"So it was all you?"
After taking care of the aftermath, which turned out to be more troublesome than he initially thought, Elder Tang turned to face the trio, who huddled together outside the building.
His eyes landed on Me Feng. Considering how he could hold down Gu Peng without offending the latter and the fact that Li Yuan, the one who achieved the legendary State of the Heart prostrated before him, it was not difficult to figure out the mastermind behind all this.
Elder Tang inwardly put up his guard. Such a cunning kid, even he could not be careless!
"Don't worry, Elder Tang. We just met now, and besides, you handled the situation very well, provoking this sense of admiration I had towards you. The sect wasn't wrong to entrust you with this position."
"Alright, alright, spare your flattering. Follow me, all of you. Even though the accident has been concluded, we still have to make a clearer and more authentic judgement. Can't let some paranoid people get wild by their speculations."
Gu Peng and Li Yuan glanced at Me Feng, wondering what they would do. The man merely nodded, not intending to resist the procedure.
Why would he? No, perhaps, it may be an opportunity to increase Yu Minhe's favorability. Although Me Feng has been enjoying the boons from the Villainess's Dearest Procedure, he soon notices a glaring problem.
It's the wobbly income of the currency used by the interface! There was only one way to get it, which was through increasing his status in a Villainess's heart! Unlike those golden fingers, he had no other way.
| Reminder: The interface will provide a backdoor for an extra source of income if a Villainess's affection has reached Adoration!
"Who knows when I manage to receive their adoration, considering how insignificant I am."
Me Feng wryly thought, ridiculing himself.
The main problem was not this, however. It's the excessive standard of the interface! Even the 'weakest' Villainess was a Sect Leader with heaven-defying eyes.
Having no other choice but to pursue an outstanding woman, Me Feng, despite his inadequate status and standing, must be courageous enough to take on the insurmountable mountains!
With the spirit provided by his heart, Me Feng did not feel doubt. Instead, he wished to overcome them.
"Who are we going to meet?" Li Yuan asked curiously as he followed behind Me Feng.
"You guys will be questioned in the Grand Hall, where the core figures of the sect gathered."
Gu Peng didn't have much of a reaction. As a Core Disciple, he was often called by the Elders to undergo a monthly evaluation, judging whether he was still qualified for his privileges or not.
As for other matters, he was not qualified to know yet.
"The Grand Hall?" Li Yuan tried to stay calm. Still, his wobbly legs are too noticeable.
"Don't worry. To be honest, it's just formality to calm those elders with weak hearts. Nothing's gonna happen to you."
Meanwhile, at the Grand Hall, the legendary Sect Leader, Yu Minhe, sat above the elders. Her willow, starry crimson eyes seemed to grasp the indiscernible fate, emitting a mysterious ambience.
The elders were inwardly in awe of her. Of course, some held a bit of disdain and even lust, recognizing her tender age and beauty. Still, they did not dare to show even the slightest bit of their impulsive feeling, knowing that she could easily discern any falsehood in their acts.
Besides her stood the former Sect Leader, with the Grand Elder by her side. She was Yu Shenmi, while the Grand Elder was called Old Weng.
Actually, Yu Shenmi wasn't that old. She was merely a 123-year-old woman. For a Nascent Soul Formation expert, it was relatively young. Very young, in fact. It could be imagined just how much of a monster Yu Minhe was, reaching the peak Nascent Soup realm at the age of 23.
"So what's going on with the others? Why do they keep deliberately blocking off the trading route of our people?"
While Yu Minhe inherited the position, most of the decisions were still handled by Yu Shenmi. How could the sect let such a talent deteriorate by handling these mundane matters?
"Wasn't it obvious? They're feeling threatened by the ever-growing power of our sect, considering the explosive growth of the Sect Leader, who is already on the verge of the Soul Condensation realm! While they merely have their old, frail Ancestor who was struggling to keep their lives intact," the Grand Elder acutely assumed with confidence.
"Old Weng is right. Throughout the standing of the five major sects, there hasn't been an instance where two Soul Condensation experts appeared in one sect. It has always been a relatively stable power dynamic. But because of Yu Minhe, the power dynamic that has always been balanced would be thoroughly ruined, giving our sect a huge advantage over them."
One of the Elders from the Core Circle, a noticeably powerful Nascent Soul elder snorted in disdain, "They're just jealous of our Min'er. See whether I ridicule them to death or not once we meet up again in the upcoming Martial Conference."
"But on a serious note, this may be used as an excuse for them to gang up on us. Elders, in the next Martial Conference of Qian Prefecture, we must not be careless. I'm 99% certain that they'll be up to something!"
The elders continue to bicker among themselves. Meanwhile, Ye Minhe was distracted by something.
That Immortal Fairy... Was she telling the truth? The fact that she was a Fairy from the Upper World, a legendary world those unfathomable seniors wished to ascend to?
She was conflicted. She still regarded her master as her own parent, placing her in high regard. On the other hand, she knew that she must move on, because a cultivator who kept reminiscing would always end up with a Demon Heart.
Still, Yu Minhe was not so impulsive to accept it immediately. Instead, she began to speculate.
Even a Qi Refinement cultivator has their own ulterior motives, not to mention an esteemed Immortal! Just why did the Fairy want her as a disciple? Why didn't she just take up a random cultivator in the Upper World who clearly had a better foundation and talent than her?
In the end, Yu Minhe could only cup her fists apologetically at the Fairy, requesting her to give her a bit of time. Thankfully, the Fairy was not overbearing, merely nodding in understanding.
"I'll give you ten years. It may be a long time for mortals like you, but ten years are but strand of feathers, insignificant in the bigger picture."
It wasn't until Yu Shenmi patted her shoulders that Yu Minhe became aware, "Sect Leader, Elder Tang has requested an audition."
"Eh? Little Tang? Oi, Blind Long, what's up with that disciple of yours?"
The same snarky Nascent Soul elder called out a frail, small elder with an eye patch. Despite his undermining appearance, he was the Head of the Detainment Hall, responsible for punishing everyone in the sect and dictating their fate should they break the rule.
Even the Grand Elder couldn't escape it, hence the reason why Elder Long was actually a Nascent Soul expert!
"Audacious Little Be. But anyhow, let that foolish disciple in. I wonder what's going on?"
Blind Long glanced at Yu Minhe, to which she nodded gracefully, "Let them in!"
Soon, the burly stature of Elder Tang along with three other people entered the Grand Hall. In total, there are about 20 elders here, excluding the Grand Elder, Yu Shenmi and Yu Minghe.
The Soaring Cloud Sect was divided into 5 departments. Combat Department, Detainment Hall, Pill Sanctuary, Formation Constitution and Scholarly Tower.
Obviously, 50% of the elders here were in charge of the Combat Department. As for others, they were equally divided into the rest of the 4.
Most Elders here were also in charge of supervising the Core and Inner circles. The former would have a Nascent Soul expert in charge, like Blind Long and the Grand Elder, while the latter would have Golden Core experts as their overseers.
In all, it was a relatively simple structure. Some Elders also didn't participate in this meeting, like the insignificant Elders of the Outer Division, those who supervised the task board, the library, the formation, and others.
As soon as Yu Minhe laid her eyes on them, she locked her eyes on Me Feng, who secretly greeted her with a smile.
She did not deliberately pay attention to him, for she knows he did not wish to do so. She admired his heart for a moment through her Heaven Gazer before she brought up the purpose of their visit.
"What do you wish to tell, Elder Tang?"
The stout old man didn't immediately answer. He scanned the hall, occasionally stopping at certain individuals with discreet mockery. Those individuals merely closed their eyes, having discarded their shame long ago.
"I have something to report. Today in the sparring building, two elders of the Outer Division have coerced two disciples, Gu Chen and Li Yuan!"
Most elders remained indifferent, but some reacted quite proactively, "Gu Chen? As if that Gu Peng's little brother?"
It was shocking enough that some elders dared to coerce disciples into an unofficial deathmatch, but to involve a relative of a Core Disciple... They didn't know what to say.
"The former was the little brother of our Core Disciple, Gu Peng, and had passed away in the deathmatch. And the latter was the confidant of Me Feng, the Sect Leader's disciple!"
This time, not to mention the elders, even Old Weng and Yu Shenmi almost stumbled out of their seats, staring at Yu Minhe with wide eyes.
Yu Minhe remained placid on the outside, nodding at them in confirmation. Inwardly, she couldn't help but feel bitter.
Although she knew Me Feng did something, she didn't really mind it. In the first place, she wished to bring him with her. It's just the wrong assumption that made her feel ashamed.
It was Me Feng who taught her how a cultivator should be, so it was supposed to be the opposite...