201: Discussion

Before Qin Tianxing could speak, Qin Chen spoke up, "That is only natural!"

"This renegotiation is to see the opinions of your three Sects. If all three Sects agree that it should be so, my Yin Shen Sect will have no further objections."

After saying that, his gaze turned toward the host, the Sect Master of Yunhai Sect.

Seeing this, the Sect Master of Yunhai Sect quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over.

Everyone in the hall echoed their agreement. For a moment, discussions rose and fell as everyone shared their views. While the atmosphere wasn't exactly lively, it was still relatively peaceful.

But just then, a sudden clamor came from the Sect square outside the hall. The faint sounds of Disciples' cries of alarm and commotion could be heard, followed by a peculiar spiritual fluctuation that quietly spread out.

"Hmm?"

Everyone in the hall frowned, their expressions instantly becoming solemn.

Qin Tianxing was the first to rise. With a flicker of his body, he dashed toward the outside of the hall. Qin Chen, the Sect Master of Yunhai Sect, and the others didn't dare to delay either, following closely behind. In the blink of an eye, they all appeared on the square outside the hall.

Just as they steadied themselves, their gazes simultaneously shifted toward the entrance of the square. In the next second, everyone froze in place, their Faces filled with unbelievable shock.

In the distant sky, a Man in White Robes accompanied by an exquisitely beautiful woman in a long dress sat atop a pure white Divine Beast. The Divine Beast resembled a unicorn but had wings and a spiral horn on its forehead. Its body was surrounded by a faint auspicious aura, and with every step it took, the surrounding Spiritual Qi seemed to become denser.

It made the two of them look like a pair of Heavenly Immortal Dao Companions traveling through the mortal world.

The Cloud Sea Sect Disciples on the square were already frightened into silence, kneeling on the ground one after another, not even having the courage to look up.

The several people who came out of the hall were equally shaken. The Sect Master of Yunhai Sect turned pale, his lips trembling slightly as he murmured in a low voice, "This... just what kind of Divine Beast is this to be able to trigger such an auspicious aura?"

Although the Cloud Sea Sect was powerful, they had never seen a true ancient Divine Beast before. After all, their strength was only relative to this Flame Continent region.

Standing in the crowd, Qin Tianxing's pupils suddenly constricted. Staring at the familiar auspicious aura surrounding Bai Ze, his heart jolted, and he suddenly understood.

It turned out that when he visited the Dao Seeking Sect before, that lingering auspicious aura above the square had actually come from this ancient Divine Beast!

As expected of his Adoptive father; he always has such earth-shattering methods.

Su Qingyi was the most shocked of all. Her body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and the storm raging in her heart far exceeded anyone else's. This was because she happened to have seen a description of Bai Ze in an ancient scroll.

The records stated that this beast understood the nature of all things and knew all matters under heaven. Its status was comparable to the auspicious Qilin; it was an ancient Divine Beast that only existed in legends!

"How... how is this possible!" Su Qingyi covered her mouth and murmured to herself.

Beside her, Liu Rumei's eyes widened. Could these two be the people from the Dao Seeking Sect?

She subconsciously sensed the other party's Spiritual Qi ripples. That woman in the long dress had a weak aura and was clearly just an "ant" at the Nascent Soul Stage. Although she couldn't sense the cultivation of the man beside her, she could infer a thing or two from this.

"Hmph," Liu Rumei sneered in her heart, instantly making a judgment.

"It seems the Haotian Sect was indeed destroyed by a mysterious Yao Race. This Dao Seeking Sect just happened to pick up a huge bargain! Now they're riding a 'Divine Beast' that looks intimidating to attend the discussion; they're probably trying to rely on these bluffing tactics!"

At this moment, Bai Ze had already taken steady steps, carrying Chen Xuan and Qi Yue to the center of the square. Chen Xuan waved his hand gently, and Bai Ze let out a low neigh. With a flash of white light around its body, it directly vanished into the Void Realm and departed.

Chen Xuan looked down at the densely packed Cloud Sea Sect Disciples kneeling on the square, then looked up at the Sect Master of Yunhai Sect, whose expression was complicated.

"Fellow Daoist, you are being too polite. It's just an ordinary discussion; there's no need to arrange for so many Disciples to perform such a grand ceremony. Being so formal makes me feel a bit overwhelmed."

This one sentence almost made everyone laugh!

The Sect Master of Yunhai Sect gave a bitter smile. He wanted to scold these Disciples for being an embarrassment, but given the shocking scene of Bai Ze's descent earlier... let alone these young Disciples, even he, who had lived for hundreds of years, had never seen such a miraculous ancient Divine Beast. It really wasn't their fault they were scared into kneeling.

He cleared his throat, took a step forward, and cupped his hands toward Chen Xuan, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chen! Your arrival today has truly opened my eyes."

"It certainly is an eye-opener."

Liu Rumei, who was standing to the side, took over the conversation. "But for a single discussion, you've made the people of our three Sects wait here for so long. It seems the Dao Seeking Sect's Face is even greater than that of the former Haotian Sect."

Qin Tianxing stood to the side. Hearing this, he paused for a moment, then stroked the stubble on his chin while watching the show.

He hadn't expected this Fairy Liu from Bibo Palace to be so bold.

It seemed he had underestimated this woman before.

Chen Xuan didn't mind this. He was indeed half an hour late. Couldn't he let others complain a bit? Of course, only a bit.

Seeing that Chen Xuan didn't respond, Liu Rumei wanted to say more sarcastic things to further test his limits, but she suddenly felt a cold gaze fall on her.

It was Sect Master Su Qingyi!

Su Qingyi withdrew her gaze and said softly to everyone, "Since the Fellow Daoist from Dao Seeking Sect has arrived, shall we return to the hall now to discuss the distribution of the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Sect Master of Yunhai Sect quickly made a "please" gesture, leading Chen Xuan, Qi Yue, and the people from the three Sects back toward the hall.

After entering the hall, several maidservants dressed in elegant robes quickly stepped forward, bringing fragrant spiritual tea for Chen Xuan and Qi Yue.

The Sect Master of Yunhai Sect was the first to propose, "Regarding the distribution of the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven, I have a suggestion. Why don't we follow the previous rules? Every thirty years when the Grotto-Heaven opens, each Sect sends four Elders and selects four prodigies from within their Sect to enter and cultivate. What do you all think?"

He paused and looked at Chen Xuan. "As for the next selection opportunity, the Dao Seeking Sect shall go first to fill the vacancy left by the Haotian Sect."

As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Chen's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and he cursed "old fox" in his heart.

How could he not see through it? Having witnessed Bai Ze's Divine Might with his own eyes, the Sect Master of Yunhai Sect wanted to take the initiative to show goodwill and befriend the Dao Seeking Sect!

"I'm afraid this is somewhat lacking, isn't it?" A cold voice suddenly rang out.

The Cloud Sea Sect was supposed to be the first to select prodigies in the next session, followed by Bibo Palace. If the Dao Seeking Sect took the Haotian Sect's place, the order would change back to Dao Seeking Sect, Yin Shen Sect, Cloud Sea Sect, and Bibo Palace.

She turned her gaze toward Qin Tianxing. "Also, Fellow Daoist Qin previously promised in the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven to automatically waive the right to select prodigies for the following sixty years. How should that debt be settled?"

Su Qingyi glanced at the Grand Elder beside her and said softly, "There's no need to be so aggressive over such trivial matters."

Qin Tianxing, who loved to watch the chaos, laughed and said, "Since Fairy Liu finds it inappropriate, I presume you have a better suggestion? Why don't you say it and let us all hear it?"

Liu Rumei said in a deep voice, "The Dao Seeking Sect has only just taken root in the Flame Continent, after all. They likely still need time to stabilize the Sect's Foundation and might not have enough strength to participate in the matters of the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven. Furthermore, going to that dangerous place, the Void Shattering Abyss within the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven, would likely be difficult to pass without the support of the Soul Emergence Stage cultivation."

At this point, she deliberately paused, her gaze falling on Qi Yue. "In my opinion, why don't we wait until the Dao Seeking Sect can train an Elder who can safely pass through the Void Shattering Abyss before considering selecting prodigies to enter the Grotto-Heaven? This is to avoid a situation where the Elder cannot protect the prodigies, resulting in a loss of manpower, losing the Dao Seeking Sect's Face, and wasting the Grotto-Heaven slots."