Chương 69: It’s Difficult To Be A Sect Master

While Ren Qingquan is searching for his room on the ship, my [Scan] detected something that caught my attention. I saw someone reporting to the Sect Master that Ren Qingquan had purchased a ticket for the sect's merchant ship. After learning about Ren Qingquan's plan to travel around the world, the Pure Wave Sect's Sect Master called someone through his mirror. A few minutes later, two people arrived on flying swords.

"Greeting, Sect Master!" Both of them bowed after sheathing their flying swords.

"Elder Pan Jianyi and Elder Zang Qingling. I have a task for both of you." The Sect Master nodded with a serious look.

"I want both of you to join the sect's merchant group this session as vice captains. But being vice captain isn't your main task. Instead, I want you to introduce yourselves naturally to a disciple named Ren Qingquan. Try your best to protect him and meet his needs, but don't keep track of him too closely. Just look for him whenever he goes missing." The two elders nodded coldly before leaving. Watching their backs, the Sect Master sighed slightly.

"I should've asked someone else for this job, but both of them are the most reliable among the elders currently available."

"I just hope nothing goes wrong," the Sect Master softly said, then his expression suddenly changed.

"Ptui! Damn it, I definitely jinxed it!" The Sect Master quickly grabbed his mirror and activated it to check the area around Ren Qingquan. Right now, Ren Qingquan has found his room on the ship. Through [Scan], I searched the entire room and didn't find anything suspicious except for a few formations used to lock the door or block sound. The soundproof formation is probably used when the cultivator on the ship needs to focus and block out distractions.

After lying in bed for a moment, Ren Qingquan heard a knock from outside, followed by Fatty Zhang's voice, "Young Master Ren, should we go have dinner now before resting? I heard the ship will take off tonight, so by the time we're done eating, we can go to the main deck and watch it depart." Ren Qingquan happily agreed and followed Fatty Zhang to the dining area. Once they arrived, they waited while chatting.

Before Ren Qingquan's food even arrived, the two elders sent by the Sect Master had reached the ship and entered the dining area where Ren Qingquan and Fatty Zhang were. When the two elders saw Ren Qingquan, they both walked toward him. The female elder, elder Zang Qingling, asked, "Are you Ren Qingquan?" Ren Qingquan slightly tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes?"

"If you have any problems, you can come to either of us," elder Zang Qingling suddenly said, while elder Pan Jianyi just stared coldly. Ren QIngquan: (°ヮ°)? Fatty Zhang: (,, •᷄‎ࡇ•᷅,,)? Sect Master: (╯◉□◉)╯︵┻━┻ Watching that scene in his mirror, the Sect Master flipped the tea table in front of him while shouting, "You idiots! What part of that is natural?! I knew it! These two idiots are unreliable! I told them to protect him, but what does that hooligan say?

What do you mean 'If you have any problems, you can come to either of us'? Are you trying to help him or scare him?!" The Sect Master scratched his head, then gritted his teeth and quickly called someone.

"Feng Yun, I apologize for asking this during such a busy time, but can you send your semi-permanent clone and Divine Transformation realm spirit beast to protect Ren Qingquan? The remaining peak masters, hall masters, and elders are busy handling the gains from senior Gui Ruwen's investment in our sect. You're the last person I can rely on for this job." Before the other side could reply, the Sect Master added, "I definitely won't shortchange you.

I'll approve your plan to expand the spirit beast grazing area and the usage rights for materials used to create semi-permanent clones." The Sect's Main Hall fell into silence for a moment until Peak Master Feng Yun's voice came out of the mirror in front of the Sect Master.

"Sure thing. I'll send Little Acorn there." The Sect Master nodded, "Good. I shall owe you one. You can seek reimbursement for this trip as long as it's within a reasonable amount." Once he said that, the Sect Master turned off his mirror. I am honestly speechless at their conversation. Even though I know both sides are cultivators, the exchange somehow sounds like a boss asking his employee to go on a business trip during his paid holiday. It feels extremely mundane to the point of being unnerving.

While the Sect Master talked with Peak Master Feng Yun through his mirror, I helped ease the awkward situation between Ren Qingquan, Fatty Zhang, and the two elders by explaining to Ren Qingquan. [Host, these two aren't troublemakers, but are two elders sent by the Sect Master to protect you.] Ren Qingquan thought, 'So, they aren't threatening me, but literally mean I can come to them if I have any problem?' [Indeed. System has recorded a few scenes to help you understand the current situation.] I showed him the scenes where the Sect Master sent the two elders, the Sect Master's breakdown, and finally the part where the Sect Master contacted Peak Master Feng Yun. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. By the time Ren Qingquan finished watching the video I sent him, his food had arrived. Somehow, the two elders shamelessly joined Ren Qingquan and Fatty Zhang at their table, making the situation even more awkward.

Thankfully, soon Peak Master Feng Yun's clone arrived along with his squirrel sitting on his shoulder to meet Ren Qingquan. Ren Qingquan occasionally chatted with Fatty Zhang, Peak Master Feng Yun, and senior Acorn Tree, who was munching on some peanuts while sitting at the table. This continued until the sun set and the ship gently shook. Everyone went to the front deck to watch as the ship's formation activated and a barrier enveloped it. Once the barrier appeared, the ship slowly rose into the sky.

Standing at the edge of the deck, Ren Qingquan saw the sect's ground gradually shrink until it finally disappeared from view. Because the altitude at which the ship was flying is far beyond 100 meters, my [Scan] can no longer reach the ground. I can still see the ground by processing the light that enters within my [Scan] range, but honestly, being unable to feel the ground with my [Scan] for a long time somehow makes me feel unsafe.

I decided to message Ren Qingquan and told him to upgrade the [Scan] distance, which has been overlooked for a long time. Of course, I won't say it's because I feel uncomfortable not feeling the ground for so long. Instead, I'll give him a reasonable explanation. [Host, now that you're trying to find a suitable host, System thinks it's the right time to upgrade the [Scan] distance. This way, we can search for a suitable target faster.] Ren Qingquan, who has been appreciating the view, saw my message and agreed.

'How much is it to upgrade the [Scan] radius again?' [For now, 1 point per meter] Ren Qingquan checked his remaining points before proudly saying, 'Then, upgrade it to 10. 000 meters!' [Ding! Begin upgrade process.] I happily upgraded my [Scan] and increased its radius. Slowly, the [Scan] radius expanded from 100 meters to 200, then 300, until it reached 1. 000 meters, at which point I immediately stopped. After reaching 1.

000 meters, somehow the cost of increasing the [Scan] radius jumped from 1 point per meter to 10 points per meter. Although I feel it's a pity, I am honestly not too surprised by this. After all, every small increase in radius greatly boosts [Scan]'s volume. Honestly, it would feel stranger if the cost of upgrading [Scan]'s range didn't increase at all. Because of the unexpected extra cost, I sent another notification to Ren Qingquan. [Ding! The upgrade stopped at 1. 000 meters due to an unexpected extra cost. After a radius of 1. 001 meters, every meter increase requires 10 points instead of 1.] Ren Qingquan hesitated for a moment before deciding, 'Then, upgrade it up to 2. 000 meter radius. I still need the remaining points for my subsystem plans.' I increased the range for [Scan] to 2. 000 meters. [Ding! You have consumed 10. 900 points and successfully upgraded [Scan] radius to 2. 000 meters.] After the upgrade, I immediately felt relieved.

Fortunately, the Pure Wave Sect's merchant ship only flew at approximately 1. 500 meters above ground. So, the newly upgraded 2. 000 meter radius range is enough for me to feel the ground. Ren Qingquan also opened the map, but since he's flying in the air, there aren't many changes, except for being able to check the situation on other flying boats. Feeling uninterested, Ren Qingquan took his leave first and went back to his room. This time, he didn't spend his time cultivating and instead slept peacefully.

Soon, two days passed. On the second morning aboard the flying ship, Ren Qingquan left his room as usual and headed to the dining area with Fatty Zhang. Afterwards, he returned to his room to observe others through the observation function and cultivated while taking pills. By the afternoon, a gentle female voice echoed through the ship, "Good afternoon, dear passengers. In less than an hour, our ship will make a temporary stop at Six Harmony City for a day.

If you wish to visit the city, please return to the ship before tomorrow afternoon, as we will depart right after sunset." A few minutes after the announcement, Fatty Zhang knocked on Ren Qingquan's door. When Ren Qingquan opened it, Fatty Zhang immediately asked, "Young Master Ren, do you have any plans in the city?" Ren Qingquan casually replied, "Not really. I'll just explore the city and be back on the ship by night. Do you need me to get the items you asked me to store?"

"Ah, yes. Please help me retrieve a box of Dawn Dew Lily, two kilograms of sun lizard flesh, two boxes of …" Fatty Zhang listed several items that Ren Qingquan immediately retrieved from his pocket space. While unloading Fatty's goods from his portable space, Ren Qingquan chatted with Fatty Zhang, "Do you know why we stopped so quickly and for such a short time?"

Fatty Zhang replied while sorting the goods Ren Qingquan pulled, "They said it's because the cultivator needs to maintain the ship, and to let the ship refuel by absorbing surrounding ambient spirit qi."

"I thought the ship used spirit stones as fuel?" Ren Qingquan asked.

"The ships can use spirit stones as fuel, but it's too wasteful. That's why there are formations that collect ambient spirit qi and store it for the ship's use," Fatty Zhang mechanically replied while sorting his goods. He also reminded Ren Qingquan, "Young Master Ren, don't forget to change your clothes into the sect's uniform once you leave. This way, the cultivators from the city won't dare to mess with you. Ren Qingquan nodded in response. Both of them continued to chat until the ship finally landed.

The moment the ship landed, Ren Qingquan and Fatty Zhang disembarked. Through [Scan], I saw the Pure Wave Sect's floating ships docked a short distance away from Six Harmony City. The ships landed on a flat area where many low leveled cultivators at the Body Tempering Realm, Qi Refining Realm, and Foundation Establishment Realm had gathered to open a temporary market. Inside the ship, Ren Qingquan followed Fatty Zhang, who was carrying items about three times his size.

Many people, including Fatty Zhang, slowly disembarked from the ships to join the temporary market where the city cultivators had already gathered. But Ren Qingquan didn't join the group and instead walked toward the city. As for why he checked the city first instead of the market, it's because Ren Qingquan felt anxious and rushed if he checked the market first and the city last. What if an accident happened during his visit to the city, delaying his return?!

Although he already knew the two elders and even Peak Master Feng Yun's clone would definitely search for him, the idea of being left behind by the sect's flying ships still fills him with anxiety. While Ren Qingquan walked to the city, I checked the books I had scanned and stored in my library and soon found an introduction to the Six Harmony City.

Unlike mortal cities governed by mortal empires, the Six Harmony City is a cultivation city ruled by five families, each of which houses at least one cultivator of the Nascent Soul realm. As for why they call it Six Harmony City even though there are only five ruling families, it's because the sixth family was destroyed years ago. Still, the name Six Harmony City is already established, and they can't simply rename it to Five Harmony City.

Especially when there's already a city called Five Harmony City a few distances from the Six Harmony City. Once Ren Qingquan arrived at the city, he observed his surroundings. Just like other areas in the cultivation world, Six Harmony City is filled with medieval East Asian buildings mainly made of wood with some stone. Since the System map has grown significantly, I added a function to help Ren Qingquan find suitable subsystem hosts more easily. [Ding! Activating Map Observation Function. The Map Observation Function allows the host to observe the situation within [Scan] range through a screen.]