The tense atmosphere at the scene made Liu Daoyuan a bit uneasy.

  He glanced at Jian Jiu, then at Sun Xing.

  Jian Jiu was a rather persistent person, once he made up his mind, it was hard to change it.

  And Sun Xing was someone who stuck to his principles; once he thought something was wrong, he had to exercise his authority to set things right!

  If these two continued to deadlock, they might just tear down the sect's main hall.

  Liu Daoyuan knew he had to step in to mediate the conflict.

  "Ahem..."

  Liu Daoyuan first cleared his throat lightly, breaking the tense atmosphere.

  Then he said, "Everything can be discussed, there's no conflict that can't be resolved."

  Sun Xing said sternly, "Sect Master, this isn't a conflict, it's about the rules! Rules cannot be changed!"

  Faced with Sun Xing's stubbornness, Liu Daoyuan felt a bit helpless.

  Although, as Sect Master, his authority was above Sun Xing's.

  But when it came to sect rules, even he couldn't overstep.

  Liu Daoyuan could only turn his gaze to Jian Jiu.

  "Junior Brother Jian Jiu, perhaps you could take a step back and first accept Li Qinghai as a core disciple. Ten years later, when the sect holds the core disciple competition, you can then accept Li Qinghai as a true disciple."

  Ten years?

  For cultivators, this wasn't a long time.

  Many high-level cultivators often went into seclusion for over a decade, and some even for a hundred years.

  But Jian Jiu couldn't wait.

  Because he didn't like seclusion, and once his injuries healed, he would leave the sect to train and hunt down those evil cultivators.

  If he were to fall, the Nine Peaks would need a successor.

  So Jian Jiu shook his head, "Senior Brother Sect Master, you know me. There's no room for negotiation on making him a true disciple. Besides, you also know that Li Qinghai, whether in terms of character or strength, is qualified to be a true disciple."

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  Liu Daoyuan fell silent for a moment.

  In fact, he knew very well that Li Qinghai not only inherited the ancestor's swordsmanship but also practiced the sect's secret Five Element Longevity Scroll.

  Such a disciple, if he didn't fall, not to mention a true disciple, even as a holy son, Li Qinghai was qualified!

  But such sect secrets couldn't be revealed by Liu Daoyuan.

  Since that was the case, he decided to help Li Qinghai fight for it.

  With this in mind, Liu Daoyuan looked at Sun Xing.

  "Elder Sun, I've met this disciple Li Qinghai a few times before. He has a pure character and remarkable strength. There's no issue with him being a true disciple."

  Sun Xing frowned, not expecting that a mere outer disciple would be valued by both Jian Jiu, the Nine Peaks leader, and Liu Daoyuan, the Azure Cloud Sect Master.

  But no matter how eloquently the two spoke, Sun Xing only trusted his own judgment.

  "Sect Master, he's just an outer disciple, his talent and potential are limited. Even if he has some strength now and won the Outer Sect Competition, once he reaches Foundation Establishment, he might just blend in with the crowd."

  "Elder Sun, I can assure you, Li Qinghai's potential is far beyond that," Liu Daoyuan said earnestly.

  "Sect Master, it's not that I'm not giving you face. As the Law Enforcement Hall Elder, I only believe in evidence, in what I see with my own eyes," Sun Xing remained firm.

  Liu Daoyuan pondered for a moment, "How about this, once Li Qinghai reaches Foundation Establishment, arrange a duel for him. If he can defeat disciples of the same level, it will prove his potential."

  Sun Xing hesitated. In his mind, the most rule-abiding way was to have Li Qinghai participate in the core disciple competition in ten years.

  But competitions only tested strength.

  If he were to give the Sect Master some face, an early test wasn't impossible.

  After all, the Sect Master was still the Sect Master, and he couldn't completely disregard him.

  So, Sun Xing said, "Since the Sect Master has said so, let's do it. However, if it's just an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple, it won't reflect the talent of a true disciple. If Li Qinghai can, at the early Foundation Establishment stage, defeat a mid-Foundation Establishment disciple, then it will truly convince everyone. Only then will I believe that other disciples will be convinced of this Nine Peaks true disciple!"

  Liu Daoyuan looked at Jian Jiu and gave him a look.

  As if to say, getting to this point is already good, you can agree for now.

  Jian Jiu thought for a moment.

  Li Qinghai was now at the Qi Refining ninth level, and Foundation Establishment should be within this month.

  After succeeding in Foundation Establishment, he would need time to stabilize his realm and practice other powerful techniques.

  With this in mind, Jian Jiu said slowly, "Alright. Then let's schedule this duel for three months later."

  Sun Xing naturally understood Jian Jiu's thoughts, and he wouldn't go so far as to make Li Qinghai duel right after breaking through.

  So he nodded, "Alright. I'll have the Law Enforcement Hall organize a 'True Disciple Inquiry' competition. We'll see Li Qinghai's potential clearly then."

  Liu Daoyuan smiled, finally resolving this trouble.

  But then Sun Xing added, "Sect Master, you know, a true disciple is likely to become a peak leader in the future, so character is also very important. I think Li Qinghai's character needs to be assessed as well."

  "No problem," Liu Daoyuan and Jian Jiu said in unison.

  They exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly, as if they were in sync.

  To them, Li Qinghai's strength might be questionable and concerning.

  But they had no doubt about Li Qinghai's noble character.

  Hmm?

  Sun Xing was slightly surprised.

  He didn't expect the two to have such trust in Li Qinghai's character!

  Was Li Qinghai's character really that noble?

  Sun Xing shook his head again. As an enforcer, he had seen too many sect disciples who were not what they seemed.

  But these disciples, unless they violated sect rules, he generally turned a blind eye.

  And this Li Qinghai was surely just a hypocrite.

  Perhaps Li Qinghai hid it well, fooling Liu Daoyuan and Jian Jiu.

  But he couldn't fool the head of the Law Enforcement Hall!

  With his fiery eyes, what demons and ghosts could he not see through!

  Thinking of this, Sun Xing confidently snorted.

  "Sect Master, Elder Jian Jiu. So, when can I test this Li Qinghai?"

  Jian Jiu thought for a moment, "Li Qinghai just finished the competition, and this duel will likely make him reflect on everything, give him a few days for seclusion."

  Sun Xing nodded, "Alright, I'll give Li Qinghai ten days. Once the time is up, I'll test him to see his character. But before that, I hope Elder Jian Jiu won't inform Li Qinghai of these matters."

  "Of course!" Jian Jiu smiled confidently.

  With Li Qinghai's character, did he need reminding? What a joke!

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