Chapter 294: One Day
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It used to be that belonging to the Imperial Cloud City Branch of the Xiao Sect was a prestigious but impressively stress-free position. The Xiao Sect was simply not a significant player in the politics of the Crimson Cloud Empire. Other than the occasional posturing whenever they encountered members of the Yun Sect, the disciples of the Imperial Cloud City Branch were free to dedicate themselves to whatever pursuits caught their fancy.
Those days are gone.
Branch Master Xiao Yifan no longer spends all her time in isolation, and the biggest worry in the disciples’ minds is no longer which two Elders are having a spat this month. They are the main body of the Xiao Sect now, and Xiao Yifan walks among them as its Matriarch.
Some Elders and disciples, those who once lived in Eastern Port City before transferring, remember walking in the same halls as Patriarch Xiao Zheng. Strong as his presence had been, the Patriarch’s aura had only caused a slight discomfort to those fortunate enough to be allowed within the deepest parts of the Xiao Sect.
That is not the case with Xiao Yifan. Her presence is a constant burden on all who inhabit the Xiao Sect’s estate. The Elders bear it with grace, and the Core Disciples are only sometimes seen sweating. However, Inner and Outer Disciples, by necessity, have become adept at finding excuses to make themselves absent, and the less said about the servants, the better.
It is not that Xiao Yifan is stronger than Xiao Zheng had been. Far from it. As one of the newer Emperor Realm cultivators in the Crimson Cloud Empire, she is also one of the weakest.
That is the problem.
After a cultivator breaks into a new realm, they need time to properly bring their increased power under control. The difficulty in doing so grows exponentially with each new realm. Having broken through the Renegade Realm to enter the domain of Emperors, it is only natural that Xiao Yifan would have some issues controlling her aura, much to the dismay of everyone around her.