The matter of placing this sole 'survivor' within the Shushan Sect had long been discussed with Ye Wen, but at the time, he was neither in the frame of mind to pay attention nor was he free from pressing matters, so the issue was simply relegated to the back of his mind.

Brought up now, Ye Wen finally recalled this loose end. Initially, he thought it was something to just acknowledge and move past, but upon closer consideration, if this disciple were not handled properly, friction within the sect was almost inevitable later on.

"Even if no friction arises, having another faction emerging is a headache in itself!"

He felt the current structure of the Shushan Sect was quite good. Starting with the three most senior members, Ning Ruxue had no disciples and was now his wife, so the Shushan Sect hadn't fragmented into too many sub-groups. Ye Wen’s direct lineage comprised the disciples he personally taught, while Xu Xian’s line was considered the collateral branch.

Of course, to the sect itself, there was no inherent difference between the direct and collateral lines; if talent emerged from Xu Xian’s line, the leadership position might just as easily fall to one of his disciples in the future.

However, since a sect is composed of people, certain situations are simply unavoidable. As disciples of Ye Wen’s lineage, they invisibly held slightly more weight than those from Xu Xian’s line.

Fortunately, the situation was not yet serious, and the disciples were generally getting along well! But since they might have to live like this for hundreds or even thousands of years, it was best to avoid the conditions that fostered such divisions.

He then inquired further about the disciple from the Pai lineage, learning that the young man had only mastered a few of the basic mandatory martial arts at Shushan, such as the Quanzhen Vitality Method, Shushan Long Fist (Taizu Long Fist), and Soft Palm. He hadn't practiced much in Qinggong (lightness skill) because the Suodi Chengcun technique from the Pai lineage was itself a formidable lightness skill—one that bordered on sorcery when mastered—so there was no need for this person to abandon it.

Coupled with the Jingcang Jie, Mist Palm, and Circular Barrier techniques inherited from the Pai, the disciple already possessed sufficient self-preservation capabilities. Moreover, the Pai disciples lacked the competitive drive to vie for supremacy, so he hadn't bothered learning Xu Xian’s line’s strongest swordsmanship.

"What about his aptitude?"

Nangong Huang answered in a low voice, "Truthfully, if not for the overwhelming momentum of the Pai's current situation making reversal difficult, this child possesses the potential to revitalize the Pai."

"Oh?"

Ye Wen was surprised by Nangong Huang’s high assessment of the young man and instinctively cast another glance at him.

As he looked, he realized that after all this talk, he had forgotten to even ask the young man's name: "What is this young man called?"

Nangong Huang paused, realizing he had neglected to introduce the youth to Ye Wen. "This young man was originally an orphan raised by the Pai from childhood. Later, he was named Xuantian, initially intended as his Daoist name. But when the Pai perished, Xuantian followed his master to join our Shushan Sect. His master, believing the disciple’s talent exceptional, felt he might achieve greater things if truly accepted by Shushan, and thus did not have him become a Daoist priest..."

"What do you mean?"

"Although our Shushan Sect claims to be a lineage of Daoism, most of our disciples are not cultivators of the Dao. Thus, the martial world believes Shushan is not an orthodox Daoist sect..."

Ye Wen understood immediately. Moreover, if he had become a Daoist priest, he would have to abide by many rules, which would inevitably make him a minority in the Shushan Sect, where non-Daoists formed the majority. For his master, who genuinely wanted Xuantian to integrate fully into Shushan, this was certainly not the right path. Thus...

After some thought, Ye Wen summoned Xuantian before him, scrutinized him briefly, and then, with a flash of inspiration, smiled, "I heard this name was originally intended as a Daoist appellation!"

"Yes!"

The young man, Xuantian, appeared composed before Ye Wen, showing no hint of awkwardness, speaking clearly without being subservient or arrogant.

"Since that is the case, let's modify it slightly and use it as a given name. Let Xuantian become the surname!" Ye Wen smiled. Those behind him, hearing this, suddenly felt a familiar sensation: "Senior Brother’s peculiar sense of humor is acting up again!"

Ye Wen continued, "I will bestow upon you the character Zong (Sect/Clan). From now on, you shall be called Xuantian Zong. What do you think?"

The man was startled, then quietly repeated the name a few times, finding it quite fitting. He bowed deeply, "Thank you, Ancestor Master, for bestowing this name!" He understood that with this name, he was truly considered a disciple of the Shushan Sect starting now, and the cultivation methods of the Pai would be fully integrated into Shushan as his lineage's cultivation art.

Thinking deeper, Xuantian Zong even suspected whether Ye Wen intended for him to establish a separate faction, allowing him to carry forward the Pai's techniques and the Daoist scriptures—otherwise, why bestow the surname Zong?

If Ye Wen knew this disciple’s thoughts, he would likely weep without tears, as it was the exact opposite of what Ye Wen intended. He currently wished everyone would unite around him and strive wholeheartedly for Shushan's resurgence; how could he possibly want his disciples to develop small cliques?

Although, in a sense, if small cliques grew large enough, they would coalesce into a behemoth, but such a formation would inevitably breed internal strife.

Simultaneously, Xuantian Zong would never guess that Ye Wen chose this name purely based on a movie, a film he remembered because of the cool magic weapon effects and the title itself.

"Since we are the Shushan Sect, naturally, everyone from the Pai should be gathered under us!" Xu Xian muttered from the side, "Senior Brother must be thinking along these lines... I predict Danchenzi and others will pop up soon, perhaps Li Yingqiong won't be far behind..."

Ye Wen turned and shot him a look—the kind that suggested, You know too much—making Xu Xian fall silent. Ye Wen then turned back to listen to Nangong Huang’s continued introduction.

However, by now, he had a general understanding of the situation.

First, in terms of seniority, Ye Wen’s generation was the highest in Shushan, counting downwards.

Seventh Generation Leader: Ye Wen!

Of the same generation were Junior Sister Ning Ruxue, also the Sect Leader's wife; the Second Wife, Huayi; Junior Brother Xu Xian and his wife, Huang Rongrong.

These individuals constituted the highest-ranking members of the Shushan Sect currently, representing the entirety of the Seventh Generation disciples and their dependents.

Below them were the Eighth Generation disciples, beginning with Ye Wen’s lineage: Eldest disciple Yue Ning, now deceased; Second disciple Zhou Zhiruo; Third disciple Xu Ping, also deceased; Fourth disciple Liu Muyan, deceased; Fifth disciple Guo Jing; Sixth disciple Li Xiaoyao, and Seventh disciple Wei Hong.

Ning Ruxue’s line had only one, Nangong Zixin, who had also passed away long ago. Since Nangong Zixin had married Xu Ping, their offspring were counted as Ye Wen’s successors.

Xu Xian had taken on two disciples; the eldest, Li Sen, was now deceased; the second, Nangong Huang, was alive. Both disciples left inheritances, so Xu Xian’s line was quite prosperous.

As for Huayi and Huang Rongrong, being purely dependents and having left no offspring, they were initially not counted. However, Ye Wen was unaware that a line of descent actually did stem from Huang Rongrong.

At this moment, Nangong Huang was introducing Ye Wen to the people of the Huang family line.

It turned out that after Huang Rongrong had resided at Shushan for a long time, the sole survivor from the Huang Family Village also remained on the mountain. Later, before Huang Rongrong and Xu Xian achieved Po Sui Xu Kong (Shattering the Void), the two had no direct descendants. This 'uncle' of Huang Rongrong, with her consent, adopted a child and gave him the surname Huang, ostensibly continuing the Huang family line.

This child grew up on Shushan. Lacking aptitude for martial arts, he turned to studying medicine under Chen Yizhong and has since been the primary medical personnel at the Shushan Sect.

This person was named Huang Yun. The name itself was unremarkable. He was now nearly fifty and had only recently had two children. While paying respects to Ye Wen, holding his two young, unnamed sons, Huang Yun took the opportunity to salute Huang Rongrong—if they were to be precise, they were family, and he was required to call Huang Rongrong 'Sister'!

However, the sight was quite peculiar. Although Huang Rongrong was chronologically in her seventies or eighties, her appearance was that of a girl barely fourteen—a complete child. Huang Yun, lacking the talent to practice higher techniques and having spent his life studying medicine, had hair as white as snow.

The sight of this old man and this young girl exchanging courtesies and calling each other family, with the term 'sister' being used, felt awkward to everyone, including Huang Rongrong herself.

After the introductions, Huang Yun was filed into the personnel roster Ye Wen was mentally constructing. Although Huang Yun was akin to an Elder serving as an honorary guest, with Huang Rongrong as a relative and having been taught by Chen Yizhong, his seniority was still quite high.

Especially regarding his two young sons, who hadn't even been named yet—they would officially be incorporated into the Shushan Sect's generational registry. Whether their lineage should trace back to Chen Yizhong or Huang Rongrong required consideration.

Finally, Ye Wen made the executive decision: "Let's trace them through Huang Rongrong!" This meant Huang Yun’s two sons were equivalent to Ye Wen’s own disciples’ generation.

"Sister, please bestow names upon these two boys!"

In ancient times, naming was not rushed; it was common to have a childhood nickname and a formal name bestowed later in life. Both of Huang Yun’s boys—one about four and the other three—were far from adulthood, so not having names was normal.

Huang Yun wasn't anxious initially, but after seeing Xu Ping's grandson named by the Sect Leader and Yue Ning's granddaughter also named while still being carried, he felt it inappropriate for his own two energetic sons to remain nameless.

Since everyone important was present, and the elders of the Pai lineage were gathered, this was a perfect opportunity to seize. Huang Yun hoped the elders would name his boys.

He didn't dare hope Ye Wen would speak, but rather wished his sister could name the children!

Huang Yun was actually quite distressed. After growing up, he learned he was adopted and, even more oddly, that he wasn't given his adoptive father's surname, but Huang. Though he later learned the reason for receiving the Huang surname, Huang Rongrong had already achieved Po Sui Xu Kong by then, and he never knew how his nominal sister felt about her younger brother.

At the time, though dejected, since Huang Rongrong was gone, he wouldn't see her again, so having the surname Huang was acceptable; he felt he would live out his life on Shushan regardless of his name.

But Ye Wen had returned, moving the entire Shushan Mountain to the Immortal Realm, and his nominal sister, Huang Rongrong, was also there—he had been astonished upon hearing this girl who looked like a child was his sister. Then he realized his sister must have become an immortal maiden, explaining her agelessness and return to youth.

This put him, the younger brother, in an awkward position. What if this sister disliked him? If it were just personal dislike, it wouldn't matter much, but he had two sons now. He had to consider their future lives. He was nearly fifty, and his martial arts improvement was limited; he wouldn't be around much longer, but the two boys...

His standing in the Shushan Sect was not high. He could perceive that Shushan's future would grow increasingly better. Huang Yun could only hope that Huang Rongrong would show some kindness toward his two sons, perhaps offering occasional protection so they could live out their lives safely on Shushan.

If his sons could inherit immortal techniques, that would be even better!

Therefore, at this juncture, he hoped to establish rapport with his sister, primarily to gain her goodwill toward his two sons—after all, children named by one's own relative might naturally be favored, especially since they were nominally her nephews.

"You want me to name them?"

Everyone's gaze turned to Huang Rongrong, who in turn looked to Xu Xian: "You name them; your literary talent is so great!"

Xu Xian shook his head. "This is your brother's request; it’s not right for me to interfere... Besides, names... can't you just casually pick a good one like Senior Brother does?"

"Ah?" Huang Rongrong's eyes lit up; she thought this was a solution. She blurted out, "Then let's call them Huang Shi and Huang Feihong..."

Ye Wen had been anticipating what sort of name Huang Rongrong would choose, but she was so straightforward, inspired by his fun with his own 'mountain stronghold' names.

However...

"It's fine that you found yourself a father..."

This comment wasn't from Ye Wen, although he was internally making the same complaint. Xu Xian’s voice was low, but Huang Rongrong was right beside him and heard it clearly. She instantly recalled that Huang Shi was the father of Huang Rong in stories—she had been teased mercilessly back when she watched that series.

Even Xu Xian commented, "It's a good thing I never watched it, or I’d think you’d ended up with that Guo boy! Senior Brother probably thought the same way when he chose the name Jing, didn't he?"

Huang Rongrong became furious: "My name is Huang Rongrong, not Huang Rong!"

Recalling this, Huang Rongrong deeply regretted her words, but they were already spoken. Huang Yun, overjoyed, deemed the two names excellent and immediately assigned them: the older son would be Huang Shi, and the younger, Huang Feihong!

"Why did you say those two?"

Huang Rongrong was on the verge of tears: "I could only think of the most famous people surnamed Huang..."

"I told you to read more books, but you spend your days watching movies. Are you frustrated now?"

"Then what should I have named them?"

"Uh... Huang Hong?"

Huang Yun retreated, satisfied. Ye Wen mused whether these two children would be as skilled in medicine as their counterparts in the original stories. If so, the promotion of the Grass Pavilion to the Pill Pavilion would be secured!

"If necessary, we can cultivate them in that direction!"

Ye Wen solidified this thought, then returned his attention to the organizational chart in his mind, which was still not fully sketched out.

First, his own generation had gained Huang Yun. However, although of the same generation, this person was at best a leisure figure with little real authority or duties, holding no influence within the sect; he could essentially be ignored.

His two sons would be classified among the Eighth Generation disciples and could be merged into Xu Xian’s lineage. Since Huang Rongrong joined the Shushan Sect in her capacity as Xu Xian’s wife, her relatives would naturally fall under that line, at most considered a collateral branch of Xu Xian’s faction.

"Perhaps I need to draw a family tree? This is getting increasingly complicated!"

As the Pai members increased, the relationships naturally grew more tangled; Ye Wen understood this was inevitable.

Further down were the Ninth Generation disciples. Currently, there was a real dearth of talent in this generation. The Shushan Sect seemed to have a gap in this cohort. Ye Wen surmised this was due to the conflicts with the heretical cult during those years, coupled with Yue Ning's influence, leading to this stagnation.

There was another reason Ye Wen overlooked: Ye Wen's disciples were all quite young, and under the brilliance cast by this generation, their own disciples had almost no chance to rise to prominence.

Furthermore, these disciples hadn't reached their peaks before taking on apprentices, meaning their ability to teach was underdeveloped. Consequently, most of their students did not flourish, resulting in a decline in the Ninth Generation talent pool, while the younger generations received greater attention instead.

Among the Ninth Generation disciples, Changmei Daoren showed the most promise—and he was a latecomer joining the sect with existing skills. This spoke volumes about the state of this generation at Shushan.

The rest were Liu Muyan’s daughter, Liu Mengli, and Guo Jing’s eight disciples. Even Xu Xian’s line had no successors in this generation; the one personally purged by Nangong Huang belonged to this cohort.

Ye Wen examined the structure and felt that the Shushan Sect’s lineage structure seemed to have been abruptly choked off at the Ninth Generation, becoming worryingly thin.

"Alas... I suppose we must rely on the younger generations!"

For the Tenth Generation, the grand-disciple generation, Yue Lingshan and Xu Changqing were essentially being cultivated from childhood, and Ye Wen could place high expectations on them. Furthermore, Changmei had also taken a disciple and was preparing a Daoist name for him. Ye Wen summarily bestowed upon the young boy the Daoist name Danchenzi, which greatly excited the child—while Xu Xian and the others looked utterly speechless.

"Senior Brother, where are you planning to get those massive wings?"

"We'll see. Perhaps we can forge them ourselves in the future!"

In addition, there were Xuantian Zong, Qingfeng, and Mingyue—also belonging to this generation. Putting aside others, the named disciples Ye Wen could recall easily numbered no less than those in the Eighth Generation, allowing Ye Wen to harbor great expectations for this generation yet to mature.

Sorting out the structure of the Shushan Sect consumed a significant amount of time...