Chapter 250 - 248: Taking Charge of the White Tiger Hall
"In the beginning of antiquity, who was it that passed down the Way?"
Liu Suifeng didn’t answer Chen Yuan directly. Instead, he posed this sudden question, which left Chen Yuan momentarily stunned.
But before Chen Yuan could reply, Liu Suifeng continued, "The Ancient Era is too distant from our present time. So distant that aside from the Divine Artifact Demon Soldiers left behind by the powerful beings of the past, we have completely lost our memory of that history. Even if we unearth some ancient ruins, we can only find fragments of information.
The Human Race developed the Martial Dao, rising and prospering in the Ancient Era after the Divine Demons vanished, leading to the great flourishing of the Martial Dao we see today.
But in reality, the Martial Dao is not the only power the Human Race can master. Even now, there are many powers that are no less formidable than the Martial Dao. For example, the Array Dao."
As his voice fell, Liu Suifeng gently tapped a finger in the air. In an instant, a profound power bloomed forth. Invisible ripples seemed to spread through the void, but Chen Yuan didn’t notice anything, only feeling as if the surrounding space had been sealed in an instant.
"Then there’s the Miaojiang Gu Technique, which has no connection to the Martial Dao whatsoever. It was a method created at the dawn of the Ancient Era, when the Human Race, seeking to protect themselves, found and domesticated ferocious insects from the natural world.
And also the Corpse-Driving Sect, found in the same Tan Province Miaojiang. They pry into the boundary between life and death. Although it is an Evil Technique, its origins can still be traced back to the Ancient Era. It is a Dharma Gate created by the Human Race to survive by peering into the Netherworld Power.
The Yang Lianzhenjia you encountered this time is the same. He cultivates not only the Martial Dao but also, it seems, a strange power passed down from the Ancient Era.
However, whether it’s the Array Dao, Gu Technique, or corpse-driving and Corpse Refining, these are all powers developed by the Human Race.
In truth, during that period, many members of the Human Race chose to gain power through sacrifice, or even by pursuing certain indescribable existences.
It’s hard to say if these existences were gods, demons, or other bizarre and mysterious things.
However, after the Martial Dao flourished, aside from the Array Dao which became one of the mainstream paths due to its great utility, the rest, like Gu Technique and Corpse Refining, were relegated to heterodox arts.
This is even more true for those who gained power by making sacrifices and worshipping strange existences.
Such people are now rare in the Central Plains Martial Arts, but they still exist in some remote provinces, or in regions like the Southern Border, the Grassland, and the Snow Mountain.
From the looks of it, this Corpse Forest Secret Institute is one of those places that still holds such a strange, ancient heritage.
This kind of power is different from the Martial Dao, and it leaves no trace to follow. So, in the future, besides acting with extreme caution, there’s really nothing you can do."
Liu Suifeng may not have been a scholar of divine and human affairs, but he was certainly well-read. Yet, even he had never heard of the Corpse Forest Secret Institute, so Chen Yuan could only drop the matter.
Chen Yuan rested at Liu Suifeng’s place for a day while Liu Suifeng went to find Yun Zhaolan to discuss making Chen Yuan a Hall Master.
「The next morning」
Chen Yuan followed Liu Suifeng to the Main Hall for a meeting.
Not only were the other three Hall Masters present for this meeting, but even Li Tiancheng and Yang Yanxing had come.
After all, both the Celestial Martial Guard and the Po Jun Guard had lent a hand in this battle. Now that the Hu Yan Tribe was dealt with, they were also due their share of the rewards.
Seated in the central position, Chao Hongtu sighed. "I never would have thought... Feng Wushang was already considering retirement, yet he died at the hands of a junior from the Ten Thousand Demon Sect. Life is truly unpredictable.
Another one of the old brothers who followed me to establish the Celestial Martial Alliance is gone."
Hearing this, the Hall Masters of the other three halls had complicated feelings.
Their relationships with Feng Wushang had been average at best.
However, seeing a fellow Hall Master like Feng Wushang die in such a frustrating way, used as a stepping stone by a Jianghu junior to get onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, gave them a sense of shared sorrow, like a fox mourning a rabbit’s death.
’New talent always emerges in the Jianghu.’ Although they weren’t old yet, they no longer had the potential to advance further.
"The Hu Yan Tribe plundered our borders in Ning Province, but now they have been completely wiped out. Our Zhenwu Hall has repaid blood with blood, an eye for an eye.
Now that the position of White Tiger Hall Master is vacant, we must discuss the selection of a new Hall Master today."
The rules for Zhenwu Hall meetings were a holdover from the days of the Celestial Martial Alliance. Although Chao Hongtu was the Alliance Leader of the Celestial Martial Alliance and now the Grand Commandant of Zhenwu Hall, Zhenwu Hall was not his to command alone.
When the Celestial Martial Alliance was founded, Chao Hongtu’s prestige as Alliance Leader was great, but it couldn’t surpass that of the Breaking Army Divine General, Xie Wenyan, who charged at the very front lines.
At the same time, the contributions of Military Advisor Liu Suifeng, who devised strategies, and Yun Zhaolan, who managed logistics, were just as significant.
Therefore, whenever there was an important appointment or dismissal like this, Zhenwu Hall always made the decision through discussion.
Chao Hongtu glanced at Liu Suifeng and the others, then cleared his throat and said, "I propose that Li Tiancheng, Commander of the Celestial Martial Guard, take charge of the White Tiger Hall. What does everyone think?"
The other three Hall Masters frowned slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Li Tiancheng’s seniority was less than theirs, but it was sufficient.
Normally, however, the Celestial Martial Guard only needed to focus on cultivation at the headquarters, whereas managing a hall involved far more administrative duties.
’Li Tiancheng has been with the Celestial Martial Guard for a long time. Can he really be a good Hall Master?’
But the three of them had long had their own ambitions. As long as their own power was not affected, they couldn’t care less about what happened to the White Tiger Hall, so none of them spoke.
Li Tiancheng, on the other hand, frowned slightly. He himself was not keen on becoming the White Tiger Hall Master.
’If it were the old White Tiger Hall, it would have been fine. But the current White Tiger Hall has been ravaged by the Hu Yan Tribe, and the borderlands are a scene of devastation. If I go, I’ll definitely have to exhaust myself dealing with all these matters. How could that be as comfortable as commanding the Celestial Martial Guard at the Main Hall?’
However, he was Chao Hongtu’s confidant. Since the Grand Commandant had already spoken, there was no room for him to refuse.
Liu Suifeng coughed, stood up, and said, "Grand Commandant, there is actually someone more suitable than Li Tiancheng for the position of White Tiger Hall Master."
"Who?"
"Chen Jiutian!"
The moment this name was spoken, an uproar filled the room.
Cui Wenzhong, the Cyan Dragon Hall Master, immediately retorted, "Military Advisor Liu, Chen Jiutian is only in the Condensing Truth Realm! Since when has our Zhenwu Hall fallen so low that we’d appoint a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist as a Hall Master?"
Ling Baiyan, the Vermilion Bird Hall Master, and Wei Yuanlong, the Black Tortoise Hall Master, also nodded in agreement.
The thought of being on equal footing with a junior as one of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu’s Hall Masters was something they found hard to accept.
Chao Hongtu frowned. "Chen Jiutian has indeed earned great merit this time, but in terms of both Realm and seniority, he is still quite far from the position of Hall Master."
Liu Suifeng shook his head. "Grand Commandant, I must disagree. In terms of Realm, Chen Jiutian is indeed at the Condensing Truth Realm, but quite a few Primordial Pill Realm Martial Artists have died at his hands.
After killing Xu Tianhong, Chen Jiutian was ranked twelfth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
To put it bluntly, every major power has Primordial Pill Realm Grandmasters. But how many Sects in the Jianghu possess a prodigy ranked in the top twenty of the Hidden Dragon Rankings?
As for seniority, although Chen Jiutian has not been with Zhenwu Hall for long, he has served as a Guardian Envoy and an Inspector, performing exceptionally well in every post.
If we’re talking about experience in governing a region, Chen Jiutian is actually stronger than Li Tiancheng."
His words were logical and well-founded. After Liu Suifeng finished speaking, even an opponent like Cui Wenzhong felt that Chen Jiutian was indeed more suitable than Li Tiancheng to be the Hall Master.
But a feeling was just a feeling. At the very least, Cui Wenzhong would never agree.
Chao Hongtu’s brows furrowed tightly, not out of hesitation, but in thought of how to refute the argument.
’Making Chen Yuan an Inspector is acceptable. Giving him a Token to place him above the other Inspectors, second only to Feng Wushang, is also acceptable.
But making him the White Tiger Hall Master... that feels somewhat beyond my control.’
Just then, Yun Zhaolan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke in a cold, clear voice. "Since when has our Zhenwu Hall placed such importance on seniority? Haven’t we always prioritized merit and strength?
No one ever stipulated that the Hall Masters of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu must have a Primordial Pill Realm cultivation. When the other Hall Masters first took charge of their halls, they weren’t at the Primordial Pill Realm either, were they? Didn’t they all break through later, amid battle and slaughter?
I, for one, see nothing wrong with it. Our Zhenwu Hall could use some new blood. Otherwise, the outside world will always think we have no worthy successors."
Yun Zhaolan rarely spoke during Zhenwu Hall meetings, but when she did, her words carried immense weight.
"My lady, you strongly approve of this matter?" Chao Hongtu looked at Yun Zhaolan, frowning slightly.
"If the choice is only between Li Tiancheng and Chen Jiutian, I think Chen Jiutian is more suitable."
Yun Zhaolan didn’t look at Chao Hongtu, speaking with a blank expression.
At this moment, Liu Suifeng suddenly said, "Lady Yun makes a very good point. Our Zhenwu Hall has always valued two things: merit and achievement.
We don’t have to give the position of White Tiger Hall Master to Chen Jiutian. But he turned the tide this time, stepping up to kill Xu Tianhong, drive out the Ten Thousand Demon Sect, and annihilate the Hu Yan Tribe when there was no one to take command. Surely such a great contribution deserves a reward, doesn’t it?
If not, how about we carve out some territory from each of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu to form a smaller, fifth hall, and make Chen Jiutian its Hall Master?"
The moment he said this, Cui Wenzhong and the others panicked.
Although they were unhappy about Chen Yuan being their equal, they were even more unwilling to have their own three halls divided up.
Even losing a single small city would feel like a great loss to them.
"Grand Commandant, I also think Lady Yun and Military Advisor Liu have a point. It’s more appropriate to let Chen Jiutian go to the White Tiger Hall.
The structure of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu has been in place for so many years. Modifying it rashly could cause chaos."
Cui Wenzhong, who had been the first to object just moments ago, was now the first to jump out in agreement.
Ling Baiyan and Wei Yuanlong also chimed in, afraid the Grand Commandant would agree to divide their halls.
Seeing that almost everyone agreed to make Chen Jiutian the White Tiger Hall Master, and that even his own subordinate, Li Tiancheng, hadn’t stepped forward to object, Chao Hongtu’s brows locked tightly.
But Chen Yuan had performed such meritorious service. If he wasn’t given the position of Hall Master, what other benefit could be given to him as a reward?
Chao Hongtu pondered for a moment, then, for some unknown reason, let out a long breath.
"Fine! Since it is so, from this day forward, Chen Jiutian shall be the Master of the White Tiger Hall, in charge of Western Ning Province!"
Chen Yuan stepped forward and bowed to Chao Hongtu. "This subordinate thanks the Grand Commandant for his high regard."