Watching the Mountain

Chapter 284: Chapter 175: All Fired Up

After a moment of reflection, Xu Ran changed the subject. He worried that if they kept talking like this, he’d just end up feeling demoralized again.

In the past, the couple Ye Shan and the Little Witch Ye Qingxue had often left him feeling that way. Now that they were gone, he didn’t want to feel that way because of someone else.

He then praised Li Daoyi, ”The atmosphere in the Sect has been much better recently. You’ve done well. I’m more convinced than ever that under your leadership, the Sect will continue to prosper.”

The ordinary disciples of the Sect all believed their Chief Disciple had pushed for joint missions with the Illusion Spirit Sect and the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect purely because of his friendship with Chu Lingxiao and Luo Qianxue.

Little did they know, it was also one of Li Daoyi’s initiatives to improve the atmosphere within the Sect.

Many disciples felt that undertaking missions with disciples from other sects would be incredibly dangerous. After all, in the Cultivation Realm, it wasn’t uncommon for disciples of the same sect to harm one another, to say nothing of those from other sects.

In reality, however, the opposite was true. If one were to team up with people from other sects privately, there would be no telling what might happen.

But the current situation with the Profound Pure Sect, the Illusion Spirit Sect, and the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect was different. This was a conscious, organized collaboration promoted by the Sects themselves.

Anyone with any sense wouldn’t dare make a move against someone from another sect at a time like this. To put it more seriously, disciples from each Sect would rather get injured themselves than let someone from an allied Sect come to harm.

If something went wrong, their first thought would be a silent prayer: ’Please, let the others be okay.’ Otherwise, how could they possibly explain themselves back at their Sect? Who could bear the blame for sabotaging the unity and cooperation between the sects?

Weren’t all the disciples sent on these joint missions walking on eggshells? So where was the supposed danger?

More importantly, Li Daoyi and the others were very particular about the missions they chose. They selected tasks that offered some rewards, but certainly no shocking, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that might drive someone to abandon all reason. They were all just ordinary missions.

While maintaining the relationship between the sects, they also introduced a hint of competition to stir everyone’s spirits and encourage their own disciples to unite out of a sense of honor.

Having more experiences of working together for the Sect’s honor would, in turn, allow them to give back to the Sect and boost overall morale upon their return.

So, what appeared to be a simple cooperative exchange on the part of Li Daoyi and his friends had, in fact, taken all these factors into account.

Xu Ran had been listening from the side when they first discussed these plans. When Li Daoyi proposed these ideas, he had marveled at how his martial nephew not only possessed extraordinary talent but also a wisdom that far surpassed his peers.

’At least when it comes to Sect management, he has exceptional talent, a strong sense of responsibility, and the willingness to bear it. Truly a natural-born leader.’

Hearing Xu Ran’s praise, a rare look of pride flashed in Li Daoyi’s eyes.

He rarely showed much emotion when praised for his talent in Cultivation, but he couldn’t hide his age-appropriate delight when someone praised his suitability to lead the Sect.

After thanking Xu Ran for the compliment, he couldn’t help but start telling Xu Ran about his future plans.

”Fellow Daoist Qianxue, Fellow Daoist Chu, and I have discussed it. In the future, in addition to promoting more cooperation between the three sects, we plan to add more regular exchanges. For instance, every few years we could take turns hosting special conferences to showcase the unique characteristics of each sect. Beyond that, cooperation on resource industries will also be on the agenda. We’re preparing to...”

This trilateral cooperation was Li Daoyi’s greatest source of pride lately. It wasn’t just about his ambition to lead the Sect to glory; it was also built on his friendship with Luo Qianxue and Chu Lingxiao.

The smooth progress of their plans convinced the young cultivators that they could truly change the world through their own efforts and shape it into the world they envisioned.

Thus, when speaking of it, he cast aside his usual composure and began to speak torrentially, growing more and more excited and energetic with every word, as if he could go on forever.

Xu Ran remained by his side, a quiet and attentive audience, listening as Li Daoyi painted a picture of his grand vision for the future.

He could understand Li Daoyi’s feelings. ’Young people are like that. After accomplishing something you’re proud of, you’re often filled with passion.’

’And when you accomplish that feat alongside your best friends, that sense of accomplishment multiplies a hundred, even a thousand times over.’

’Striving toward a shared ideal with friends you admire... for them, that’s probably the greatest joy in the world.’

As Xu Ran listened to Li Daoyi, his one and only hope was that things would continue to go smoothly for them, that no unforeseen mishap would ever extinguish their passion.

’Let them carry this passion forward,’ he thought. ’Let them walk this path until the world becomes the one they dream of.’

’When that time comes, this world will surely be a beautiful place, won’t it?’

Xu Ran gazed at the distant horizon, a faraway look in his eyes, trying to picture that scene in his mind.

*

*

*

After laying out his grand vision for the future to Xu Ran, Li Daoyi departed in a hurry, still burning with passion.

Now that he had a plan, the next step was, of course, to put it into action.

It wasn’t just about the Sect’s disciples; in the near future, he, Chu Lingxiao, and Luo Qianxue would venture out together to train, leaving their mark on the Cultivation Realm and making it cheer for their arrival.

Young people were always so full of fire, acting on their decisions without a moment’s hesitation.

Xu Ran watched him leave in silence, and as he offered a silent blessing, a flash of envy crossed his eyes.

’Traveling the world with like-minded friends... who hasn’t dreamed of that in their youth? But how many people ever truly get to live that dream?’

’To be able to do so without any burdens... that is true happiness.’

Once, Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge had suggested the same thing. But even they had only fantasized about it, planning to make it a reality only in the future, when their Cultivation Realms were high and strong enough to do as they pleased.

But they never made it to that day. Of the five friends who once sat and talked for hours in Xu Ran’s Cave Mansion, one was already gone, lost with the passing of the Little Witch, Ye Qingxue.

They could never gather everyone together to fulfill that dream again.

Now, seeing Li Daoyi on the verge of achieving that very dream, he felt both envy and genuine happiness for him. The regrets of one generation did not need to be repeated by the next.

After watching Li Daoyi depart, Xu Ran fell silent for a moment. A glint in his eyes, he slowly rose and started walking in a new direction.

’I haven’t forgotten,’ he thought. ’Li Daoyi’s group has four members. Now that the other three have all had their own breakthroughs and made progress, the last one can’t be allowed to fall behind.’

And he certainly hadn’t forgotten that Lu Mingchen was his own grand-disciple. In a way, he was the one closest to Xu Ran himself.

’My own grand-disciple absolutely cannot be left behind. That’s my responsibility as his grand-master.’

Despite this, Xu Ran didn’t go looking for Lu Mingchen directly. Instead, he went to find Shen Wuchen.

’Teaching a disciple is the master’s responsibility. It wouldn’t be right for me to overstep my bounds and do Shen Wuchen’s job for him. More importantly, I can’t let Shen Wuchen have it too easy.’

’He was the one who insisted on taking the boy as his disciple, so he’s the one who has to teach him.’