Chapter 7 Meeting

Chu Prefecture City, inside the National Temple, inner hall.

It was nearing twilight.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai arrived in a hurry, only to find three people already seated in the hall.

Two were in the seats of honor.

One was Great Elder Xu Antong, who presided over the Northwest Region, and the other was a woman whose face was obscured by a veil. There was another person sitting to the lower left of Great Elder Xu Antong, and at a single glance, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was struck with astonishment.

That man wore a grey Confucian robe with wide sleeves. His hair was already greying, neatly combed back and held in place by a simple hairpin.

His face was gaunt, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright, revealing a wisdom and composure born of having experienced the vicissitudes of life. His every gesture carried the demeanor of a great Confucian scholar.

"Teacher!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai exclaimed with visible emotion. "How did you arrive here?"

This was Huang Shouren, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's teacher from his time in the capital, a world-renowned great Confucian scholar.

Great Elder Xu Antong gestured for Supervisor Zhou Shengtai to sit on the right.

"The first matter today concerns our Chu Prefecture City's newly emerged Genius, Yun Bai. Shengtai, sit down and speak about Yun Bai's situation, and be detailed."

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai immediately perked up and vividly described Yun Bai's growth journey. A flash of surprise passed through Huang Shouren's eyes.

Great Elder Xu Antong nodded: "I have already learned the specific details of his clearing of the Black Tower from Elder Black. Inside the Black Tower, he comprehended a Domain without a teacher."

"Comprehended a Domain without a teacher!?" Huang Shouren was astonished.

"Yun Bai has cleared the third level of the Black Tower; this matter is beyond doubt." Great Elder Xu Antong's voice echoed in the inner hall. "His talent, Heart-Nature, and potential all far exceed our previous estimates."

"According to convention, local temples in Chu Prefecture City are no longer sufficient to cultivate such a talent. We should immediately initiate the procedures to send him to the Holy Land for further studies. I have already submitted his application for the Heaven-Grade special contract, and it has received preliminary approval."

"Does anyone have any thoughts on this?"

"I second this."

"I second this."

"Very well. Now, for the second matter, regarding the construction of the spirit connection platform on the Cang Plains." Great Elder Xu Antong looked at Supervisor Zhou Shengtai again.

After sitting down, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai gulped down a cup of tea and continued: "Speaking of this matter, it is also related to Yun Bai. They encountered an elite Demon Race unit near Niwa Village. This matter is very suspicious. We searched the vicinity of Niwa Village repeatedly but could not find any clues."

"The other side seems to know our methods very well. Those capable of instantly killing the Huben Army's Squad Yi-34 and our State Religion's Xinyue Hall's Yi-226 unit are likely Second Realm Demon Race. Only the entire Squad Yi-34, where Yun Bai was located, survived."

"What about the other teams on the Cang Plains?" the woman in the seat of honor asked.

Could this be? Supervisor Zhou Shengtai had already noticed this woman. Judging by her voice, she was very young.

"The Palace Master of Xinyue Hall?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai hesitated.

"It is I." Palace Master Yun Luwan revealed a gentle smile, though she remembered she was wearing a veil, and the smile faded.

"Your Highness, the other teams responsible for the Cang Plains are proceeding smoothly, and the clearing work is basically complete. However, the number and cultivation level of the Demon Birds in the air have exceeded expectations, and there has even been a massive migration of Demon Birds. We are severely short-handed in the air right now, and I fear it will be difficult to open up a safe aerial corridor on time." Supervisor Zhou Shengtai frowned. "Without an aerial corridor, the efficiency of material transport will be greatly reduced. The safety of the ground cannot be guaranteed in the long term either."

"The construction of spirit connection platforms in other parts of the Northwest is not going smoothly either, and there are no more personnel to send this way." Great Elder Xu Antong tapped his index finger on the armrest of his chair, making a rhythmic tapping sound. An image of a vast geographical map immediately appeared in the minds of the other three in the hall.

"Zhaoyuan, Hongcheng, Dongtian—everyone is asking me for people. Hmph, this old man is not a hen that lays eggs; I cannot just hatch them out of thin air. I am still presiding over Chu Prefecture City, so there is some support, but the other three locations are even more difficult. So, I can at most send one more team to the Cang Plains. Chu Prefecture City still needs people to garrison it as a reserve team to act when the Opportunity arises."

"Just one team? This…" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was so anxious he almost jumped out of his chair. He could no longer care about his face. "Great Elder, this is far from enough! Even if I go myself, I need at least three more teams. Finishing in three days as planned is already the limit."

"Shengtai." At this moment, Huang Shouren spoke to stop him. "Do not throw a tantrum."

With his teacher speaking, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's face flushed red, and he had to swallow the rest of his words.

"Sigh, if you are in urgent need of manpower, perhaps you can select and transfer some people from the Holy Land in the name of the local region." Great Elder Xu Antong said.

"Select and transfer?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. "Great Elder! It takes at least half a month from application to arrival. By the time they arrive, the spirit connection platform in Chu Prefecture will have already been destroyed by the Demon Birds!"

Suddenly, everyone was in a difficult position.

Just as the scene fell into silence.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai had a flash of inspiration, his eyes lighting up: "Then, Great Elder, can we let Yun Bai come? He practices the Dao path, and his Cultivation Technique is primarily focused on killing. If we equip him with a complete set of Spiritual Artifacts, it should not be difficult for him alone to equal three squads."

Great Elder Xu Antong frowned slightly: "If there is a shortage of manpower, we can requisition from the Holy Land or coordinate with other regions. We should not use this as an excuse to delay a Heaven-Grade seed's Opportunity to pursue further studies at the Holy Land."

Great Elder Xu Antong meant that Supervisor Zhou Shengtai must consider the big picture and wait for the higher-ups to allocate personnel.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was helpless. He turned to Palace Master Yun Luwan for help. "Your Highness, you also said that the aerial corridor…"

Palace Master Yun Luwan sighed lightly: "I also believe that support from the Holy Land cannot quench immediate thirst. Moreover, the Xinyue Hall's reserve teams within the Northwest Region have all been deployed; there is no one else to transfer for the time being."

Great Elder Xu Antong's expression was grave; he was clearly still weighing the options.

He was not unaware of the difficulties on the front lines, but Yun Bai's importance weighed more heavily in his heart: "Although Yun Bai is gifted, he is ultimately only at the First Realm. If we let him participate in such a perilous mission and something goes wrong, who can bear the responsibility? I cannot destroy the future pillar of the Human Race for the sake of an urgent moment."

The hall fell into silence.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai clenched his fists, clearly extremely unwilling, but he could not refute the Great Elder's concern for Yun Bai's safety.

Just then, the great Confucian scholar Huang Shouren, who had been sitting quietly listening, slowly opened his slightly closed eyes:

"Brother Antong, everyone cherishes talent. However, jade cannot be carved into a fine object without effort."

His voice was peaceful, carrying a persuasive power. "Flowers in a greenhouse, though beautiful, cannot withstand the wind and rain. Since he is a Genius, he should have a Genius's way of being tempered."

He paused slightly and continued: "What Shengtai seeks is merely to use the strength of Yun Bai's powerful Divine Sense to temporarily solve the urgent crisis. If this matter succeeds, it will be a great merit for Chu Prefecture City and even the entire Northwest front line. Since there is merit, how can there be no reward?"

Great Elder Xu Antong's gaze flickered: "Brother Shouren, what do you mean?"

Huang Shouren stroked his beard and smiled, throwing out a bombshell proposal: "In my humble opinion, if Yun Bai is willing to step forward in this time of crisis and render meritorious service for Chu Prefecture City, why don't we provide him with an Opportunity for 'Spiritual Cleansing'?"

"Spiritual Cleansing?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was somewhat surprised, and even the beautiful eyes of Palace Master Yun Luwan behind her veil seemed to flicker with a trace of fluctuation.

Huang Shouren nodded: "Exactly. This quota has always been controlled by the local region and is exceptionally precious. It is often regarded as a private treasure by major noble families and is rarely available. Now that the situation in Chu Prefecture is dominated by the State Religion, the quota happens to be vacant. If this is used as remuneration and recognition for Yun Bai's action, I believe no one will have any objections."

He looked at Great Elder Xu Antong: "A thorough Spiritual Cleansing—Brother Antong, you know better than I do how much it will improve his Foundation, potential, and even his future limit. This is far more precious than ordinary rewards of Spirit Stones or Medicinal Pills. This is not only a matching reward for his contribution but can also help him go higher and further on his future path. Moreover…"

Huang Shouren changed the subject, with a hint of profound meaning: "Yun Bai is a native of Chu Prefecture and values emotional ties. If he receives this favor, he will have a deeper bond with his hometown and will surely remain connected to his roots even when he is in the Holy Land in the future. For Chu Prefecture and for the State Religion, isn't this a good thing? This matter is beneficial and harmless to the public and private, to him and to us."

Great Elder Xu Antong fell silent.

Huang Shouren's suggestion was indeed extremely tempting. An Opportunity for Spiritual Cleansing was crucial to Yun Bai's growth and might even affect the height of his final achievements.

Moreover, binding a Genius to local interests in moderation was also a common stabilization method.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled, seemingly having made a decision, but he remained cautious: "What Brother Shouren says is indeed reasonable. But the risks still remain."

He looked sharply at Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, "Shengtai, you must inform Yun Bai himself of the pros and cons, including the possible dangers and the origin of the 'Spiritual Cleansing'."

"The decision to stay or go is up to him. There must be no concealment or coercion! If he is willing to stay and help, the State Religion will not let him down. If he is unwilling, arrange for him to be escorted to the Holy Land immediately, without delay!"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed to respond: "I will follow the Great Elder's orders! I will tell him the truth, without any falsehoods!"

He was uncontrollably excited. Based on his understanding of Yun Bai's character, which valued loyalty and emotion, as long as he clarified the crisis in Chu Prefecture and the key role he could play, plus the hard-to-refuse reward of 'Spiritual Cleansing', there was a high probability that Yun Bai would choose to stay!