Chapter Seventeen: The Great Elder's Astonishment

  Today is another sunny day.

  Outside the grand hall of Qingyu Gate, dozens of people gathered. These people were all disciples outside the gate of Qingyu Gate. The more than ten young talents standing in front had extraordinary temperament and demeanor, and they were the direct disciples of Qingyu Gate as well as the hot candidates for this Jinwu Grand Competition.

  "Master, since the establishment of Qingyu Gate, all personally appointed disciples have possessed superior qualifications. However, I've heard that this time, the disciple you've appointed has a foundation as weak as rotten wood and his qualifications are not even comparable to those of ordinary people. If he becomes a personally appointed disciple, what gate rules will our Qingyu Gate still be able to uphold?"

  "That disciple has ordinary qualifications and should start from the outer sect like us. If the master makes him a direct disciple, wouldn't that be unfair to us?"

  Many disciples opened their mouths to protest, almost all of them questioning the fairness of Shangguan Qianxue's selection of a personal disciple, and focusing on the three words "unfair", obviously someone was behind them making plans.

  At this time, Shangguan Qixue was sitting on a chair in the great hall, her head lowered and pinching the center of her brows. She never expected that the Fourth Elder would be so despicable and sinister, instructing the inner disciples to openly question the master of the sect.

  Four elders and others stood in the great hall.

  "Master Upper Official, the disciple you've chosen doesn't have what it takes to become a direct disciple of our Qingyu Gate. If Master insists on going against the rules, it's unfair to the outer gate disciples. Since this time the upper echelons have given us an additional quota for direct disciples, it's an honor for our Qingyu Gate. The outer gate disciples work hard day and night, all for the sake of the Martial Arts Competition. Now that we have two quotas, why not give another chance to the outer gate disciples?"

  These four elders spoke reasonably and played the emotional card, giving the outer door disciples a chance, and naturally gained the support of many disciples. They shouted together, requesting that Officer Xue give them an opportunity to advance. The once-every-five-years Jinwu Grand Competition usually only had one quota, but now there might be an extra quota, how could this not drive the disciples crazy?

  Shangguan Qixue didn't respond, her mind was clear that with the current situation, if she didn't give up that position, she wouldn't be able to remain as the sect leader in the future. Although she never wanted to be the sect leader in the first place, she had a crime on her record and was exiled here to serve as the sect leader, with no expiration date, unable to leave. If it weren't for this, with her temper, she would have probably started killing long ago, slaughtering those four despicable old men.

  At this time, someone shouted that the Great Elder had arrived, and an old man walked into the main hall. The shouting of the disciples also gradually stopped.

  The old man was thin and frail, with white hair and a long grey robe. Although he was advanced in years, his spirit was still sharp. He was the oldest elder of Qingyu Gate and also the one with the deepest seniority. Everyone knew that the great elder used to be an elder of the Upper Sect and had some influence outside. However, due to severe injuries decades ago, his cultivation stagnated, so he voluntarily came to Qingyu Gate to serve as an elder.

  It can be said that the four elders, from top to bottom, have no one who does not respect the great elder. The four elders are also the same. At the same time, Shangguan Qianxue knows the identity of the great elder and is also clear about the past deeds of the great elder, so she also respects this old predecessor very much.

  "Great Elder, you've finally arrived. Have I disturbed your quiet cultivation?"

  The four elders immediately walked over and had the great elder sit in a chair.

  "What's going on? What's happening that's causing such a big commotion?" The elder's somewhat worn-out eyes scanned over everyone present.

  "It's like this, the reason why you disciples have gathered here is that something has happened. Our Qingyu Gate has received the kindness of the Upper Sect, and the Upper Sect has increased the number of direct disciples for our Qingyu Gate to eleven people. In this way, our Qingyu Gate will have two direct disciple quotas. After discussion among the elders, it was decided to use these two quotas in this five-yearly Jinwu Grand Competition. Wouldn't it be better to give more opportunities to outer sect disciples who practice day and night? What do you think?"

  The Great Elder looked at the Fourth Elder, not speaking, while the Fourth Elder was made to feel uneasy by the Great Elder's profound gaze, and awkwardly smiled, saying: "But the Master of the Upper Palace insists on wasting one of the quotas, actually appointing a disciple. If that disciple were a genius it would be fine, but his qualifications are really not even comparable to those of an ordinary person. The Master of the Upper Palace is doing this, not only destroying the hundred-year-old rules of my Qingyu Gate, but also being unfair to the outer gate disciples!"

  The Great Elder still didn't speak, as the oldest elder of Qingyu Gate, he never interfered with internal affairs, but that didn't mean he knew nothing. On the contrary, he was clearer than anyone about what happened in Qingyu Gate. And as for these four elders, Lu Huaye and his background, it was all crystal clear to him.

  As for Shangguan Qixue, the Great Elder didn't understand why she insisted on designating a personal disciple, perhaps she had her own difficulties or maybe it was something else, but that's no longer important. What's important is that the Great Elder knew things had developed to this point and Shangguan Qixue had no way out, she had to give up the designation and hand over that quota.

  After a moment of contemplation, the elder looked at Shangguan Qianxue and said, "Master, what the four elders said is also true. You insist on appointing an unqualified disciple, which is really inappropriate. Not only did it destroy the hundred-year-old rules of Qingyu Gate, but it was also unfair to the outer disciples."

  Shangguan Qixue sat in the chair, her head lowered, pinching the center of her brow with one hand. She knew that things had developed to this point and she couldn't help but give up that one quota.

  "Alright, this time's Jinwu Grand Tournament will have two direct entry spots."

  As soon as Shangguan Qixue's words fell, the disciples outside erupted into cheers, and the four elders' faces also revealed proud smiles.

  At this time, the Great Elder spoke again, "Fourth Elder, how many disciples have obtained the qualification to participate in the Jinwu Grand Competition this time?"

  The four elders didn't know why he asked this way, but still honestly replied, "After half a year of screening, there are eight disciples who have obtained the qualification to participate in the Jinwu Grand Competition."

  The selection of the Jinwu Dabi was very strict, requiring round after round of screening, with only eight disciples left to compete for the only one true disciple.

  The Great Elder nodded and said, "Since the Master has personally appointed that disciple, he must have some exceptional qualities. Our Qingyu Door has always been fair and just. If he is indeed a genius, we cannot let him be buried. In this case, let's also include the disciple appointed by the Master in the final selection. That means there will be nine disciples competing for the two positions of direct disciples."

  "Good! Good!"

  It's just adding a quota for the competition, and besides, the four elders know that the disciple appointed by the master is not even half a cultivator. To say nothing of his poor aptitude, even if he were a genius, cultivating for a month would not make any significant progress, and it wouldn't affect the outcome at all.

  The Great Elder stepped out, and the matter was settled. The last two direct disciples were to be decided among the nine outer sect disciples. As for this result, the four elders were overjoyed. After about a quarter of an hour, the grand hall that was once bustling with people now only had Shangguan Qiu Xue, Bi Yi, and the Great Elder left.

  "Master, I don't know why you insisted on choosing that disciple, but I suppose you have your own reasons. However, given today's circumstances, even if I wanted to help, I wouldn't be able to." The elder sighed sorrowfully.

  "The Great Elder doesn't need to blame himself, it's also my fault for underestimating the Four Elders. They're fighting over that one spot just to gain benefits from it. What nonsense about doing it for the outer sect disciples? It's all a load of crap! If I hadn't been exiled here with a guilty conscience, I would have eliminated this bunch of trash long ago!"

  "The enormous benefits of the five-year Jinwu Grand Comparison are tied to a complex web of relationships, including those from the Upper Faction, the Lord of Yongyang City, the Holy Temple of Yongyang City, and more. A single misstep can set off a chain reaction, which is why the Four Elders dare to be so fearless. Over the years, any Sect Master or Elder who has been sent down has either colluded with them or suffered exclusion, and many have met a tragic end."

  As a senior elder of the Qingyu Gate, the elder was well aware of this evil trend within the sect. However, this evil trend had been going on for over a hundred years and involved too many people. Shaking his head, he said, "The current master is already guilty, so there's no need to stir up more trouble."

  Dai Lao's words, Shang Guan Xue also had heard earlier, with her identity, she naturally didn't fear the upper faction and the forces of Yong Yang City, only that, as Dai Lao said, she was now a guilty person, not good at taking action.

  "The host, I don't know if there's something that should be said or not."

  "Elder, there's no need for such formality between us. According to our generation gap, I should be addressing you as 'Shifu'. What do you want to say, just speak."

  "Why did the master choose that particular disciple?"

  "This...". Shang Guan Xue shook her head, about the secrets between Ling Er, Mo Er and Tang Qing, she would never tell outsiders no matter what. She smiled bitterly, "Great Elder, please forgive my rudeness, I really have a difficult situation."

  "Is that so!" The Great Elder didn't continue to ask, but instead asked, "That disciple's talent is truly ordinary?" Looking at Shangguan Qiyue's worried expression, as a senior, the Great Elder couldn't help but feel sympathy.

  "What's ordinary about him? He's simply... even more infuriating than a stubborn oak knot. To be honest with you, Elder, I previously used the Marrow Cleansing Pill as a catalyst and then used my own powers to help him cleanse his marrow, but it still didn't change his innate nature."

  Whenever Shangguan Xue mentioned Tang Jing's qualifications, her head would ache. Yesterday, she had exhausted herself to cleanse Tang Jing's marrow, but it hadn't changed his innate nature. Tang Jing's poor qualifications made her feel hopeless. Today, the direct disciple she had arranged for him was also a failure. Although Tang Jing had obtained another chance to compete for a direct disciple in a month, what could be achieved in just one month? Even with excellent qualifications, a month of bitter practice would only refine his surface skills, let alone someone like Tang Jing with qualifications as poor as rotten wood.

  She was desperate, really desperate, didn't know what to do.

  "What? This matter?"

  The old man had been cultivating for many years and naturally understood the meaning of Shang Guan Xi Xue's words. After being shocked, he also felt a little curious and said, "Can I see that disciple?"

  Shangguan Qixue had Biyi bring Tang Qing over. After a while, Biyi led Tang Qing in.

  It was only when Tang Qing walked in that the originally calm and composed Elder suddenly stood up, looking shocked and suspicious, his eyes fixed tightly on Tang Qing, not moving for a long time, as if confirming something, yet also seeming to be shocked by something...