Chapter 1239: Chapter 1237: The Gradually Rising Behemoth
Shi Xiaole returned to Nine Heavens Mountain that very night, and all the familiar faces gathered together to drink merrily through the evening.
Years had passed, yet Beigong Shiling, the young girl, still looked like a child of seven or eight. Her innocence and cuteness had long won the hearts of everyone on Nine Heavens Mountain.
During the feast, she was exceptionally lively, refilling the cup of anyone who had an empty one, and no one had the heart to refuse her. Moreover, with her Flawless Sacred Bones, she could instantly tell if anyone was secretly using their martial strength to sober up.
Last time, Niu Dali and Mu Ling competed in a drinking contest and secretly used their powers, but the young girl called them out in public, resulting in a lot of ribbing aimed at Niu Dali for many days.
So tonight, seizing the opportunity of Shi Xiaole’s return, Niu Dali was determined to regain his honor. Mu Ling laughed heartily, readily accepting the challenge.
Everybody was in high spirits, even Qu Wuyan who was usually serious and cautious gave in to Shi Xiaole and everyone’s urging and took a small sip of wine.
When urged to take a second sip, Qu Wuyan simply said, "Drinking disrupts matters. The Grand Master entrusted me with the management, does he intend for me to neglect my duties?"
Everyone else had no choice but to laugh resignedly.
Beyond the drinking contest, everyone was curious about Shi Xiaole’s experiences over the years. Shi Xiaole didn’t conceal anything; aside from the secrets of the Meng and Shi clans, he shared everything, drawing gasps of amazement.
"Uncle Niu, have you and Aunt Qiu chosen a name for your child yet?"
Beigong Shiling suddenly asked.
Shi Xiaole looked at Niu Dali and Qiu Mingyue in astonishment.
Niu Dali scratched his head and said to Shi Xiaole, "Xiaole, I’m sorry. We had planned to wait for your return before getting married, but this darned woman’s stomach didn’t cooperate and started to swell first."
Qiu Mingyue kicked Niu Dali to the ground, fiercely saying, "You bastard, who’s to blame for this trouble!"
Everyone was chuckling secretly, obviously used to this sight.
Niu Dali’s eyes darted around before he said, "Xiaole, how about you pick a name for the child?" This question indeed drew everyone’s attention.
Qiu Mingyue also stopped lecturing Niu Dali and looked eagerly at Shi Xiaole.
In this world, asking someone to name a child is not a trivial matter; it signifies the recognition of a relationship between two parties.
As a mother, Qiu Mingyue inevitably had her own desires.
Despite her and Niu Dali’s high status, Nine Heavens Mountain was developing too fast, brimming with elite talents, and it was foreseeable that it would only prosper more in the future.
Even if Shi Xiaole cherished old affections and would not replace them, Qiu Mingyue was keen to deepen the relationship if possible.
She could not foresee the unborn child’s talents, but having a name bestowed by Shi Xiaole was certainly an added layer of security.
Shi Xiaole was silent for a moment.
He was well aware this was no time for pretentiousness. A refusal would hurt Niu Dali and Qiu Mingyue’s feelings, so after pondering for a moment, he smiled and said, "If Brother Niu and Sister Qiu don’t mind, let’s name the boy Niu Zheng, ’zheng’ as in iron bones resounding with integrity."
"For a girl, let’s call her Niu Xiyu. I remember back on Xiyu Island in the Western Sea Islands, that’s where you two established the Bright Moon Gang."
Niu Zheng, Niu Xiyu?
Niu Dali laughed heartily, "Good, we’ll do as Xiaole says."
Qiu Mingyue also smiled, pleased with the names, not just because they were good but because Shi Xiaole had been sincere in choosing them.
While everyone was offering their congratulations, Zhang Xiangfeng suddenly said, "Friends, Ling Hui and I have known each other for many years and are planning to get married soon. If you don’t mind, please come and have a drink at our wedding."
All eyes turned to the couple, and Zhong Lingsui bashfully lowered her head.
Mu Ling burst out laughing, "Why go through all that trouble, Zhang? Just hold the wedding right here on Nine Heavens Mountain. We have plenty of houses here. If you wish, I bet Old Shi would even give you a villa willingly."
With that, he winked at Shi Xiaole.
Shi Xiaole said, smiling, "That’s right, I know Brother Zhang and Sister Zhong prefer to keep things low-key and don’t want to fuss too much, so don’t worry about that."
"On one hand, it will save you trouble, and on the other, we need to invite the elders from Heavenly Snow Mountain, so let’s just have them come to Nine Heavens Mountain. It’ll be a good opportunity for everyone to get together and catch up."
Shi Xiaole certainly wanted to bring Zhang Xiangfeng into the Nine Heavens Mountain fold, recognizing him as a future world-shattering figure, no less than Xuanyuan Di. However, he did not want to put Zhang Xiangfeng in a difficult position.
Zhang Xiangfeng looked at Zhong Lingsui who said nothing, understanding her thoughts and said, "Then I will have to trouble Xiaole."
That night, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and the celebration lasted until the morning. Mu Ling, who would face opponents from all around, eventually fell to the ground, drunk, and was helped back to his room by Gui Zhihang.
On the third day, the servants and subordinates of Nine Heavens Mountain started to bustle about, sticking red "happiness" characters in every corner of the ten major villas. At the same time, several disciples rode fast horses to Heavenly Snow Mountain.
...
Shi Xiaole returned to his usual routine, spending time with Xia Yunxi and practicing martial arts. Sometimes, he would even give pointers to Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng.
Every day, the sounds of Nine Heavens Mountain disciples practicing martial arts and clashing swords and knives would rise before the sun. On the vast square, people frequently sparred and practiced together.
Even on the distant mountain peaks, which no one climbed, one could find the silhouettes of Nine Heavens Mountain experts in training.
Standing at the top of Yinfeng Pavilion and beholding the thriving view before him, Shi Xiaole was filled with emotion.
Now, Nine Heavens Mountain could truly be called the number one power in the East Victory Continent.
From the bottom up, there were twenty thousand outer sect disciples, each having gone through layers of strict selection; in any state or domain, they were rare talents.
To become an inner sect disciple, one had to reach the Dragon Gate Realm Lord status before the age of twenty.
That difficulty was extremely exaggerated; even Xuanyuan State’s former number one genius, "Little Lord" Yu Zhao, only managed to reach this step at the age of twenty-three.
Of course, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has changed from the past, so in reality, the difficulty is somewhat lessened.
Even so, Nine Heavens Mountain still possessed over a thousand inner sect disciples.
Among them, Qu Wuyan used their competitive spirits to select two hundred of the most outstanding elite disciples for special treatment. The Villa’s treasures, Exotic Fruits, martial resources, and guidance from renowned masters – all were opened up to them first.
One could imagine that with proper control, such positive competition would continuously improve the quality and strength of the disciples of Nine Heavens Mountain.
Above the disciples were the positions of outer sect Elder and inner sect Elder, with the outer sect Elder position only being held by peak Earth Immortals, totaling one hundred thirty-six. The inner sect Elders had to be at the Void Origin Realm, currently numbering seventy-nine.
Above the Elders was the position of Villa Protector, which only Earthly Realm Martial Emperors could hold; there were currently thirty-two.
Twelve among them were Heaven Realm Martial Emperors. The strongest, Gui Zhihang, was almost reaching the Forbidden Martial Emperor level, second only to the fifty Emperors.
Lastly were the Regulator and the Villa Lord.
It could be said that whether it was the number of top-tier experts, the quantity of core experts, or the number of genius disciples, Nine Heavens Mountain was unparalleled in the East Victory Continent. Added to that the presence of Shi Xiaole and the great Nine Profound Array, they were truly invincible, with no second force to match.
But Shi Xiaole still felt it was not enough.
Shui Lingping had set the plan for the ten great Villas with good reason. Only with all ten Villas advancing side by side and developing together could they truly push Nine Heavens Mountain to its peak. Now, there was only Xin Zhuliu, the one Villa Lord; this would not do.
That very afternoon, Shi Xiaole summoned all the high-ranking members for a meeting that lasted three days and three nights. After extensive consultations and coordination, and with unanimous consent, they finally established the most complete and systematic personnel structure in the history of Nine Heavens Mountain.
Each of the ten great Villas appointed a Villa Lord.
Mu Ling was officially named as the Villa Lord of the western peak Villa, which was renamed from this day on as Jade Lion Villa.
Gui Zhihang took the helm of the southern peak, renamed Mysterious Sparrow Manor.
Duanmu Keren assumed the position of Villa Lord on the northern peak, which was renamed Heavenly Phoenix Villa.
Hua Yiyun became the Villa Lord of the northwest peak, now called Tianxin Villa.
The Illusion Orchid Tower’s master took charge of the northeast peak, renaming it Lanhong Villa.
The southwest peak remained the current Wuling Villa, with Xin Zhuliu still in charge as the Villa Lord.
The Villa at the main central peak was led by Shi Xiaole as the Villa Lord, which was officially renamed Divine Sword Villa! Shi Xiaole was also tasked with overseeing Nine Heavens Mountain as the Great Villa Lord.
As for the remaining three peaks, suitable candidates had yet to be found, so their appointments were put on hold.
Beneath the ten Villa Lords, there were twelve Regulators.
Qu Wuyan remained the Chief External Regulator, managing all external affairs for the ten Villas, while Zhu Ling became the Chief Internal Regulator, responsible for all logistics.
The other ten Regulators were each in charge of affairs for the ten Villas, answering only to their respective Villa Lords and the two chief Regulators.
From this perspective, the power held by these two women was second only to Shi Xiaole and comparable to the other nine Villa Lords.
In addition, the twelve Regulators would establish a Supervisory Council, tasked with overseeing the ten Villas; they had the authority to intervene when they spotted any inappropriate behavior.
Beneath the Regulators were the Villa Protectors. Depending on the Protectors’ wishes, they would choose which Villa to join. Additionally, Villas could cultivate their own Protectors, which could not be poached by others.
Most noteworthy was Shi Xiaole’s special rule that henceforth, the ten Villas would allocate resources based on their contributions to Nine Heavens Mountain, even Divine Sword Villa was to abide by this.
This policy put all ten Villas on an equal footing, creating the most favorable competitive environment.
The subsequent grading of Elders and disciples didn’t change much; since they had all previously been at Wuling Villa, no adjustments were made, and they remained under the control of Xin Zhuliu.
The remaining Villas would start from scratch and begin recruiting anew.
This news quickly spread across the Martial World, causing a huge stir in the East Victory Continent.
"A single Nine Heavens Mountain has drawn the four great geniuses of the Heavenly Pride Register, with three ranking in the top ten—unbelievable. I have a premonition that Nine Heavens Mountain will become one of the strongest forces in the East Victory world!"
"Is this your ambition, Shi Xiaole?"
Whether it was independent cultivators or sect leaders, each was shaken to the core, as if watching a colossal entity gradually rise, destined to reign supreme over East Victory.
Against such a backdrop, Zhang Xiangfeng and Zhong Lingsui were wed at Nine Heavens Mountain. In attendance at the banquet, aside from various friends and relatives and the people of the ten Villas, were also experts from Heavenly Snow Mountain who had traveled from afar.
