Chapter 86: Join the Sect Management Council!
“Might this be Sect Master Lu himself?”
Inside Lu Qingyang’s great tent, two elders of transcendent bearing stood at its very center.
One wore white robes, his face warm, a horsetail whisk in hand. The other wore black robes, his expression cold, projecting an air that kept others a thousand miles away.
“Senior, you praise me too much. I am Lu Qingyang.”
Seeing these two powerhouses before him whose auras far surpassed the Soul Transformation realm, clearly having stepped into the Return-to-Void Stage, Lu Qingyang did not dare put on airs. He hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting.
“Heh heh, truly a hero emerges from the young.”
The white-robed elder let out a faint laugh. “This poor Daoist is Yun Fei, a Council Deacon of the Sect Management Council. This is my younger brother, Yun Qi.”
“Sect Master Lu, your name has long been renowned.”
The black-robed elder also nodded.
“You two Seniors are too kind. Please, sit.”
Lu Qingyang waved his hand, producing two grandmaster chairs.
Toward this foremost power of the Central Region, the Sect Management Council that could summon countless sects with a single Council Decree, Lu Qingyang was still rather wary.
But this wariness did not last long.
Lu Qingyang soon detected something from the manner and bearing of the Yun Fei brothers.
“Sect Master Lu, we have come this time under the Council’s orders, specifically to invite Sect Master Lu to join the Sect Management Council.”
Yun Fei was first to state his purpose in coming.
Hearing this, Lu Qingyang’s brow arched slightly. “Hm? Since you two Seniors know I am the Sect Master of a sect, how could I possibly still join your esteemed side?”
“Heh heh, Sect Master Lu may not be entirely clear on this.”
“Our Sect Management Council is itself composed of the countless Great Vehicle sects of the Central Region. Nearly all the Righteous Path Great Vehicle cultivators of the Central Region hold office in our Council.”
So that’s what it is… isn’t this just like the United Nations from my past life?
Listening to the other’s explanation, Lu Qingyang understood in an instant. But he did not understand how he, having only just entered the Nascent Soul realm, had caught the Sect Management Council’s eye.
It seemed Yun Fei saw through Lu Qingyang’s confusion.
Yun Fei cleared his throat and spoke with a smile.
“Sect Master Lu, you founded the Chaotian Sect only several decades ago, yet have already developed it to its current scale. That is truly rare.”
“And from what I know, Sect Master Lu is not only a Dao-level Artifact Refiner, but also a Dao-level Pill Refiner.”
“Even… it is said Sect Master Lu is also a Dao-level Spirit Creator?”
“With such great talent, not joining the Sect Management Council would truly be a tremendous loss to our human race!”
Hearing the other expose his background in just a few words, Lu Qingyang’s heart stirred slightly.
The Dao-level Artifact and Pill Refiner matter was one thing. Though rare in the Central Region, it was not unheard of.
But a Dao-level Spirit Creator was different.
A Spirit Creator, as the name implies, is a master who creates spells and spirit arts.
Every Spirit Creator is a great sage among human cultivators, an invaluable treasure of the human race.
Because only those with extremely high Comprehension can grasp the creation of spells.
Low-level, mid-level, and high-level Spirit Creators are already very precious.
A top-level Spirit Creator, even within a Great Vehicle sect, would surely be an honored guest.
As for the kings among Spirit Creators, Dao-level Spirit Creators, they are even rarer, existences as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Therefore, Lu Qingyang above all else basically never revealed his identity as a Spirit Creator.
First, a tall tree catches the wind. Second, he feared drawing the covetous eyes of those with ill intent.
He also could not figure out how the Sect Management Council knew.
“Cough cough…”
Lu Qingyang gave a dry cough, his thoughts racing.
Joining the Sect Management Council doesn’t seem bad. After all, this power is a great force spread across the entire Central Region.
It’s just that I don’t know what benefits there are after joining…
Thinking of this, Lu Qingyang raised his head to look at the two before him.
“Then might I ask Deacon Yun, after joining the Sect Management Council, what will I need to do?”
Lu Qingyang asked tentatively.
In truth, Lu Qingyang had long intended to join. After all, such a colossal entity was a rare source of aid.
But he always felt that the Sect Management Council suddenly seeking him out should not be so simple.
So Lu Qingyang wanted to take this chance to feel out the other’s true intent.
“Heh heh, Sect Master Lu is truly brilliantly perceptive!”
Yun Fei could naturally hear the implication in Lu Qingyang’s words, and at once flicked his horsetail whisk.
“If Sect Master Lu can join our Sect Management Council, by Sect Master Lu’s cultivation, you would not ordinarily qualify for the position of Elder.”
“After all, the Elders of our Sect Management Council are all held by Mahayana Venerables. But…”
“But given that Sect Master Lu holds three professions in one, and has entered the Dao level in all of them, we make an exception and promote you to Elder.”
“Beyond that, Sect Master Lu also enjoys one hundred years of exemption from sect taxes.”
“And each year you may draw one million low-grade spirit stones from the Sect Management Council!”
At this point, Yun Fei suddenly paused, then added one more line.
“At the same time, whenever Sect Master Lu attends Council business, you will be accompanied by two Mahayana Venerables as escorts!”
Having said this, Yun Fei quietly gazed at Lu Qingyang, waiting for the latter to make his decision.
But Lu Qingyang fell into silence.
He had not expected the Sect Management Council to offer such generous terms!
That one hundred years of sect tax alone could save the Chaotian Sect at least nearly ten million spirit stones in expenses!
Beyond that, most important of all, two Mahayana Venerables as escorts when traveling?
This pomp was even more exaggerated than a Mahayana Venerable visiting in person.
Add to that one million low-grade spirit stones each year.
This was already worth half a year of the Chaotian Sect’s current surplus!
“Um… might I ask Senior Yun, for such fine treatment, what exactly do you need me to do?”
“Of course, so long as I can manage it, I will certainly not refuse.”
After a long while, Lu Qingyang finally spoke.
“Hahahaha, truly straightforward!”
Seeing Lu Qingyang finally relent, Yun Fei was overjoyed and hurried to explain.
“Sect Master Lu, you also know that demonic beasts run rampant these days, and our human race lives in hardship.”
“The Sect Management Council’s purpose is to guard the human race, to be loyal to the human race. So after Sect Master Lu joins the Council, you need only teach a lesson once a year, be it pills or artifacts.”
“At the same time, each year fill the Council with one spell that can be cultivated up to the Dao level, regardless of grade.”
“Of course, we will also provide Sect Master Lu with all kinds of materials, secret manuals, and techniques, so that Sect Master Lu may unleash his full abilities.”
“Oh?”
Lu Qingyang’s eyes shone.
The Sect Management Council truly was willing to spend big.
This was building him a fully funded laboratory for free!
In the future, whenever he had ideas, he could fully borrow the Sect Management Council’s resources to carry them out!
Though this move might leak a bit of his core techniques, he believed that with Lu Qingyang’s talent, it would not matter at all.
And with all the terms taken together, Lu Qingyang could not find any reason to refuse.
“In that case, then this junior will respectfully comply!”
“Hahaha, excellent, welcome Sect Master Lu to the Sect Management Council.”
Hearing Lu Qingyang agree, Yun Fei was overjoyed. Persuading Lu Qingyang to join the Sect Management Council was a task he had struggled to obtain.
Now that the task was perfectly completed, he was naturally overjoyed.
In his great delight, he even warmly invited Lu Qingyang.
“Sect Master Lu, I see your sect has seemingly made quite some achievements in the Puppet Dao. It happens that my Thousand Bamboo Sect also makes its living by this.”
“Why don’t our two families hold a Puppet Exchange Conference?”
“Oh? Senior Yun also has a sect affiliation?”
“Naturally. My Thousand Bamboo Sect, as a Return-to-Void sect, is somewhat renowned in the Seven Stars Sea Region.”
“And I am precisely the Second Elder of the Thousand Bamboo Sect.”
Yun Fei let out a faint laugh, his face carrying a trace of pride.
“I see.”
Lu Qingyang narrowed his eyes. He had heard Old Huang mention the Thousand Bamboo Sect.
Sixty percent of the puppet trade in the Seven Stars Sea Region was done by them.
Seen this way, Yun Fei’s invitation for him to join the Sect Management Council likely carried some other purpose as well…