Several people were already seated inside the great hall, waiting. The moment I entered, everyone's gaze immediately turned toward me.
I cupped my hands in greeting. "I arrived late. My apologies for making all the seniors wait."
An old man seated on the upper left smiled gently. "It's fine."
I walked toward the host seat at the center of the great hall, the place intentionally left empty for me. Then I cupped my hands and looked around. "Thank you all for attending. Today is the preparatory meeting for next month's minor competition. Please present your proposals."
Hearing this, Steward Zhou on the right side immediately stood up to report. "Reporting to the elders, this minor competition will still primarily use the arena combat format. Its purpose is to examine the disciples' cultivation achievements over the past year, while also encouraging further diligence. All inner sect disciples and elite disciples are eligible to participate. This has been the long-standing convention of the cultivation world."
He paused briefly before continuing. "As for the rewards, this year the top ten will be allowed to enter the Scripture Pavilion for three days of cultivation. The top three will be granted mid-grade profound rank magical artifacts. The champion will receive a high-grade profound rank magical artifact, along with one opportunity to enter Wudao Cliff for seven days of enlightenment."
After hearing this, several elders inside the great hall lightly nodded in satisfaction.
I quietly swept my gaze across everyone before slowly speaking. "Steward Zhou has explained everything very clearly. The minor competition is an important matter for selecting talents within the sect. But there are still several details that need to be discussed together. First, regarding the arena matches, although free combat is permitted, limits must still be established. Intentionally causing severe injuries is strictly forbidden. Violators will be severely punished. Second, the evaluation standards should be jointly established by the various peaks and specialized elders to ensure fairness. Lastly, safety comes first. The protective formations and healing pills must be inspected before the competition begins. The list of supervising elders must also be finalized early."
After listening, everyone revealed expressions of contemplation or agreement.
I turned toward the elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, my voice calm yet clear. "Please have the Law Enforcement Hall increase its manpower. At the same time, activate Yan Wuchang's reflective water mirror. If serious disputes arise regarding judgments, the recorded images can be directly extracted for comparison."
Hearing my proposal, the elder of the Law Enforcement Hall immediately rose with a solemn expression and cupped his hands. "Senior Brother Shen may rest assured. The Law Enforcement Hall has already prepared a detailed plan. Both manpower and resources are fully sufficient. The reflective water mirror has also been completely inspected, ensuring that it can operate at any time."
I lightly nodded.
After completing the final summary of the meeting, everyone gradually stood up and took their leave. Before departing, even several peak masters' representatives could not hide the satisfaction in their eyes as they looked toward me.
One peak master with a cold temperament slightly tilted his head and spoke to the elder beside him. "This time, Mo Yuan truly picked up a treasure."
Elder Su of the Discipline Hall stroked his beard and smiled. "This brat handles work even more reliably than his master."
"Indeed." That peak master calmly continued. "His thinking is clear, and he handles matters fairly. More importantly, he is sufficiently calm and thorough. He completely doesn't resemble someone who only entered the sect three years ago. With him managing the sect, we can worry much less."
Inside the great hall, I quietly rubbed my temples, finally able to relax slightly. During the past hour, I had practically maintained a state of absolute concentration the entire time. I had to coordinate the progress of the meeting while simultaneously observing the expressions and intentions of the major figures within the hall. Honestly speaking, the difficulty was no less than grooming Ling Shuang's fur. At the very least, Ling Shuang's anger was easier to predict than several elders who love to casually throw tricky questions during meetings.
Right at that moment, the system's voice rang out in my mind.
Core members' approval levels have fluctuated. Discipline Hall Elder Su's approval level has increased. Cold Peak Master's approval level has increased. Current progress, seventeen percent. A total of thirty-six recognized units achieved.
Hearing this immediately lifted my spirits considerably. As expected, overtime work still had its rewards. Although sometimes these rewards sounded more like an end-of-year performance evaluation than a cultivation system.
I had just intended to stand up and leave the great hall when I suddenly sensed something. Instinctively raising my head toward the distant dark corner, I paused slightly.
In the darkness where nobody had originally been standing, a figure had appeared at some unknown point. True Lord Mo Yuan stood there with his arms crossed, leaning against a stone pillar, the familiar lazy smile lingering at the corner of his lips. He looked exactly like someone who had merely stopped by to watch the excitement.
"Oh, the meeting's over already." He looked at me and smiled ambiguously. "You actually look pretty convincing. Even better than when I hosted my first meeting back then."
I immediately stood and bowed in greeting. "When did Master arrive? This disciple did not notice at all."
Mo Yuan burst into laughter. "I arrived quite a while ago. You all were discussing things so enthusiastically that I didn't want to interrupt."
After speaking, he walked over and heavily patted my shoulder. His gaze rarely carried several traces of genuine approval. "Not bad. Truly not bad. You know how to grasp the important points. And you can even keep those old fellows in check. As expected of the disciple I chose."
I maintained the standard smile of a senior brother. "It is all thanks to Master's excellent guidance. This disciple merely tried his best."
Hearing that, Mo Yuan immediately burst into loud laughter. "Don't say such polite words. I know these matters consume a great deal of your mental energy, but jade does not shine without polishing. And the sect is the best forge of all."
As he spoke, he casually pulled a wooden box from his sleeve and tossed it toward me. "A small reward. It'll help you stabilize your Golden Core."
The moment he finished speaking, his figure suddenly faded as though dissolving into the air before disappearing without a trace.
I stood there silently, holding the wooden box in my hands, looking toward the place where Master had just vanished. I softly sighed. This master of mine normally looked exactly like someone who preferred a hands-off management style. Yet sometimes, he could be unexpectedly generous.
Opening the box, I found inside a medicinal pill emitting a gentle white glow.
Taiyi Golden Stabilizing Pill.
Shock immediately appeared within my eyes. This was a treasure that could hardly be bought even with spirit stones on the market. It was especially useful for stabilizing the Golden Core and refining spiritual energy. It could be said that this was the kind of resource that many Golden Core cultivators would fight over until their eyes turned red.
I closed the box again, and my mood improved somewhat.