For this day, he had been running around for the better part of a year, making preparations...
...
In the Ming Sect, the role of the Sect Hierarch had always been more of a spiritual symbol than an active post due to the need for seclusion and frequent practice of martial arts.
It was the Left and Right Envoys who truly handled affairs.
In name, the Bright Summit Right Envoy was in command of the various halls and branches under the banner of the Ming Sect; for instance, the Qingmu Hall where Yang Tiansheng was, was directly under his father, Ming Sect’s Bright Summit Right Envoy Yang Yinghao.
Meanwhile, the carefree Left Envoy oversaw the ming sect’s loose affiliates—those of a haughty nature who didn’t want to join any specific branch within the sect...
But in practice, this wasn’t absolute. The Bright Summit Right Envoy also had a close circle of loose affiliates, while the carefree Left Envoy had a few intimate hall branches.
The reasons for this phenomenon were complex: not only had previous Sect Hierarchs fostered a system of balanced powers, but there was also a long-standing conflict within the sect between the appeasement faction and the rebels, which had created two distinct camps from top to bottom.
By the time of Yang Tiansheng’s generation... the internal situation of the Ming Sect had become rather subtle.
Firstly, the Sect Hierarch Yang Potian had only one daughter, who was married to the chief disciple Lu Wujie.
Secondly, the Bright Summit Right Envoy had only one son, while the carefree Left Envoy had only one daughter, and they had grown up together like brothers and sisters.
In earlier years, this subtle dynamic hadn’t been particularly noticeable.
For one, the Bright Summit Right Envoy Yang Yinghao was Yang Potian’s trusted aide, always hardworking and complaint-free.
Moreover, Yang Tiansheng had been carefree in his younger days, with neither the inclination towards sect affairs nor the interest in practicing martial arts, showing no signs of becoming a formidable leader.
If nothing unexpected happened, the next generation’s top hierarchy in the Ming Sect would replicate the structure of the current generation.
Lu Wujie would immerse himself in martial arts practice under Yang Potian’s protection, aiming to break through to become an unparalleled Grandmaster and secure the position of the Ming Sect Hierarch.
Yang Tiansheng would either take over his father Yang Yinghao’s role, or his father-in-law’s post, diligently assisting Lu Wujie in leading the sect.
That was until Yang Tiansheng underwent a dramatic transformation at age eighteen, quickly evolving from an aimless individual into a towering figure of a man in just a few short years, surpassing the previous generation of Ming Sect powerhouses in martial prowess, prestige, accomplishments, and popularity—all too swiftly challenging the authority of the current Sect Hierarch Yang Potian...
In all honesty, had Yang Tiansheng aimed to usurp Yang Potian’s position as Sect Hierarch, not his father, nor his father-in-law, nor the heads of the various halls and branches of the Ming Sect, would have supported him!
This was not only because of the long-standing prestige Yang Potian had accumulated during his tenure, but also because of the decades of mutual support and the bonds they had formed, as well as the sect’s rules and doctrines.
But Yang Tiansheng was very clever. Right from the start, he made his intentions clear: he still respected Yang Potian, the current Sect Hierarch of Ming Sect, and what he was vying for was to be the next Hierarch!
This... made it very difficult for his father and his father-in-law, as well as the other heads of the sect, not to support him!
From the perspective of Yang Tiansheng’s father and father-in-law: ’We respect you, Yang Potian, and hold you in high esteem, and have absolutely no issues with that. But it doesn’t make sense for us to respect and revere your son-in-law too, does it? What? Your kid is born from your blood, but ours is adopted?’
From the perspective of the heads of the various halls and branches within the sect: ’If even Yang Tiansheng, who has the advantage of time, place, and people, cannot interrupt the current trend of direct succession of the Sect Hierarch position, then in the future, it will become even more impossible to challenge the hold of the Yang Potian lineage on the Ming Sect’s Hierarch position... What, before the rebellion has even succeeded, are you from the Yang Family already playing a game where the sect becomes a private empire? Are we expected to kowtow to you, Yang Potian, and cry ’Long live’ in the future?’
Many esteemed veterans and great figures of the Ming Sect were supporting Yang Tiansheng’s move to take over the position of the next Sect Hierarch, both openly and in secret. This led to the phenomenon where despite Mount Huang being Yang Potian’s stronghold, Yang Tiansheng’s arrival was met with overwhelming support, as if to greet a conquering hero.
This was a case of a hero shaping the times, as well as the times creating a hero!
...
Yang Tiansheng, leading an increasingly large group of climbers, effortlessly crossed numerous dangerous passes on his way up to Bright Summit!
It was only in the vicinity of Bright Summit that he encountered a hundred or so guards of the main altar, dressed in neat black outfits with bright red headbands, drawing their swords to block the steps leading up to the mountain, barring his way.
The leader, pointing his sword at Yang Tiansheng with a red face and shouting at the top of his voice, roared, "Yang Tiansheng, are you committing insubordination and causing trouble?"
"Come on, Pòjun, we might be old friends, but I can still accuse you of slander if you talk nonsense!"
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Yang Tiansheng seemed not to notice the dangerous glint in his eyes and, smiling lightly, stepped forward calmly, lifting the gleaming long sword with his hand: "Aren’t we all people of the Ming Sect? Aren’t we allowed in the main altar? Or is it that the sect has suddenly enacted a new rule that forbids anyone from returning to Bright Summit without being summoned?"
The head guard, with bulging eyes, trembled violently as he held his sword, yet he dared not truly strike Yang Tiansheng with his blade. He could only roar impotently, "You know why you’ve come to the main altar, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know!"
"If you know what I’m here for, then why the hell are you blocking my way?"
Yang Tiansheng’s expression suddenly turned ice-cold as his right arm shot out like lightning, gripping the hand that held the sword and squeezing hard.
A crisp sound of cracking bones was heard, and the gleaming sword immediately flew out of the guard’s grip.
Yang Tiansheng’s left hand deftly caught the falling sword and emotionlessly moved forward, Xu Xu, to insert the blade back into the scabbard on the guard’s waist: "A sword is meant for killing enemies, not for pointing at your own people. Considering you’ve been pampered at the main altar for too long and are clueless, I’ll let this go without holding you accountable. If there is a next time, whichever hand you don’t want anymore, just use that hand to draw your sword..."