoop to such petty tactics. It's simply that people flow upward and water flows downward; that's the way of the world. If they insist on staying and becoming Lingxiao Palace disciples, I can hardly refuse. Of course, Sister Hua, if you could manage to keep the entire Thousand Leaves Sect… that would be even better."
Hua Qingsi nodded at this. "You make a fair point. The Thousand Leaves Sect's art of puppetry is truly remarkable—if they could serve our purposes, that would be quite the boon."
Yang Kai was delighted. "You think so too, then? Then I'm handing this task to you."
"Fine—I haven't had much to do lately anyway. I'll give it a try. But where should I even start?"
Yang Kai jutted his chin. "Didn't I just give you all those source crystals? Smother them with source crystals. They've just survived the destruction of their sect and need plenty of source crystals for cultivation. Once you've got source crystals to offer, do you think they won't bend?"
Hua Qingsi shot him a reproachful look. "Your source crystals didn't just blow in with the wind—you can't hand them out for nothing. However, if they make genuine contributions to Lingxiao Palace, perhaps I could reward them with some source crystals."
"Wonderful!" Yang Kai was overjoyed. Sister Hua had only just accepted the role of Grand Steward and was already in the zone, thinking about what was best for both Lingxiao Palace and for herself. He truly hadn't misjudged her. Moreover, she hailed from the Star God Palace and was far more familiar with the workings of large sect management than anyone else. Having her oversee Lingxiao Palace's early development couldn't be more perfect.
"Do whatever you think is best—I grant you full authority to act as you see fit!" Yang Kai said with satisfaction.
Hua Qingsi huffed. "If I do this well, I want a reward! You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it grass."
"Fine, fine, fine—when the time comes, you can have whatever reward you want." Yang Kai agreed without hesitation.
"I'm holding you to that." Hua Qingsi smiled with a press of her lips, then turned to look toward Thousand Leaves Peak. "Is Ye Hen about to advance to the Emperor realm?"
"Who else could it be!" Yang Kai glanced over as well.
Above Thousand Leaves Peak, the energies of heaven and earth were converging at that very moment, torrents of power cascading downward like the dance of maddened dragons. The momentum was staggering.
Hua Qingsi was surprised. "I recall Ye Hen only entered seclusion not long ago. How has he suddenly gained enlightenment?"
"Perhaps he's found his own Path." Yang Kai smiled faintly.
"His own Path…" Hua Qingsi murmured thoughtfully, then her eyes flashed. "I'm going to go take a look. Are you coming?"
Yang Kai shook his head. He had just come from over there and already knew Ye Hen's situation, so there was no need to check again. Still, it would be good for Hua Qingsi to go. As Lingxiao Palace's Grand Steward, this critical moment of Ye Hen's advancement to the Emperor realm was the perfect time to win hearts and earn loyalty.
Five Saints Peak—the main peak where Ghost Ancestor, Chi Yue, and the others now resided.
The so-called Five Saints were, of course, the five sworn siblings who shared no blood ties. Though Chai Hu's current whereabouts remained unknown, Ghost Ancestor and the others had not forgotten his place among them.
When Yang Kai arrived, all four appeared to be deep in seclusion, cultivating.
When the four of them had first met Yang Kai at Heavenly Crane City, they had been merely at the Dao Source Stage, First Level. After several years of cultivating within the Thousand Leaves Sect, they had barely reached the peak of that same stage.