Firmament Sword

The others wore varied expressions, but inwardly, they were all complaining. ’One in a hundred million? What a joke! Is he treating peerless prodigies as if they’re worthless? If this person were truly a genius, wouldn’t he have joined the sect through the proper channels? Why resort to such a contemptible method, using connections to get in?’

However, those present were all old foxes, each one cunning with age. Seeing that the Chief Grand Elder—who almost never spoke on a normal day—had finally broken his silence, they all had to show him respect on the surface, regardless of their own feelings.

Yuwen Ji surveyed the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the disciples, and spoke calmly, ”Though I usually don’t concern myself with sect politics, lost as I am among my various medicinal herbs, that does not mean I am clueless. In truth, I understand what you are all thinking in your hearts.”

The entire meeting room slowly quieted down. The Inner Sect Disciples, who had been whispering among themselves, all fell silent, their eyes fixed on the Chief Grand Elder who was, on any other day, almost excessively amiable.

”I understand, yet I have chosen not to manage you like others might. This is because I have always believed that cultivation... is the cultivation of one’s heart. If the heart cannot relax, how can one possibly cultivate?”

”Therefore... ever since I became the Chief Grand Elder of this Medicine Garden, I have relaxed my supervision over you. I did this because I know that you are all geniuses! Geniuses that are one in ten thousand! Or even... one in a hundred million!”

”And as geniuses, you are bound to have your own tempers and personalities. In these matters... I have let you be.”

”In the grand scheme of things, you are all Heavenly Brilliance Disciples—and Advanced Disciples, no less! These are titles... identities you can show off and use to display your status when you go out into the world. But...”

Yuwen Ji’s voice wasn’t loud, nor did he put on an air of authority, but a strange aura emanated from him. He scanned the room and said calmly, ”But you must understand one thing. Whether you’re showing off or displaying your status and strength, those are things for outsiders. Internally, I expect you to be united!”

”For too many years, our Medicine Garden has ranked last in the annual competition. You are aware of this, as am I.”

”Perhaps... you use your primary identity as Alchemists to make excuses, to justify it. But deep down, I refuse to believe that you don’t care at all.”

Hearing this, many of them couldn’t help but bow their heads. Grand Elder Yuwen’s words had struck a chord deep inside them.

They had always thought this Grand Elder paid no attention to daily affairs, that he even treated them with indulgence. They never expected that, in his heart, the old man understood everything.

”And today... what have you shown me?” Yuwen Ji’s tone remained level, his gaze as placid as still water, as he continued, ”I have seen that you are... truly united. But this unity... has revealed to me the narrow-mindedness in your hearts.”

”In this entire Medicine Garden, your group consists of over five hundred Inner Sect Disciples. Excluding those traveling abroad, there are over three hundred of you present. And of those, more than two hundred signed a joint petition, all to prevent me from taking on a single Direct Disciple.”

As he said this, Yuwen Ji couldn’t help but chuckle. Yet aside from him, not one of the other eight people at the oval table, nor any of the Inner Sect Disciples in the room, dared to even smile.

For everyone could see it: Grand Elder Yuwen was... angry today!

”If something like this were to happen in any other division of Celestial Brilliance, it would be a laughingstock,” Yuwen Ji said, a smile on his face. ”In what other division would disciples dare to stop an Inner Sect Elder from accepting a student?”

”But you dared. Not only did you dare, you did it with such righteousness!” Yuwen Ji beamed at the crowd and asked in a low voice, ”Who gave you such confidence?”

Silence!

At that moment, the entire meeting room was utterly, completely silent.

Often, it isn’t harsh words and a severe expression that instill fear. It is a calm smile like this one that is truly unsettling.

Especially coming from Yuwen Ji, a powerful figure whom no one had seen lose his temper for many, many years. If he were to truly get angry, the consequences would be terrifying.

”Your objections boil down to two reasons. First, you look down on the one who came bearing the token, believing that if I were to accept him as my Direct Disciple, it would be an insult to all of you!”

”Most of you are peerless prodigies who think of yourselves as extraordinary. The rest... have clawed your way up from being mere Servants to become Inner Sect Disciples through sheer, unyielding effort. That’s why you can’t bear to see someone use such a shortcut to instantly become your equal, or even... to surpass you.”

Yuwen Ji’s voice remained even, with no hint of anger, yet the atmosphere in the meeting room grew increasingly oppressive.

The other eight Elders at the oval table couldn’t help but lower their heads, not daring to challenge the Chief Grand Elder’s authority at a moment like this.

Whether in terms of seniority, power, or prestige, they were all far inferior to Yuwen Ji.

Never mind that the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden placed last in the grand competition year after year. Within the entire Celestial Brilliance Great Sect, not a single division dared to disrespect the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden!

For one, the Medicine Garden controlled Celestial Brilliance’s entire supply of elixirs. For another... it was precisely because of Yuwen Ji’s presence!

”Second, you’re afraid. Your hearts are filled with resistance!”

Yuwen Ji stated calmly, ”You are afraid that this newcomer is truly a one-in-a-hundred-million peerless genius. If he then becomes my Direct Disciple, wouldn’t that be the same as him stepping right over your heads? And that... how could proud people like you ever tolerate that?”

”As for his background and status... that’s all nonsense that you yourselves don’t even believe. Because no matter what his identity was in the past, the moment he enters Celestial Brilliance, he is a Heavenly Brilliance Disciple for life!”

”No matter how great a name he makes for himself out in the world, even if he leaves and founds his own immortal great sect, he will still be a Heavenly Brilliance Disciple!”

”That... is a fact that no one, from ancient times to the present, has ever been able to change!”

As he spoke, Yuwen Ji looked at the crowd. ”Do you concede the two points I have made?”

The meeting room was shrouded in silence. No one spoke. No one dared to object.

With that, Yuwen Ji rose to his feet. ”Since no one has anything to say, then the matter is settled! I will personally evaluate the young man when he arrives. If he is without worth, do you truly believe that I, Yuwen Ji, am someone who accepts just anyone as a disciple?”

It was only then that everyone suddenly recalled something. In his several centuries as the Chief Grand Elder of the Medicine Garden, Yuwen Ji had, it seemed... only ever taken two Direct Disciples!

Compared to the other Elders, whose disciples and grand-disciples were scattered across the land, Yuwen Ji’s standards for accepting students were absurdly strict!

In fact, this was the very reason the Inner Sect Disciples and Direct Disciples of the Medicine Garden had put up such a fight. Deep in their hearts, every single one of them... wanted to become a Direct Disciple of Yuwen Ji!

They simply never had the opportunity!

And that was why they harbored such resentment for this person they had yet to even meet.

Yuwen Ji glanced one last time at the assembly. ”If I do indeed take a liking to him... then, within this Medicine Garden, I expect you to afford him the respect he is due! To disrespect him... is to distrust my judgment.”

With that, Yuwen Ji turned and left the grand meeting room, a space that was almost never used.

The other eight Elders at the oval table and all the Inner Sect Disciples rose to their feet, respectfully watching as Yuwen Ji departed.

WHOOSH!

Only after Yuwen Ji was completely gone did everyone in the meeting room let out a long breath in unison.

Afterward, the Inner Sect Disciples also filed out.

Finally, only the eight Elders of the Medicine Garden were left in the vast meeting room. They looked at one another, and bitter smiles appeared on their faces.

The short, ugly Elder Qi glared with his triangular eyes and said resentfully, ”It seems the Grand Elder is dead set on... asserting his authority this time. I suspect our actions over the past few years have long since displeased him.”

The elder with the crane-white hair and youthful complexion looked vexed. ”We were only acting for the good of the Medicine Garden. After all, it’s a huge embarrassment to place last in the grand competition every year. I’m just curious... what abilities could this newcomer possibly have? The Grand Elder has never even met the man, yet he’s so protective of him. I just don’t get it!”

Among the eight Elders, the only woman was a beautiful matron who looked to be in her thirties. She was exceptionally gorgeous and wore no makeup, which didn’t seem odd in the slightest. Her skin was a lustrous, glowing white.

She spoke in a gentle voice, ”Have you all forgotten about the Grand Elder’s Heart Inference Skill?”

”Eighth Junior Sister... are you saying... the Grand Elder already used the Heart Inference Skill to perform a divination?” The crane-haired elder looked shocked as he muttered, ”The Heart Inference Skill is a heaven-defying Divine Technique. Even the Sect Leader... wouldn’t use it lightly. In the entire sect, besides the Sect Leader, only Grand Elder Yuwen is a master of this skill. But why would he use such a powerful technique on a matter like this?”

The other Elders all voiced their confusion. The Heart Inference Skill was an incredibly profound and abstruse heaven-defying Divine Technique. Every time it was performed, it would inflict a powerful backlash on the Caster. The mildest of which... was to be cursed with months of bad luck!

The beautiful matron known as Eighth Junior Sister said calmly, ”None of you should forget what the Nether Flower Seed... means to the Grand Elder. Upon hearing news of it, how could he possibly remain indifferent? Using the Heart Inference Skill... is only natural.”

At the beautiful matron’s words, an old, forgotten story surfaced in everyone’s mind... and they all suddenly understood.

Elder Qi glared with his triangular eyes, squinting at the beautiful matron. ”Eighth Junior Sister... that wasn’t very decent of you,” he grumbled. ”You clearly knew everything, so why did you keep quiet? You wait until all of us have thoroughly pissed off the boss before you finally say something?”

The other Elders also turned to look at the beautiful matron, their eyes filled with confusion. Normally, their group was actually quite united.

The beautiful matron gave a wry smile. ”You should have realized. It was he who told me not to speak of it.”

Everyone froze for a moment before the realization dawned on them. Elder Qi blinked his triangular eyes and waved a dismissive hand. ”Meeting adjourned. All this effort, and for something completely meaningless. Now I really want to see this kid for myself. Just what Divine Techniques does he have to make our boss so protective? If he turns out to be a dragon, fine, I might even gift him a few treasures. But if he’s just a worm... heh, you can bet I’ll kick him out, even if it means having a falling out with the boss!”