Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

"This is Supreme Elder Master Chi Yuan of our alliance."

"Junior Zhao Chonghe, I have seen Master Chi Yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng immediately bowed respectfully to Master Chi Yuan, whose face bore an ancient nobility.

"Enough of that! Elder Qi, you are indeed fortunate. To find such a young Foundation Establishment junior is lucky. However, now that he has joined the alliance, why still this secretive demeanor?" Master Chi Yuan's voice thundered like a great bell, his tone neither cold nor mocking.

Seeing this, Elder Qi laughed heartily and said, "Ha ha, Great Head Chi Yuan, just be envious! Mr. Zhao has already agreed to join the Foreign Affairs Hall. Moreover, you are being too nosy. That's his privacy, must he report to you as well?"

"Hmph!" Master Chi Yuan glared angrily at his old rival.

Seeing this situation, Meng Quyi quickly pulled Zhao Sheng aside and began introducing him to others.

"This is Lu Xia, Mr. Lu, currently the Hall Master of the Foreign Affairs Hall," Meng Quyi first pointed to a gracefully dignified middle-aged scholar and said.

"I am Zhao Chonghe, I have seen Hall Master Lu."

"So it is Daoist Zhao, I heard just a few days ago that a young and distinguished figure had joined our hall. Seeing you today, it is indeed true! We should become closer friends. Once this affair is over, Mr. Lu definitely must visit Daoist Zhao's cave mansion," the middle-aged scholar brightened upon seeing Zhao Sheng and immediately stood up to bow from a distance with a loud voice.

"Hall Master Lu is too courteous. It should be I who visit," Zhao Sheng quickly returned the bow with polite gestures.

After exchanging pleasantries, Meng Quyi continued to introduce Zhao Sheng to others.

"This is Daoist Lu..."

"Greetings, Daoist Lu!..."

...

"This is Senior Zhuge Zhen..."

"Senior Ge gives his regards..."

...

By the time they had made introductions in half a circle, an hour had passed, and by then the jade chairs in the great hall were all occupied.

As Zhao Sheng had joined the alliance last, he found a seat at the very end.

At that moment, one person beside him bowed and said, "Daoist Zhao, you look very young. You must have reached Foundation Establishment at an early age, right?"

Zhao Sheng turned his head and saw that the speaker's face was fair and handsome, appearing only in his twenties, dressed in a brocade robe of orchids, looking elegant and dashing, like a refined young master in a troubled world.

"You must be Daoist Chen Guanxi. I only appear youthful, but I am actually not so young," Zhao Sheng said in a mixture of truth and falsehood to avoid trouble.

The person smiled slightly and was just about to say a few more words.

Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings echoed from the entrance of the great hall.

Chen Guanxi's expression became solemn as he turned his head toward the entrance, and the rest of the people in the hall did the same.

The next moment, two individuals entered the hall through the entrance. One was an amiable-faced elderly man about six feet tall, dressed in a jade-colored brocade robe and a high hat, while the other was a vibrant young master with a face like a fine jade and auburn hair.

"Alliance Hierarch!"

"Greetings to the Alliance Hierarch!"

As soon as the elderly man appeared, everyone in the great hall stood up to greet him, their eyes filled with respect.

The elderly man was none other than Master Chang Kong, the Alliance Hierarch of the Spring and Autumn Alliance, a Late-stage Golden Core powerhouse.

"Alliance Hierarch, this must be the Special Envoy! Truly an imposing figure, outstanding beyond comparison!"

Seated at the head, Master Qi Feng and Master Chi Yuan had already stood up in unison and went forward to greet the newcomer.

"Gu Yanqiu, I've seen the two seniors!" The young master smiled slightly, seemingly casual as he saluted the two Golden Core Masters with a cupped fist.

Zhao Sheng silently sized up this "special envoy." From his name, it was clear he was a member of the Gu Yan family from Vermilion Bird Island.

And based on the aura emanating from his body, this individual was indeed a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and perhaps even a few years younger than him.

As soon as Gu Yanqiu had taken his seat, a Minister Elder immediately came forward to introduce himself, speaking very respectfully to the special envoy.

Gu Yanqiu appeared very polite and amiable, but Zhao Sheng occasionally saw a hint of disdain in the depths of his eyes.

After a moment, everyone had finished introducing themselves. Because Zhao Sheng was very young and the last one introduced, Gu Yanqiu's impression of him was inevitably a bit deeper. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire

Following this, Master Chang Kong's demeanor became serious, and without saying a word, he instantly took control of the atmosphere in the hall.

"Today, I have gathered everyone here to discuss the conflict between our alliance and the Mystic Sky Sect regarding the ownership of the Seven-star Reef Spirit Vein. What are everyone's opinions?"

At this moment, Chen Guanxi explained quietly to Zhao Sheng:

"Daoist Zhao, you arrived late and might not know. Our Spring and Autumn Alliance has been frequently clashing with the Mystic Sky Sect over the Spirit Vein at Seven-star Reef; we might have to fight a big battle this time. Hehe, Daoist Zhao, your luck is really terrible!"

Zhao Sheng nodded slightly upon hearing this, his face showing no particular emotion. He didn't think his luck was bad; on the contrary, he saw this as an opportunity.

The Spring and Autumn Alliance was the hegemon of Nine Virtuous Isle. He wanted to learn true Alchemy, and leveraging the power of the Spring and Autumn Alliance would allow him to achieve his goal faster and better. That was, of course, provided he could establish considerable merits for the alliance.

Zhao Sheng silently observed as the others passionately expressed their views. He noticed that most of them supported fighting a hard battle against the Mystic Sky Sect.

Glancing at the three Golden Core Masters seated at the head, Zhao Sheng vaguely understood that all this was being done for Gu Yanqiu's benefit.

Once everyone had made their stance clear, Gu Yanqiu smiled slightly with a hint of sentimentality, "Before coming here, my family said that the Spring and Autumn Alliance is like scattered sand. But from what I've seen today, such statements are completely mistaken. Your alliance is quite unified! Master Chang Kong, have you already decided? Are you really going to fight the Mystic Sky Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Master Qi Feng and Master Chi Yuan's eyes flashed, and they exchanged glances before turning their gaze to the Alliance Hierarch.

At this, Master Chang Kong smiled slightly and spoke deliberately, "Special envoy, it's not that the Spring and Autumn Alliance wants to fight the Mystic Sky Sect, but they are too bullying. The affiliation of the Seven-star Reef has long been a public agreement in the Shattered Star Sea! Yet the Mystic Sky Sect keeps twisting the truth, insisting on taking over the Seven-star Reef. Our alliance cannot and should not retreat! Otherwise, wouldn't we be laughed at by our fellow daoists?"

Gu Yanqiu took a deep breath and said, "Peace is most precious! Your alliance and the Mystic Sky Sect are both old friends of the Vermilion Bird Island. Why not both sides take a step back? I am willing to act as a mediator and speak to the Mystic Sky Sect. Master Chang Kong, what do you think?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Elder Qi spoke out loudly, "Special envoy, you might not be aware, but ever since the Seven-star Reef was discovered two hundred years ago, it has been within the territory of our Spring and Autumn Alliance. Initially, there was only a First-rank Spirit Vein here, not much potential for development.

But recently, someone accidentally discovered that at the end of this Spirit Vein on the Seven-star Reef, there is another, larger Second Order Spirit Vein connected to it. The Mystic Sky Sect covets this Second Order Spirit Vein and even claims that the Spirit Vein is not within the range of Seven-star Reef, calling it unowned.

Even more shamelessly, they claim that they had discovered this Second Order Spirit Vein earlier and that it should belong to the Mystic Sky Sect. This... This is indeed twisting the facts and is intolerable!"

At these words, the people present were immediately roused to anger.

After Elder Qi finished, he stared directly at Gu Yanqiu, pressing, "Special envoy, do you think what the Mystic Sky Sect is doing is right?"

Gu Yanqiu looked at the intense gaze of Master Qi Feng, reined in his smile, and said slowly, "If that's the case, let's proceed with the old rules then! You both will have a wagering battle. As for the method of the battle, it is to have three Foundation Establishment Cultivators from both your alliance and the Purple Cloud Sect engage in a life-and-death struggle. The winner will take ownership of the Seven-star Reef."

Upon hearing this, both Master Qi Feng and Master Chi Yuan showed signs of dissatisfaction and hesitation.

Just as Elder Qi was about to argue, Master Chang Kong raised his hand and said firmly, "The wagering battle is acceptable, but the Mystic Sky Sect must also present something of equal value as the stake."

"Alright, I will persuade the Mystic Sky Sect to agree. So... let's set this battle a half year from now, shall we?"

"Agreed!"

"Alliance Hierarch, this cannot be!" Master Chi Yuan exclaimed anxiously.

Master Chang Kong waved his hand, leaving no room for dispute, "No need to persuade me anymore, we'll settle the ownership through the wagering battle."

With that, the expressions of many below varied unpredictably, their thoughts unknown.