270: Chapter 270 The Sect's Face Must Be Considered

The title of the number one Sect in Qinghe Prefecture was both a glory and a shackle for the young Disciples of the Tiangang Sect.

Qingxuan Sect killed a Foundation Establishment Yao Beast, Hundred Beasts Gate captured one alive, while Tiangang Sect stayed on the periphery fighting Tier 1 small monsters.

Whispers among Disciples hadn't stopped since the twenty-third day.

It wasn't that they said anything disrespectful about Su Yunling; no one dared.

Su Yunling's Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation was there, and with her strict management and precise punishments lately, the Disciples were convinced.

But being convinced didn't mean they weren't unwilling.

"Why?"

These three words appeared more and more frequently in private conversations after returning from duty each day.

On the twenty-sixth day, the atmosphere in the Tiangang Sect's station courtyard was clearly different from previous days.

This time it wasn't whispers; it was brought out into the open.

Liu Ce and Zhou Hong, both at the Tenth Level of Qi Refining, took the lead, calling all Disciples with cultivation at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining or above together and speaking in front of everyone.

"Fifteen people from Hundred Beasts Gate could capture a Foundation Establishment Yao Beast alive by relying on Spirit Beasts. Lu Ya from Qingxuan Sect could hunt one alone because he has many trump cards. Although our Tiangang Sect doesn't raise Spirit Beasts and our trump cards aren't as strong as Lu Ya's, our Formation ranks first among the four Sects. No one can deny that, right?"

No one spoke, but no one shook their head either.

"Zhou Hong and I are both at the Tenth Level of Qi Refining. You have five at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer and six at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining. Our Tiangang Sect's Tiangang Combined Attack Formation has been practiced many times; our coordination has long been honed. An Early Foundation Establishment Stage Yao Beast isn't untouchable."

Liu Ce paused here.

"Of course, this matter still requires Junior Martial Uncle Su's approval."

Hearing this, the crowd's whispers instantly vanished.

Then a Disciple at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer spoke: "Junior Martial Uncle Su already refused once last time..."

Liu Ce waved his hand: "Last time was last time, the situation is different now. When we mentioned it last time, Qingxuan Sect hadn't succeeded yet. Now Lu Ya's achievements have spread through the four Sects, and Hundred Beasts Gate has captured a Foundation Establishment Yao Beast alive. If only our Tiangang Sect remains inactive, how will we explain it to the Sect when we return?"

"It's not about an explanation," Zhou Hong chimed in. "Junior Martial Uncle Su is right; our lives are certainly more important than Face. But now it's not just a matter of our Face; it's a matter of Tiangang Sect's status within the Four Sect Alliance."

His words carried weight, rising from a personal level to Sect honor.

Tiangang Sect was the number one Sect in Qinghe Prefecture and had always played a leading role in the Four Sect Alliance.

If the training results at the Disciple level were suppressed by Qingxuan Sect and Hundred Beasts Gate, it wasn't just a matter of the Sect losing Face; future recruitment of new Disciples might also be affected. Wouldn't this be equivalent to admitting in front of the four Sects that their own Disciples were inferior?

Su Yunling was currently sitting cross-legged and cultivating in the east wing of the courtyard. With her Divine Sense spread out, the conversation of the Disciples gathered in the courtyard reached her Sea of Consciousness without missing a single word.

After the Disciples dispersed, Wenren Zimo pushed open the door and entered.

"Did you hear?"

Su Yunling opened her eyes and stopped her Cultivation Technique.

"I heard."

"What do you plan to do?"

Su Yunling thought for a moment.

"What do you think?"

Wenren Zimo was asked back by her and instead smiled. "I've only just reached Foundation Establishment not long ago; it's not my place to judge this matter."

"But to be honest, what Liu Ce and Zhou Hong said wasn't entirely out of impulse."

"Qingxuan Sect and Hundred Beasts Gate have both moved, yet we haven't. The Disciples are indeed feeling suppressed."

"You can suppress them, but the harder you suppress them, the greater the backlash will be after returning to the Sect."

Su Yunling did not answer.

On the morning of the twenty-sixth day, Su Yunling announced something.

"Those who want to go into the interior of the mountain range to hunt Foundation Establishment Yao Beasts, raise your hands."

A forest of hands went up simultaneously.

Out of the twenty-three people, thirteen raised their hands. The remaining ten were Disciples at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining who judged their cultivation was insufficient and didn't dare join the excitement.

Su Yunling scanned those who raised their hands and shook her head.

"Put them down."

The Disciples looked at each other, their arms frozen in mid-air.

"During the entire training period, the range of activity must not exceed three hundred miles. This is a rule set by the Sect and the Elders long ago, not my rule."

Arms dropped one after another, but not a single Face was relaxed.

Liu Ce's lips moved, but he ultimately didn't speak again. Last time Su Yunling's words had been very heavy: "Whoever violates this will be dealt with according to Sect rules, and I will report it truthfully to the Sect Master upon return."

Su Yunling looked around at the Disciples' expressions, fell silent for two breaths, and spoke again.

"However, although I cannot agree due to Sect rules, if you insist on going, you can go into the city and discuss it with the stationed Elders. If they nod their heads, I will have nothing more to say."

The Disciples glanced at each other, and the light in their eyes brightened again.

Su Yunling turned and went back to her room without saying more.

She had pointed out this path herself. The Disciples were holding in this energy; it was better to guide it than to block it. Instead of preventing them from acting recklessly in secret, it was better to let them take the formal route to fight for it.

If the Elders agreed, she would lead the team; she could handle the safety issues. If the Elders rejected it, the Disciples would give up.

That afternoon, Liu Ce and Zhou Hong indeed did not return to rest.

They went to the Sect station's meeting hall in the backyard.

There were ten Tiangang Sect Elders stationed in Heming City, with the three leading ones at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Liu Ce and Zhou Hong found one of them, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Elder surnamed Kong. This person was in charge of Disciple assessment matters year-round and was a familiar Face among the Sect Disciples.

Just as the two were about to explain their purpose, Elder Kong waved his hand to interrupt them.

"No need to explain. We already know about Qingxuan Sect and Hundred Beasts Gate."

Although Elder Kong's tone was casual, the expression on his Face was hardly pleasant. In terms of Face, Tiangang Sect was at the bottom of this four-Sect joint training.

"From a safety perspective, and from the Sect's original intention of sending you here for training, Yun Ling's approach is not wrong. You must not harbor any resentment towards her."

"But now that the training has changed its flavor, we Elders must also consider the matter from the perspective of the Sect's reputation."

Elder Kong glanced at Elder Zhou beside him. The two exchanged a look; they clearly had ideas long ago and made a decision immediately.

"We will go and talk to Yun Ling about this. You two go back and wait for news."

That evening, Elder Kong and Elder Zhou found Su Yunling.

The three talked for nearly half an hour in the back hall of the Tiangang Sect station courtyard. Su Yunling raised her concerns about Disciple safety. Elder Kong didn't deny them, but he also accounted for the Sect's Face.

In recent years, the supreme grade Medicinal Pills from Zhenpin Pavilion had generally improved the cultivation of the four Sects' Disciples. With a new round of Disciple recruitment approaching, if the results of this training were suppressed by the other Sects, people would inevitably talk about it after returning.

"Martial Niece Yun Ling, you are the leader this time, and we shouldn't interfere with your decisions," Elder Kong said finally. "Since the Monster Beast Mountain Range has been jointly managed by the two prefectures, the forces within the mountain range have become mixed. Especially this time with the four-Sect Disciple training, it's exactly the time to show the Sect's foundation."

"Qingxuan Sect and Hundred Beasts Gate have both shown their trump cards, not to mention Wanfa Pavilion. If our Tiangang Sect Disciples keep shrinking back on the periphery without moving, when it reaches the ears of those in Pingling Prefecture, they might think the number one Sect of Qinghe Prefecture is nothing more than this."

"The Sect's Face must be considered."

Elder Kong finished this sentence and said no more.

Su Yunling was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand."

(The next chapter will be a bit later.)