Chapter 238: Succeeding as the Grand Master (Seeking subscriptions, seeking donations)

"Leader!" Gao Jianli exclaimed with concern as he witnessed the agonizing state of the Mohist Leader.

The Leader ignored Gao Jianli, enduring the searing pain as he continued, "Our dream has been passed down from one generation of Mohists to the next."

"Indeed!" the members of the Mohist faction replied in unison.

"And it shall also be... by... us..." the Leader struggled to speak, his tightly clenched fists betraying the inhuman agony he was enduring.

"Leader, please, you must rest!"

"I must finish what I have to say before I can rest. This dream will also be carried forward, generation after generation, by us." The Leader nodded at Xuenv, then gritted his teeth and pressed on through the pain.

"Yes!" the Mohists replied respectfully.

"Master Ban!"

Master Ban immediately understood the Leader’s intent and turned to Xiao Xie and his companions. "The Mohist faction has urgent matters to discuss; I must trouble you all to step aside for a moment."

Hearing this, the group rose and began to head toward the exit.

"Young Master Xiao Xie, please stay!" the Leader suddenly called out, stopping him.

"Young Master?" Murong Feng and Murong Huang paused, turning their gazes toward Xiao Xie, their faces filled with confusion.

"You two go ahead and wait for me outside," Xiao Xie said. Though he was slightly puzzled as to why the Leader had singled him out, he decided to have the two women wait for him while he stayed behind. After all, if he truly wished to leave, no one could stop him.

"Young Master Xiao, thank you for your intervention this time. It is because of you that Big Hammer and Lady Rong are safe and sound," the Leader said, expressing his gratitude.

"It is of no consequence; it was merely a small effort on my part," Xiao Xie replied with a wave of his hand, waiting for the Leader to continue. He did not believe the Leader had asked him to stay just for these pleasantries.

"I wish to ask you to take up the mantle of the next Mohist Leader!" The Leader stared at Xiao Xie for a moment before dropping this bombshell.

"What?!" Master Ban and the others were startled by the proclamation.

Xiao Xie was also taken aback. He had expected the position to be passed to Tianming; he had even planned to return to develop his own forces once the affair at the Mohist fortress concluded. The Leader's words had completely disrupted his plans.

Xiao Xie asked the Leader seriously, "I would like to know why you want me to succeed as the next Leader. You should be aware that my character does not align with the Mohist doctrine of 'Non-Aggression'."

"A difference in character matters little. The most critical factor is that you have the ability to protect the lives of the Mohist disciples, you have shown kindness to the order, and if it is you, there is a distinct possibility of overthrowing Ying Zheng’s reign," the Leader said slowly.

Xiao Xie paused, finally understanding the words of Yan Dan. The previous Leader, the Six-Fingered Black Knight, had been a proponent of Mohist non-aggression and had opposed participating in Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin, only to be killed by Yan Dan’s wife, Concubine Yan. Although Yan Dan had broken ties with her over the incident, he had subsequently become the Leader.

The Mohist faction had thus become the most steadfast anti-Qin force. Yan Dan’s own nature was not in line with the doctrine of non-aggression, which was why he claimed character was unimportant.

Originally, Yan Dan had intended for Tianming to succeed him, but now that Xiao Xie was clearly a more suitable candidate, passing the title to him was a logical progression.

"I understand. I agree. I will protect the Mohist disciples well," Xiao Xie said earnestly. Although accepting the title would disrupt his plans, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. While the Mohist faction had suffered heavy losses in the battle for the fortress, their foundation remained, and the survivors were the elite.

Hearing Xiao Xie’s acceptance, Yan Dan nodded and turned to Dao Zhi. "Bring me Mo Mei!"

Dao Zhi immediately and respectfully presented the sword.

"Mo Mei is the symbol of the Leader’s authority. Wherever this sword appears, all Mohist disciples must obey its commands. From this day forward, you shall be its guardian." Yan Dan held the sword horizontally and offered it to Xiao Xie.

Xiao Xie took hold of Mo Mei with a solemn expression. He then heard Yan Dan say, "Xiao Xie, repeat after me: The world is all white, only I am black."

"The world is all white, only I am black," Xiao Xie repeated. This was the vow of succession, and it had to be recited.

"Non-aggression is the Mohist gate; universal love is our life..."

"Non-aggression is the Mohist gate; universal love is our life."

The members of the Mohist faction watched the scene, knowing it to be the official handover of the leadership. In truth, they were largely supportive of Xiao Xie taking the role.

Big Hammer, having been saved by Xiao Xie from Yin Fu, was naturally in favor. As for Duanmu Rong, whom Xiao Xie had saved from Wei Zhuang, she also supported him, and Dao Zhi, for the same reason, followed suit.

The remaining three—Xuenv, Master Ban, and Master Xu—though not as immediate in their support as the others, were internally in agreement. After all, Xiao Xie’s strength was formidable, and his "Ascension Pavilion" was a massive force in its own right. He was indeed a more suitable successor than anyone else.

Among the leaders, perhaps only Gao Jianli harbored reservations, but with everyone else in favor, his opposition would be futile.

At that moment, a vast surge of internal energy flowed through Mo Mei and into Xiao Xie’s body. Xiao Xie’s eyes narrowed; he realized Yan Dan intended to pass on all his internal energy before he died. He did not refuse, instead channeling his Northbound Divine Art to absorb every bit of it.

Yan Dan was, after all, the former Prince of Yan; he had undoubtedly consumed many rare treasures in his time. After Xiao Xie assimilated the energy, it amounted to eighty years of pure internal power. Of course, the reason Xiao Xie could convert so much was due to his ability to assimilate it with virtually no loss. If someone like Wu Yazi were to use the same technique, thirty years would have been the absolute limit.

Normally, when one already possesses internal power, absorbing the energy of another leads to conflict. To refine it into one's own, one would typically retain only thirty percent of the original essence. This was why, when Wu Yazi passed his seventy years of Northbound energy to Xu Zhu, he first had to purge Xu Zhu’s Shaolin energy; had he not, the two would have clashed, likely leaving only fifty years of energy behind.

Only Xiao Xie, having consumed the Formless Fruit, could freely convert and refine his energy without loss—a feat far beyond even the creator of the Northbound Divine Art.

"You must go quickly! The Azure Dragon has been activated," Yan Dan said weakly to Xiao Xie and the others after transferring all his power.