Leo didn't visit the sect alone; he brought Wang Xuanwei as his bodyguard. With her by his side, he felt completely secure, with no sense of danger whatsoever. Even when facing a half-step Celestial Ascension cultivator, Leo was confident that Wang Xuanwei, a cultivator of the Ethereal Mastery realm, would have a significant advantage. After all, although the world's restrictions limit her power to the peak of the Celestial Ascension realm, Wang Xuanwei is over a million years old, possessing an immense depth of experience. Her unparalleled mastery of spells, her refined cultivation techniques, and her well-honed combat skills make her a formidable opponent. In fact, it's likely that she could even hold her ground against a true Celestial Ascension cultivator for a brief moment.
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The Sacred Candle Temple has a unique and somewhat unusual system of governance. The ultimate leader of the temple is known as the Great Candle, which resides at the temple's headquarters. However, the Great Candle is not a living being; it is an inanimate object that, while imbued with will, lacks the capability to fully carry out the duties of a leader on its own. To fulfill its role, the Great Candle relies on a group of human followers who serve as its assistants, each entrusted with specific responsibilities essential to the temple's functioning.
The Great Candle has five key assistants: the Internal Assistant, the External Assistant, the Invasion Assistant, the Defense Assistant, and the Planning Assistant.
The Internal Assistant is responsible for the appointment of regional leaders for the various Sacred Candle Temples. This role is crucial to maintaining the temple's influence and control over its domains. As such, the position of Internal Assistant is highly regarded and holds considerable sway within the hierarchy of the Sacred Candle Temple.
The External Assistant, on the other hand, oversees the temple's assets and forces that lie beyond the primary territory under the temple's control. For example, the External Assistant manages the forces located within the world of cultivation, as these are not considered part of the temple's immediate territory. However, should the Sacred Candle Temple eventually conquer the world of cultivation, these forces would then fall under the jurisdiction of the Internal Assistant. Although the position of External Assistant is influential, it does not possess the same level of autonomy as the Internal Assistant. This is because the External Assistant must closely collaborate and consult with both the Invasion Assistant and the Planning Assistant to coordinate activities beyond the temple's direct sphere of control.
The Invasion Assistant is tasked with leading invasions and carrying out conquests on behalf of the temple. Primarily, this is an executive role, as the Planning Assistant is the one who selects targets and makes strategic decisions. Despite wielding significant military power, the Invasion Assistant is not regarded as particularly influential, as their actions are largely subordinate to the directives of the Planning Assistant.
The Defense Assistant, while essential, is also considered to have limited authority. The Defense Assistant's role mainly involves organizing and coordinating the temple's forces to create a comprehensive defensive structure. However, as the Sacred Candle civilization has historically focused more on offensive conquests than on defense, the position of Defense Assistant has traditionally been seen as relatively weak. Only in rare situations, where the temple faces an external threat, does the importance of the Defense Assistant's role significantly increase. If the Sacred Candle civilization were ever targeted by another powerful civilization, for instance, the influence and necessity of the Defense Assistant would certainly rise.
Finally, there is the position of Planning Assistant, which arguably holds the greatest degree of influence, albeit in a more indirect manner. While the Planning Assistant does not have any direct authority over military forces, does not appoint key officials, and lacks any formal executive power, they bear the immense responsibility of crafting the temple's overall strategy. This position involves setting invasion targets, making crucial decisions, and advising on matters of strategic importance. It can be said that the Planning Assistant functions much like a prime minister within the Sacred Candle civilization, wielding considerable influence through strategic oversight and guidance.
These five positions form the essential inner workings of the Sacred Candle Temple, yet they represent only a part of the temple's extensive structure. Many other roles exist within the temple, such as regional leaders, intelligence leaders, and other specialized positions, though these roles are significantly subordinate to the five primary assistants. The candle civilization stands out from other factions due to its unique leadership structure, with the Great Candle—a non-living entity—as its absolute leader. This unusual characteristic distinguishes it sharply from other powerful forces, which generally have living leaders with distinctly different systems of governance.
For example, the leadership of the Heavenly Sword Sect is structured around ten supreme elder positions, each holding authority over various aspects of the sect's operations. Together, these elders guide the sect's long-term strategy and day-to-day management. At the top of this hierarchy is the Chief Supreme Elder, traditionally the most powerful member of the sect and usually at the peak of the Void Refining Stage. The Chief Supreme Elder has the authority to set the sect's overarching direction and often manages the sect's defense department as well.
Aside from the Chief Supreme Elder, the nine other supreme elder positions cover specific areas of the sect's governance. These include the Supreme Elders of Defense, Offense, Intelligence, Foreign Relations, Personnel, Admission, Resources, Enforcement, and Miscellaneous Affairs. Typically, the Chief Supreme Elder takes on the additional role of Supreme Elder of Defense, making the actual number of supreme elders nine rather than ten.
The Supreme Elder of Defense is charged with the strategic defense of the sect, overseeing defensive formations, weapons, and training protocols. This role is seen as the second most influential position after the Chief Supreme Elder, as it holds sway in nearly every significant area of the sect's defense. Often, the individual holding the title of Chief Supreme Elder also occupies this influential defense position, consolidating power and authority.
The Supreme Elder of Offense, by contrast, is a comparatively weaker position. The Heavenly Sword Sect rarely engages in offensive operations against other powerful factions and thus allocates minimal resources toward offensive forces. Consequently, the Supreme Elder of Offense has a more limited scope of influence within the sect.
The Supreme Elder of Intelligence holds a vital and powerful role, responsible for gathering intelligence from all directions. This department's work has been instrumental in recruiting extraordinarily talented disciples for the sect. Many of the Heavenly Sword Sect's most gifted members have been identified and recruited thanks to the intelligence department's efforts.
The Supreme Elder of Foreign Relations is another influential figure, serving as the primary liaison between the Heavenly Sword Sect and external entities, including other sects and dynasties. This role is essential for maintaining alliances and managing the sect's diplomatic relationships, ensuring that the sect's interests are well represented and protected in the broader world.
The Supreme Elder of Personnel also wields significant authority within the sect. This position is tasked with appointing various sect officials, including numerous ordinary elders. However, while the Supreme Elder of Personnel has control over many appointments, the criteria for promotion to an ordinary elder are fixed by established laws, somewhat limiting their influence in this area. Where the Supreme Elder of Personnel's true power lies is in assigning tasks to the elders. Elders who fall out of favor with the Supreme Elder of Personnel risk being assigned to remote or less desirable branches of the sect.
The Supreme Elder of Admission manages the admission of new disciples into the sect, setting policies, conducting entrance exams, and overseeing the selection process. This position is highly coveted, as wealthy and influential families often seek to curry favor with the Supreme Elder of Admission to ensure their children's entry into the sect. Given the privileges that membership in the Heavenly Sword Sect affords, the Supreme Elder of Admission holds substantial sway over the sect's future membership and, by extension, its future strength.
The Supreme Elder of Enforcement has a crucial role in upholding the laws of the sect. This powerful position is reserved for the most senior and trusted of elders. The Supreme Elder of Enforcement cannot be removed by the Chief Supreme Elder alone; instead, a majority vote from the other supreme elders is required to unseat them. This elder holds both prosecutorial and enforcement powers, and no one in the sect—not even the Chief Supreme Elder—is immune from their authority. Despite this broad enforcement power, the Supreme Elder of Enforcement does not participate in policy-making. Their role is strictly to enforce the laws as determined by the council of elders and supreme elders, ensuring that all regulations are followed without bias or deviation.
The Supreme Elder of Resources holds considerable authority over the financial matters of the Heavenly Sword Sect. As one of three supreme elders who serve as the sect's treasurers, she has substantial influence over the sect's coffers. Her responsibilities include overseeing the extraction of resources from sect-owned mines, managing the procurement of items the sect needs, and handling the sale of goods produced by the sect. In effect, the Supreme Elder of Resources is tasked with overseeing most economic affairs within the sect, making her a key figure in maintaining its financial stability.
The final supreme elder position is the Supreme Elder of Miscellaneous Affairs. While her role is not as influential as others, it serves an important function by covering any tasks or responsibilities that do not clearly fall within the purview of the other supreme elders. Although her power is limited, it is by no means negligible. Often, tasks that are unappealing or fall outside the expertise of other supreme elders end up under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Elder of Miscellaneous Affairs. This position was established many years ago, allegedly created to provide a supreme elder title for a close friend of a former Chief Supreme Elder. Since then, the position has remained part of the sect's hierarchy, filling various administrative gaps as they arise.
Beyond these supreme elder positions, several other commissions and councils operate within the sect to ensure effective governance. One such body is the Treasury Commission. The treasury of the Heavenly Sword Sect is not managed by any single individual; rather, it is overseen by a commission comprising three members: the Chief Supreme Elder, the Supreme Elder of Resources, and the Supreme Elder of Personnel. The Supreme Elder of Enforcement also attends Treasury Commission meetings, though in a non-voting, observer capacity, ensuring transparency and accountability in financial matters.
Another important body within the sect is the Allotment Commission. This commission consists of five members: the Chief Supreme Elder, the Supreme Elder of Defense, the Supreme Elder of Admission, the Supreme Elder of Foreign Relations, and the Supreme Elder of Personnel. The Allotment Commission's primary role is to determine the salaries of ordinary elders and sect deacons, as well as to set the resource allowances provided to disciples for their cultivation needs. The salaries of the supreme elders themselves, however, require unanimous approval from all supreme elders, underscoring the sect's emphasis on consensus in matters concerning high-ranking members.
Additionally, the Heavenly Sword Sect has various specialized commissions that oversee different aspects of sect operations and policy-making. These include the Commission of Research, the Commission of Knowledge, the Commission on Access, the Commission on Standards, and others. Each commission is responsible for specific areas affecting the entire sect, ensuring that decisions in these areas are made thoughtfully and with input from knowledgeable members.
The supreme elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect are the absolute rulers of the sect. All supreme elders are in the Void Refining realm, granting them immense power and control over sect affairs. They hold ultimate authority, and all other sect members—including ordinary elders—operate under the powers and responsibilities delegated by the supreme elders. While ordinary elders play crucial roles in the day-to-day management of the sect, their powers are entirely derived from the authority granted to them by the supreme elders.