I Become Sect master In Another World

The conversations around the deck gradually softened as Elder Hang stepped onto the spiritual bridge connecting the two vessels.

The commander moved at an unhurried pace, one hand resting behind his back while the valley winds stirred the sleeves of his robes.

Several Cloud Peak disciples noticed him first.

The heated debate regarding the lost cricket ball immediately lost momentum.

The conversations across the deck gradually softened as Elder Hang stepped onto the spiritual bridge connecting the two vessels. Several disciples noticed him immediately and instinctively straightened their backs. Others moved aside to clear a path, though nobody appeared particularly concerned by his arrival.

In fact, one of the Cloud Peak disciples who had been arguing moments earlier casually raised a hand.

"Elder Hang."

The commander acknowledged him with a slight nod before continuing forward.

As he walked, his eyes moved across the vessel. He noted the cargo crates stacked neatly against reinforced supports, the supply manifests being reviewed near the storage section, and the gathering of disciples occupying the starboard railing.

The difference from their previous encounter was impossible to miss.

Last night, every conversation had carried caution.

Every glance had carried suspicion.

Now the same disciples were arguing about a lost cricket ball.

Elder Hang wasn’t sure whether to find that reassuring or concerning.

Near the railing, Shaurya observed the approaching elder calmly. His gaze briefly moved past the commander and swept across the bridge behind him.

Nobody followed.

No guards.

No escorts.

No attendants.

Just Elder Hang.

The corner of Shaurya’s mouth lifted slightly.

Interesting.

By the time the commander reached the center of the deck, several disciples had already returned to their discussions.

Elder Hang stopped before Shaurya and cupped his fists politely.

"Elder Xu."

Shaurya returned the gesture without hesitation.

"Elder Hang."

Before either could continue, a loud voice suddenly rose from the crowd gathered nearby.

"I’m telling you, it wasn’t my fault."

Several cultivators immediately pointed toward the speaker.

"You threw it."

"The ball left your hand."

"We all watched it happen."

The accused disciple folded his arms stubbornly.

"The wind was involved."

One disciple stared at him.

"The wind isn’t part of the crew."

Another nodded seriously.

"It should still be charged for damages."

A third disciple added, "I support launching a formal investigation."

The entire group burst into laughter.

The unfortunate culprit pointed accusingly at them.

"You’re all against me."

"No."

"We are against your throwing technique."

"That’s different."

"It really isn’t."

Even Elder Hang found himself listening to the argument for a moment.

A faint smile appeared before he quickly hid it behind a cough.

Then he looked toward Shaurya.

"Your disciples seem remarkably energetic."

Shaurya followed his gaze toward the crowd where the debate had somehow shifted into determining whether the wind could legally join a sect.

"My condolences."

The answer arrived so quickly that Elder Hang nearly laughed aloud.

Nearly.

Instead, he released a long-suffering sigh and rubbed his temple.

"They are exhausting."

Nearby, Lu Fang immediately pointed at himself with an expression of complete disbelief.

"That sounds very targeted."

Elder Hang didn’t even look at him.

"It was."

The former prince clutched his chest as though he had just suffered a devastating betrayal.

"I’ve done nothing wrong."

The response arrived from every direction almost instantly.

"You’ve done nothing wrong today."

"So far."

"That we know of."

A Cloud Peak disciple folded his arms and nodded seriously.

"The day is still young."

Another disciple added, "Give him time."

Laughter spread across the deck.

Lu Fang looked around at the crowd in outrage.

"I can’t believe all of you."

"You should."

"You’re making my point for me."

The former prince looked ready to continue arguing before Elder Hang shook his head and moved on, leaving the increasingly dramatic complaints behind him.

As the noise of the crowd faded into the background, the commander’s attention shifted fully toward the vessel itself.

He walked slowly across the silver-white deck, his eyes moving over every visible detail. Cargo routes remained clear despite the large quantity of supplies being transported. Storage sections had been integrated directly into the structure of the ship rather than added afterward. Even the placement of the loading equipment appeared deliberate.

Most people wouldn’t have noticed.

Elder Hang did.

He stopped beside the nearest storage section and turned toward Shaurya.

"Would you mind if I looked around?"

Shaurya spread a hand casually.

"Please. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t."

A faint smile touched the commander’s face.

That answer alone told him a great deal.

People hiding something usually disliked inspections.

People confident in their work often welcomed them.

Elder Hang stepped into the storage section.

The first compartment contained medicinal supplies.

Rows of reinforced crates rested neatly against support beams. Every container carried clear identification markings positioned where workers could see them immediately without opening anything. The organization wasn’t flashy.

It was practical.

Which somehow impressed him more.

The commander crouched beside one of the containers and brushed a hand across the engraved markings.

A moment later, Elder Hang lifted the lid.

A cool medicinal fragrance drifted into the air as neatly bundled herbs filled the interior of the crate. He studied them briefly before his attention shifted toward the neighboring storage section. Another container sat there. Another label. Another category. Nothing had been mixed together carelessly. Every material occupied its own designated place.

His gaze lingered on the arrangement before he finally asked, "No moisture contamination risk?"

Shaurya stepped closer and rested a hand against one of the storage racks.

"The herbs are stored away from water-attracting materials. Frostleaf Root, Ice Spirit Moss, and moisture-sensitive ingredients are all separated according to preservation requirements."

Elder Hang nodded slowly while his eyes drifted toward a nearby row of spirit crystals. Those had been isolated in an entirely different section as well.

A lesser logistics officer might not have noticed.

Elder Hang did.

He closed the crate and continued walking.

Several minutes later they arrived at the emergency reserve section.

The moment he saw the supplies, his steps slowed.

Rows of grain reserves, preserved rations, medicinal stockpiles, and emergency resources occupied an entire storage area by themselves.

The commander stopped.

"You keep this much reserve inventory?"

Shaurya glanced toward the supplies.

"Enough to maintain operations if a transport route collapses."

Elder Hang looked over the stockpile again, mentally calculating quantities.

His brows rose slightly.

"Three full contingency reserves?"

"Four."

The answer came so naturally that Elder Hang immediately turned toward him.

"Four?"

Shaurya nodded.

"If one reserve fails, the backup reserve protects the reserve."

For several moments, Elder Hang simply stared at him.

Nearby disciples exchanged confused looks.

The statement sounded absurd.

Yet the more the commander considered it, the less absurd it became.

His eyes returned to the stockpile.

The arrangement was excessive.

Completely excessive.

Most logistics officers would never dedicate that much space to contingency planning.

Yet if disaster actually struck...

The system would work.

That realization bothered him far more than he cared to admit.

Eventually, the inspection continued.

Further ahead, Elder Hang stopped beside a table covered with supply manifests and logistics records.

He picked up the nearest document.

His eyes moved across the calculations.

Consumption rates.

Storage cycles.

Replacement schedules.

Distribution estimates.

A second document followed.

Then a third.

Then a fourth.

The numbers matched.

Not approximately.

Exactly.

A slight frown appeared on his face.

"You update consumption projections weekly?"

"Daily."

The answer arrived immediately.

Elder Hang looked up.

"Daily?"

Shaurya seemed genuinely confused by the surprise.

"Armies eat every day."

A nearby Cloud Peak disciple instantly covered his mouth.

The sound that escaped him was suspiciously close to a laugh.

Elder Hang ignored him.

Instead, he lowered his gaze back toward the records.

The longer he read, the more details emerged.

Supply requests connected perfectly to projected usage.

Projected usage matched transportation schedules.

Transportation schedules aligned with storage rotations.

Nothing appeared isolated.

Every calculation supported another.

Every decision connected to a larger system.

Even when Elder Hang searched for inconsistencies, he found explanations instead.

As the inspection continued, Elder Hang found himself increasingly dissatisfied.

Not with the vessel.

Not with the cargo.

Not with the records.

The problem was that every question produced a reasonable answer.

Whenever he noticed something unusual, there was an explanation for it. Whenever he questioned a decision, Elder Xu answered without hesitation. Worse, the answers actually made sense.

That was becoming difficult to ignore.

Eventually, they entered a storage compartment reserved for medicinal supplies.

Rows of reinforced wooden containers rested securely against support beams built into the hull. Every crate carried a clear label. Every shelf had been arranged according to category. Nothing looked impressive at first glance.

Yet Elder Hang slowed his pace.

His eyes moved carefully across the storage section.

One row.

Then another.

Then a third.

Something had caught his attention.

For the first time since boarding the vessel, he remained silent long enough for the nearby disciples to notice.

Finally, he stopped before a particular section and turned toward Shaurya.

"You separate Frostleaf Root from Ice Spirit Moss."

The statement wasn’t phrased as a question.

Shaurya glanced toward the crates and nodded.

"Naturally."

Elder Hang stepped closer and rested a hand against one of the containers.

Most disciples walking through the compartment wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual.

To them, herbs were herbs.

Storage was storage.

But logistics wasn’t about looking.

It was about noticing.

"A surprising number of people store them together."

Shaurya’s expression immediately became disapproving.

"A surprising number of people enjoy wasting medicine."

A nearby logistics disciple failed to suppress a chuckle.

Elder Hang ignored him and opened the container.

The moment the lid lifted, a cool fragrance escaped into the air.

His gaze moved from the Frostleaf Root to the neighboring storage sections.

Then back again.

"The moisture requirements are different."

"Exactly."

Shaurya tapped the side of a nearby crate.

"Leave them together long enough and the Frostleaf Root gradually loses potency. Most people don’t notice because the degradation happens slowly."

Elder Hang looked down at the herbs again.

Then at the storage arrangement.

Then back at the herbs.

His fingers brushed lightly against the edge of the container before he closed it.

"Most people focus on preservation."

"They should."

The commander folded his arms.

"But very few consider interaction."

Shaurya shrugged.

"Medicine doesn’t care what people think."

The answer earned a brief look from Elder Hang.

For some reason, that sounded less like a joke and more like a philosophy.

Without another comment, the commander continued walking.

Several compartments later, he stopped again.

This time, his attention settled on a stack of grain reserves positioned near the rear section of the vessel.

His brows immediately drew together.

That arrangement wasn’t standard.

Not even close.

He turned toward Shaurya.

"What are these doing here?"

"Emergency grain reserves."

Elder Hang looked at the supplies.

Then at their location.

Then back at the supplies.

The more he examined them, the less sense the placement made.

"Those should be stored closer to the center of the ship."

"Under normal circumstances."

The commander folded his arms.

"Explain."

Shaurya walked over and stopped beside him. Raising a hand, he pointed toward the nearby cargo hatch positioned along the rear section of the vessel.

"If this ship takes heavy damage and the central storage compartments become inaccessible, these reserves remain available."

Elder Hang remained silent.

Shaurya pointed toward the rear cargo hatch and then toward the emergency deployment platforms secured along the side of the vessel.

"If the ship needs to be evacuated quickly, these reserves are already positioned near the deployment points. Workers won’t need to cross half the vessel while carrying emergency supplies."

Elder Hang followed his gesture.

His eyes moved from the grain reserves to the hatch.

Then toward the emergency boats secured nearby.

The commander stood quietly for a moment, mentally tracing the route.

A worker grabs supplies.

The worker reaches the hatch.

The worker reaches the boats.

No bottlenecks.

No wasted movement.

No unnecessary delays.

His expression shifted slightly.

"I hadn’t considered evacuation speed."

Shaurya folded his arms.

"Most people don’t."

Elder Hang looked at him.

There wasn’t even a trace of arrogance in the answer.

That somehow made it more irritating.

"You say that often."

Shaurya shrugged.

"Because most people don’t."

Several nearby disciples exchanged glances.

One of them looked as though he wanted to argue.

Unfortunately, after thinking about it for a few seconds, he couldn’t.

The commander turned back toward the reserves.

For a long moment, he simply stood there studying the arrangement.

At first glance, the placement looked incorrect.

Logistics manuals would disagree with it.

Most transport officers would disagree with it.

Yet now that he understood the reasoning, relocating the reserves toward the center of the vessel suddenly felt less efficient.

That realization bothered him.

Quite a lot.

Eventually, Elder Hang exhaled and continued walking.

The inspection resumed.

A few compartments later, he stopped before another storage section.

His eyes immediately moved across the arrangement.

He noticed something unusual.

Then he asked about it.

Shaurya answered.

The answer made sense.

Further ahead, the commander spotted another irregularity.

Again, he questioned it.

Again, an explanation followed.

Again, the explanation worked.

By the time they reached the next compartment, Elder Hang had unconsciously begun expecting there to be a reason behind every strange decision.

Unfortunately, he kept being correct.

At one point, he stopped before a cargo route that appeared wider than necessary.

"Why leave this much empty space?"

Shaurya answered immediately.

"Because injured workers don’t move efficiently."

The commander frowned.

Shaurya pointed toward the route.

"Two stretchers can pass each other without obstruction."

Elder Hang looked down the corridor.

A few moments later, he nodded.

Further ahead, he stopped before a stack of reserve water containers.

"Why separate these from the rest?"

"Fire."

The answer arrived instantly.

"If a storage section burns, I don’t want every water reserve trapped inside the fire."

The commander stared at him.

Then looked toward the containers again.

The answer was annoyingly reasonable.

As they continued through the vessel, a pattern gradually emerged.

Whenever Elder Hang found something unusual, Elder Xu already had a reason for it.

And every time Elder Hang thought he had discovered an inefficiency, Elder Xu provided an explanation that somehow made the entire system appear even more effective than before.

Shaurya continued.

"If a vessel suffers damage, do you want your reserves protected..."

His gaze moved toward the surrounding convoy.

"...or accessible?"

Elder Hang remained quiet for several moments.

The answer had become obvious the moment Shaurya explained it.

Moving the reserves elsewhere would satisfy convention.

Leaving them where they were satisfied practicality.

The commander disliked how much sense that made.

Eventually, the inspection carried them beyond the storage sections. The discussion naturally shifted from inventory placement to transportation routes, and from transportation routes to broader logistical concerns. Before long, they found themselves standing near the railing overlooking the convoy while speaking about military campaigns.

Not battles.

Not formations.

Not famous generals.

The subject was supply.

The thing armies actually depended on.

The thing most heroes forgot existed until it failed.

The thing logistics officers thought about every waking hour.

Elder Hang rested both hands on the railing and looked toward the surrounding ships moving steadily through the valley.

"Our consumption rates increased faster than expected."

Shaurya wasn’t surprised.

"Auxiliary personnel?"

The commander glanced sideways.

"You noticed."

"It usually starts there."

A tired sigh escaped Elder Hang.

"The original projections focused on combat personnel."

"They always do."

The old cultivator shook his head.

"Generals count soldiers."

Shaurya’s lips curved slightly.

"Reality counts mouths."

For a moment, Elder Hang simply stared at him.

Then a short laugh escaped through his nose.

"That is painfully accurate."

The convoy continued moving beneath drifting clouds while distant lantern lights flickered across neighboring vessels.

After a while, the commander spoke again.

"The campaign expanded."

"It did."

"Additional laborers arrived."

"So did additional support teams."

Elder Hang nodded.

"Then came construction crews."

"And more food requirements."

"Then medical staff."

"And more food requirements."

"Then transport workers."

"And even more food requirements."

The commander rubbed his forehead.

"You’re enjoying this."

"A little."

Elder Hang looked genuinely offended.

"This isn’t funny."

"It is from a safe distance."

The old cultivator snorted despite himself.

The conversation paused briefly as both men watched several ships navigate a narrow section of the valley.

Eventually, Elder Hang turned toward him again.

"May I ask something?"

"Of course."

For the first time since boarding the vessel, the commander hesitated.

Not because the question was dangerous.

Because it was personal.

"How long have you worked in logistics?"

Shaurya nearly smiled.

A dangerous question.

Fortunately, Xu Ren possessed an entire lifetime of answers.

"Long enough."

The commander waited.

Clearly expecting more.

Shaurya obliged.

His gaze drifted toward the surrounding cargo vessels moving through the darkness.

"At the beginning, everyone talks about glory."

Elder Hang listened quietly.

"They talk about famous battles."

"They talk about legendary victories."

"They talk about powerful cultivators."

A faint smile appeared beneath the commander’s beard.

Shaurya continued.

"Then enough years pass."

"And?"

"You start noticing something."

The commander folded his arms.

"What?"

Shaurya gestured toward the convoy.

"The heroes change."

"The banners change."

"The armies change."

His eyes moved from ship to ship.

"But somebody still has to make sure everyone eats."

For the first time since boarding the vessel, Elder Hang laughed openly.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just a genuine laugh from someone who understood exactly how true that statement was.

The sort shared between professionals who understood exactly how unglamorous their work truly was.

"That’s painfully accurate."

"I know."

The commander looked toward the endless rows of supply ships moving through the valley.

Then toward Elder Xu Ren.

And something quietly shifted.

Not trust.

Trust was more complicated than that.

Respect.

The man knew his work.

That much was becoming increasingly difficult to deny.

By the time Elder Hang departed, the valley had grown noticeably quieter.

The remaining storm clouds drifted lazily between distant cliffs while the convoy continued advancing toward its destination.

The commander crossed back onto his flagship alone.

His expression remained thoughtful.

Several disciples immediately approached.

One looked particularly curious.

"Elder?"

Hang glanced toward him.

"Yes?"

The disciple hesitated.

Then asked the question everyone wanted answered.

"What do you think?"

The commander remained silent for several moments.

His gaze shifted toward the silver-white vessel sailing calmly near the center of the formation.

The Celestial Sword Sect ship.

The mysterious logistics elder.

The rescue.

The documents.

The conversation.

The inspection.

One by one, he reviewed everything.

No inconsistencies.

No obvious deception.

No visible weaknesses.

No mistakes.

Which, strangely enough, bothered him.

Because mistakes were normal.

People made mistakes.

Departments made mistakes.

Sects made mistakes.

Reality itself was largely held together through a series of administrative disasters.

Yet Elder Xu Ren appeared almost annoyingly competent.

The younger disciple looked toward the silver-white vessel moving steadily through the valley, his brows furrowing as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened over the past few days. After watching Elder Hang investigate the Celestial Sword Sect delegation from every possible angle, he had expected the commander to uncover something suspicious. Instead, the opposite seemed to be happening.

"If they’re not infiltrators, then what are they?" he finally asked.

Elder Hang did not answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the distant ship while the night wind brushed against his robes. Around them, several disciples fell quiet. They had all followed the investigation from the beginning. They had watched Elder Hang inspect cargo manifests, verify identities, question crew members, examine formation records, and search for inconsistencies. Nobody understood better than they did how seriously he had taken his suspicions.

Eventually, the commander spoke.

"I don’t believe they’re infiltrators."

The statement drew immediate reactions. Several disciples exchanged startled looks, and the younger disciple beside him stared openly in surprise.

Elder Hang noticed.

"I know how it sounds," he said before anyone could speak. His eyes remained on the distant vessel. "An infiltrator can forge documents. They can forge identification tokens. They can forge appearances."

The younger cultivator nodded slowly before frowning.

"Then why do you think they’re genuine?"

Elder Hang raised a hand, stopping the next question before it could leave the disciple’s mouth. He remained silent for a few moments, gathering his thoughts carefully before continuing.

"Because experience is much harder to forge."

The surrounding disciples listened attentively.

"When I questioned Elder Xu about logistics, every answer came immediately. Not the sort of answer someone memorizes beforehand. The sort of answer that comes from years of work." His gaze narrowed slightly. "When I examined the vessel, every arrangement served a purpose. Every decision had reasoning behind it. More importantly, when I challenged those decisions, his explanations improved them."

The younger disciple blinked.

"Improved them?"

Elder Hang nodded.

"I spent half the inspection looking for mistakes. Instead, I found methods I hadn’t considered."

That answer surprised everyone far more than the original statement.

The commander rarely praised anyone.

The fact that he was praising Elder Xu at all carried weight.

A great deal of weight.

Elder Hang folded his hands behind his back and continued looking toward the silver-white ship cutting through the darkness ahead.

"If Elder Xu Ren is an impostor, then he is the most dedicated logistics expert I have ever encountered."

A few disciples couldn’t stop themselves from laughing quietly at the absurdity of the statement.

Unfortunately, none of them could find a flaw in the logic.

The younger disciple looked toward the distant vessel once more before asking, "Then what do you think they want?"

This time Elder Hang answered without hesitation.

"They want something."

The disciple frowned.

"What?"

The commander exhaled softly.

"Influence. Political leverage. Future obligations. Perhaps all three."

His eyes narrowed as he studied the distant ship.

"The Celestial Sword Sect did not send an ordinary logistics elder."

That much he was now willing to accept.

The real question had changed.

He was no longer trying to determine whether Elder Xu Ren was real.

He was trying to understand why someone of Elder Xu Ren’s caliber had appeared here in the first place.

And questions without answers had always bothered him.

Elder Hang remained silent for a while, his gaze fixed on the silver-white vessel gliding through the darkness ahead. The younger disciple beside him waited patiently, while the others nearby resisted the urge to interrupt. Everyone knew the commander well enough to recognize when he was organizing his thoughts.

Eventually, Elder Hang spoke.

"Experience is difficult to forge."

The younger disciple frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"When I questioned Elder Xu about logistics, his answers came immediately. Not because he had prepared them beforehand, but because he already understood the subject. Every question led to another discussion, and every discussion revealed more experience."

His eyes narrowed as he recalled the inspection.

"When I examined the cargo arrangements, every decision had a reason behind it. When I challenged those decisions, he didn’t become defensive. He explained them. More importantly, several of those explanations were improvements I hadn’t considered myself."

The disciple stared at him in surprise.

"You found improvements?"

Elder Hang gave a slow nod.

"I spent half the inspection looking for mistakes."

"And?"

The commander let out a quiet breath.

"I found better methods."

The answer stunned not only the younger disciple but several cultivators standing nearby.

Elder Hang rarely complimented anyone.

The fact that he was doing so now felt almost unreal.

One disciple couldn’t help asking, "Are you saying he’s actually better than you?"

A few people immediately turned toward him.

The question was far too direct.

Yet Elder Hang didn’t seem offended.

Instead, he looked toward the distant vessel again before answering.

"I’m saying that if Elder Xu Ren is an impostor, then he is the most dedicated logistics expert I have ever met."

A ripple of laughter spread through the group.

Even Elder Hang’s lips twitched slightly.

The statement sounded ridiculous.

Unfortunately, nobody could argue with it.

The younger disciple folded his arms and thought for a moment before speaking again.

"If they’re not infiltrators, then why are they here?"

This time Elder Hang answered more slowly.

The answer wasn’t obvious.

Not because he lacked possibilities.

Because there were too many of them.

"The Celestial Sword Sect wants something."

The disciple blinked.

"What?"

"Influence."

Elder Hang’s voice remained calm.

"Perhaps political leverage. Perhaps future obligations. Perhaps a share of the credit if this campaign succeeds."

Another disciple frowned.

"You think they’re trying to strengthen their position?"

"Would that surprise you?"

Nobody answered.

Because it wouldn’t.

Powerful sects rarely moved without purpose.

Elder Hang continued watching the vessel ahead.

"The part that troubles me is not their competence."

"Then what troubles you?"

"The reason for sending someone this competent."

The younger disciple followed his gaze.

The silver-white ship continued moving steadily through the valley.

Nothing about it looked suspicious anymore.

Which, somehow, felt even more suspicious.

After several moments, Elder Hang finally turned away.

"Continue observing them."

The disciple straightened immediately.

"Do you still suspect them?"

A faint smile appeared on the commander’s face.

"Of course."

The disciple looked confused.

"I thought you trusted them now."

"I do."

The answer only confused him further.

Seeing the expression on the young man’s face, Elder Hang shook his head.

"Trust and suspicion are not opposites. A commander who trusts everyone is a fool. A commander who trusts no one is equally foolish."

The disciple considered that carefully.

Then asked, "So what changed?"

Elder Hang looked toward the silver-white vessel one last time before beginning to walk away.

"The direction of my suspicion changed."

The younger disciple remained where he stood, watching the commander disappear into the darkness of the observation platform. His gaze slowly drifted back toward the distant vessel sailing quietly through the valley.

A few days ago, Elder Hang had been trying to determine whether Elder Xu Ren was real.

Now he was trying to determine what Elder Xu Ren wanted.

Far ahead, the silver-white vessel continued moving through the valley exactly as before.

Calm.

Orderly.

Unremarkable.

And completely unaware that Elder Hang had just reached exactly the conclusion Shaurya wanted him to reach.

To Be Continued...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!