Swords emerge from Mount Hua, sweeping across the heavens from the world of Swordsman.

Before the major competitions of the Sword and Qi sects, the Huashan Sect had twenty or thirty top-level masters, but now it has declined to this state.

In fact, after fifteen years of recuperation, it has recovered to some extent.

Just a month ago, the battle at Blackwood Cliff resulted in the loss of many members, plunging the team into another slump.

If it weren't for the two top-notch experts supporting them, they probably wouldn't even be qualified to be among the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

"Senior Brother Hua, you've been in charge of the sect's industries and peripheral affairs for the past few years. Could you please give us a brief overview of the situation?"

Yue Zhuoqun looked at the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table on the other side.

The man was nearly forty years old, and he exuded an air of age, appearing taciturn.

However, he was another top-tier swordsman from Mount Hua besides himself, Hua Shaokun, who was quite famous in the martial arts world.

He also has another identity: the brother-in-law of Xie Wangsun, the master of the martial arts family, Shenjian Villa.

Three years ago, Yue Buqun's reputation as the Gentleman Swordsman had just begun to spread.

Three years ago, Hua Shaokun's name as the Wandering Dragon Swordsman had already resounded throughout the martial arts world.

Three years ago, Xie Xiaofeng was eleven years old and defeated his uncle, Youlong Swordsman, in his first battle.

From then on, Hua Shaokun returned to the mountains in despair and managed the sect's affairs under Yue Buqun's arrangement.

Hua Shaokun pondered for a moment before speaking:

"The estate under my jurisdiction still has more than 45,000 mu of land, mostly in Huayin and Tongguan, which are adjacent to Mount Hua. Less than 3,000 mu are of high-quality arable land, and there are more than 700 tenant farmers."

"There are also 32 shops and businesses involved in salt, iron, tea, medicine, escort services, ferry services and other businesses."

“After deducting the sect’s expenses, the annual income can be more than eight thousand taels.”

The Huashan Sect is a martial arts sect in the Jianghu, but it is also a large landowner in the surrounding area. However, its net income for the year is only eight thousand taels, which shows how severely it has shrunk in recent years.

At its peak, it had hundreds of shops spread across Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Sichuan and other places, with an annual net income of tens of thousands of taels of silver.

How much silver is in the treasury?

"It should be 100,000 taels?" Hua Shaokun asked uncertainly.

A beautiful woman sitting next to him sighed helplessly and added, "Sect Leader, the exact amount is 107,354 taels."

Xie Fenghuang, wife of Hua Shaokun, and cousin of Xie Wangsun.

Hua Shaokun was deeply affected after being defeated by Xie Xiaofeng. Although Yue Buqun assigned him tasks, he remained depressed.

Xie Fenghuang did not change her mind because of his defeat, and stayed with him to Mount Hua.

Hua Shaokun was in charge of many things, and she helped him manage them, which shows how deep their love was for each other.

Yue Zhuoqun nodded secretly. The 100,000 taels was a lot of money that the Huashan Sect had managed to save over the years, but it was enough to develop the sect.

Thinking this, he glanced at the people in the hall and said:

"For better development, I plan to refine the ranks of sect members."

Based on the peripheral members and formal disciples, they are further subdivided into: peripheral members, nominal disciples, ordinary disciples, core disciples, and elders.

Establish promotion channels and clearly define responsibilities and obligations.

In Mount Hua, formal disciples are those members who are qualified to practice martial arts and are responsible for the sect's security and participating in matters of the martial world.

Servants, tenants, shop managers and clerks, etc., are collectively referred to as peripheral members.

"Currently, the sect's formal disciples are divided into the following categories based on their strength: third-rate disciples are registered disciples, second-rate disciples are ordinary disciples, and first-rate disciples are core disciples."

Those with outstanding qualifications and contributions among the core disciples will be granted the status of elder.

"Considering our current weak foundation, Senior Brother Hua, Junior Sister Ning, and Junior Sister Xie will be promoted to elders first. However, the two junior sisters need to improve their strength to the first-class level as soon as possible."

"The other members present have been promoted to core disciples due to their management responsibilities within the sect."

Yue Zhuoqun glanced at the remaining nine second-rate members and said with a smile:

"If you can raise your strength to the first-class level, you can be directly promoted to elder."

The nine men were startled, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

They understood that they couldn't compare to Ning Zhongze and Xie Fenghuang in terms of status, but Yue Zhuoqun's promise gave them great hope and motivation.

"We will certainly live up to the sect leader's expectations!"

"Senior brother, if we divide them like this, what will happen to the remaining two hundred or so disciples?" Ning Zhongze asked in confusion.

Currently, among the formal disciples of Mount Hua, only about fifty have reached the third rank; the rest are mediocre disciples who have practiced some basic sword techniques.

"This is also the focus of the sect's future development."

"I plan to establish a martial arts hall in the sect as a place for teaching and testing disciples. All members who are not of high rank will enter the martial arts hall and be called apprentices."

Only those who pass the assessment can be re-granted formal disciple status.

"Won't they harbor resentment in the future?"

"If you have grievances, then leave Mount Hua as soon as possible. Such a person is not worth our cultivation."

I even plan to arrange for Ling Shan and Linghu Chong to study at the Martial Arts Hall, treating them the same as everyone else.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then their worries vanished.

Yue Lingshan is the sect leader's daughter, and Linghu Chong has recently become Yue Buqun's disciple. Since the two of them are going to study in the martial arts hall, how could the other disciples dare to complain?

"I plan to entrust the specific affairs of the Martial Arts Hall to Senior Brother Hua. You should first select a suitable courtyard within the sect and make the necessary preparations."

"Sect Leader, I'm afraid my abilities aren't enough..." Hua Shaokun said hesitantly.

Since his defeat at the hands of Xie Xiaofeng, his confidence has been completely shattered. He hasn't even practiced swordsmanship in the past three years and has become listless and lethargic.

"Senior brother, don't underestimate yourself. A temporary setback doesn't mean you're a failure for life. The revitalization of Mount Hua still depends on you, so don't give up."

Hua Shaokun smiled bitterly: "I can't even beat my eleven-year-old nephew, will I ever have a chance?"

"From now on, all the martial arts of the Huashan School will be open to you. As long as you rebuild your confidence, you will have the possibility of turning defeat into victory."

With Xie Xiaofeng's sword god-like prowess, Hua Shaokun's chances of turning the tide are virtually zero, but he can't say it outright.

There are too few capable people in Huashan right now; we must help him build confidence.

"As long as you manage the Martial Arts Hall well, you won't even need to take action yourself; your disciples will be able to avenge you."

"There will be hundreds or even thousands of disciples from Mount Hua in the future. Senior Brother, are you afraid there won't be a single one who can surpass Xie Xiaofeng?"

Hua Shaokun's spirits lifted, and his heart inexplicably began to pound.

Yup!

Even if I'm not strong enough, if I can train a disciple who surpasses Xie Xiaofeng, that would be a different kind of revenge.

"Okay, I'm willing to manage the Traditional Martial Arts Hall!"

Seeing Hua Shaokun regain his fighting spirit, Xie Fenghuang was overjoyed.

Hua Shaokun's dejected state had been a source of worry for her for a long time, but now she could finally rest easy.

"Junior Sister Xie, you will be in charge of managing the sect's businesses from now on. You must reopen the closed shops within three years."

"Junior Sister Ning will organize the sect's martial arts, scriptures, and classics, and select a suitable place as the scripture pavilion, which you will then look after."

Xie Fenghuang was already managing these things for Hua Shaokun, so there was no need to hand them over to her.

Martial arts manuals are the foundation of a sect's inheritance, and they must be guarded by a trusted person to ensure their safety. Ning Zhongze is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

"Yes!" Ning Zhongze and Xie Fenghuang nodded in unison.

……

Following the plan made over the past three days, Yue Zhuoqun announced his orders one by one, and everyone looked at him with admiration.

That's incredibly detailed.

The sect covers all aspects, including its structure, systems, development plans, and goals.

Compared to the previous situation, the sect was like a makeshift operation, full of flaws.

However, they also had some confusion in their eyes. Many of Yue Zhuoqun's plans were too advanced, and there were still some unclear aspects. They didn't know how to carry out the specific operations.

"Sect Leader, the sect's land holdings are fine, but how should we adjust the shop arrangements?"

Xie Fenghuang asked.

The shop's managers and employees were all peripheral members of the Huashan Sect, more like collaborators affiliated with the sect.

Because of the decline of Mount Hua, many shops have been affected and most of them have closed down.

Some of the shop owners, who were not directly involved, also felt uneasy and showed a tendency to break away from the sect's control.

"First, select a few capable and loyal individuals and assign them to manage different areas. Then, transfer the managers of the shops whose minds are wavering between each other."

They accept eligible children from their families into the Huashan Martial Arts Hall for training as apprentices. As long as they pass the assessment, they will be granted the status of formal disciples and promoted to nominal disciples.

Those stewards who perform exceptionally well may also be taught the sect's basic martial arts and granted the status of nominal disciples.

By winning over some and suppressing others, along with training offspring and teaching martial arts, the problem can be solved quickly.

The status of peripheral members and formal disciples is different.

As a shop affiliated with a martial arts sect, who wouldn't want to learn martial arts?