Over the past two days, disciples of the Bixuan Pavilion who had been scattered abroad returned one after another. It was a relief that most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were still alive.
But next came even more troublesome matters.
First, many Foundation Establishment cultivators opposed the decision that the Bixuan Pavilion would no longer accept only female disciples. This tradition had lasted for thousands of years; they were long accustomed to it. Although Wei Haolan was quite prestigious, she was ultimately also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The male Foundation Establishment cultivators within the sect had never been numerous to begin with, and after the calamity, there were even fewer, so they lacked the confidence to speak up.
However, having survived this great disaster, Wei Haolan's temperament had become much more resolute than it was twenty years ago. She forcefully suppressed all opposition, stating that this was the will of the two elders.
Additionally, some people harbored resentment because the six of them had hidden within the Dao-Attainment Pagoda, abandoning the others. But since the decision had been made by the two elders, they dared not show disrespect towards the elders, so they directed their grievances at Wei Haolan. Mo Tiange intervened twice, making these people realize that although the Core Formation elders were gone, the newly appointed elder was not to be trifled with. In the end, these people finally submitted.
Two days later, the Bixuan Pavilion's reconstruction ceremony was held as scheduled.
Early in the morning, the Bixuan Pavilion's mountain gate was opened wide, allowing non-sect disciples to pour in. After these loose cultivators underwent tests for spiritual roots and cultivation level, those permitted to join the sect lined up in the square.
The Bixuan Pavilion's requirements for disciples were not strict. Even those with Five Spiritual Roots could join, as long as they weren't so weak that they would be stuck at the first or second level of Qi Refining for their entire lives.
Soon, with the return of the original disciples, the total number of Bixuan Pavilion disciples exceeded one thousand.
Over these twenty years, Ren Yufeng had established his own Divine Dragon Sect. Those who defied him would be killed for him to cultivate death qi. The cultivators of Linhai had either died or fled, leaving very few behind. Being able to recruit this many disciples was already quite good.
The intention of the two elders lay precisely in this. First, the Bixuan Pavilion had suffered heavy casualties, and Linhai had only this many cultivators to begin with. If they refused to open their gates wide, the Bixuan Pavilion would gradually decline until it was beyond recovery. Second, while the incident with Shangguan Yunhao was due to his own improper intentions, the Bixuan Pavilion's rules were not without their flaws. If male cultivators could attain the same status as female cultivators, many such temptations would be reduced.
Considering all factors, the Bixuan Pavilion's shift in governance was unavoidable. Clinging to old ways would only lead step by step to death. From now on, the Bixuan Pavilion's teleportation formation would be open; anyone who could afford the teleportation fee could use it. Additionally, sect disciples must travel and gain experience before advancing to each new stage, to broaden their horizons.
These were all matters the two elders had explained to them one by one before exiting the pagoda. Over the years, Wei Haolan had exchanged much with Mo Tiange and learned many governance methods of Kunwu sects. She had long felt this way and agreed to each point.
As for the concern about talent drain, it was an over-worry. Linhai lacked resources, but Kunwu also had its impoverished areas. Those impoverished areas, while lacking major sects, still had small and medium-sized sects where one could survive. Moreover, the East Sea's terrain was special; some demon cores and marine materials were difficult to obtain in Kunwu. If managed well, this could very well become a new source of wealth.
In short, having experienced a sect-destroying crisis, the two elders had seen through things, and Wei Haolan had as well. If they continued to cut themselves off from the outside world, the Bixuan Pavilion would be finished.
Mo Tiange sighed inwardly. In truth, Mo Yaoqing's original intention in establishing a female-only sect was good. But as time passed, situations often underwent changes, requiring those in power to constantly adjust. A wise ruler must understand that times change and circumstances differ. The Bixuan Pavilion's set of rules had lasted for thousands of years; it was time for a change.
By noon, all cultivators had been tested. The new batch of disciples lined up in the square, awaiting the sect leader's instructions. Those who had been eliminated were reluctant to leave, wanting to witness the Bixuan Pavilion's rare major event.
Wei Haolan and the group of Foundation Establishment cultivators were all very solemn today, dressed in luxurious attire and meticulously groomed. Even Mo Tiange, to match the occasion, had changed out of her Daoist robes and put on Bixuan Pavilion attire. Regardless, her identity today was that of the Bixuan Pavilion's Guest Elder; she had to make some gesture.
First, they paid respects to the sect's founding ancestor. Then, they cremated the remains of the two elders and enshrined them in the ancestral temple. Moreover, their memorial tablets were placed only below that of the founding ancestor, alongside with the elder who was the only one besides the founder to reach the Nascent Soul stage, signifying that the two elders' contributions to the Bixuan Pavilion were no less than those of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
After the mourning was complete, Wei Haolan announced a series of decisions.
"Fellow disciples, our Bixuan Pavilion is rebuilt today. From now on, male and female cultivators will be treated equally, with no distinctions whatsoever. Newly entered disciples will be divided into Official Disciples and servant disciples. Servant disciples can become Official Disciples by passing trials. A sect-wide competition will be held every ten years; the winners will receive Foundation Establishment Pills, no longer directly assigned by senior masters..."
Then followed several matters regarding treatment.
"...In this great calamity, our Bixuan Pavilion suffered heavy losses. Not a single Core Formation Elder survived. Before their passing, Elders Qingyi and Qingmiao invited Fellow Daoist Ye Xiaotian to become our Bixuan Pavilion's Guest Elder. Starting today, all disciples of our sect must respect her as a Core Formation Elder." At this point, Wei Haolan looked towards Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange stepped forward a few paces, slightly cupped her hands, and performed a half-bow.
Seeing she did not wish to speak, Wei Haolan spoke again: "Elder Ye possesses outstanding cultivation and abilities so strong she can be called the number one cultivator below the Core Formation stage. With her here, I believe our Bixuan Pavilion can develop with peace of mind!"
As she said this, Wei Haolan's gaze swept over a few restless Foundation Establishment cultivators, conveying a slight warning.
Although Mo Tiange felt her words were somewhat exaggerated, she accepted them calmly. Within the Bixuan Pavilion, she truly feared no cultivator. Wei Haolan's words were merely a warning to the restless disciples.
"Since all our sect's Core Formation Elders have passed away, we have decided to select two temporary elders from among the Foundation Establishment cultivators to shoulder the responsibilities of elders until new Core Formation Elders emerge."
Hearing this, all dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators looked up at her. They had already heard about this matter. As elders, their stipends would be much greater than those of ordinary cultivators, so everyone coveted the elder positions, but they didn't know how the selection would be made.
Wei Haolan's gaze was calm; she did not announce it immediately. "Fellow junior brothers and sisters, we will discuss this matter in detail later."
Afterwards, she said a few more words to encourage the disciples and declared the ceremony concluded.
But the conclusion of this ceremony marked the beginning of the chaos. So many new disciples needed living quarters assigned. The original Bixuan Pavilion disciples were mostly female cultivators and also needed rearranging, separated from the male cultivators.
Amidst all this busy chaos, Wei Haolan was run off her feet.
Mo Tiange could not help with these matters, nor did she like them, so she returned to the quarters assigned to her to rest.
The Dao-Attainment Pagoda was temporarily off-limits. Although she had even been to the most secretive seventh level, that was ultimately a temporary measure. She was merely a Guest Elder, not a true disciple of the Bixuan Pavilion; some matters still required her to keep her distance.
Now that there were no Core Formation Elders in the sect, the issue of how to handle the Dao-Attainment Pagoda was something Wei Haolan had also discussed with her. Having suffered such heavy losses, besides developing new disciples, the most important task for the Bixuan Pavilion now was to cultivate Core Formation cultivators once more. Only with Core Formation cultivators would the sect have some confidence.
Wei Haolan's idea was to use the opportunity of selecting temporary elders to choose five Foundation Establishment cultivators to reside in the Dao-Attainment Pagoda, assigning them the second to sixth floors respectively to assist them in focusing entirely on Core Formation. The Dao-Attainment Pagoda was filled with abundant spiritual energy; it was very possible that one or two, if not all, could achieve Core Formation.
Mo Tiange agreed with this. However, it didn't concern her much. Once the Bixuan Pavilion was back on track, she could leave Linhai and return to Kunwu.
She had never imagined beforehand that an ordinary journey for experience would actually take over twenty years. She wondered how those acquaintances at the Xuanqing Sect were doing. Were they missing her, worried that something had happened to her?
Oh, right. Before her departure, her master had taken a drop of her essence blood, so he should know she was safe. But since she had been delayed in returning, she wondered if he had come out to look for her?
Now that she was almost able to leave, she instead couldn't settle her mind. Having waited twenty years, at this final juncture, she felt she couldn't sit still, wishing she could drop everything and fly back to the Xuanqing Sect.
Just as she was lost in thought, a voice came from the door: "Senior Ye, Senior Ye, are you there?"
Mo Tiange frowned slightly. That voice... right, it was Yiliu's voice!
She opened the formation and the door, and indeed saw the two sisters standing outside.
"Senior Ye, it really is you!" the two sisters cried out joyfully.
Mo Tiange was also quite surprised and very pleased. She hadn't expected them to have returned safely. "It's you two! Come in quickly, have a seat."
Yiliu and Yiqiu beamed with smiles, nodding eagerly. Walking into the room, they glanced around and immediately said, "Senior, why is the room so messy? Let us tidy it up."
Mo Tiange chuckled. "We haven't seen each other for twenty years, and the first thing you want to do upon seeing me is tidy the room. You really are born to be attendants. Your cultivation isn't poor; you should be Official Disciples by now, right? You don't need to do these things for me."
Yiqiu seemed a bit embarrassed. "We're used to it..."
Yiliu smiled. "Senior, you are now an elder of our Bixuan Pavilion. Even if we are Official Disciples, it's only right we do some things."
"Right, right, right," Yiqiu quickly stood up. "Senior, please sit. We'll tidy up while we chat with you."
"Alright." Since they were so enthusiastic, she couldn't keep refusing.
"By the way, back then... did you manage to hide? Were you injured?"
Hearing this, the two sisters fell silent for a moment before Yiliu sighed and said, "Back then... we were guarding outside the alchemy room, so we were targeted from the start. Fortunately, neither Yiqiu nor I died, but we were seriously injured. Later, when the sect fell into chaos, we injured disciples took advantage of our familiarity with the terrain to escape..."
"Mm," Yiqiu continued. "My sister and I didn't dare return to the sect. We hid on a small island in the sea. That island had no spiritual vein at all, so no cultivators came, making it very safe. Luckily, we had exchanged for many pills with you before, Senior. These years, we hid on that island to heal our wounds..."
"You hid like that for twenty years?"
Yiliu smiled bitterly. "In between, we did come back once. At that time, the entire Linhai was in chaos. Whether they were our sect's disciples or loose cultivators, if they encountered that demon, they would mostly suffer some torment... During that period, all the cultivators in Linhai went into hiding. It was hard to see a single cultivator in Linhai City..."
"Right. Except for some shameless people who sided with that demon, we cultivators scattered abroad were unprecedentedly united, sharing information with each other. That's how we managed to hold on. This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."
"Is that so?" Mo Tiange was somewhat surprised. She had originally thought that after bringing about such a disaster, those loose cultivators would look unfavorably upon Bixuan Pavilion cultivators.
"Of course," Yiqiu laughed. "Actually, in the past, our Bixuan Pavilion didn't have a very good reputation among loose cultivators. But these twenty years, because we had a common enemy and were in the same situation, we became much closer. This time, when the sect leader announced the abolition of the sect rule and equal treatment for male cultivators, they were all very happy! Now our Bixuan Pavilion's prestige has greatly increased. I believe we will rise again very soon."