Elder Council Meeting

The academy was quite peaceful these past few days, everyone occupied with either cultivating or nursing their injuries. Even so, word of the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm's opening spread quickly. In particular, when rumors circulated that students from the myriad races might even be allowed to enter the mystic realm this time, it stirred up massive waves! …… Xiuxin Pavilion. The Elder Council was convened once again. There were far more Elder Council meetings this year than in previous years. Every few days, another meeting was called. And this was the first Elder Council meeting Hong Tan attended this semester. Xiuxin Pavilion, Large Conference Hall. Hong Tan ran into Zhou Mingren and greeted him with utmost courtesy, beaming broadly. "Elder Zhou, are your injuries fully healed?" Zhou Mingren said nothing and paid him no heed. He simply sat down on his own and closed his eyes to wait. Hong Tan chuckled, then cupped his hands toward the others and laughed. "I haven't been back for a few months, and the academy has changed almost beyond recognition! First students from the myriad races, now the opening of the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm. Good thing I returned; if I had stayed away any longer, the academy might have changed its name!" With that, he looked over at Xia Changqing and chuckled, "Old Xia, why don't you just rename the Great Xia Civilization Academy to Changqing Academy next time? It sounds so nice!" Xia Changqing said nothing. Ignoring him was the best policy! Hong Tan didn't mind in the least. He laughed heartily, "Forget it, forget it. Sigh, times are tough!" Saying that, he looked toward another person and asked in surprise, "Old Nie, what brings you here?" Old Nie glanced at him and sighed inwardly with regret. What a shame! Last time, I crushed my teapot. Otherwise, I could have brought it out this time to put on airs. Hong Tan was surprised, and so was everyone else. Vice Head Su Ziming asked softly, "Old Nie, what made you think of attending the meeting today?" The Great Xia Civilization Academy had six non-Shanhai elders. The Library Director, the Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Court, and the other four were in the Secret Realm Area. The Yuanqi Mystic Realm, the Demon Battleground Mystic Realm, the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, and the Demon Imprisonment Mystic Realm—the four great mystic realms—were left behind by four previous Academy Heads. The Great Xia Civilization Academy had spanned six generations. Apart from the Fifth Generation Head who left no realm behind and Wan Tiansheng who was still alive, every other Head had left behind a divine character mystic realm. Old Nie was precisely the overseer of the Yuanqi Mystic Realm, as well as an elder. This position had originally been reserved for Zhao Li, but Zhao Li was devoted to blacksmithing, and after failing to forge an Earth-rank cultural weapon, he had no interest in delving into it. Hearing Su Ziming's question, Old Nie smiled and said, "Vice Head Su, I heard that every elder attending this council meeting would be allocated a slot, so I came." The moment those words were spoken, Yu Hong of the Single Divine Character Faction barked, "Utter nonsense! I don't know who has been stirring up trouble and spreading rumors behind the scenes lately, spouting pure rubbish!" In the past few days, rumors had indeed been flying across the academy. One moment it was that students of the myriad races could enter; the next it was that every elder received a slot; then that all Top 100 students could enter; then that it was exclusively for myriad races students... The Single Divine Character Faction had a terrible headache over this the past few days. An unlucky year! Hardly anything had gone smoothly for them this year! Elder Sun also said in a deep voice, "This is a mystic realm opened at great cost by ourselves. Whoever wants to open one can go open it themselves!" These people actually wanted to reap where they hadn't sown! They could not tolerate this. At most fifty people could enter in total. Countless members of the Single Divine Character Faction were eager to go in, yet before it even opened, a massive crowd was already eyeing their spots. Even someone like Nie Qi, who rarely got involved, had shown up today. And it wasn't just Old Nie. Soon, several more elders walked in. All of them were in the Lingyun Realm! The Lingyun elders who usually stayed out of such matters had all arrived today: the Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Court, the Library Director... Not only that, but several elders who had previously claimed to be in seclusion appeared at this time as well. "Jia Wendao, weren't you in seclusion? What are you doing here!" One elder laughed as he looked at Jia Wendao, a rotund man with a ruddy, glowing face who looked as though he had just emerged from feasting and drinking his fill. Jia Wendao chuckled loudly. "I heard slots were being handed out, so I came out of seclusion! Old Hong, you're back too?" Glancing at Hong Tan, Jia Wendao beamed brightly and said, "Old Hong, a few days ago I bought a set of the Four Treasures of the Study outside—a Dragon Beard Brush, a Xuan Turtle Inkstone... It looks remarkably like yours! I'd been coveting it for ages; who knew they were selling it outside now!" "..." Hong Tan's expression stiffened! Wait, where are my Four Treasures of the Study?! Why haven't I seen them? Where's my teapot? Where are my beloved landscape paintings? Where's my jade carving of a celestial dragon clutching a phoenix? I... damn it, it looks like quite a lot of things are missing from my room! I've been so busy and dazed these past few days that I forgot to check. Jia Wendao chuckled and paid him no further heed, thoroughly amused inwardly. Nearby, the other elders were also snickering in secret. Yu Hong scoffed openly, "A disgraced family, a rotten lineage! A disciple selling his teacher's belongings, insubordination and disrespect—when the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones go awry!" Hong Tan glanced over at her and sneered with a smile, "Elder Yu, no need to throw shade! I'm happy to let him, so what business is it of yours? Even if Bai Feng sold the Wen Tan Research Center, I'd still be happy with it. Can you manage that?" He had basically guessed what happened and cursed inwardly, resolving to clean house the moment he got back! But could he let his rivals enjoy the joke right now? "In the past, I couldn't be bothered to deal with you or hold a grudge, but don't take that to mean I'm easy to bully!" Hong Tan chuckled and said, "I don't usually involve myself in the academy's affairs, but... don't go shitting on my head. A powerhouse near the Sun Moon Realm is not someone you can afford to provoke. Old lady, go home and think it over. I don't feel like throwing a tantrum and brawling with you, but if you keep running your mouth, ask Elder Zhou whether he can protect you!" Zhou Mingren frowned slightly and pressed his hand down, stopping Yu Hong from speaking further. Yu Hong was only at the seventh stage of the Shanhai Realm. Strong as she was, she was far from a match for Hong Tan. Among the eight elders of the Single Divine Character Faction, he was the strongest. Ranked second was none other than Elder Zhao, who was currently in death seclusion. Zheng Yuming had been the weakest, followed by Elder Li at the fourth stage of Shanhai, then Elder Ma on the All-Heavens Battlefield at the fifth stage of Shanhai, another Elder Fang at the sixth stage of Shanhai, and Elder Sun also at the seventh stage of Shanhai. Except for Zheng Yuming, none of them were weak, which was the fundamental reason for their faction's strength. They had four in the late Shanhai Realm alone! Hong Tan said no more and took his seat. Soon after, Wu Yuehua and several others arrived! He Qi, Fan Jin, and the rest all rushed in. The others said nothing, but Wu Yuehua glanced at Su Ziming and sneered with utter disdain! Su Ziming stayed silent. Back then, he had always stood by the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Now, fifty years had passed, and he had taken no part in this recent great clash. Once everyone had arrived, Wan Tiansheng strolled leisurely through the door. Holding a teacup, he sat down, took his seat, and sipped his tea. After taking a sip and seeing everyone looking at him, Wan Tiansheng smiled. "Since everyone is here, let's keep it brief. It's just a matter concerning the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm. It has nothing to do with people like us, yet it's been blown completely out of proportion! Last time Old Zhou wanted to open the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, I agreed to it. If it's to be opened, then open it!" Zhou Mingren said calmly, "I also find holding an Elder Council meeting unnecessary! Whoever is capable of opening it can go open it! We won't stand in their way. Now that we want to open it, why is there any need for a meeting? Convening dozens of elders for an Elder Council meeting over a mere mystic realm is making a mountain out of a molehill!" "Indeed," Wan Tiansheng nodded. "Everyone has plenty of business to attend to. If anyone has objections, speak up directly!" Among the crowd, an old man smiled and said, "I don't have much to say. Everyone should know my disciple, Zhan Hai! He's approaching the Tengkong Realm, ranked first on the Top 100 Rankings. How about giving him a slot? Old Zhou, how about I pay two thousand merit points?" Zhou Mingren frowned slightly, looked at him, and nodded slightly. "Fine!" There was no need to offend this man! His strength was formidable, and Zhan Hai didn't belong to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction either; he was considered part of the neutral third party. Granting Zhan Hai a slot was harmless. "My grand-disciple Jiang Mu..." Another elder spoke up! Zhou Mingren frowned and raised his hand. "Everyone has many students, and our faction has many students as well! There are tens of thousands of students across the entire academy; not everyone can enter! If you all want it opened, open it yourselves. At most, we can only give out three slots!" At this, quite a few people frowned. Wu Yuehua said coldly, "I have five!" "No more!" Zhou Mingren said calmly, "Wu Yuehua, when I offered them to you last time, you knew what I meant! But you know full well what you did earlier. Given that, why should I give them to you?" At a time like this, would he still supply an enemy? He wasn't an idiot! Having said that, Zhou Mingren looked at the other elders, bypassing the weaker ones and speaking directly to several late-stage Shanhai elders, "The slots previously promised to Wu Yuehua can be distributed instead! In total, we can offer eight slots!" At these words, several elders who had been ready to fight for fairness exchanged glances and held their tongues. There were only twenty-four elders attending the meeting in total. Subtracting the Single Divine Character Faction and setting aside Wu Yuehua's group, there weren't actually that many people left. With eight slots distributed, there were almost enough for the rest. Wu Yuehua's expression turned frigid; she knew this deal was essentially dead in the water. However, she was unwilling to let it go just like that, stating bluntly, "Then you're not allowed to open it! This is a mystic realm left behind by the First Generation Head, a realm that belongs to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction! The First Generation Head's student was the Third Generation Head, and the Third Generation's student was the Fifth Generation... Therefore, it is not your place to make the call!" Zhou Mingren said indifferently, "The Head bequeathed it to the academy, not to any individual! Unless one is of the Head's bloodline, masters and disciples do not pass it down as private inheritance!" With that, he added coldly, "These aren't the academy's only mystic realms. Predecessors of the Single Divine Character Faction also left behind quite a few, including the Yuanqi Mystic Realm left by the Fourth Generation Head, and the Demon Imprisonment Mystic Realm left by the Second Generation Head, who hailed from the Beast Taming faction. By your logic, can none of them be opened?" Wu Yuehua was left speechless. Hong Tan chuckled and said, "Fair point. Elder Zhou is right!" At those words, Wu Yuehua glared at him! Hong Tan didn't mind; he was used to it. Beaming broadly, he continued, "For Elder Zhou to be able to open the realm is a testament to Elder Zhou's capability! Leaving the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm unopened would be a waste anyway, and opening it to bolster the students' strength is a good thing. I wholeheartedly agree with Elder Zhou's approach!" Zhou Mingren ignored him, guessing that no good would come of this. "However..." Hong Tan sighed. "Elder Zhou has probably forgotten that I... happen to be the Vice Dean of the Divine Character College! The items Elder Zhou took out should, by right, belong to the Divine Character College's private stores, correct? Normally, I don't bother to dispute such matters. After all, I don't run day-to-day affairs. Whatever the Quest Realm allocates, whatever the Great Xia Prefecture allocates, that's all for the college, for the academy, for the students! It has nothing to do with me! "Likewise, students growing stronger is a blessing for the academy and a blessing for the Great Xia Prefecture. I haven't contributed much, nor do I wish to take advantage of others! "However... I am still the Vice Dean of the Divine Character College, aren't I? These resources count as college property, don't they? Elder Zhou, I think we still need to consider this carefully. As for whether this mystic realm gets opened or not, I need to have a say in it too." Zhou Mingren didn't utter a word, but Yu Hong frowned and barked, "Those were won by our Single Divine Character Faction's students! What does that have to do with you?!" Hong Tan yawned and replied, "Quite right. But... I belong to the Single Divine Character Faction! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction was abolished, wiped out! The entire Divine Character College is now the Single Divine Character Faction—didn't you know? Elder Yu, did you forget? What a terrible memory; people really get forgetful in their old age!" "..." Around them, the elders all froze. Zhou Mingren's gaze snapped onto him in an instant! Hong Tan grinned, shrugging with a helpless look. "I didn't want this either. I wanted to keep the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Back then, you could still say we weren't from the same faction. But now... I have no choice! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction is gone. If I don't belong to the Single Divine Character Faction, could I still belong to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? How about you restore the Multiple Divine Characters Faction for me, allocate me a few genius students, and grant all the benefits due for establishing a department?" Hong Tan chuckled, "According to academy regulations, an existing faction must receive an annual allocation of over ten thousand merit points! There are free cultivation methods of the myriad races, faculty must be assigned, instructors appointed... all of which the college has to spend money to organize!" Hong Tan said with a broad smile, "So right now, there are two choices. First, I am a member of the Single Divine Character Faction, which means that as Vice Dean, I have the authority to veto everything! "Second, restore the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, re-establish the department, and allocate our resources!" Hong Tan looked at the group and asked with a grin, "Gentlemen, what's your choice?" Several pairs of eyes glared at him coldly! Damn the rules! Damn the regulations! Did the Multiple Divine Characters Faction have nothing better to do all day than twist the rules like this, one after another?! Hong Tan was right. At this moment, those were their only two options. Restore the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? What a joke! Why had they banned the faction in the first place? Precisely to suppress them! If the faction existed, it would siphon away a portion of the Divine Character College's resources, including research institutes, reference archives, pill rations, talisman rations, weapon rations... Su Yu had never even thought about these things; he had received none of them! Yet they did exist! As a new student enrolling and reaching the Yangxing Realm, one would be allocated certain perks. This was the treatment regular students enjoyed. Otherwise, ordinary students wouldn't even be able to survive. Where would they get the money to buy cultural weapons?! Where would they get the money to buy pills and talismans?! These things were rationed within a certain quota, on the premise that the faction existed. But since the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was gone, if Su Yu were truly thick-skinned enough, he could follow Hong Tan's example, claim he belonged to the Single Divine Character Faction, and demand those resources. And right now, that was exactly what Hong Tan was doing. His smile was radiant beyond measure! The abolition of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction meant they had completely lost all outside resource support. Allocations from the academy, the Great Xia Prefecture, and the Quest Realm never reached their hands; everything they used now was their own. Since that was the case... I might as well act as an elder of the Single Divine Character Faction. Wan Tiansheng smiled without saying a word. Xia Changqing also remained silent, while Su Ziming simply closed his eyes to rest his mind. Zhou Mingren gave him a deep look and said flatly, "Then how many slots do you want?" "Twenty!" "Humph!" Several elders snorted in unison. What an extortionate demand! Keep dreaming! Zhou Mingren was silent for a moment before speaking, "Three. That is the limit! Furthermore, Su Yu is barred from entering!" Hong Tan asked coldly, "Why?!" Three was not a small number! Of course, he would have to share these three with others, such as Wu Yuehua and her allies, who might not secure any slots this time. Yet Su Yu was the one he had intended to send in from the very start. Zhou Mingren said calmly, "Su Yu has repeatedly shown disrespect to his teachers and elders! Since you claim to be an elder of the Single Divine Character Faction, there are no separate factions within the Divine Character College. That being so, are we not Su Yu's teachers and elders? "In that case, having repeatedly offended his teachers and elders, shouldn't he face due punishment?" Hong Tan frowned. "How did he offend you? He's just a student. Did he point at your nose and curse your mother? Did he sit on your head and take a shit?" Zhou Mingren said indifferently, "As the Dean, I forbid him from entering! Is that enough? If you find this improper, then we can shelve the matter and discuss it another time!" Hong Tan's brow furrowed! If he truly blocked Zhou Mingren from opening the mystic realm now, he wouldn't just offend the Single Divine Character Faction; the elders who stood to receive slots would be displeased as well. Yet, barring Su Yu from entering... Hong Tan's expression shifted uncertainly. Zhou Mingren suddenly thought of something and smiled faintly, "Don't blame me for not giving him a chance! And don't say I won't give other students in the academy an opportunity! I will put forward three slots and organize a tournament within the academy. The winners will receive the slots—the top three will each get one! "Since Su Yu is so confident, he can join the competition himself!" He didn't want to make opening the realm impossible either, so he was giving Hong Tan a way out, an opportunity! The question was, could you seize it? Liu Hong's proposal was indeed feasible. If they didn't give Su Yu any chance at all, Hong Tan might very well kick up a fuss. "A tournament?" Wan Tiansheng grew intrigued and smiled, "Old Zhou, competing for slots through a tournament is a fine idea! How about this: the academy will subsidize ten thousand merit points so your faction doesn't have to shoulder all the costs, and we'll add two more slots, making it five! We can also provide some other rewards. It's been a long time since the academy held such a competition. The Top 100 is restricted to those under thirty, but I gather you mean to give senior students a chance as well?" "Correct!" Zhou Mingren nodded; that was precisely what he meant. Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Then five slots, with a ten thousand merit point subsidy from the academy. What do you think?" Zhou Mingren frowned slightly, then nodded after a moment, "Agreed!" "Splendid!" That made five tournament slots, plus three for Hong Tan and eight for the other elders, yielding sixteen slots in total. Zhou Mingren was unwilling to make any further concessions at this point. He said flatly, "That settles it. If it can be opened, so be it; if not, we won't open it at all! The remaining thirty-four slots belong to us, as we are the ones opening it. If anyone still eyes them greedily, we will drop the matter entirely!" Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Old Hong, how about we leave it at that? Su Yu is not weak, and I personally support students fighting for slots on their own merit! Take the three slots offered. If you push things so far that it cannot be opened, it will be a loss for the entire academy. The students won't be pleased if they find out, and there's no need to invite condemnation from the whole academy. That would be bad." Hong Tan knitted his brows and paused for a long while before saying, "Fine! But three is too few, not enough! Five, and Su Yu is not counted among them!" Wu Yuehua, Fan Jin, He Qi, and Chen Li were the four elders who had fought in the battle earlier, all backing the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. This time, they clearly wouldn't receive any slots from Zhou Mingren. Hong Tan needed to give at least one slot to each of them and keep one for his own side to give to Wu Jia. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the face to look them in the eye. Everyone understood his intention. Just as Zhou Mingren was about to refuse, Wu Yuehua said coldly, "Fine, three it is! From today onward, the Divine Pill College will no longer sell any medicinal pills to other colleges!" "The Divine Talisman College will do the same!" "Likewise for the Beast Taming College!" "..." The elders chimed in one after another. He Qi chuckled, "If you won't give them, so be it; we don't want them anyway! Is missing a slot or two going to kill anyone? Can people not cultivate without entering the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm? From now on, you of the divine character faction shouldn't use our demonic beasts, our divine pills, or our divine talismans! Later, I'll go contact the Weapon Forging College too. Since you're so formidable, relying on your divine characters against enemies is more than enough! Why would you need external aids?!" Zhou Mingren gave a soft laugh. "He Qi, if you want slots, that's fine. Five thousand merit points each, and I can add two more for you!" Then he added coldly, "We have to spend resources too. Does buying your pills, talismans, and demonic beasts not cost money?" The moment he said that, Hong Tan immediately cut in, "Done! Then add ten thousand merit points for two more slots—five in total!" Wu Yuehua was about to berate him, but Hong Tan gave a slight shake of his head. This was already the limit! Ten thousand merit points it was! He didn't have it, but that was fine—Wu Yuehua did. She could lend it to him, he would pay the money, and he would pay her back once he had the funds. Wan Tiansheng laughed, "Then it's settled—everyone is happy! Oh, by the way, there's no need to give slots directly to the myriad races students, but they may take part in the tournament. We shouldn't be too exclusionary, and it will serve to test our students' capabilities as well!" No one objected, and Zhou Mingren had no objections either. This worked out well; he had already planned to pit them against Su Yu, and it would be a shame if they didn't join! Having finished this topic, Wan Tiansheng added with a faint smile, "In addition, Zheng Yuming and Bai Feng are heading to the All-Heavens Battlefield next month to enter the Vanguard Camp. Zheng Yuming may return after slaying one Shanhai, while Bai Feng must slay ten Lingyun! Infighting is infighting, but one must bear the cost! Bai Feng killed outside the academy, so I won't say anything about it, and whatever war zone the Xia family set up, I can't be bothered to interfere. But within the academy... if I find that anyone has been killed, there will be no mercy!" No one answered. Wan Tiansheng stood up as if preparing to leave. Right at that moment, Old Nie smiled and called out, "Academy Head, wait a moment!" "Oh? Something else?" Wan Tiansheng sat back down. Old Nie smiled and said, "It's like this. Everyone knows Zhao Ming, right? A few days ago, he came to me complaining that he was being suppressed and that the Disciplinary Inspection Court had interfered with the academy's fairness!" Old Nie smiled and turned to look at the Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Court over there. "Old He, the guardians of the various mystic realms, the Top 100 Building, the Library, the Disciplinary Inspection Court, the Guards... none of these units are supposed to take part in factional disputes! The purpose of the Disciplinary Inspection Court is to oversee academy discipline and conduct, yet an inspector removed Zhao Ming from his referee position and had Liu Hong temporarily replace him... That was inappropriate!" Old Nie looked at Old He, the Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Court, and said with a smile, "Old He, you're getting up in years and perhaps no longer have the energy for this, having forgotten the vow we made together back then! Step down from your post as Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Court." The elder surnamed He remained silent, not uttering a word. Xia Changqing, who had remained quiet all this while, frowned and said, "I have already punished Xia Yuwen..." Xia Yuwen was still gravely injured, and inserting Xia Yuwen into the Disciplinary Inspection Court had cost Xia Changqing considerable effort. Before he could finish, Old Nie smiled, "Vice Head Xia, this has nothing to do with you! The Disciplinary Inspection Court and the mystic realm guardians do not answer to the Vice Heads. Old He, step down! Retire peacefully; if you're bored, plant some flowers and herbs. Step down. As for the Disciplinary Inspection Court, we've already discussed and agreed: Old Huang will take over. Don't hog the seat anymore. Old Huang has been with me for many years; let him have a taste of being an elder too." "We've already discussed and agreed!" The so-called "we," of course, did not include the people present here. The crowd had strange looks in their eyes, none speaking a word. The Secret Realm Area, the Guards... these organizations could not be ordered about by the elders; they answered directly to the Academy Head. Yet the Head generally did not interfere with them either. These individuals were part of an independent system formed by disciples, followers, and neutrals left behind by previous generations of Academy Heads. Arbitrators in the truest sense! Entities that maintained the academy's justice and impartiality. Even if they showed favoritism toward someone, they never crossed the line. Both Old Huang and Old Nie thought highly of Su Yu, yet they had never directly intervened to help him; the rules were the rules. As for the token allowing entry into the mystic realm, that was the prerogative of the Fourth Generation Head's descendants, something they had no right to interfere with. Among the crowd, the elder surnamed He sighed softly and nodded. "I understand, Old Nie. Have Old Huang handle the handover with me later. When it comes to the Disciplinary Inspection Court, I have indeed lacked the energy in recent years." "Good!" Old Nie chuckled and looked toward Wan Tiansheng, smiling, "Academy Head, what do you think? Old Huang isn't weak; he's a veteran ninth-stage Lingyun..." Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Do as you please! If you have no objections on your end, I will report it to the Yuqiang Department and the Quest Realm, and it's settled!" "All right then, that's all from me!" Old Nie chuckled, then looked back at Xia Changqing and spoke, "Vice Head Xia, what Xia Yuwen fights for is none of our business, and whatever he wants to do has nothing to do with us as long as he obeys the academy's rules! However, the Disciplinary Inspection Court is not something a Vice Head can lead. When you become the official Academy Head—the Seventh Generation Head—we will naturally align with you and support your decisions. Until then, do not meddle again." Xia Changqing frowned slightly. "I had no such intention!" "I know, and I understand," Old Nie smiled. "I am merely reminding Vice Head Xia that we exist to preserve the stability of the academy, and ultimately we still serve the Xia family. The Xia family must not dig up its own foundations. If this generation attempts to seize power without holding the right, and the next generation of other Xia family members also tries to seize power, how can we still maintain fairness? Will it be just like now? Vice Head Xia, the contest for Manor Lord is conducted aboveboard, and no one will stand in the way. If Xia Yuwen truly possesses the ability to become Manor Lord, we will naturally support him with all our hearts! "The Demon Suppression Army, the Longwu Guards... they all serve the Manor Lord. Corrupting them now will only throw the Xia family into chaos and throw the Great Xia Prefecture into chaos. Don't go thinking that Manor Lord Xia and King Daxia are too old to move!" Old Nie said those few words, stood up, and left. Once he had gone, Hong Tan said with amusement, "Old Nie still has that same old temper. But he's right, Vice Head Xia—undermining your own family's foundation isn't good! If Xia Yuwen entered the Disciplinary Inspection Court, he should have just been a proper inspector. Why did he have to provoke this bunch of stubborn old codgers? Completely unnecessary!" Gleeful gloating! It was glaringly obvious! Xia Changqing said nothing in response, feeling rather helpless. Right now, his head ached terribly too. Xia Yuwen had still not recovered. The Xia family did not lack treasures to treat him, but the issue was not physical injuries; it was psychological trauma! Now, the mystic realm guardians were counterattacking as well, leaving him with nothing to say. If Zhao Ming had been easy to handle when Yuwen interfered with the Top 100 Arena last time, it wouldn't have been an issue, but Zhao Ming happened to be an expert tattletale, sticky like toffee—once entangled with him, how could one shake him off easily?! And now look: the Director of the Disciplinary Inspection Court, whom he had only recently won over, was removed on the spot! The meeting was about to conclude when Hong Tan suddenly spoke up, "Right, regarding the promotion of the Cangshu Pavilion Director to elder..." Wan Tiansheng glanced at him and said as he stood up, "Regarding the Cangshu Pavilion, the Secret Realm Area's position is to incorporate it into their system. Are you certain you want Chen Yong promoted? A promotion is fine, provided he severs ties with the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Will you agree to that?" Hong Tan shrank back sheepishly, offering a dry laugh, "Forget it then! But let me make this clear in advance: since Chen Yong can't take it, if anyone else steps up, they must follow this rule too!" Wan Tiansheng couldn't be bothered to reply. Zhou Mingren didn't care either. Their goal was to help Xia Yuwen take the position, though Xia Yuwen's current condition was still unknown. If Xia Yuwen took the position, there naturally wouldn't be any factional strife. Xia Yuwen's goal was Manor Lord, not Academy Head. As for Chen Yong, if he wanted to be promoted to elder, he could wait until he reached the Shanhai Realm. For now, unless he renounced his identity and joined the neutral third party, fat chance. Watching the others leave one after another, Hong Tan let out a breath. Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly. It was just Su Yu's side... There was no other way. Figure it out yourself, kid—your grandmaster did the best he could!