It was unclear if these individuals could achieve their original strength without Wan Si Rui, the male protagonist, present.
Even if they had reached that strength in the original story, it wouldn't have mattered, as they all perished in that calamity later.
Thinking of this, the scene of the sect's annihilation from the original host's memories appeared before Lin Yan's eyes.
The original host had been out traveling with the male protagonist and was not in the sect at the time.
When the Ling Xiao Sword Sect was destroyed, they were on their way back. By the time they returned, they saw the ground covered with corpses.
Her junior disciples, who had called her their senior sister and indulged her, could no longer respond. The elders who had watched her grow and doted on her were not even left with bodies.
An entire cave's worth of soul lamps, meant to illuminate the whole cave, had been extinguished.
She eventually found the soul lamps belonging to herself and Wan Si Rui in the most hidden corner of the cave.
The original host spent a full month burying everyone she could find in the sect with her own sword.
From then on, the original host never smiled again. This was followed by countless cycles, plunging her into eternal despair.
Lin Yan squeezed her eyes shut, pushing that memory deep into her mind. No, the original host's emotions were too intense and were affecting her too much.
"Host, you need..."
"No need!"
Lin Yan interrupted the system before it could finish. "No need, I will adapt."
Things had changed now, hadn't they? She had taken over the original host's life and had to accept everything about her.
Moreover, as a sword cultivator, this hatred would carry her further.
The list was confirmed on the third day. After a day of rest, Sect Leader He summoned them.
He casually gave the disciples a few instructions and some words of encouragement before handing them over to Elder Li.
This Elder Li was a very young and handsome sword cultivator. His chiseled face was devoid of expression. He looked at the disciples with a hint of warmth in his eyes.
Some disciples were seeing the sect leader and Elder Li for the first time and felt quite unaccustomed to it. Later, upon hearing that Senior Sister Wang Shu would also be going, they felt relieved.
This Elder Li's Daoist name was Chang Yuan. After the sect leader finished speaking, he informed the disciples of the departure time and then dismissed everyone.
"Chang Yuan, this time at the grand competition, you will be in the open, and Wang Shu in the shadows. We don't expect great achievements, but you must protect these disciples." Sect Leader He looked at his taciturn junior brother.
"As sword cultivators, we should be ambitious!" Chang Yuan found his senior brother's hesitant nature somewhat distasteful.
However, it was precisely because of his personality that he had attained the position of sect leader.
The other fellow disciples were all devoted to the way of the sword and enjoyed tempering their sword techniques through battle. Only this senior brother could be entrusted with the entire sect.
It was also because of this senior brother that the Ling Xiao Sword Sect was developing better and better.
Now, Little Wang Shu's personality was also one that worried a lot. Recently, she had been busy developing the other talents of the disciples.
Perhaps in the future, the Ling Xiao Sword Sect could truly become a renowned sect in the entire cultivation world.
"Although that's what we say, we can't afford meaningless sacrifices. Our sect is small, and every talented disciple is precious," Sect Leader He said, enjoying teasing his stoic junior brother.
"Little Wang Shu, you must be careful this time too. If anything happens, let your martial uncle deal with it. But don't be afraid of causing trouble. If nothing else, our Ling Xiao Sword Sect has nothing to fear in the Southeast Region!"