Chapter 161: Little Schemes (I)

"Sword Stele.." Grand Elder Li nodded his head and said, "It should be an appropriate reward. I don't have any objections."

"Me neither." Grand Elder Xuan also stated his consent after Grand Elder Li.

Sect Leader Su nodded his head and swept his gaze from one side to the other, one by one from one elder to another.

All the elders nodded their heads in agreement to allow Ye Tian Yun to cultivate in the Sword Stele.

Sect Leader Su was very satisfied with everyone's response, which could be clearly seen from his expression.

After some time, he said, "Since everyone agrees with my proposal, then we shouldn't delay things anymore and send him off to cultivate for a month."

Grand Edler Xuan suddenly said, "The sword stele is the no less sacred grounds of our sect, for disciple Fang Chen to cultivate there, it will give a significant boost to his cultivation and battle prowess, which is something he truly deserves."

Then he came to the main topic of his thoughts, "But one shouldn't get carried away, that's why I propose we make things a bit harsher for disciple Fang Chen and have him cultivate in the second level of Sword Stele. This will make him understand the true value of the reward and treasure this chance to grow stronger."

His words confused many elders and even Sect Leader Su was out of words.

Only Ye Tian Yun had a normal expression because he had no idea what they were talking about since the start. He didn't know what Sword Stele was that they were talking about, much less about it having two levels or something.

He tried to refresh his memory, but nothing related to Sword Stele came to his mind. Even though Grand Elder Xuan compared it to the sacred ground of the sect, Ye Tian Yun couldn't recall any place or thing called Sword Stele from his memory.

Thus, he was carefully observing the expressions of others to get any clue of what these people were talking about.

Elder Tu, who had been silent until then, stood up and said, "Grand Elder Xuan, I am not sure if your proposal would bring anything good out of the situation."

"First of all, Fang Chen's cultivation is very low. He shouldn't even be allowed near the Sword Stele because his unstable and low cultivation base might lead to Qi Deviation. 

And you're proposing he be sent to the second level... this… this is not a reward… it's more of a punishment."

"If we send him to the second level, it would be like guaranteeing the Qi Deviation. Fang Chen had helped our sect avoid something which could very easily have been the biggest tragedy in the history of our sect. And to make him suffer Qi Deviation… is not something I would agree upon."

Sect Leader Su also nodded his head, "Yes, the second level is too risky. Maybe in the future, we might give a chance to disciple Fang Chen, but today… it's too early… it's not the right time yet."

Grand Elder Xuan shook his head, "I think you didn't get what I wanted to say," Staring at Ye Tian Yun, he continued, "I want disciple Fang Chen to cultivate on the second level. I am not proposing him go through the trial which is the main significance of the second floor."

"But how will he cultivate if he doesn't attempt the trial?" Elder Tu asked in confusion.

Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head and replied, "Because he doesn't need to go through any trial. Tell me, how long will disciple Fang Chen be cultivating in the sword stele?"

"For a month."

"Yes, and he will have a whole month before he decides to take part in the trial or not, after that, he will be automatically sent out of the second level."

Sect Leader Su said, "So, you're saying that he should go to the second level, and cultivate in the time which is given to the disciples, who take the trail, to decide whether they wish to attempt it or not?"

Grand Elder Xuan nodded his head, "Exactly, he just needs to cultivate, and not think about the trial. In fact, I don't want anyone here to speak of the trial anymore, this will help him not focus on the trial, thus preventing the trial from getting started."

He then looked at Fang Chen while saying, "And I want him to cultivate in the second level because it will not only boost his cultivation, it will also make him stronger due to the tinge of chaotic qi mixed in the second level."

"I think my proposal will be rewarding and challenging at the same time. And if Fang Chen successfully cultivated for a month, he will receive a huge boost in his cultivation."

Grand Elder Li, who had been silent until then, said, "This is not right."

He waited for everyone's attention to get to him before continuing, "Let's not forget that Fang Chen will be rejecting the trial by being on the second level for a month and only cultivating."

"And if he rejects the trial, he won't be able to reapply the trial in the next five years. Which will be a bit of a setback, since this will mean that Fang Chen if were to become a top disciple of the sect, won't be able to get nurtured by the sect."

"Grand Elder Xuan, your proposal is not good in the long term, though it might bring some temporary benefits."

Grand Elder Xuan pursed his lips when he heard those words and after few moments of silence, he turned towards Ye Tian Yun and asked, "Boy, tell me, do you want to be the next Sect Leader of the Gracious Sword Sect?"

His words halted everyone's breath including Ye Tian Yun, who was most shocked by this sudden question.

Grand Elder Li was the first one to come back to his senses and barely controlled himself from shouting, "What kind of absurd question is that?"

"It's a simple question, is he interested in vying for the position of the Sect Leader or not." Grand Elder Xuan shrugged his shoulders.

Ye Tian Yun, who still didn't understand the head and tail of the situation, finally couldn't hold back anymore and asked, "Elders, I do not get why the situation of me getting rewarded and cultivating in the Sword Stele turned towards me trying to become the next Sect Leader."

"Don't worry about that nonsense," Grand Elder Li waved his hands and said, "No need to think about useless stuff. Just focus on cultivation."

Ye Tian Yun could only nod his head.

Sect Leader Su, who hadn't said anything on this topic, looked at Fang Chen for a moment and said, "There's no need for him to go to the Second Floor. He will cultivate on the First Floor for a month, and when the time comes, and if the fate plans, Fang Chen will get his chance to challenge the trial on the second floor."

Grand Elder Xuan objected, "But, why not reward him to our full capacity? Sending him to the second floor will only bring a much better outcome for Fang Chen and the sect, so why not allow him?"

Sect Leader Su shook his head and said, "No, I won't allow this."

And then he looked at Elder Lai Chang who was standing at the entrance of the hall and said, "Elder Lai, please take disciple Fang Chen to the Sword Stele and explain to him about everything on the way."

"Yes, Sect Leader," Elder Lai Chang cupped his fists and waited for Ye Tian Yun to come.

Sect Leader Su then stared at Ye Tian Yun for a moment before saying, "Cultivate well. Don't waste this opportunity and focus on getting stronger."

Ye Tian Yun nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Thank you for this chance, Elders and Sect Leader."

"Hmm," Sect Leader Su nodded his head, "Now go."

Ye Tian Yun gave a slight bow and left the hall with Elder Lai Chang.

…

Looking at the disappearing back of Ye Tian Yun, Grand Elder Xuan narrowed his eyes as the earlier smiling expression once again appeared on his face.

He then noticed something from the corner of his eyes and when turned his head, he found Peak Master Duan staring dead into his eyes, as if ready to pounce on him at any second.

Grand Elder Xuan smirked at him and then turning towards Sect Leader Su, he said, "Now that this matter is resolved, we need to focus on the main agenda of the early meeting."

Sect Leader Su nodded his head, while, Grand Elder Li asked, "Did anything else happen?"

Grand Elder Xuan gestured at Elder Tu to speak up and reply to Grand Elder Li.

Elder Tu stood up from his seat and said, "Everyone, two days ago, on the Seventh Peak, an unfortunate incident occurred during the Inner Court Entrance Hunt, and one of the participants lost his life."

Most of the Elders present at the meeting nodded their heads as this wasn't really news to them since most of them had heard of the high tier Qi Stealing Mole wreaking havoc in the Inner Court Entrance Exam.

Elder Tu then took a deep breath and said, "The disciple who died was the scion of the Kang Clan from the capital city."

He waited for everyone to digest the news before continuing, "And his father, the Clan Head of the Kang Clan, Kang Xumin, is currently heading straight to our sect for 'justice'."