章節 218: Chapter 218: The Sole Agenda—Deciding Among the Three Major Industries
Chapter 218: The Sole Agenda—Deciding Among the Three Major Industries
Shen Mo said calmly, "The contents of these three storage rings exceed the sect's requirements by at least tenfold."
Ye Yan suddenly interjected, "This is a serious matter. We do not have the authority to grant such rewards. It should be left to the Elders' Council for judgment."
With that, he turned, carrying the storage rings, and prepared to leave.
He Tianchou spoke up abruptly, "Dragon Snake Mountain was once a place of great potential, but for seven consecutive generations, the stationed elders failed to purify the magical beasts' bloodlines, resulting in years of losses."
"Now, Elder Shen has turned those losses into profits, far exceeding the sect's basic requirements. I believe this matter should not be handed over to the Elders' Council but should instead be brought before the Grand Assembly Hall."
"After all, this is a significant event that could influence the future strategies of our Jade Cauldron Sect."
Lü Dongxuan laughed heartily, "Well said, Hall Master He, well said! I also agree it should go to the Grand Assembly Hall."
The Grand Assembly Hall is of a higher rank than the Elders' Council and is reserved for handling the sect's most critical and urgent matters.
Furthermore, the Grand Assembly Hall requires the Sect Master and ten elders to convene, whereas the Elders' Council only requires a presiding elder to make decisions.
He Tianchou's suggestion made his intentions abundantly clear.
"Fine… here, take back the storage rings. I'll head back first." Ye Yan's gaze was icy as he quickly departed, eager to return to the sect and report this to Yang Qiye.
Shen Mo turned to Mei Haihe and the others. "Stay in Dragon Snake Mountain, guard the property well, and don't let any troublemakers sneak in and cause damage."
His words carried a subtle warning.
Mei Haihe straightened his posture and responded firmly, "Rest assured, Elder Shen! Your subordinate understands!"
Shen Mo, Lü Dongxuan, and He Tianchou transformed into streaks of light and vanished into the horizon.
Xu Ziqiang stared at the sky, his face filled with despair.
"Why are they leaving so quickly? Take me with you…"
Although he could fly using spiritual energy, a Core Formation cultivator's speed was no match for that of Nascent Soul elders.
He could only trail behind, eating dust.
Jade Cauldron Sect, Main Peak.
Halfway up the mountain stood a magnificent hall, elegant yet luxurious.
This was the Jade Cauldron Sect's Grand Assembly Hall.
At the hall's entrance stood a massive bronze bell.
At this moment, the Second Elder, Yang Qiye, struck the bell.
Its deep toll reverberated like thunder across the entire Heng Tai mountain range.
"A Grand Assembly is about to convene. This must be the sect's routine five-year assembly, right?"
"Who's presiding over the discussion this time?"
"It's usually the elder on duty from the Elders' Council. This time it must be the Second Elder."
"Tsk, the Second Elder has been advocating for abandoning alchemy and beast taming to focus entirely on artifact crafting to compete with the Shangqing Sect. This assembly will probably be full of heated debates again."
"Well, that's beyond us to comment on. Let's just listen."
Stewards and disciples buzzed with discussions as elders began arriving from all over.
However, only the Sect Master and the ten primary elders were allowed inside.
Other Nascent Soul elders were not permitted entry.
At the hall's entrance, Yang Qiye stood calmly, scanning the arrivals.
The first to arrive was a middle-aged man in a purple robe, refined in appearance, with a lean figure.
Yang Qiye bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Sect Master."
Sect Master Li Zhendao smiled faintly. "Second Elder, what's the agenda this time?"
Yang Qiye chuckled, "Once everyone has arrived, the Sect Master will naturally know."
Li Zhendao merely smiled lightly and strode into the hall, taking the central seat.
His expression betrayed no hint of anger or displeasure.
Following him, the First Elder, Third Elder, and others arrived one after another.
Finally, an unkempt, scruffy old man stumbled down from the sky, nearly falling onto Yang Qiye.
Yang Qiye's eyes flickered as he quickly helped him up with a laugh, "Elder Wan, what happened to you? Oh my, you're reeking of makeup powder!"
The Tenth Elder, Wan Mushun, chuckled, his cheeks slightly flushed. "I was still surrounded by young ladies when I heard the Second Elder ring the bell. I rushed back immediately."
Yang Qiye laughed heartily. "You're the last one. Come, let me help you inside."
The two entered the hall, and the grand doors slammed shut.
A dozen breaths later, a figure descended from the sky.
It was Ye Yan.
He stared at the closed doors, his expression dark.
"I'm still a step too late. The elder assembly has already begun…"
"Yang Qiye's plan to use Dragon Snake Mountain's poor performance to push the Sect Master and the First Elder to abandon the beast-taming industry entirely is probably doomed."
The Jade Cauldron Sect dabbled in many industries: alchemy, artifact crafting, and beast taming.
However, it couldn't rival the Upper Clarity Sect in artifact crafting, nor the Pill River Sect in alchemy, nor the Zhoumu Palace in beast taming.
The sect lacked competitiveness.
Beast taming, in particular, had only three suitable locations: Dragon Snake Mountain, Evergreen Mountain, and White Cloud Mountain. These industries had been consistently unprofitable for years.
Evergreen Mountain and White Cloud Mountain fared slightly better, meeting the sect's requirements in some years.
As for Dragon Snake Mountain, it hadn't met its annual target for 299 consecutive years.
It was inevitable that one of these three industries would be abandoned.
But deciding which one to give up had remained unresolved.
If news of Shen Mo's unprecedented success at Dragon Snake Mountain this year were to spread, not only would beast taming avoid being abandoned, but it might even gain the sect's renewed focus.
Yang Qiye's plans would collapse entirely.
Shen Mo and the others soon arrived as well.
Seeing the closed doors, Lü Dongxuan frowned. "I'll send a message to the old man right now."
Shen Mo shook his head and stopped him with a smile. "The Tenth Elder already knows."
Lü Dongxuan was stunned. "Knows? That old man's always spending his days in the red-light district. What could he possibly know?"
Shen Mo said nothing, his smile cryptic.
He had already discerned, from the first day he arrived at Dragon Snake Mountain and inspected Huang Bayi's life panel, that Huang Bayi was a pawn placed there by the Tenth Elder.
Huang Bayi regularly reported Dragon Snake Mountain's status to the Tenth Elder.
Though the Tenth Elder spent much of his time in the brothels, he was well-informed about the sect's internal affairs, including the state of Dragon Snake Mountain.
Shen Mo had known all along but chose not to reveal it.
"We just wait. Soon, we'll be invited inside," Shen Mo said with a calm smile.
Lü Dongxuan looked doubtful but didn't press further.
Inside the Grand Assembly Hall:
Yang Qiye declared in a steady voice, "Sect Master, fellow elders, today's sole agenda is to determine how to handle the three major industries."
"In my view, artifact crafting is the sect's strength, while alchemy and beast taming are our weaknesses. I propose that we abandon alchemy and beast taming entirely, keeping only the production of essential pills."
"All resources should be focused on developing the artifact crafting industry to compete with the Upper Clarity Sect!"
The hall fell silent for a moment after his words.
The Fifth Elder quickly spoke up, "May I ask the Second Elder, if our sect requires large quantities of pills and spiritual beasts, where do we acquire them?"
Yang Qiye replied calmly, "We can purchase pills from the Pill River Sect. As for spiritual beasts and beast materials, we buy them from the Zhoumu Palace."
"I have already negotiated a contract with the Pill River Sect. For the next twenty years, they will supply us annually with 500 bottles of Infant Transformation Pills, 50 bottles of Greater Infant Transformation Pills, and 10 bottles of Spirit Refinement Pills."
"They guarantee no price changes for twenty years. Otherwise, they will compensate us at double the cost."
Spirit Refinement Pills are necessary for Nascent Soul cultivators attempting to ascend to the Divine Transformation stage.
Due to the rarity of the required ingredients and the low success rate in crafting these pills, their production is extremely limited.
While all three sects possess the recipe for Spirit Refinement Pills, only the Pill River Sect has the capacity to not only supply itself but also produce surplus pills for external trade to obtain needed resources.
The Eighth Elder frowned. "How can you be so certain that Zhoumu Palace will provide us with spiritual beasts and beast materials? Have you forgotten the imperial court's stance toward Yu Province?"
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