After listening for so long, Ye Ling finally had a rough understanding of what was going on.
He didn't quite understand how a sect whose founding patriarch had ascended to immortality could end up classified as a third-rate sect.
But given Bai Yiyi's abilities, if she really wanted to shut the Heavenly Gate Sect down, he believed she absolutely could.
In fact, with Bai Yiyi around, how could the Heavenly Gate Sect not close sooner or later?
To be honest, Ye Ling didn't care in the slightest about what happened to the Heavenly Gate Sect.
Three days was nowhere near enough for him to develop any real attachment to the place.
It was like sending someone to a school for three days—unless the place had some absolutely unhinged, nightmare-level teacher, there was no way it could leave a deep impression in such a short time.
So compared to the survival of the Heavenly Gate Sect, what Ye Ling truly couldn't stand was Bai Yiyi's pretty face, so anxious it looked like she was about to cry.
Leaving aside the fact that Bai Yiyi was his Master, even without that relationship, only he was allowed to bully her. This Leng Qingqiu, who had popped up out of nowhere, was not someone he was willing to let off easily.
Ye Ling knew about the Righteous Path Alliance. It was an alliance formed by the major sects of the cultivation world, and aside from the imperial dynasties, it was the largest power there was.
But much like the United Nations before his transmigration, the Righteous Path Alliance couldn't do a thing to sects ranked First Grade or above. Instead, it threw its weight around freely when dealing with sects below that level.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. There were still people within the alliance who truly upheld justice and did real work. They were just far too few in number, and far too rigid. Against the sly figures within the Righteous Path Alliance, they never stood a chance.
And those sly figures were complicated characters. You couldn't really call them villains, since they would genuinely lay down their lives for the common people. But you also couldn't call them good people, since internally they fought viciously over resources and power. In short, they were a deeply complex bunch.
The Heavenly Gate Sect didn't have a Scripture Pavilion, but it did have a study. Inside were records of strange events and odd tales from the world. It was through those books that Ye Ling gained a deeper understanding of this world, and of just how complicated the Righteous Path Alliance was.
That said, none of that had anything to do with him right now.
What he wanted was simply to give Leng Qingqiu a lesson.
Of course, he probably couldn't beat him in a fight at the moment. But as long as Leng Qingqiu kept talking about the rules of the Righteous Path Alliance, Ye Ling was confident he could argue some "reason" with him.
"The basis for disbanding you?"
Leng Qingqiu hadn't expected to be questioned like this. Perhaps things had gone too smoothly when dealing with Bai Yiyi, and this sudden resistance caused a brief pause in his thoughts.
"If there's no basis," Ye Ling continued without hesitation, seizing the opening, "I'll head down the mountain right now and report this to the Righteous Path Alliance. They won't tolerate a Envoy abusing his authority. When that happens, not only will you lose your position, even the sect behind you will be punished!"
Of course, the latter half of that was complete nonsense.
If Leng Qingqiu really had powerful connections, then abusing his authority would just be abusing his authority. It wouldn't matter much at all.
After all, Ye Ling had seen scandals involving Transcendent-Grade sects before. But he didn't believe that disciples from Transcendent-Grade or First-Grade sects would come all the way to a third-rate sect like the Heavenly Gate Sect to conduct inspections.
A Envoy was a Envoy not just because of their status, but because they could bring tangible benefits back to the sect supporting them.
In other words, if there was a wealthy sect to visit, there was no reason to come to some remote backwater.
Ye Ling knew the Heavenly Gate Sect was a Hidden Sect, but if the Righteous Path Alliance truly knew that, they wouldn't have sent anyone here at all.
Following that logic, even if Leng Qingqiu was a Envoy, his status couldn't be particularly high.
No way. No way.
Could it really be that a disciple from a Transcendent-Grade sect had come all the way here to a third-rate sect like Heavenly Gate just to collect "protection fees"?
Having been fiercely independent in his previous life, Ye Ling could see through these twists and turns far more clearly than Bai Yiyi ever could.
"Hmph!"
After being choked by Ye Ling's words, Leng Qingqiu let out a cold snort before speaking.
"A third-rate sect has no right to occupy a Blessed Grotto-Heaven like Heavenly Peak. At the very least, it would need to be Third Grade—no, considering the Qiuqiu Monkey clan residing here, and the Spiritual Qi density of this place, the Heavenly Gate Sect must meet the standards of a Second-Grade sect to remain."
As he spoke, Leng Qingqiu's expression was solemn. His jade-green eyes were filled with seriousness, and his hands were already forming seals, probing the Spiritual Qi density of Heavenly Peak like a true professional.
"Second Grade?"
Ye Ling frowned slightly. The study only recorded strange tales and curiosities. It didn't explain the rules of the Righteous Path Alliance at all.
So he asked politely, "What are the standards for a Second-Grade sect? I ask Envoy Leng to enlighten me."
Seeing that Leng Qingqiu was at least acting civil and hadn't torn his mask off outright, Ye Ling responded with courtesy in kind.
"There are three standards for a Second-Grade sect."
Leng Qingqiu raised three fingers and explained them one by one.
"First, the Sect Master must reach the Nascent Soul Stage. Second, the elders must include Golden Core Stage cultivators. And lastly, the sect must have at least three thousand disciples."
Any sect recognized by the Righteous Path Alliance could receive certain benefits, so the Alliance imposed detailed and explicit requirements on all registered sects.
Moreover, in order to consolidate the strength of the cultivation world to resist the Demon Race and the Demonic Sect, any sect that failed to register with the Righteous Path Alliance would be deemed part of the Demonic Sect. Its Blessed Grotto-Heaven would then be forcibly confiscated.
The Righteous Path Alliance's rules were undeniably domineering. However, three thousand years ago, the reason the Heaven-Defying Demon Emperor was able to slaughter the Alliance's forces at will was precisely because too many sects that didn't live up to their name occupied Blessed Grotto-Heavens, and because the Alliance's strength was too scattered. That gave the Heaven-Defying Demon Emperor room to exploit.
Ye Ling knew this history well, so he could understand the reasoning. After thinking for a moment, he said,
"As for the Sect Master and elders, our sect meets those requirements. However, our sect follows an elite approach, so our disciple numbers haven't reached the standard yet. But—"
Before he could finish, Leng Qingqiu interrupted in shock.
"She's at the Nascent Soul Stage?"
"..."
The sudden question left Ye Ling momentarily stiff.
To be honest, if not for the System, he wouldn't have believed Bai Yiyi was at the Nascent Soul Stage either.
But before Ye Ling could say anything, Leng Qingqiu realized his lapse. He immediately put on an apologetic expression and said to Bai Yiyi,
"My apologies, Sect Master Bai."
This straightforward attitude of admitting fault actually improved Ye Ling's impression of him somewhat.
"It's… it's fine… Envoy Leng."
Bai Yiyi's expression, however, was rather amusing. Her cute little cheeks puffed out slightly, and a faint trace of grievance shone in her beautiful wine-red eyes.
That resentment, however, wasn't directed at Leng Qingqiu, but at Ye Ling for not answering with a firm, decisive affirmation.