William Carter was stunned and hurriedly asked, “Master, why are you sending me down the mountain?”

He hadn’t expected Reverend Mason to mean this.

Reverend Mason said calmly, “If you are unwilling to leave the mountain, would you be willing to become the abbot of Longqi Temple in the future?”

Chapter 10: An Immense Authority, Descendant of a Demonic Beast

The abbot is the head of the temple, and in the Great Jing Dynasty, he can also be directly called Daoist Master.

To become the abbot of Longqi Temple?

William Carter hesitated and didn’t answer immediately. To say he’d never thought about it would be impossible. He considered himself already the strongest in Longqi Temple, and no one was more qualified than him. He just hadn’t expected to face this matter so soon.

Longqi Temple isn’t really a power institution; there’s no scheming or intrigue, the disciples are pure and desireless, and the Daoist Master naturally has no need to test his disciples.

William Carter replied, “To serve the temple, of course I am willing. But I am still young and may not be able to take on the role. Senior Sister is more suitable than I am. Besides, Master, why do you ask this? You can continue for many more years.”

Reverend Mason raised his right hand, his sleeve falling to reveal a wrist covered in black veins, as if black worms were crawling all over the surface of his skin, still wriggling—horrifying and terrifying.

William Carter frowned.

Reverend Mason said calmly, “This poison is the most evil poison of the Demonic Sect. Even the true dragon’s qi cannot dispel it. At most, I have five years left to live. I’ll give you five years to prepare yourself to take on the responsibilities of abbot. As for your Senior Sister, she is a woman, outstanding in appearance, and is the biological sibling of Charles. If she were to become abbot, it would surely bring disaster.”

William Carter found this reasonable. Longqi Temple itself is located at the center of power in the Great Jing Dynasty, and high officials and nobles often come to visit. A beautiful abbot would indeed attract a lot of trouble.

Five years...

In five years, he would only be twenty-one. Isn’t that too soon!

William Carter didn’t refuse to become abbot, but he didn’t want to be burdened too early. Right now, he wanted to focus mainly on cultivation.

“Is there truly no cure?” William Carter asked with a frown.

Reverend Mason shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Nothing is absolute, but there is no antidote yet. William, take this as a warning—avoid provoking the Demonic Sect. Whether for good or ill, those who go against the tide of the world always bring misfortune to those around them.”

William Carter pressed further, “Why do you say that? Does the Demonic Sect have some special origin?”

Those who go against the tide of the world...

Could they be rebels?

Reverend Mason shook his head and said no more.

William Carter hesitated for a moment, then continued to ask, “Master, do you know my background? It seems someone wants to kill me. The previous disaster...”

“No need to overthink it. It has nothing to do with you. Someone just wants to get rid of Longqi Temple.” Reverend Mason interrupted.

William Carter frowned again.

Finally having a chance to ask, he wasn’t about to give up.

Reverend Mason has such a good relationship with the emperor Samuel Carter, he must probe further!

“Why does His Majesty treat me with such special care? I heard from David Brooks that, after just one meeting, he wanted to recommend me for the martial imperial exam, and even had the Fourth Prince seek me out to practice martial arts. Last time, the way His Majesty looked at me...”

William Carter didn’t finish, because Reverend Mason was staring at him intently, his gaze extremely unfamiliar. William Carter had never seen Reverend Mason look at him like this before.

In an instant, William Carter was ready for battle.

He dared to ask because he had the strength to back it up!

If Reverend Mason saving him was also part of a plot, at worst he could escape the capital first and return for revenge when he became invincible.

Reverend Mason said quietly, “William, I don’t know who your teacher is, but there must be a great master guiding you behind the scenes—so great that even I cannot detect them. Their power is unimaginable, likely a peerless expert above the Spiritual Awareness realm. But I advise you to be careful and not trust others easily. Yes, your background is indeed not simple, but the complexity is not worth exploring. It’s very dangerous, and very cruel.”

Hearing this, William Carter frowned. He didn’t refute Reverend Mason. Making up a powerful backer was nothing, but Reverend Mason’s words made him think of even more possibilities.

“Today, I’ll tell you about the current martial arts realms. From lowest to highest, they are: third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, True Essence, Spiritual Awareness. In the martial world, those at the Spiritual Awareness realm are called top experts, but that’s not the case. There are even higher realms. What I know of is the Tongtian (Heaven-Penetrating) realm. His Majesty seems to have no martial power, but he possesses the emperor’s fate. Once he uses the true dragon’s qi, he can rival Spiritual Awareness experts. Most importantly, there is a Tongtian realm expert in the palace—the true pillar of the Great Jing Dynasty.”

Reverend Mason’s tone was profound and inscrutable, betraying no emotion.

Third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, True Essence, Spiritual Awareness, Tongtian!

William Carter’s frown deepened. The Ghost-Eyed Evil King was a Spiritual Awareness realm expert, and before he broke through to the fourth level of Daoist Natural Law, he could easily kill the Ghost-Eyed Evil King. That meant he was at least invincible at the Spiritual Awareness realm at that time. Now, he was far stronger than before—he should be able to match a Tongtian realm expert.

That was just his guess. He didn’t dare to gamble. He only had one life, no chance of reincarnation, so he had to be extremely cautious.