After Transmigrating as an Immortal Master, I Hold a Group Meeting - Chapter 78

The system: [Those two disciples from the Ice Quenching Pavilion are sneaking around behind you. Looks like they’re spying on you.]

Ning Mingmei completely ignored the system’s ‘helpful’ reminder. The meeting was coming to an end, and he gave his final instructions to the exhausted disciples.

Ning Mingmei: “Following the addition of the Library Pavilion, Jiang Ying’s Clear Snow Peak, Chang Feichang’s Hidden Sage Peak, Zhang Zhizhen’s Truth Abode Peak, and Shen Liwan’s Assembled Virtue Peak, Zheng Heguang’s Auspicious Light Peak has now also joined our daily academic training. Since our available resources have increased, the scope of what we can accomplish has also expanded. I expect all of you to take some time from your busy schedules to think about how to fully utilize these resources.”

The disciples: …

So this was just a way to pile on more work, wasn’t it?

At that moment, Bai Bugui spoke up insightfully, “Master, ever since we started holding regular lectures, many inner disciples who have yet to officially begin their training, and even outer disciples, have shown great enthusiasm. I wonder what my fellow brothers think about this…?”

As expected, his words earned him resentful glares from the other disciples. But Bai Bugui stood his ground, bracing himself, until he caught sight of the slight smile on Ning Mingmei’s lips.

He guessed right!

Bai Bugui was secretly delighted. As expected, clinging tightly to Ning Mingmei’s intentions was the key to his survival on Misty Peak!

Ning Mingmei said, “Little Bai, your observation skills aren’t bad. However, outer disciples have limited permissions. Our hands… Our academic reach has yet to extend into the daily operations of the Supreme Clarity Sect. So for now, we don’t need to concern ourselves with them. But when there’s time, you can interact more with the Workers Hall.”

Among the various halls of the Supreme Clarity Sect, the Workers Hall was far from what one would call a ‘good place to be.’ It oversaw construction, maintenance, and repairs across the sect, not as leisurely as the Library Pavilion, nor as lucrative as the Spirit Beast and Spirit Herb Gardens. The work was exhausting, the tasks endless, and everyone avoided it like the plague.

The other disciples were puzzled, but Bai Bugui immediately responded loudly, “Master is wise! I understand! I will faithfully carry out Master’s will!”

Who cared what Ning Mingmei’s true intentions were? Whether his actions benefited Misty Peak or not was for the other senior and junior brothers to worry about.

As for Bai Bugui himself, his entire future was tied to a thin, fragile document: a visa. Whether he could obtain it depended entirely on whether Ning Mingmei was willing to write him a strong recommendation letter. As an experienced spy, Bai Bugui quickly grasped the key issue.

What determined whether a disciple could receive a good recommendation letter? It certainly wasn’t about how talented or intelligent they were, nor how much they contributed to the progress of Misty Peak. It was about how useful they were to the master and how indispensable they became.

And what did useful and indispensable mean?

It meant saying what the master could not say due to his position.

It meant doing what the master could not do himself.

It meant gathering information that the master could not conveniently obtain.

As for the recommendation letter?

A recommendation letter? That was just something the master wrote. As for actual results? That didn’t matter. If the master was pleased, Bai Bugui’s name would be added to every project his fellow disciples worked on.

Assisting the master in monitoring the academic progress of his fellow disciples was also a form of participation! Why wouldn’t that count as Bai Bugui’s contribution?

Bai Bugui almost hated himself for being so clever. Now that he had pinpointed the core issue, his blood boiled with excitement. He even forgot that he was a spy.

Now, his mind was consumed by only one thought.

Master! Master! Master!

As for gathering intelligence… Well, everything had an order of priorities. Internal stability must come before external matters. First, he would secure his permanent visa, and then he could worry about the rest.

Bai Bugui was quick to act.

Ning Mingmei moved on to the next topic. “It’s time to adjust the research topics for each group.”

The eldest disciple, the seventh disciple, the eighth disciple, Xue Zhu, and several disciples from other peaks were still working on indexing the library. So far, they had completed 12% of the cataloging for the first to sixth floors, a remarkable achievement.

The seventh and eighth floors were restricted to personal disciples, elders, and hall masters. The ninth floor was only accessible to elders and peak lords. Above the ninth floor, there was even a tenth floor, reserved solely for the sect master and grand elders.

At their current pace of indexing 12% in just three months and with their speed still increasing, it would take only two years to finish the first to sixth floors. After that, Wen Siheng could lead a group of personal disciples along with those ‘borrowed’ from other peaks to tackle the seventh and eighth floors.

Since Ning Mingmei had already dragged five peaks into his academic plans in just a few months, in two more years, the personal disciples from every peak could be roped in to handle the seventh and eighth floors.

As for the ninth floor…

Ning Mingmei said, “Jiang Ying, Chang Feichang, Zhang Zhizhen, Yin Xisheng, Shen Liwan, and Zheng Heguang should all be quite willing to help out.”

The system: ?

Was he scheming against his colleagues now too?

The second, fifth, and sixth disciples had already completed several rounds of academic presentations on Yaochuan City. Lin Heting carefully asked Ning Mingmei, “Master, should we extend our lectures to other peaks or even the outer sect? I think the impact has been quite good… Perhaps it could also benefit the common people and cultivators in the towns below the mountain?”

Ning Mingmei glanced at him.

As expected of a genius, he was already thinking about a nationwide academic lecture tour.

Ning Mingmei said, “No need. I have two new tasks for you. The first one, you will be working on together with the project teams of Little Ninth, Little Tenth, and Little Twelfth.”

The ninth, tenth, and twelfth disciples were studying historical figures of the enchanting fox clan.

Now that they had obtained another key piece of information on the enchanting foxes, they no longer needed to dedicate all their efforts to that one aspect.

Ning Mingmei continued, “But the enchanting fox research must continue.”

After all, if the enchanting fox clan had sent Bai Bugui as a spy, it meant that the demon realm still had its sights set on the immortal realms. Their ambitions had not wavered.

Since that was the case, understanding them remained crucial. That way, they could engage in news dissemination… cultural exchange, so to speak.

When it came to researching the history of other realms, the disciples only needed to know just enough but not too much. That way, they would have more creative freedom and more space to craft propaganda… no, news.

For example, the enchanting foxes’ traditional flute could be renamed. From ‘Enchanting Fox Flute,’ it could become the ‘Demon Realm Flute,’ then the ‘Six Realms Flute,’ and finally, the ‘Immortal Realm Flute.’

Similarly, the territorial boundaries between the enchanting foxes and the spiritual foxes could be redrawn in published records.

And was there really only one type of enchanting fox? If foxes could be categorized into enchanting foxes, spiritual foxes, and celestial foxes, then why not subdivide enchanting foxes further? Sweet-aligned enchanting foxes, savory-aligned enchanting foxes, spicy-aligned enchanting foxes, why not?

Anything could be divided.

Another example was why did the enchanting foxes insist on calling themselves enchanting foxes rather than celestial foxes or spiritual foxes? Since they claimed to be more alluring and beautiful than the other fox clans, then they should prove it with a more beauty-conscious mindset.

For instance, ‘The Five Ultimate Fasting Techniques! A Proper Enchanting Fox Never Weighs Over 100 Pounds,’ ‘I Took Out a Loan to Buy a Luxury Bag. Did I Regret It? No, I Broke Into the Elite Fox Social Circle,’ and ‘Without an A4-Slim Waist, I Was Mocked by the Spiritual Foxes.’

Or how about fabricating hypothetical current events based on enchanting fox history and spreading them across other realms? If nine out of ten reports were false but one was true, the resulting widespread rumors would shape public opinion. No matter how powerful the enchanting fox clan was, they were no match for the entire demon realm. They would end up wasting all their time defending themselves and become too preoccupied to keep spying on the Supreme Clarity Sect.

The system: […]

It was too evil. Way too evil. So evil that even the system had no idea where Ning Mingmei had learned to be so ruthless.

Lin Heting hesitantly asked, “Master, what is our new project?”

His uncertainty matched the dark circles under his eyes perfectly.

Ning Mingmei said, “The majority of written works in the cultivation realm are recorded on bamboo slips, stone tablets, or jade plaques, correct?”

Lin Heting nodded. “Yes.”

Since cultivators lived for centuries, though paper was convenient, it deteriorated in under two hundred years. As a result, most written records in the cultivation realm were inscribed on more durable materials to ensure their preservation.

Thus, for the new project titled ‘Paper,’ Ning Mingmei assigned them three tasks.

The first task was to study the current methods of paper production, including efficiency and yield. Simultaneously, research spells that could reinforce paper and make it last for millennia without decay, preserving the ink as if freshly written.

The second task was to develop a mass printing method. The requirement was that a single template must be reusable at least 5,000 times. Additionally, it must support not only black-and-white printing but also full-color printing.

Then, the third task was to conduct a market analysis and use mathematical modeling to estimate the budget required to publish X number of copies.

Lin Heting asked, “Master, what are we researching this for?”

Ning Mingmei replied, “Exhibition boards have too limited a reach.”

…?

Ning Mingmei continued, “In other words, we are going to publish the Misty Peak Academic Journal. This is a demanding project and my budget constraints are quite strict. I’m giving you three and a half years.”

…An academic journal?

Lin Heting was completely lost as he left.

The system asked, “Strict budget constraints? Didn’t you just receive 45 million?”

Before answering, Ning Mingmei casually called Lin Heting back and assigned him yet another task. Since so many disciples from other peaks were visiting, he was to study the architectural styles and construction costs of all the major peaks of the Supreme Clarity Sect.

Then, Ning Mingmei finally replied to the system, [That’s for my building project.]

The system: […]

You really don’t do anything like a normal person, do you?

The third disciple’s results this time were quite good. He had searched through the secret archives of the Brilliant Blossom Valley and provided Ning Mingmei with a complete plan for cultivating the Moon Palace’s Laurel Tree. Ning Mingmei was very pleased with this.

“You can put aside the other sacred tree for now,” Ning Mingmei said. “Look into propagation techniques for sacred trees.”

The third disciple asked, “Propagation?”

Ning Mingmei explained, “Yes. Cut X branches from a sacred tree, plant them in the ground, and now you have X+1 sacred trees.”

For many years, cultivators had held deep reverence for sacred trees. Who would dare commit such an act of ‘creating life’? The disciples felt an immediate tension in their hearts, especially Wen Siheng.

This was blasphemy!

But Ning Mingmei asked, “Does the Supreme Clarity Sect handbook say anything about prohibiting the propagation of sacred trees?”

Everyone: …No.

Ning Mingmei continued, “How about the manuals of the Smoky Cloud Tower, the Brilliant Blossom Valley, the Truth Seeker Gate, and the Ice Quenching Pavilion? Any rules against it?”

Everyone: …No.

Ning Mingmei smiled. “Well then, isn’t that interesting? There isn’t a single rule against it.”

If the law didn’t forbid it, how could it be considered blasphemy?

The disciples suddenly saw the logic in it. Or rather, they had no choice but to accept it.

Still, the third disciple scratched his head and said, “But I don’t know if the Brilliant Blossom Valley has ever done anything like that before…”

Ning Mingmei replied, “It doesn’t matter if they haven’t. We can start now. If you don’t know how, go back and ask the people from the Brilliant Blossom Valley. Bring in a few more of them to help. I won’t mind.”

The third disciple replied, still confused, “Okay…”

The system, however, silently complained, ‘What do you mean you won’t mind? Shouldn’t you be asking whether the Brilliant Blossom Valley will mind?!’

Ning Mingmei completely ignored its thought.

Right now, he was taking care of the Brilliant Blossom Valley’s former Deputy Valley Master, Gui Ruoxue, whom they had effectively forced out. In return, the Brilliant Blossom Valley owed him their academic contributions. It was only fair.

Meanwhile, the final research group had also made great progress in their study of the lotus lantern artifacts. They had discovered that two lotus lanterns were the most famous in the world; one representing virtue, while the other representing evil.

Ning Mingmei instructed them to compile their findings into a report and submit it next week.

As for the eleventh disciple and his group…

Trembling slightly, the eleventh disciple reported, “Master, we should arrive at the Lian family this afternoon.”

Ning Mingmei nodded. “Good.”

The eleventh disciple added, “We’ll make sure everything is properly arranged for you.”

Ning Mingmei replied, “Very well.”

With that, the research meeting concluded smoothly. Ning Mingmei closed the Zoom mirror and felt perfectly at ease.

After all, it was perfectly normal for a mentor to go on a trip while their students remained in the lab conducting research.

Turning around, he asked, “Why are you standing there?”

The two talisman cultivators froze.

“Im-Immortal Master…” The topknot talisman cultivator stammered out a greeting.

Ning Mingmei said, “Seems like I don’t need to introduce myself. You must have just seen the meeting.”

The topknot talisman cultivator hesitated before replying, “I-It wasn’t on purpose. We saw it by accident.”

Ning Mingmei said, “Whether it was intentional or not doesn’t matter. This is simply the cultivation style of the Supreme Clarity Sect. We have these meetings every week. Interesting, isn’t it?”

The two talisman cultivators nodded rapidly, like pecking chicks.

Ning Mingmei smiled. “Good. Interest is the best teacher. Once you join the Supreme Clarity Sect, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to participate in meetings like this. Seeing one in advance just gives you something to look forward to. Soon, you too will start exploring the infinite possibilities of your own life.”

…?

When did we ever say we were interested?!

Ning Mingmei then asked, “Have you finished handling your own matters?”

The topknot talisman cultivator hesitated before answering, “Yes…”

The ponytailed talisman cultivator: …

It’s over. Now there’s absolutely no reason not to go with him to the Supreme Clarity Sect.<./em>

The two talisman cultivators from the Ice Quenching Pavilion had come there for a simple task.

It was a straightforward matter. Most of the orphanages across the mortal realm were funded by the imperial court and local government offices as a public welfare project. The one near Liuyue Lake was no exception.

However, recently, the orphanage had been haunted and the entire county was in turmoil. The previous county magistrate was a good person and had some distant connections with the Ice Quenching Pavilion. Upon hearing about this, she sent a request to the pavilion, asking them to provide two talismans to dispel the evil spirits.

But reporting a bug was one thing; when the programmers would actually fix it was another. Once the request was submitted, the people at the Ice Quenching Pavilion delayed it for half a year.

Ning Mingmei asked, “Then why did you take on this trivial task?”

The ponytailed disciple replied, “I did a divination at the time and it said this task would bring me good luck…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the topknot talisman disciple kicked him.

Ning Mingmei chuckled. “Hmm, that divination wasn’t wrong.”

Wasn’t it indeed a stroke of good fortune? For example, they had encountered Ning Mingmei.

The two talisman cultivators fell silent.

Ning Mingmei suspected that the haunting at the orphanage had something to do with Lian Chengyue. As for the two talismans, they were probably meant to ease the fears of the orphanage’s former owner, who was afraid that Lian Chengyue would come back for revenge after being sold. If that was the case, then the owner had sold not only Ren Miao but also Lian Chengyue. It was likely that he had committed many other sins against the children as well.

However, the owner had died unexpectedly a few days ago, which was somewhat suspicious.

Still, Lian Chengyue had been with him during that time, so it probably wasn’t his doing.

Ning Mingmei glanced behind them and asked, “Where’s that person?”

The two talisman cultivators looked confused. “Who?”

Ning Mingmei replied, “The person who came with me.”

It only took a short meeting and yet Qi Miancheng had somehow navigated himself elsewhere.

It was also Ning Mingmei’s first time at the desolate orphanage. He stood up and looked around the bleak, abandoned courtyard.

So this was where Lian Chengyue had lived as a child.

Faintly, he sensed Qi Miancheng’s presence. Not outside but in the most secluded little room.

That small room was pitch dark. It didn’t look like a place where children lived, but rather a place meant to imprison monsters.