Chapter 113: Chief of Tianshu Hall

Golden Cabinet Water Manor!

That was the Golden Cabinet Water Manor located at the bottom of the Tuo River. Although Ye Rong had not yet fully controlled it, at least half of it was already in his hands.

Whether he could successfully take full control of the Golden Cabinet Water Manor in the future or not, Ye Rong found that the Dujiangyan Waters would be his main area of activity for a long time. And once he fully secured the Golden Cabinet Water Manor, it would become his base.

Even if he cultivated a Sword Art Form to level twenty, allowing him to fly his sword into the water and travel through rivers and seas, his Sword Flight Speed in water would still decrease by fifty percent, which was very inconvenient. But with the Green Dragon Ornate Feather Robe, his Sword Flight Speed in water increased by thirty percent. Plus, every disciple had a Sect robe that granted the spell to part the water, which increased Sword Flight Speed in water by another ten percent.

When all these effects were added up, his speed was almost the same as normal Sword Flight. This gave him a great advantage in water areas, whether he was facing other Players or Aquatic Demonic Creatures.

There were many Monsters in the water, various powerful bosses, and many Immortal Manors left over from ancient times, which held great allure for Players.

Even without considering these, just the Golden Cabinet Water Manor itself contained many treasures still buried deep within. Ye Rong had not even unlocked one percent of its various functions yet. It had endless temptations.

If he wanted to make the Golden Cabinet Water Manor his center and turn the nearby waters into his own territory for grinding monsters, leveling up, treasure hunting, and exploring, his combat power in water was very important, and Sword Flight Speed in water was the key factor.

In comparison, he valued the additional spell Water Flows Ever Eastward less than one-tenth as much as he valued the dragon swimming in the vast sea.

The attack power of Water Flows Ever Eastward was quite impressive, especially in water environments. It was a large-scale area damage spell that Ye Rong had coveted for a long time.

“It seems I need to focus on leveling up in the coming period. The Sect Minor Competition is over. The Chain Quest from Tiancanzi is available to pick up anytime. I only have that Golden Daily Quest left on me. Not many things to do.”

“You are all disciples of the Tianshu Inner Hall, the elite of our Qingcheng Sect. In the future, you must set an example for the junior disciples outside. When your Sect Contribution meets the requirement, you can learn advanced Sword Art Forms; slay Demonic Cultivators, bring back Merit Iron Scrolls, and you can receive various rewards. The most outstanding ones may enter the Ancestral Hall to cultivate; after reaching certain cultivation conditions, you can learn the unique Dao Spells and Divine Thunder of Tianshu Hall. Additionally, for outstanding disciples, Flying Swords and Magic Treasures will be generously rewarded. All disciples should train diligently and must not slack off!”

“Furthermore, the requirements for you are naturally stricter than for ordinary disciples. Once you seriously violate the Sect rules, you will be expelled from the Sect, and all Qingcheng-related Dao Spells will be taken back and reset to zero!”

All sixteen took a sharp breath. Such a harsh punishment.

Take Ye Rong for example. If his Qingcheng Qi Refining Method and Qingcheng Sword Art were revoked and reset, it would basically mean his character was ruined. Starting over would take who knows how much more time. The later the stage, the more severe the cost of betraying the Sect. Probably no Player wanted to experience such punishment.

“Master, does this apply only to us, or do all Qingcheng Disciples follow this punishment rule?”

Long Wushuang stepped forward, bowed to Short Elder Zhu Mei, and asked.

Among the top sixteen Players, several showed surprised expressions, looking at each other with wide eyes. Long Wushuang had been very low-key before and only recently started to show his prominence. Only a limited few knew about his master’s background.

“All Players who betray or are expelled from Qingcheng will be treated the same. All Qingcheng-related Dao Spells will be taken back and reset!”

“Whew!”

“That’s more like it.”

“Otherwise, being this so-called Tianshu Hall disciple would just be an extra shackle compared to others.”

Ye Rong heard the low whispers of the people beside him. When all Players were treated the same, their dissatisfaction immediately diluted.

“Sect Leader Uncle, I nominate Junior Brother Yijian Kurong for the position of Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple!”

Chen Taizhen suddenly spoke. His words were like a bolt from the blue, like throwing a huge rock into water, causing ripples and waves.

“Inappropriate. This child has not undergone many trials, lacks tempering. How can he hold such an important position as Chief of Tianshu Hall?”

Short Elder Zhu Mei’s eyebrows furrowed into a character for ‘river,’ and he immediately refused Chen Taizhen’s proposal.

Ye Rong’s expression turned stern. He glanced at the two Sect Leaders’ faces twice, then lowered his head. This was not the time for him to speak.

“Could it be that Senior Brother Chen Taizhen’s mentioned great benefit, speaking up for me at the elders’ meeting, referred to this Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple position?”

The Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple position was completely unexpected for Ye Rong, entirely outside his predictions.

Becoming the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple would raise his status another level within the Sect, giving him a position similar to that of Third-Generation Disciples with real power like Chen Taizhen and Ji Deng. He would have the authority to restrain and advise all Qingcheng Players, and the responsibility to supervise and protect disciples.

Maybe it seemed useless normally, but when the top sixteen disciples of the monthly Sect Minor Competition were promoted to Tianshu Hall disciples, as long as Ye Rong claimed that someone lacked virtue or had improper conduct, that person’s entry into the Inner Hall would be delayed. They would have to wait for the Sect elders to make a decision.

Whether it was true or not, the back-and-forth investigation would delay the other person’s entry into Tianshu Hall by at least one month.

In effect, offending the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple meant not being able to smoothly become a Tianshu Hall disciple, encountering unnecessary troubles.

Additionally, the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple had the power to recruit Sect members. Each month, he also had two recommendation rights. At the end of the month, he could recommend two Formal Disciples directly into Tianshu Hall, bypassing the regular Sect Minor Competition selection process.

Of course, if he abused his power and provoked public anger, it could be discussed in the elders’ meeting, and all Qingcheng Players could vote to remove the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple. But generally, as long as he was smart and didn’t do anything too outrageous or make countless enemies, once he sat in the Chief Disciple position, it would be as stable as Mount Tai and difficult to overturn.

Thinking about the various benefits after becoming the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple, Ye Rong’s heart became active. He began to feel expectant about this unexpected surprise.

“That damned old man Zhu Mei, he opposed so quickly. He definitely wanted to keep the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple position for that Long Wushuang!”

Ye Rong could now feel the hidden strife and competition between the two factions within the Qingcheng Sect.

“Junior Brother Yijian Kurong has top-tier strength, ranking first in this minor competition! He also cares for his junior Sect brothers, guiding them to complete Trial Missions, helping them in times of danger! He also has great Merit Points in destroying demons, having slain a remnant shadow of the Green Goat Ancestor and turned in a Merit Iron Scroll! With such deeds, is he still not worthy of being the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple? Then who else could hold this position?”

Senior Brother Chen Taizhen spoke with conviction, looking directly at Short Elder Zhu Mei without fear of this Sect Leader, recounting Ye Rong’s accomplishments one by one.

These were all recorded in the Sect’s Virtue Record, impossible to be fabricated, especially the part about slaying the Green Goat Ancestor’s remnant shadow. No one could match Ye Rong in that regard.

Short Elder Zhu Mei was left speechless. He had Long Wushuang desperately help Registered Disciples with their Initiation Tasks precisely to build reputation and accumulate Merit Points, to push Long Wushuang onto the throne of Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple.

But Ye Rong’s accomplishments surpassed Long Wushuang’s in every aspect. He directly defeated him in the Sect Minor Competition and had the great Merit of slaying demons, far exceeding Long Wushuang. That person had no competitiveness compared to Ye Rong.

“Still not acceptable. Currently, everyone’s cultivation is still shallow. It would be best to wait until three months from now, after the Righteous Alliance Grand Competition ends, to decide the Chief Disciple position based on performance and contributions.”

“This…”

Chen Taizhen was at a loss for words. After all, he was a junior and could not overstep too much when facing the Sect Leader. He could only cast a pleading glance at his master, Demon-Subduing True Lord Jiang Shu.

“Hmm, Junior Brother Zhu Mei also has a point. Then we will decide the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple position three months later. But for now, let Yijian Kurong take the position temporarily. We cannot leave it empty and hinder Tianshu Hall’s operations.”

“Senior Brother Jiang Shu, you!”

Short Elder Zhu Mei was choked with anger. Before he could speak, Demon-Subduing True Lord Jiang Shu raised his hand, and a clear light fell on Ye Rong’s head. At the same time, a thick book flew towards Ye Rong.

Demon-Subduing True Lord Jiang Shu usually did not involve himself much in affairs, appearing like a carefree recluse. But that did not mean he was a soft persimmon to be squeezed arbitrarily. He was also a Qingcheng Sect Leader, the senior brother whose cultivation surpassed Short Elder Zhu Mei’s. Once he made a decision based on reason and evidence, unless they invited the reclusive Supreme Elders Tiandu and Minghe, no one could change it.

Ye Rong grabbed the thick book. On the title page were three large characters: “Virtue Record.”

Master Demon-Subduing True Lord Jiang Shu, in an instant, had transmitted all the information about the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple’s authority, how to use the Virtue Record, etc., into his mind. Now he understood everything clearly.

Ye Rong only needed to use a cinnabar brush to write the names of Qingcheng Disciples who violated virtues in the Virtue Record (copy) in his hand. With a light wave, that person’s path to becoming a Tianshu Hall disciple would become rough, cast in shadow, with many hardships and obstacles. It was like having the power of life and death over Qingcheng Players.

“Haha, even being a temporary worker is good! Who knows how much benefit I can gain in these three months! Besides, once I sit in this position, wanting to take it from me is simply wishful thinking!”

Feeling Long Wushuang’s resentful gaze and the strong envy and jealousy in the other disciples’ panicked eyes, Ye Rong felt extremely pleased inside.

“This disciple will bear this heavy responsibility and will not disappoint the high hopes of the Sect Leaders and elders. I will protect my fellow disciples, bring glory to Qingcheng, and slay evil demons!”

Shouting a loud slogan, Ye Rong had already started thinking about which two people to give the first two Tianshu Hall spots to.