Normally, the succession of a sect didn't require much thought; when passing knowledge to disciples, the master usually taught along the exact cultivation path they themselves had followed.

Of course, there were instances where a single master was proficient in multiple disciplines, thus requiring them to select the most suitable cultivation path for their disciples. However, even this selection was based on methods the master was already familiar with, generally not deviating from traditional teaching methods.

Ye Wen’s situation was somewhat different; he lacked extensive cultivation experience, still striving to improve his own power, leaving him little time to reflect upon and systematically organize his martial arts. He remained in the frantic phase of relentlessly pursuing higher power and frantically boosting his own cultivation level. Epiphanies and deeper understandings could wait until he reached a certain realm and became stuck, unable to advance further.

Yet, for the development of the sect, he was compelled to accept disciples to strengthen its influence, presenting him with a dilemma: precisely how should he instruct his two new disciples?

Should he teach them the martial arts he currently knew? But he was eagerly anticipating the days of summoning each month, hoping to obtain more and better martial arts from which he could select those suitable for himself.

In essence, he didn't know which specific techniques he would ultimately practice or what direction his own path would take. Consequently, he couldn't be sure if his future cultivation route would suit the two disciples standing before him.

The alternative approach was to first establish a solid foundation for both disciples, then select martial arts from the secret manuals he summoned that he deemed appropriate for them. Following this, he would adopt a "free-range" teaching style: beyond imparting some common foundational concepts, everything else would rely on their self-comprehension; their eventual realm would be entirely dependent on individual talent.

The benefit of this method was the possibility that, years later, the Shu Shan Sect might gain another formidable fighting force. The drawback, however, was equally obvious: the chance of cultivating a complete failure seemed significantly higher.

After much hesitation, Ye Wen finally decided on the second method. This decision was solidified after he summoned a set of martial arts manuals that left him utterly speechless—the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm (Piao Xue Chuan Yun Zhang).

What a magnificent and beautiful name. This palm technique was, in fact, one of the supreme skills of the Emei Sect. Upon seeing it, Ye Wen inwardly sighed, "I just named that girl Zhou Zhiruo, and I was worrying about what to teach her when this technique appears. Could this be fate compelling me to carry the imitation sect all the way?"

Thinking of this, he imagined a young girl mastering the supreme skills of the Emei Sect, bearing the name Zhou Zhiruo, and yet calling him Master... Ye Wen shuddered, recalling that unpleasant old nun.

"If I let my thoughts stray like that, I almost vomited myself to death."

Although the thought of being called Master by a Zhou Zhiruo made him equate himself with that detestable nun, Ye Wen tried his best to ignore this discomfort. Instead, he found the idea of cultivating a knock-off Zhou Zhiruo rather amusing. Therefore, he set a developmental direction for his second disciple: everything would be based on Emei Sect martial arts.

With the decision made, he immediately jotted down some stances and moves from the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm. He reviewed it himself and discovered that this palm technique demanded a high level of internal energy cultivation; those lacking sufficient internal force could not unleash its true power even if they practiced it. So, he wasn't in a hurry. He would first have Zhou Zhiruo diligently practice her internal arts, while simultaneously training her foundation with basic hand-to-hand combat skills. He would periodically teach her moves from the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm, and once a move was well-practiced, he would instruct her on the method of channeling force. He was confident that after several years, when Zhou Zhiruo had achieved a certain level of internal cultivation, this palm technique would be fully learned.

By then, he believed he would have more suitable martial arts for her on hand, so he wouldn't fear running out of things to teach in the future.

As for Yue Ning, his chief senior disciple, Ye Wen had also established a foundation for him: Ye Wen resolved to have the boy practice the sword, just like himself. As for Yue Ning's inherited saber techniques, since he hadn't mastered them yet, it didn't matter if they were set aside for now.

Furthermore, over these past months, Ye Wen had finally obtained a secret manual for the Quanzhen Sword Style (Quan Zhen Jian Fa), which he had just finished practicing himself. Thus, he conveniently had a suitable sword style to teach. This could also align with his Quanzhen Heart Method (Quan Zhen Xin Fa). Yue Ning's future development path would likely follow Ye Wen's current cultivation route.

As for any future changes, it would entirely depend on Ye Wen's future 'luck' in summoning and Yue Ning's own progress in cultivation.

Having dealt with all this, Ye Wen noticed that winter had passed. Even high up on the mountain, he could feel the strong presence of spring. During the winter, Ning Ruxue and Aunt Zhao had planted some flower seeds in the sect out of boredom; now, they had begun to bud. The already numerous trees were lush and green, and coupled with the growing number of disciples, the entire Shu Shan Sect exhibited a vibrant, flourishing appearance.

One day, Ye Wen finished his meditation and cultivation, practiced his swordplay for a while in the courtyard, perfecting the Quanzhen Sword Style. Then, he switched to palm techniques, currently practicing the Mian Palm (Mian Zhang). As his cultivation deepened, he grasped the essence of this soft palm technique with increasing clarity. Now, when he executed it, it was no longer as stiff as before; the entire set of Mian Palm flowed out like water, and though it still appeared slow, it no longer gave people that previous impression of "This is just aimless flailing."

After finishing the set of palm forms, there wasn't a speck of sweat on Ye Wen's brow. His internal cultivation had reached a considerable level; such movements weren't enough to make him sweat or feel fatigued; instead, he felt refreshed, his entire body warm and incomparably comfortable.

"No wonder there are so many martial arts fanatics in the Jianghu. If every practice ended with such a satisfying feeling, it’s no wonder they become addicted."

He sighed casually, just as his junior martial sister, Ning Ruxue, walked in from outside. She must have just finished her practice; her fitted training clothes fully revealed her figure, and faint beads of sweat on her forehead shimmered slightly in the morning sun. However, she seemed to have no mind for such details, frowning as if preoccupied with something.

Seeing Ye Wen, she seemed to recall something, opening her mouth to speak before abruptly stopping herself.

Noticing her demeanor, Ye Wen knew his junior martial sister had something she wanted to discuss, and likely needed his help, but was too hesitant or embarrassed to bring it up.

In fact, Ye Wen had already noticed that his junior martial sister had been busy with something every day recently. Initially, Ye Wen assumed she was cultivating in seclusion, but now it seemed there was another underlying reason.

It was just that during this period, Ye Wen was preoccupied with teaching his two disciples. Before that, a group of ten young escorts from the Yue Shan Escort Agency had come up the mountain to join the outer sect of the Shu Shan Sect, requiring him to spend some time teaching these escorts and the original ten guards who had joined the sect the basic breath regulation methods and some simple hand-to-hand combat techniques. As for weaponry, he hadn't started that yet, but it still consumed some energy, so he hadn't paid close attention to Ning Ruxue’s activities.

Now it appeared his junior martial sister had encountered some difficulty. He reflected that his junior martial sister had been loyal to him and the Shu Shan Sect, and while her attitude toward him wasn't the best, it never crossed the line of major offense. When he needed to assert his authority as the sect leader, she was always considerate of his reputation. Therefore, seeing her facing trouble now while he was free, he decided to inquire. If he could help, he certainly should.

"Junior Martial Sister, is there something you wish to say?"

"No..." she blurted out habitually, but immediately regretted it. Ning Ruxue gripped the hilt of her long sword, hesitating for a long moment, standing there unsure whether to leave or stay, yet finding it incredibly difficult to speak.

This hesitant appearance struck Ye Wen as quite novel, because his junior martial sister was usually decisive and swift. They had lived together for nearly a year, and he had never seen her act so timidly before.

So Ye Wen wasn't in a rush to press her, choosing instead to admire Ning Ruxue’s rare posture as if watching a scenic view.

Completely unaware that she had become a spectacle, Ning Ruxue was engaged in an internal battle. At one moment, she thought: "I’ve worked hard these days with no breakthroughs; perhaps I should ask my senior brother for guidance? After all, he is my senior brother; asking for advice shouldn't be an issue?"

But before she could resolve to speak, a voice in her mind cried out: "Who is he? Just someone who has always been inferior to me. Although he has changed significantly this past year, it’s impossible that he has suddenly become a genius. If he can do it, why can't I?"

The truth was that during these past months, Ye Wen would occasionally pull out a martial art, claiming it was his own creation. As his power grew deeper, Ning Ruxue found it impossible to refute his claims. More importantly, her senior brother rarely left the mountain, descending only a handful of times, and being cooped up there day after day meant he couldn't possibly have learned anything from some hidden master.

She was perfectly aware of the foundation of the Shu Shan Sect, knowing there were no secret inherited martial arts or mental cultivation methods within. Thus, when Ye Wen presented these martial arts as self-created, Ning Ruxue was the least likely to doubt him.

Ning Ruxue, who had always considered herself superior to Ye Wen, saw her senior brother creating martial arts one after another. He hadn't just created two internal cultivation methods (publicly, Ye Wen only presented two: the Quanzhen Heart Method for his own practice, and the Xiaoyao Heart Method, which Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian practiced), but also two sword styles: the Quanzhen Sword Style and the Yu Nu Sword Style. He also created one saber technique: the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber (Wu Hu Duan Men Dao)—Ning Ruxue was initially puzzled why her brother, who didn't practice the saber, could create a saber technique? However, Ye Wen smoothed it over by claiming he had seen much during his brief trips down the mountain and had a sudden inspiration. Fortunately, there were no masters of profound cultivation in the Shu Shan Sect, so he easily managed to deceive them.

He even created a fist technique and a palm technique: the Taizu Long Fist (Tai Zu Chang Quan) and the Mian Palm (Ning Ruxue was still unaware of the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm). Moreover, their power was considerable, giving the Shu Shan Sect the ability for unarmed combat and making it increasingly resemble a major sect with a long history and numerous supreme skills.

Even her most potent technique, Heaven and Earth Throw (Qian Kun Yi Zhi)—which Ye Wen had formally named and established as the Shu Shan Sect's projectile technique—was actually derived from a subtle hint Ye Wen gave her.

Consequently, Ning Ruxue, who believed she was no worse than Ye Wen, developed the notion that she too should create a martial art. However, after two months of effort, she found herself utterly without inspiration, which led to her current conflicted state.