For the next few days, the entire Shu Mountain Sect was in a state of frantic activity. Upon his return that evening, Xu Xian learned the details of the situation, and the very next day, he descended the mountain with two disciples to take over the Zhengquan Sect's assets in Shushan County.

The main asset was the inn, which was Xu Xian's primary objective for this trip. Ye Wen had given him a stipulation before leaving: no matter who caused trouble, Xu Xian was simply to beat them soundly. "As long as no lives are lost, it doesn't matter." After all, this was in the county seat, and certain actions couldn't be taken too far. Although those involved in the martial world were often desperate outlaws, one still had to consider the attitude of the local officials. If Ye Wen intended to establish his sect's banner in the Shushan territory, he had to factor in his relationship with the local magistrate. Otherwise, if the Imperial Court directly slapped them with the label of an evil sect and issued a nationwide decree, perhaps fabricating some rumors along the way, Ye Wen and his people would likely be looked down upon wherever they went, making the goal of expanding the sect impossible.

Regarding the matter of collecting debts, Ye Wen told Xu Xian not to rush. First, bring back the account books to examine, and ideally, have the innkeeper come up the mountain to discuss matters directly with him. This was because Ye Wen intended to expand this inn significantly; he even had thoughts of opening branches in every county seat in Pingzhou. Besides increasing revenue, this would also serve as the foundation for an intelligence network. "Oh, and besides that, during your downtime while handling business down the mountain, help me think about our sect's rules." "Ah?" Xu Xian hadn't expected that even while he was being sent out on an errand, his Senior Martial Brother, the Sect Master, would still assign him more tasks. Ye Wen explained, "You are the most learned among us in the sect. Matters concerning regulations and frameworks are what you are most familiar with. If I were to draft them, it might take three to five years with no end in sight. Better that you handle it." Xu Xian nodded. He had no intention of declining this task; drafting a sect's rules was a tremendous honor. But did the Shu Mountain Sect not have rules before?

Hearing Xu Xian's question, Ye Wen simply smiled and replied, "Before, there were only Master, myself, and Junior Sister here. And our living situation wasn't great; we worried even about food. Where would there be so many rules? As long as one didn't betray the Master and Ancestors, it was fine. But now that our sect is growing stronger and stronger, we can't continue as before. As the saying goes, without rules, nothing can be accomplished." Understanding the situation, Xu Xian accepted the task and simultaneously asked Ye Wen if he had any specific requirements. "Do not betray the Master and Ancestors, do not betray the sect, and do not use power to bully others." After proposing these three points, Ye Wen paused, then said, "For now, let these three serve as the baseline." "Understood." After grasping Ye Wen's general requirements, Xu Xian, along with Li Sen and the other disciple, slowly descended the mountain, making a detour around the various factions residing on Shu Mountain along the way. This was also part of his mission: to identify the origins of those who had caused trouble on Shu Mountain previously, so that when settling scores later, he would be familiar with the terrain and avoid any mistakes. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Xu Xian specifically looked at the stone tablet whose inscription had been replaced by his mother's people. The characters "Shu Mountain" carved upon it greatly pleased him. "Now our sect can truly be considered the representative of this area." After all, any sect that shared the name of a major local mountain was invariably a powerful one in the region—like Huashan, Hengshan, or Emei. Unless they adhered to a different belief system, they wouldn't be named after a geographical location—such as Shaolin Temple or the Quanzhen Sect. As Xu Xian spoke, the two disciples behind him did not interject, but their expressions showed considerable pride. It seemed that as the reputation of the Shu Mountain Sect grew louder, these disciples also felt a sense of reflected glory, causing their steps to become noticeably lighter.

Meanwhile, Ning Ruxue, along with Xu Ping and two other disciples, arrived at the former stronghold of the Shushan School, a location that had been seized by the Zhengquan Sect but was now returned to its original owners. Ning Ruxue walked in and out of the courtyard several times, finally observing with sadness that not a single trace of the life she and her Senior Martial Brother had lived there remained. After taking possession of the place, the Zhengquan Sect had hired workers to completely renovate it. They had not only built a beautiful tiled house but also erected new fences, revamped the courtyard, and installed a weapons rack piled high with armaments. Normally, the Zhengquan Sect would station several disciples here to manage it as their second base—since it was located at the foot of the mountain, all Shu Mountain personnel had to pass by. The Zhengquan Sect used this location both to attract more disciples and to gauge the overall power of Shu Mountain. It also served as a form of insurance, as this location was essentially the main gate to Shu Mountain; if an outside force attacked, controlling this spot meant blocking the enemy's path up the mountain. Now that the place was back in the hands of the Shu Mountain Sect, Ye Wen hoped it would function as an administrative office at the base of the mountain, allowing the sect to intercept any prospective disciples immediately upon their arrival. Ye Wen was confident that as his sect's fame spread, intercepting these aspirants would become effortless. Over time, those smaller, less established families, deprived of new disciples and facing direct pressure from the Shu Mountain Sect nearby, would likely leave voluntarily, requiring Ye Wen to undertake no specific conquest.

Originally, Ye Wen intended to send Xu Ping to take charge, viewing it as a new test for the disciple. If he managed it well, Ye Wen was even prepared to entrust the management of this base at the mountain's foot entirely to Xu Ping. However, Ning Ruxue volunteered to go. Realizing his Junior Sister wished to revisit their old home, Ye Wen did not stop her. In truth, if he hadn't needed to remain on the mountain to properly recuperate from his injuries, he too would have wanted to see it. But unlike Ning Ruxue's nostalgia, he was curious about the place where his current body had resided before his transmigration. "The moment I transmigrated, I was severely injured because of that wretched place. It wouldn't be right if I didn't go see what it was actually like." But he wasn't in a hurry; he wasn't planning to stay on the mountain forever. He would see it sooner or later. For now, he needed to focus on healing his injuries.

After Ning Ruxue and Xu Ping descended the mountain, Ye Wen accelerated the pace of his healing. He spent half of every day submerged in the Cold Pool, and the other half wandering around the Shu Mountain Sect grounds, offering guidance to his disciples. Because of his injuries, even treating Liu Qingfeng's wounds was postponed. Fortunately, the old Daoist expressed his understanding, noting that his injuries had already largely recovered, and the remaining issues could be nursed slowly with his deep inner strength, even without Ye Wen's direct assistance. However, Ye Wen still thumped his chest and assured him, "Once I have recovered, I will continue treating you, True Master. Since I gave my guarantee to cure you, how could I abandon the task midway?" A true man is defined by keeping his word. Ye Wen was unwilling to be faithless and certainly would not neglect Liu Qingfeng. The old Daoist was very grateful for Ye Wen's commitment and did not press the matter further.

As for his younger apprentice, Zhao Heng, he had spent these recent days at the Shu Mountain Sect and had witnessed the sect's formidable power. He no longer possessed that look of disdain he once held. Liu Qingfeng was pleased that his disciple was finally beginning to change his perspective, and he held Ye Wen in high esteem for bringing about these changes in Zhao Heng. When speaking with Zhao Heng, he frequently mentioned Ye Wen. With so much talk, Zhao Heng naturally grew curious and asked, "Master, what exactly is Sect Master Ye's cultivation level?" Liu Qingfeng pondered for a moment before replying, "Sect Master Ye's cultivation should be roughly on par with mine." This was the conclusion Liu Qingfeng reached after careful consideration and repeatedly adjusting his own perspective. This evaluation was actually quite high, considering that just a year ago, Liu Qingfeng only considered Ye Wen to have a bright future, decent cultivation, and to be a leading figure among the younger generation.

But Zhao Heng was unaware of this history and asked, "Then, Master, can you also use internal force to protect your body and repel incoming projectiles to injure the enemy?" Zhao Heng was recalling the scene he witnessed that day: Ye Wen activating his entire true qi to shield himself and then shattering the incoming projectiles—it was too terrifying. Zhao Heng had traveled with his master for quite some time, and apart from the eccentric martial artists they had encountered, he had never seen his own master employ such a technique. Coupled with the fact that Ye Wen had been using his internal energy to help heal his master these past few days, Zhao Heng even suspected that Ye Wen's cultivation surpassed his master's.

How could a master fail to guess his apprentice's thoughts? Liu Qingfeng gave a wry smile and explained, "I am capable of using internal force to shield my body, but to explode the aura across my whole body and then repel projectiles back at the enemy—that, I cannot do." "It's not that my internal energy is insufficient; it's that the internal energy derived from our sect's Huyang Danqi is inherently fierce and overbearing, difficult to control. If I were to use it like Sect Master Ye, I fear that before injuring the enemy, I would first harm myself. Severed meridians would be the least of it; instant death is also possible." Saying this, Liu Qingfeng realized his young apprentice lacked the extensive experience of his other two disciples. He immediately cautioned, "You must remember, if you ever master the Huyang Danqi in the future, do not use it like Sect Master Ye. The internal art Sect Master Ye practices follows a path of impartiality and peace, and it also has the miraculous effect of nourishing the meridians, allowing for recovery even after momentary injury. If you were to act rashly like that, others wouldn't even have time to save you." Hearing his master's serious instruction, Zhao Heng immediately nodded in assent, inwardly amazed, "It's a good thing I haven't cultivated Huyang Danqi yet, nor have I imitated Sect Master Ye. Otherwise, wouldn't I be bringing suffering upon myself?"

Zhao Heng was not wrong; acting rashly like Ye Wen was indeed courting disaster. Currently, Ye Wen was sitting in the Cold Pool, gritting his teeth as he endured the bone-piercing agony running through his meridians. "I didn't expect that circulating energy to heal in the Cold Pool would be several times more painful than usual. It's truly agonizing." This was because the cold air stimulated the true qi, speeding up its circulation. While this greatly enhanced the healing capacity, the pain followed suit. If Ye Wen recovered slowly and steadily, he wouldn't have to suffer this torment, but since he wanted to recover in the shortest possible time, he had to grit his teeth and bear the pain. However, there were benefits too. As long as he persisted in using this method to repair his meridians, upon recovery, his entire network of meridians would be tougher than before, effectively raising his cultivation level in a roundabout way. "The best way to advance one's cultivation, aside from fortuitous encounters, is truly through self-inflicted torment."