Should he reveal himself, he would face the backlash of his oath, and if the Great Li Dynasty were to find out, his entire clan would be exterminated to the ninth degree.

Ruan Qiong cared little for such matters, as he was merely an ally of the Great Li Dynasty.

He still remained uninvolved in the affairs of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, entrusting all matters, great and small, to his direct disciples, such as Dong Gu and Xu Xiaoqiao.

He had also gradually relinquished all interactions with the Great Li Dynasty and other cultivators on the mountains, sending his daughter, Ruan Xiu, to quietly descend the mountain after several years of cultivation on Dragon Spine Mountain, journeying north to the new territory of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. Thankfully, no battles ensued, and she reached a peaceful agreement with the former Zhongyue Mountain God. This eased Ruan Qiong’s worries considerably.

Having territory but lacking the personnel to manage it was the most awkward predicament of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect.

For a sect bearing the title “Sect,” the Dragon Spring Sword Sect had too few disciples in the Ancestral Hall.

Even after accepting three batches of disciples, their numbers were still small, making the sect seem desolate.

Therefore, when the Great Li Song Clan entrusted the former territory of the Zhu Ying Dynasty to the Zheng Yang Mountain, Ruan Qiong felt no resentment. If one’s own abilities were insufficient to hold onto the bounty, and it ended up in another’s bowl, then one should simply contentedly gnaw on the pickled vegetables in their own bowl.

Moreover, the Great Li had previously allocated a large piece of land in the former Zhongyue region to the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, as a sort of preliminary arrangement.

Being close to the capital was a gesture from the young emperor, meant to prevent court officials from overthinking and mistakenly believing that the Dragon Spring Sword Sect was being sidelined, and that the Zheng Yang Mountain was to become the foremost sword dao sect of Treasure Bottle Continent.

Of course, the Great Li Song Clan would also reduce any suspicion of discarding allies after they had served their purpose.

From the previous emperor to the current monarch, from Ruan Qiong’s presence in the Carp Leaping Spring Grotto Heaven until now, the Great Li Dynasty had treated him, Ruan Qiong, with utmost generosity in all aspects.

Mainly, Ruan Qiong himself was unwilling to indiscriminately accept disciples. Those whose character was lacking, even if they possessed a natural aptitude for swordsmanship, would find other places to be taken in, even the Zheng Yang Mountain, which had the potential to become the next great sword sect.

Previously, half of the twelve registered disciples had left, including the one with a natural sword bone. He had now gone to the Zheng Yang Mountain and was already a direct disciple of their Ancestral Hall, and it was said that he had even been taken as a closed-door disciple by an old ancestor of a certain peak.

Of course, Ruan Qiong’s popularity was such that even the young Emperor Song He was amazed.

Prior to the imperial council meeting in the Imperial Study, Qi Zhen of the Divine Edict Sect, the old ancestor of the Wind and Snow Temple, the law-enforcement sword cultivator of True Martial Mountain, Liu Laocheng of the True Realm Sect, along with Wei Bo, Jin Qing, and the four Mountain Gods, as well as the Xu Clan head of Qingfeng City, all got along well with Ruan Qiong. They even initiated conversations, or at least greeted him, showing him ample respect.

He was one of a kind.

It was true that Ruan Qiong was not eloquent, but over time, it was difficult to conceal the true nature of a cultivator on the mountains.

Those who knew Ruan Qiong could find no fault in him, and were mostly willing to become close friends. Those who did not know him, upon mentioning Ruan Qiong, whether it was the former Ruan Qiong of the Wind and Snow Temple or the current Sect Master Ruan, were willing to say a good word for the foremost sword-forger of Treasure Bottle Continent.

Ruan Qiong made a rare appearance today, inviting all the first-generation disciples to dine together.

Dong Gu, the first disciple listed on the Dragon Spring Sword Sect’s Ancestral Hall genealogy. He had already established his own peak after entering the Golden Core realm early on. But Dong Gu’s most awkward point was that he was not a sword cultivator, and his origins were difficult to speak of. Now, there were already some whispers from the Great Li Dynasty and some immortal mountain sects.

Xu Xiaoqiao was originally a sword cultivator from the Wind and Snow Temple. After committing a great mistake and being expelled from his sect, he found Ruan Qiong, and cut off the thumb of his sword-wielding right hand to become Ruan Qiong’s direct disciple.

Xie Ling was already a sword cultivator who had nurtured a natal flying sword. Moreover, in addition to the immortal weapon gifted by Lu Chen, his ancestor Xie Shi had also bestowed upon this descendant of Peach Leaf Lane two treasures, a sword from the Northern Ju Lu Continent sword immortal named “Peach Leaf,” which Xie Ling refined into one of his natal objects, and a high-grade sword-nurturing gourd named “Full Moon.”

The four disciples each sat on a long bench.

Ruan Xiu was still in the former Zhongyue territory, so Ruan Qiong had no opportunity to pick food for her.

Ruan Qiong said, “Dong Gu, you told me before that you were aiming to reach the Nascent Soul realm within a hundred years?”

Dong Gu quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped the corners of his mouth, and said seriously, “Yes, Master.”

Ruan Qiong said, “Then don’t let the speed of others’ cultivation affect your own.”