Chapter 345: The Tianjian Sect’s Sect Meeting

"There's no need for thanks. We're all members of the sect. Besides, Element City is the sect's territory—it's only natural that we shouldn't let the Elephant Armor Sect occupy it," Ning Tianchen said with a faint smile.

"Let's go. The sect meeting will begin shortly. Fatty, you're the vice-sect leader—pull yourself together."

Chen Huayu straightened his chest and cheerfully asked, "Boss, what should I say during the meeting?"

"You just listen—you don't need to give your opinion," Yu Die said with a light laugh, covering her mouth.

The authority of the vice-sect leader was granted by the sect leader, and its extent depended on the sect leader's discretion. Without any fixed responsibilities, the role essentially involved being shuffled wherever needed.

Otherwise, why would Yu Luomian have been dissatisfied with the position of vice-sect leader back then?

However, Chen Huayu still didn't seem to understand this.

Oscar draped his arm over Chen Huayu's shoulder and said, "Fatty, let me put it this way. Once we all reach level eighty, we'll become elders of the sect, and your status will be even lower than ours. If we're short-handed in our tasks, you'll have to come help."

The title of vice-sect leader sounded good, but there was basically no chance of promotion.

Of course, this was the norm across the continent.

Chen Huayu shrugged it off and said, "So what? I'm still the vice-sect leader, and my title will always sound better than yours."

"If it makes you happy," Oscar shrugged indifferently.

Amidst their banter, the group arrived at the entrance of the sect's main hall.

Setting aside their playful expressions, they entered the hall.

The sect's elders and the honorary elder Dugu Bo were already waiting inside.

At the sect meeting, Ning Tianchen, as the sect leader, naturally sat in the primary seat.

Feng Xiaotian and the others didn't hold specific positions and weren't elders of the sect, but their remarkable talent made them potential candidates for future elder positions. They were seated to the side of the conference table as observers.

As for Chen Huayu, as the vice-sect leader, he stood behind Ning Tianchen.

"Good morning, everyone."

After exchanging pleasantries, Ning Tianchen got straight to the point. "The sect has officially been established, and each elder needs to have clearly defined responsibilities."

"Now, I will announce the division of responsibilities among you."

"Of course, if you feel that the arrangement isn't suitable, positions can be adjusted. If you have any concerns, please raise them during the meeting. After the meeting concludes, everything will proceed according to the arrangements."

Constant changes in orders weren't beneficial. At the first sect meeting, rules had to be firmly established.

"We humbly await the sect leader's instructions!" the elders responded in unison.

Ning Tianchen raised his hand to quiet them, his gaze first falling on Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi.

These two oversaw overlapping industries, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, proper arrangements had to be made.

"Elder Yang Wudi, honorary elder Dugu, both of you are involved in the medicinal herb trade. I think we can make a clear division between you to avoid internal competition and wastage."

Dugu Bo waved his hand dismissively. "No need. From now on, my medicinal herb shops will all be managed by Elder Yang."

Yang Wudi was taken aback and quickly stood up, declining, "honorary elder Dugu, how could this be appropriate? Though my Breaking Clan started in the medicinal herb business, we—"

Dugu Bo interrupted him. "I'm old now. The entire Dugu family consists of just me and my granddaughter—we simply don't have the energy to manage these businesses anymore. Elder Yang, I do have some conditions."

"I can hand over my medicinal fields to you for management, but in return, you must pay me and the Dugu family an appropriate fee."

Dugu Yan had no interest in the medicinal herb trade. Since joining the Sky Sword Sect, Dugu Bo had also come to terms with this.

Rather than forcing Dugu Yan into something she disliked, it was better to let her follow her own inclinations.

In the future, Dugu Yan would eventually marry, and who knew who would inherit the Dugu family's businesses.

It was better to entrust their family's enterprises to someone familiar rather than risk outsiders mishandling them. The descendants of the Dugu family could live comfortably as wealthy individuals in the future.

Ning Tianchen hadn't expected Dugu Bo to make such a significant concession. With this settled, the rest of the arrangements would be easier to handle.

"Elder Yang Wudi, the Breaking Clan is now a part of the sect. From now on, you must no longer operate under the family name."

Yang Wudi slapped his forehead and quickly agreed, "You're absolutely right, Sect Leader."

Ning Tianchen continued, "I've decided to reorganize the Breaking Clan into the Medicine Department, responsible for the sect's medicinal herb trade, directly overseen by Elder Yang Wudi. Of course, if anyone from other families or new disciples recruited by the sect in the future shows interest in medicinal herbs, Elder Yang Wudi cannot turn them away."

The medicinal herb trade didn't overlap with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's business, so there was nothing to worry about.

Yang Wudi nodded solemnly and suggested, "Sect Leader, why not allow honorary elder Dugu to co-manage the Medicine Department with me?"

"honorary elder Dugu's expertise in medicinal herbs commands my respect. If he could guide the department, I believe it will flourish."

Ning Tianchen smiled and said, "That depends on honorary elder Dugu's personal wishes."

Dugu Bo said leisurely, "I can take on an honorary position in the Medicine Department, but let's make one thing clear—I won't directly participate in management. At most, I'll exchange insights on medicinal herbs with you."

Yang Wudi bowed deeply and said earnestly, "Understood. I believe that with honorary elder Dugu's assistance, the Medicine Department will bring substantial profits to the sect."

Meanwhile, Tian Yu, the head of the sect's chamber of commerce, was jotting something down in his meeting notes.

Ning Tianchen observed this and then turned his attention to Niu Gao.

"Elder Niu Gao, the disciples of the Defense Clan are skilled in construction. I've decided to reorganize the Defense Clan into the Construction Department, responsible for the repair and construction of the sect's buildings. Of course, the sect will also find a way for you to generate income."

As he spoke, Ning Tianchen's gaze fell on Tian Yu.

"Elder Tian Yu will be responsible for managing the sect's chamber of commerce operations—the sect's financial backbone."

Tian Yu stood up and said earnestly, "New buildings are being constructed almost daily across the continent. On behalf of the sect's chamber of commerce, I guarantee that I'll secure contracts for the Construction Department's disciples to ensure they have work and income."

Niu Gao nodded in satisfaction. "Haha, thank you, Sect Leader, and thank you, Elder Tian. Our Defense Clan—no, our Construction Department disciples—are easy to please. As long as there's work and money to be earned, we're satisfied."

Ning Tianchen added, "Elder Yang Wudi, the medicinal herbs produced by the Medicine Department will also be sold through the sect's chamber of commerce. What do you think?"

Yang Wudi wasn't knowledgeable about commerce, so having someone handle sales channels for them was exactly what he wanted.

"Elder Tian Yu, your tasks will be heavy. If you need manpower, you can coordinate with other departments," Ning Tianchen said.

The sect's commercial foundation hadn't been fully established yet, so Tian Yu would undoubtedly be the busiest in the beginning.

However, once the sect's commercial ventures gradually took shape, he would have more breathing room.

"It's no problem, Sect Leader. Our Commerce Department has many capable people, including former presidents of various chambers of commerce we've recruited," Tian Yu assured him. "I can guarantee that within a month at the earliest and three months at the latest, the sect will achieve a balanced budget and start generating profits."

Ning Tianchen nodded, and his gaze shifted to the three elders—Wind, Fire, and Water.

These three families originally ran advanced soul master academies.

To join the Sky Sword Sect, they had already abandoned their original businesses. Moreover, Ning Fengzhi had promised to provide annual slots for the Sky Sword Sect's disciples to study at the Seven Treasures Academy, so there was no need for the Sky Sword Sect to establish its own academy to compete with the Seven Treasures Academy.

On the continent, many profitable ventures were monopolized by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and other major families. Taking a share of their pie wouldn't be easy.

The Sky Sword Sect needed to carve out new markets to quickly establish itself on the continent.

"Elders Wind, Fire, and Water, I plan to reorganize you into the Food and Logistics Department, jointly overseen by the three of you."

The three families had enjoyed generations of friendship, and their disciples got along well. Combining them into one department was the perfect arrangement.

Feng Changlin asked in confusion, "Sect Leader, does the Food Department handle meals and logistics for the sect?"

Ning Tianchen replied, "Logistics is just one aspect of your responsibilities. You'll also have a profit-generating task related to food."

Ning Tianchen planned to establish a food city under the sect's name, managed jointly by the three elders—Wind, Fire, and Water.

Through Xue Qinghe, Ning Tianchen had acquired a plot of land adjacent to the Seven Treasures Mall.

The Seven Treasures Mall was a prime location where every inch of space was valuable, and the number of food shops inside had been gradually decreasing.

Building the food city near the mall would allow it to absorb the shops and foot traffic transitioning from the Seven Treasures Mall.

Of course, having the food city and mall built close together would attract even more visitors.

The food city project was initially discussed between Ning Tianchen and Tian Yu. Originally, they planned to support some individuals within the chamber of commerce to manage it. However, with the addition of the Wind, Fire, and Water families, assigning this task to them was the most fitting choice.

Shui Ningbing faintly smiled and said, "Food is the foundation of the people. As long as we ensure unique flavors in our food city, it will undoubtedly generate substantial funds for the sect in the future."

Seeing no objections, Ning Tianchen handed over the land deed to them. "This plot has already been secured. You can inspect the terrain at any time. As for the construction of the food city, I think it's best to leave it to the Construction Department."

Niu Gao patted his chest confidently. "The Seven Treasures Mall was originally built by the Defense Clan. The food city won't be a problem."

Feng Changlin and the other two had no reason to refuse. Entrusting the project to the Construction Department would save them a lot of trouble.

Next, Ning Tianchen went into considerable detail about the food city.

The profits from the medicinal herb trade and construction businesses were limited, but the food city project would become one of the core industries of the Sky Sword Sect in the future. Proper planning had to be done in advance.

Feng Changlin and the others diligently took notes, making sure not to miss a single word Ning Tianchen said.

---

About an hour later, after finalizing the details of the food city, Ning Tianchen turned his gaze toward Bai He.

"Elder Bai He, I plan to reorganize the Agility Department into the Intelligence Department, responsible for gathering intelligence for the sect."

"When I mentioned the food city earlier, I spoke about the delivery service. Additionally, the sect's chamber of commerce also runs a courier service. With the speed of the Agility Family disciples, they can work part-time in these areas during their free time."

The courier service was similar to the traditional escort agency business.

However, traditional escort agencies focused on transporting large shipments, with groups of people hauling carts to deliver goods to designated locations.

In contrast, the courier service run by the Sky Sword Sect's chamber of commerce handled small items destined for specific locations.

Small items didn't take up much space, especially when placed inside spirit-guided devices, making transportation faster and allowing for higher courier fees.

Of course, compared to traditional escort agencies, the courier fees were much cheaper. After all, escort agencies charged by the cart, regardless of the size of the cargo, requiring at least a cart for every job.

While gathering intelligence, the Agility Family disciples could also make deliveries, earning some extra money on the side.

Upon hearing this, Bai He's eyes lit up. "Wonderful! In the future, the disciples of my Intelligence Department will also have a way to earn a living."

"Old White Bird, congratulations!"

Yang Wudi and Niu Gao simultaneously congratulated him.

For many years, the Agility Family had relied on other powers just to survive, almost akin to begging.

Now, with a means to earn money, they no longer needed to depend on others.

After arranging the Intelligence Department, Ning Tianchen turned his attention to Chen Huayu.

As the vice-sect leader, he needed to be given some responsibilities.

"The sect also needs a Security Department to safeguard its safety. Chen Huayu, as the vice-sect leader, will lead the Security Department."

Chen Huayu blinked, pointed at himself, and said with a bitter smile, "Boss, I'm probably not suitable for this, am I?"

He lacked confidence in his abilities. Moreover, most importantly, he needed to dedicate a significant amount of time to cultivation and couldn't afford to waste energy managing the Security Department.

However, none of the elders objected.

With the strength of the Sky Sword Sect, there weren't many people on the continent who would dare to cause trouble for them.

With minimal external threats, it didn't matter who managed the Security Department.

Ning Tianchen patted his shoulder and said, "However, for the foreseeable future, the vice-sect leader will need to focus on cultivation. Therefore, we still need to find someone to temporarily oversee all matters related to the Security Department."

Zhang Erhe looked eager to volunteer.

Having once been a general, he naturally knew how to arrange the sect's defenses.

However, he had more important tasks to handle and couldn't afford to waste too much energy.

"Sect Leader, let me, Old Zhao, take charge," Zhao Wuji stood up and patted his chest.

During his time with the Shadow Guards, his role had been quite limited, mostly involving administrative work akin to documentation.

For someone who loved fighting, that kind of work left him feeling restless.

After some thought, Ning Tianchen accepted his self-nomination.

For Zhao Wuji, assigning him to a combat-oriented department was the most suitable choice.

Finally, Ning Tianchen's gaze fell on Zhang Erhe.

Zhang Erhe couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

He couldn't appear openly on the continent, let alone be discovered by people from the Star Luo Empire.

Now that the sect had established an Intelligence Department, it seemed there was no longer a need for the Shadow Guards.

Ning Tianchen said, "Elder Zhang Erhe, the Shadow Guards will be reorganized into the Shadow Department, with functions similar to the Intelligence Department, focusing on intelligence gathering."

"The Intelligence Department operates openly, while you operate covertly. Therefore, you can use any means necessary, sparing no expense, to obtain critical intelligence the sect urgently needs."

"Of course, as the sect's shadow, you are also responsible for assassination missions."

In short, the Shadow Department would function more like an assassin organization, tasked with eliminating key enemy targets.

The original members of the Shadow Guards consisted of a motley crew from all walks of life. Training some of them into loyal death agents or assassins wouldn't be too difficult.

Upon hearing this, the weight on Zhang Erhe's mind lifted, and he quickly accepted the assignment.

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