Dushan began to change.
From the second day after Hou Niao took office and began moving, to his return from a journey visiting other places, in the span of a whole year, Dushan underwent an earth-shattering transformation.
Nearly half of the Quanzhen Sword Cultivators participated in the construction of the mountain gate, which gave them a deeper sense of belonging to Dushan, sothing the Quanzhen high-ups hadn’t anticipated.
Near Dushan, there are several small glaciers, with ancient ice layers ford over thousands of years, making for excellent building materials, crystal-clear and hard as jade.
Cultivators specialized in cutting the glaciers, slicing them into various sizes of ice blocks, even accepting custom-size requests, with simple ice blocks of several zhang in length and width shaped under the cultivators’ swords.
Other cultivators were responsible for transportation, working tirelessly day and night, using boats and rafts to move the materials.
Led by Master Wu, the construction team began on-site planning of several peaks at Dushan, ensuring that the overall layout was well-structured, not overcrowded, nor too empty.
The architectural designs he had accumulated over centuries, which he thought would only stay on paper, unexpectedly had the chance to be realized in the field, so it was impossible not to give it his all.
The main hall complex, side hall complex, functional building complex, living building complex; within just a year, so main structures had already begun to take shape, it was evident that Master Wu had great ambitions. Building the premier mountain gate of Jinxiu was not just talk; he genuinely wanted to achieve it.
The unique building materials also gave him the confidence to do so. Taking the Ice and Snow Sword Pavilion, the core building of the main hall complex, as an example, though this rectangular building was far from complete, the frawork was already imnse—300 zhang long, 120 zhang wide, and 60 zhang high, making Hou Niao worry if the ice reserves of that glacier would be sufficient.
This was no ordinary main hall; it could even accommodate a group of Sword Cultivators in sword fights inside, almost without spatial constraints. He felt it was sowhat excessive, but he couldn’t voice this, so he just let them continue.
Beside the Ice and Snow Sword Pavilion were dozens of massive side halls as well. Several of the most commonly used side halls had been fully constructed, including the Six Imperial Palace for task distribution, the True Storage Palace for Cultivation Technique archives, the Elixir Furnace Hall for large-scale elixir crafting, the Shaking Light Hall, Tongtian Hall...
Of course, what was completed was only rough, with much still to be refined; it’s not sothing that can be completed overnight, with new thoughts erging every day.
Through these constructions, the Quanzhen Sect successfully established the embryo of the Sword Spirit at Dushan, this barren place. Although it wasted a lot of their ti and hindered swordsmanship practice, Hou Niao believed it was worth it. For Sword Cultivators, spiritual power is always paramount, cohesion more critical than anything else, especially when the mountain gate is newly founded, and new rules are erging one after another.
Honestly, his reform was a bit aggressive, stemming from his fear of the future. The intention was good, but advancing too quickly could alienate the disciples—a risk not everyone could understand.
Thank heavens, the construction of the mountain gate did him a great favor. Master Wu’s contributions were indispensable.
In a sense, architecture could also represent an era, enduring through generations, helping him to tide over the toughest period after first taking charge.
It couldn’t be said that everything was entirely on track, but everything was indeed converging towards order. As ti went on, construction tasks would slow slightly, and personal sword skill cultivation would be prioritized, reaching a certain balance.
Ten years is rely a basic tifra for taking shape, perhaps only bringing about teorological changes on the main peak of Dushan. The future still carries a heavy burden.
In the unfinished ice main hall, all the senior mbers of the Quanzhen Sect were gathered together. On the anniversary of the mountain gate’s founding, they needed to set more realistic and feasible goals for the future. Though few would admit it, everyone still looked forward to Sect Hierarch Hou Niao’s vision for the future. He indeed brought sothing different to the Shan Sect Quanzhen, different ideas.
By now, no one in the sect would ntion returning to Yujing; the allure of a Cultivation Sect’s mountain gate exceeded everyone’s imagination. This was a Cultivation Sect; this was what becoming an Immortal looked like. Yujing’s scale was incomparable to the current Dushan.
It was a world of difference in disposition. While these elders were still indecisive, looking forward and backward, Sect Hierarch Hou’s almost brutal enforcent of orders changed everything.
Sect Hierarch Hou stood inside the ice main hall, looking up, puzzled.
"Master Wu, I admire your boldness imnsely, but I just can’t understand, with such a large span, without using pillars or beams, without any other materials, how can you top it off? 300 zhang long, 120 zhang wide, what are you thinking?"
Master Wu brushed his long beard, dismissing this naive junior, "Why top it? You want to seal yourself like a caged bird? We won’t top it; we’ll isolate with an Array, staying close to nature, convenient for in-and-out. That big gate is just a decoration, for ceremonial use only, you can jump in over the top during normal tis, and no one will stop you."
Hou Niao chuckled in silent embarrassnt, bowing his thanks, "I’ve learned much; it’s my limited perspective."
Master Xu wouldn’t let him off, "One year into the job, only spending three months at the mountain gate, the Sect Leader seems to have forgotten his identity?"
Hou Niao was speechless. He wanted to say that being a sect leader at the Qingkong Sword Vein was just a facade, a mascot, but saying so now was inappropriate because he still had many ideas that hadn’t been realized; he temporarily couldn’t part from the authority.
"There’s no choice, is there? With you all holding down the fort, no big trouble will arise at the mountain gate."
Master Hai ignored him, "Before advancing to Nascent Soul, your journeys must be accompanied by a Nascent Soul Master. This is no exaggeration; chaos is imminent in the Cultivation World, many are crazed and remorseless. Do you really think you can walk sideways on the Continent?"
After enduring the bombardnt from the masters, they finally got to the main topic. There were too many matters to consider, feasible plans to co up with, including the scale and system of the mountain gate, the internal organizational structure, staffing for each functional hall, basic rules for rewards and recognition, handling of external relations, and most importantly, discussions on swordsmanship techniques and sword scabbards...
Hou Niao accomplished one thing during this outing, "Regarding the current scale of the Jinxiu Loser Alliance, there are only Yunzhang Blood Transformation and Northwest Qin Sect. The sect needs to further engage in this area; concerning the Grassland Golden Bloodline, we need to deepen mutual relations, not let things go naturally. I believe having dozens of Golden Core mbers from each faction stationed with each other is the best way to understand one another. In future wars, we’ll have two fists."
The masters had no objections, particularly after the effective destruction of a Grassland Sword Vein nation. They were very curious about these grassland people and eager to learn more about their specifics; communication was the only way. If the entire Continent ca to be known as the Jinxiu Sword Vein, they would indeed be one family.
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