Chapter 535: Amidst Skepticism, the First Trial of Reform

It had been three days since returning to the Star Moon Sect, and Lin Xuan deeply felt the complex impact brought about by his change in status.

Walking along the sect's stone paths, he could clearly sense the change in the gazes of the surrounding disciples. There was awe, curiosity, and also no small amount of skepticism and jealousy. Especially among those senior brothers and sisters who had previously held higher status, there was an added touch of unnaturalness in the way they looked at him.

"Have you heard? Junior Brother Lin Xuan has actually been promoted to a Core Inheritance Disciple."

"Isn't that too fast? How long has he even been in the sect? By what right did he surpass us senior brothers all of a sudden?"

"It's said it's because he performed some great service in Hunyuan Valley, but no one can say for sure what the specifics are."

"Hmph, they make it sound so miraculous, but I bet he just pulled some strings. Young people these days only know how to take shortcuts."

Although these whispers were not loud, with Lin Xuan's current cultivation, he heard them clearly. He did not stop his steps, nor did he turn back to retort; he simply continued walking forward in silence.

Senior Taijizi once said that a true powerhouse does not conquer others, but conquers oneself. In the face of skepticism, the best response is to prove one's value with actual actions.

Arriving at the Library Pavilion, Lin Xuan began to systematically study the history and systems of the Star Moon Sect. As a Core Inheritance Disciple, he was now qualified to consult many classics he had previously been unable to access.

"In the five thousand years since the Star Moon Sect was founded, it has gone through thirteen Sect Leaders..." Lin Xuan flipped through the sect's historical records, carefully studying the developments and changes of every era.

To his surprise, the Star Moon Sect's original founding philosophy was actually "education without discrimination, teaching according to aptitude." The founding patriarch, Xinghezi, had once explicitly stipulated that the sect's resource allocation should be based on talent and effort, not on family background.

"So that's how it is," Lin Xuan realized with a start, "The fundamental tenet of the Star Moon Sect is actually consistent with the reform philosophy I want to promote; it just gradually deviated from its original intention over the long course of history."

Continuing his in-depth research, Lin Xuan discovered the root of more problems. About two thousand years ago, the seventh Sect Leader, Xingxuanzi, in order to cope with foreign invasions, began to accept a large number of disciples with powerful backgrounds, hoping to use their influence to protect the sect. This strategy did indeed work at the time, but it also buried hidden dangers.

From that time on, a small circle linked by family background began to form within the sect. These disciples with backgrounds gradually seized more resources, while ordinary disciples who were truly talented were marginalized. After two thousand years of accumulation, this injustice had become a "tradition."

"The root of the problem has been found," Lin Xuan closed the historical records, "Now what is needed is a suitable entry point."

Just at this moment, a voice came from outside the Library Pavilion:

"Junior Brother Lin, the Sect Leader summons you to the main hall to discuss matters."

Lin Xuan tidied up the classics and walked toward the Sect Leader's main hall.

Inside the main hall, besides the Sect Leader Xingchenzi, several Core Elders were also seated. Their expressions were all serious; clearly, they were about to discuss something important.

"Xuan'er," Xingchenzi spoke, "Recently there have been some rumors in the sect saying that your promotion was too sudden, causing dissatisfaction among some disciples. What is your take on this matter?"

Lin Xuan had long expected this question, and he replied calmly: "Sect Leader, this disciple believes that skepticism is normal. After all, this disciple's promotion was indeed very fast, and it is reasonable for the senior brothers and sisters to have doubts."

"Then how do you intend to handle this skepticism?" an Elder asked.

"By proving myself with actual actions," Lin Xuan answered without hesitation, "At the same time, this disciple hopes to make some substantive contributions to the sect."

Xingchenzi nodded: "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, knowing the critical moment had arrived: "This disciple has been studying the sect's historical records these past few days and discovered that our Star Moon Sect's founding philosophy was 'education without discrimination, teaching according to aptitude.' But the current situation is that some disciples with outstanding talent are not receiving the cultivation they deserve because of their background, while some disciples with mediocre abilities are receiving excessive resources because of their connections."

The atmosphere in the main hall suddenly became tense. Several Elders looked at each other; clearly, they had not expected Lin Xuan to touch upon this sensitive topic so directly.

"Xuan'er," Xingchenzi's tone became serious, "Are you questioning the sect's existing system?"

"Not questioning, but hoping to return to the original intention," Lin Xuan said firmly, "This disciple suggests establishing a specialized 'Talent Assessment Committee' to conduct comprehensive evaluations of all disciples periodically and allocate cultivation resources based on talent, effort, and character."

"This..." an Elder frowned, "The existing system has been running for so many years; changing it suddenly will cause great turmoil."

"Furthermore," another Elder added, "those disciples with backgrounds all have powerful forces supporting them behind the scenes. If we suddenly change the way we treat them, it might affect the sect's relationship with the outside world."

Lin Xuan had long expected such voices of opposition; he took a detailed proposal out from his robes:

"Respected Elders, this disciple has already considered these issues. Reform cannot be achieved overnight, but requires a gradual approach. I suggest starting with the newly entered disciples to establish a new cultivation mechanism, while re-evaluating existing disciples without forcibly changing their current treatment."

Xingchenzi took the proposal and began to examine it carefully. The other Elders also gathered around to study it together.

The content of the proposal was very detailed; it not only included specific implementation steps but also considered various resistances that might be encountered and corresponding solutions. More importantly, the entire plan was in the name of "restoring the founding patriarch's original intention," which made it very difficult for the Elders to directly oppose it.

"This plan... is quite creative," an Elder said thoughtfully, "but it probably won't be easy to implement."

"Yes," Lin Xuan nodded, "So this disciple wants to start with a small-scale experiment first. For example, we could select some disciples from the Outer Sect Disciples who have outstanding talent but ordinary backgrounds and provide them with extra cultivation opportunities to see how it works."

"This idea is indeed feasible," Xingchenzi mused, "However, how do you intend to select these disciples?"

"This disciple suggests holding a sect-wide competition," Lin Xuan had long since thought of the answer, "No restrictions on cultivation level, no looking at family background, purely based on strength and potential. Disciples who perform excellently will receive extra cultivation resources and guidance opportunities."

This proposal made the eyes of the Elders present light up. A competition is the fairest way to compete in the Cultivation World, and it would be difficult for anyone to raise objections to it.

"Moreover," Lin Xuan continued, "this disciple is willing to personally guide these selected disciples and prove the value of this cultivation method with actual results."

The main hall fell into silence. The Elders were all considering the feasibility of this proposal.