"Ruoxi, it's not that your Martial Aunt doesn't want you to take over as Sect Leader right now!"
Grand Elder, Master Junxuan, put on a kind expression towards Zhou Ruoxi and sighed, "It's mainly because you are still too young, and your master has just passed away. Our Emei Sect is unstable and facing many external factors. I worry that you won't be able to handle it all."
"Yes."
The Third Elder, Guo Yu, who had just reacted, quickly agreed and said, "Ruoxi, this Sect Leader position is definitely yours to inherit, just not now. Let me be the acting Sect Leader for now to stabilize our Emei Sect. When things are stable, we can find a suitable time to hold a grand ceremony for your succession. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Hmph."
Guo Yu's words caused Master Junxuan's old eyes to cast a cold glance at him. "Martial Brother Guo, if anyone is qualified to be the acting Sect Leader, it should be me, the Grand Elder, right?"
Guo Yu tilted his head dismissively and sneered, "Martial Sister Junxuan, I know my martial talent isn't as high as yours, and my skills aren't as good. But to lead a sect, it's not just about martial arts. It's also about how you conduct yourself. In this regard, dare you guarantee that you can compare to me, Guo Yu?"
Master Junxuan's old face turned grim, and she glared at Guo Yu. She knew that this fellow was eloquent and adept at handling interpersonal relationships, maintaining good connections with various martial arts sects.
Even when her junior sister, Master Fengling, was in charge, all external sect affairs were managed by Guo Yu. He not only handled relationships with outsiders well but also got along very well with the sect's stewards and younger disciples because Guo Yu was generous and often rewarded the younger disciples.
Therefore, Guo Yu had the support of many disciples within the sect.
However, as the Grand Elder, Master Junxuan's prestige in the sect was second only to the Sect Leader, and her supporters were also more numerous. Especially her disciples, they accounted for more than one-third of the Emei Sect's disciples!
In other words, out of the more than four hundred disciples of the Emei Sect, Master Junxuan's disciples occupied the majority, with dozens of inner disciples. Meng Shijie, Meng Yuqing, mentioned by Zheng Rong, was one of Master Junxuan's close disciples!
"Hmph, Martial Brother Guo, my second disciple, Tian Zhixin, isn't much worse than you in this regard, is he?"
Master Junxuan pointed to a young man standing beside her, wearing a long robe, of medium build, and around thirty years old. He was her personal disciple, Tian Zhixin.
Guo Yu's old face narrowed slightly. He glanced at Tian Zhixin and chuckled, "Still too young."
"But we must give the youth a chance, shouldn't we?" Master Junxuan followed his statement.
However, Zhou Ruoxi said calmly, "Martial Aunt Junxuan, Uncle-Master Guo, I said, I want to take over as Sect Leader!"
Masters Junxuan and Guo Yu were stunned. They turned their heads to look at Zhou Ruoxi. Her face was calm, but her autumn eyes revealed an extremely firm gaze. She said sternly, "This was my master's dying wish, to have me succeed as Sect Leader. Are you going to object?"
This statement directly exposed the intentions of Masters Junxuan and Guo Yu, making their faces turn unpleasant. The disciples present also exchanged glances, and discussions began to erupt.
After all, the Sect Leader, Master Fengling, had appointed Zhou Ruoxi as the successor before her death. Everyone in the Emei Sect knew about this!
Now, Masters Junxuan and Guo Yu, using Zhou Ruoxi's youth as an excuse to elect an acting Sect Leader to manage the sect, was clearly bullying Zhou Ruoxi and subtly forcing her to give up the position of Sect Leader!
If Zhou Ruoxi agreed to let one of them become the acting Sect Leader, then who knew when she would be able to take over as Sect Leader, or if she ever would!
Master Yunbai, Master Jinyu, and many young disciples present all understood this clearly!
"Ruoxi, look at what you're saying, as if we're trying to snatch the Sect Leader position from you."
Guo Yu walked up with a smile, looking at Zhou Ruoxi with a kind expression. "We are doing this for your own good. After all, you are still young. Let's elect an acting Sect Leader to manage the sect for you for a few years. When the time is right, we will let you take over as Sect Leader. Isn't that for the best?"
Master Junxuan also said sarcastically, "Young people shouldn't be too impatient. Opportunities will always come to you!"
"Exactly."
A woman standing on Master Junxuan's right, looking to be in her thirties, with a sharp face, named Zhang Xincai, was Master Junxuan's eldest disciple. She glanced coldly at Zhou Ruoxi and said, "If my master becomes the acting Sect Leader, it's for your own good. Sister Ruoxi should be grateful."
"That's right. Besides, you're not being prevented from becoming Sect Leader in the future. My master is considering the future of our entire Emei Sect by managing sect affairs on your behalf. You should understand her good intentions." Another female disciple, Liu Lian'er, was Master Junxuan's third close disciple.
For a moment, the disciples who supported Master Junxuan began to discuss, even directly accusing Zhou Ruoxi of being ungrateful.
This scene made Jiang Tingxia anxious. She turned to Master Yunbai and Master Jinyu and said, "Martial Aunt Yunbai, Martial Aunt Jinyu, please speak up for Ruoxi!"
Masters Yunbai and Jinyu exchanged glances and looked at their senior martial sister, Master Junxuan, and junior martial brother, Guo Yu. They were vying for the position of acting Sect Leader, completely disregarding Zhou Ruoxi.
It was clear that they intended to seize the Sect Leader position!
At this moment, facing the malicious accusations from her fellow martial sisters and brothers, even Zhou Ruoxi, with her strong will, couldn't hold back. She tightly clenched her fists, bit her lip, and her delicate body trembled slightly. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she let out a low roar, "Enough!"
Her sudden roar silenced everyone for a brief moment. All eyes turned to Zhou Ruoxi. She glared fiercely at Masters Junxuan and Guo Yu, gritted her teeth, turned, and quickly walked out...
"Sister..."
Jiang Tingxia reacted and quickly chased after her...
Leaving Liu Lian'er and Zhang Xincai looking at each other. The disciples present then pointed at Zhou Ruoxi's retreating back and began to criticize her maliciously again...
"That's enough, everyone!"
Master Yunbai couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up and silenced the noisy and chaotic disciples. She glanced at her senior martial sister, Master Junxuan, and junior martial brother, Guo Yu, and said, "Senior martial sister, Martial Brother Guo, you've gone too far!"
Master Jinyu, who was sitting beside her, stood up, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Master Yunbai sighed and followed her junior martial sister, also leaving the hall...
The disciples also left one after another. Finally, most of the younger disciples, along with Grand Elder Master Junxuan and Third Elder Guo Yu, remained in the hall. This place had now become the battleground for their conflict...
"Sob, Master..."
After leaving the hall, Zhou Ruoxi ran to the ancestral graves in the back mountain, to the tomb of her master, Master Fengling, who had just been buried. The plastic bag on the tombstone had not yet been removed. Zhou Ruoxi knelt before her master's tombstone, unable to control her wronged emotions any longer, and cried heartbrokenly. Jiang Tingxia knelt beside her, crying with her senior martial sister.
"Alas, this child Ruoxi, I truly worry she can't contend with Martial Sister and Martial Brother Guo!"
Masters Yunbai and Jinyu, who had also followed, stood in the distance watching Zhou Ruoxi and Jiang Tingxia. They sighed worriedly and said, "Eldest martial sister and Martial Brother Guo have been scheming for so many years, all for this moment!"
Master Jinyu wore a simple gray robe, her jet-black hair gracefully cascading over her shoulders and back. Her astonishing beauty and the art of maintaining her youth made her appear much younger than her forty-plus years. Her dignified and elegant demeanor, serene like a pool emitting an immortal aura, brought a sense of peace to those who looked at her.
"Master Fengling's lineage has very few disciples. If Ruoxi wants to take over as Sect Leader, she can only rely on herself!"
Master Jinyu's face remained expressionless as she looked at Zhou Ruoxi and Jiang Tingxia in the distance. Master Fengling had only accepted a few personal disciples, and the most talented among them was Zhou Ruoxi, which was why she was chosen as the next Sect Leader.
This decision naturally aroused jealousy among other martial sisters and brothers. That's why in the hall earlier, among her peers, none of them spoke up for Zhou Ruoxi, except for Jiang Tingxia, who supported her wholeheartedly.
"Yes, she has to grow eventually," Master Yunbai nodded and sighed.
This was because she and her junior martial sister Jinyu rarely accepted personal disciples in the Emei Sect, only having one or two disciples to serve them. Unlike their eldest martial sister, Master Junxuan, and junior martial brother, Guo Yu, who were very active and formed factions within the sect. It was likely that both of them had been waiting for this day!
"I understand very little about sect affairs. Let them decide how to proceed!"
Master Jinyu's fair and beautiful face was expressionless, and her tone was calm, as if it didn't matter to her who became the Sect Leader.
"Alas..."
Master Yunbai sighed, knowing that her junior martial sister was indifferent to worldly affairs and very withdrawn. However, looking at her sickly complexion, she asked, "Junior martial sister Jinyu, has your cold poison flared up again?"
Master Jinyu walked towards the back mountain and said, "Senior martial sister, please don't worry. The cold poison has entered my bones and will stay with me for life. I am accustomed to it..."
Master Yunbai stopped walking and silently watched her junior martial sister leave. Finally, she also shook her head and walked back...
A few days later, the Emei Sect still could not decide on Zhou Ruoxi's succession as Sect Leader!
This was because Grand Elder Master Junxuan and Third Elder Guo Yu had been obstructing the process, wanting to establish an acting Sect Leader to sideline Zhou Ruoxi. At the same time, the majority of the sect's stewards and disciples supported Masters Junxuan and Guo Yu.
Therefore, for these few days, the two factions had been arguing, but ultimately, the Grand Elder Master Junxuan won the position of acting Sect Leader!
After all, her prestige in the sect was too high, and she had privately reached some kind of beneficial agreement with Guo Yu. Ultimately, Guo Yu chose to give up competing for the acting Sect Leader position!
Today, the Emei Sect gathered in the hall once again to announce the final result.
Masters Yunbai and Jinyu sat on the side, still expressionless and saying nothing.
Zhou Ruoxi's haggard face was distressing. She lowered her autumn eyes, appearing absent-minded and lost in thought, her mind seemingly elsewhere.
Jiang Tingxia stood beside her, feeling both heartache and worry, knowing that this assembly was to announce the result!
"Grand Elder arrives!"
Immediately, Master Junxuan, in her long robe, walked in with her head held high and chest puffed out, a smug smile on her old face. Accompanied by Zhang Xincai, Tian Zhixin, Liu Lian'er, and a group of her personal disciples, she swaggered in. Master Junxuan even walked directly to the main seat, the Sect Leader's position, in front of everyone!
At this sight, Zhou Ruoxi's pretty face could no longer remain gloomy. Her previously vacant autumn eyes instantly emitted a sharp gaze, and she coldly glanced at Master Junxuan standing before the Sect Leader's position...