The Sect Leader System-Chapter 246c: Book 4 Prologue

Teng Wuying read the message that had just been delivered to him. There had been three possible outcomes of the battle between Chao Su and the two Jade Chameleon Nascent Souls. Two of those results would have been excellent for Teng Wuying personally.

Had Ye Zhengsheng and Yan Mingxia beaten Chao Su and gained possession of the Trial Pagoda, Teng Wuying would have ended up in charge of it, greatly increasing his personal power. Had Chao Su easily defeated the two Nascent Souls, Teng Wuying would have used that show of power as a wedge to make the other factions fear the sect leader, eventually leading to his overthrow by overwhelming force.

Instead, the third outcome had taken place, the least desirable one. Chao Su had beaten the Nascent Souls, but he hadn’t been particularly impressive in doing so. One of the deaths had been via formation, revealing him to be a hidden Formations Master.

That he created arrays was, of course, widely known, but prior to the battle, he had not shown the ability to create either the strong Grand Defensive Formation that was erected around his sect grounds or, more impressively, the one that had killed Yan Mingxia. The former exposed his status as at least a Formations Expert. The latter proved he was a true Master.

Those were scary to deal with when they had time to prepare the battlefield. On neutral ground or, better, in an ambush, they were nothing special, certainly nothing to fear. He had, of course, shown some competence in defeating Ye Zhengsheng one on one, but a Nascent Soul beating another Nascent Soul was nothing remarkable.

All in all, the results of the battle would be hard for Teng Wuying to spin. Those with the inclination to hate Chao Su would find an excuse to do so. It was unlikely, however, that those on the fence would be convinced to commit wholeheartedly to taking him down.

Instead, the factions would play it safe. The efficacy of the Trial Pagoda was demonstrated by Yuan Yaozu, but in doing so, the Poison Claw Sect rose in prominence with five Nascent Souls while strengthening their ties to the Rising Tide Sect. The two almost had to be considered close allies by that point, a strong force consisting of six Nascent Souls.

The coming months would be tricky to navigate. The Jade Chameleon Sect had taken two large hits, and both their rival sects were clearly ascending.

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As Teng Wuying considered his options, he received the summons he’d been dreading—Sect Leader Duan Dandan wanted to see him.

Nothing that happened next was likely to be pleasant for him.

When he got to her study, the first words out of her mouth were, “I can’t believe I listened to you. This is a disaster.”

She wasn’t wrong. The Jade Chameleon Sect had lost two Nascent Souls to a well-prepared opponent and had gained nothing from the conflict. He honestly didn’t see how the sect could recover and was glad that dilemma wasn’t his to solve. His biggest problem was directing her to the most advantageous punishment for him that he could arrange.

He cupped his hands. “This lowly one apologizes that his suggestions did not work as you intended, Sect Leader.”

Perfect. The response was obsequious enough to show her face while still reminding her that she was the one who signed off on his ideas, making the situation her ultimate responsibility.

She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you? I definitely don’t want you here causing trouble for me, but I no longer have a branch sect to send you to. Maybe a mission to the far mountains?”

A posting far away had positives and negatives. If he were gone long enough, it would give everyone time to forget his role in the debacle with Chao Su. But that was an option for the weak. For a loser.

The factions would hold avarice for the Trial Pagoda in their eyes. Teng Wuying needed to be near to take advantage of that opportunity.

No. The far mountains weren’t a viable option.

“The far mountains would be an excellent choice, Sect Leader,” he said. “I will begin packing at once!” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

She frowned at him. “I’m missing something. You see an opportunity for you there, don’t you?”

“Not at all, Sect Leader. None that I can think of.”

Her frown grew more pronounced. “Then why are you so accepting of it? Tell me. Now.”

Teng Wuying cupped his hands. “Of course, Sect Leader. It’s just that, if you don’t want me here, the only other reasonable choice besides the mountains is being the sect’s administrator for the upcoming tournament in Sixth Flawless Flowing City. With all that has happened, that particular posting would be … unpleasant for me.”

“You know what?” she said. “I can see how that would be unpleasant. Most of the families of the victims you caused to be killed are still in the city. Yes. That’s a fitting punishment. You shall go there and take charge of our participation. Leave immediately.”

“But Sect Leader—”

“Leave. Immediately.”

He cupped his hands again. “As you wish, Sect Leader.”

Perfect. The tournament would take place in just shy of five months. He had that long to arrange for the Rising Tide Sect to be invited and to determine a way to bring about Chao Su’s downfall during the event.

The path ahead was not straight and was fraught with perils, but Teng Wuying had no doubt that he’d find a way to end up in possession of the Trial Pagoda.