Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Council of True Lords
Yang Ji immediately ceased his cultivation practice and stepped out of the training chamber.
Seeing Jian Yuanzi\'s smiling face, he roughly guessed why his master had called him out.
"Disciple, I didn\'t expect you to comprehend the True Rigidity Divine Art so quickly, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. You truly surprised your teacher," Jian Yuanzi said, sizing him up. The more he looked, the more satisfied he appeared.
"The disciple was fortunate in his understanding," Yang Ji replied with a slight bow, smiling.
"There is no need for modesty. Come, your teacher will take you to a place to meet the higher-ups of our sect," Jian Yuanzi said, seizing Yang Ji. In a flash of light, they left the great hall and instantly arrived at a solitary mountaintop.
Atop the mountain peak was a grand hall known as the Council Hall.
Next to the hall hung an ancient Yellow Bell.
Jian Yuanzi condensed his qi into a hammer and struck the bell three times.
Dong, dong, dong!
The Yellow Bell emitted a sonorous and rich sound, not loud yet highly penetrative, swiftly spreading throughout the entire Canglan Sect.
Moments later, atop the various great mountains, nine people were the first to detect the bell\'s sound. They opened their eyes from their meditation postures.
"Three strikes of the Yellow Bell, that\'s the council bell. What has happened?"
As doubts flitted through their minds, they all stood up and left their cultivation places.
Soon after, beams of light carrying the force of rushing winds swept into the Council Hall.
Upon seeing Jian Yuanzi already waiting there, they immediately asked, "Junior Brother Jian Yuan, was it you who called for this council?"
"Indeed, Senior Brothers, please take your seats," Jian Yuanzi replied with a slight smile, gesturing with his hand.
Yang Ji glanced over and saw that the eight newcomers were all elders with auras that were either stern, scholarly, or benevolent; however, without exception, they all emitted a powerful presence.
Yang Ji had felt such presences from True Monarch Nan Kui and others, and it left a deep impression. He knew that the eight people before him were undoubtedly Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
Before he could ponder any longer, rings of Spiritual Light and auspicious clouds suddenly rose within the Council Hall, appearing supremely sacred.
Unknown to him, the place of honor in the hall was already occupied by an old man in wide white robes with a plump body. His beard reached down to his knees, his silver hair draped over his shoulders, and his face was as youthful as a child\'s. He exuded an otherworldly aura, with Spiritual Charm flowing all around him, giving off a powerful immortal charm.
Although this person concealed his aura, the celestial aura he exuded made no one doubt his power.
In Yang Ji\'s perception, he was clearly a sovereign of Divinity Transformation.
"Disciple, let me introduce you. At the head of the table sits your Elder Bai Mei,"
"To the left, starting from the top, are Elder Guan Xiao, Elder Yun Guang, Elder Yong En, and Elder Changye. To the right are Elder Hong Ming, Elder Qing He, Elder Ming Cheng, and Elder Sheng Yu," Jian Yuanzi explained with a smile.
"Greetings to Elder Bai Mei! Greetings to all the Elders!" Yang Ji bowed respectfully.
"And also your Elder Ling Gu!" Suddenly, a streak of light darted in, the arrival of True Monarch Ling Gu who had hastily come after receiving Jian Yuanzi\'s message.
"Elder Uncle!" Yang Ji also performed a salute.
"You must be the new disciple Xiao Ji taken in by Jian Yuanzi," White Brow said with a kind smile, slowly beginning to speak. His voice carried a certain spiritual charm, sounding deep and resonant yet not harsh on the ears, conveying a sense of grandeur and uprightness.
"Disciple indeed is Yang Ji!" Yang Ji replied, bowing deeply.
"Jian Yuanzi, did you ring the Yellow Bell today for the sake of your disciple?" the revered White Brow asked further.
"Reporting to the revered one, it is indeed for the sake of my disciple," Jian Yuanzi replied.
Upon hearing this, the group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs all turned their gazes toward Yang Ji.
In Canglan Sect, he was the second person to comprehend the Dao of Li Sword from the Sword Dao Imprints, an insightful prodigy well-known to all; his treatment as a Quasi-Nascent Soul True Monarch had been approved by everyone\'s consent as well.
To the crowd, Yang Ji was merely a genius who had demonstrated extraordinary insight in the field of Sword Dao. However, his performance in other aspects remained unknown, unlike Li Changxiao, whose exceptional insights were all-encompassing.
Although they had all heard of this prodigy, the degree of attention he received was far from half that given to Li Changxiao.
Even so, there was a hint of doubt lingering in the hearts of many.
They all wondered if perhaps he was just lucky to have comprehended the Dao of Li Sword from the Sword Dao Imprints. After learning that he possessed only Lower-grade Spiritual Roots, their doubts were even less dispelled.
After all, in their view, Spiritual Roots were typically proportional to one\'s insight; it seemed inconceivable for someone with Lower-grade Roots to possess top-tier insight.
His comprehension of the Dao of Li Sword might have just been a fleeting spark of inspiration.
True Sage Guan Xiao glanced at Yang Ji and got straight to the point, "Junior brother Jian Yuanzi, is this council meeting called to seek cultivation resources for young master Yang?"
"Indeed it is!" Jian Yuanzi replied with a smile, "I wish to discuss with the revered one and all my fellow brothers the possibility of securing a Spirit Cleansing Pill for my young disciple."
"A Spirit Cleansing Pill? That sacred pill can improve one\'s Spiritual Roots. Chang Xiao used one, and with only two left, many excellent disciples are envious. It can\'t be used carelessly," True Sage Hong Ming responded indifferently, his words implying refusal.
True Lord Yong En furrowed his brows and spoke bluntly, "Young Master Yang is outstanding, managing to comprehend half of the Dao of Li Sword from the Sword Dao Imprints, and deserves attention. We\'ve granted him the treatment of a Quasi-Nascent Soul True Monarch, but I\'m afraid the Spirit Cleansing Pill goes beyond that.
If it\'s only for the half of the Dao of Li Sword he comprehended from the imprints, it\'s probably not enough."
True Lord Yun Guang echoed the sentiment, "We are all family here, and I always speak my mind. I don\'t believe the young disciple qualifies for the Spirit Cleansing Pill."
"Indeed, just comprehending half of the Dao of Li Sword from the Sword Dao Imprints isn\'t enough for the young master to obtain the Spirit Cleansing Pill. After all, there are only two left, and many disciples with Superior Spiritual Roots are watching. If the allocation is deemed unfair, it might breed resentment among the sect\'s disciples," True Sage Qing He said slowly.
"Everyone, please be patient and let\'s hear what Jian Yuanzi has to say. We\'ve known each other for hundreds of years and should know that he is not one to make unreasonable demands. Since he has brought Xiao Ji here and insists on the Spirit Cleansing Pill, could it be that Xiao Ji has exhibited some other talent?" White Brow said cheerfully.
Seeing Jian Yuanzi wearing a light smile and remaining silent in his advocacy, there was a moment of confusion among the crowd as they exchanged glances and quieted down.
Seeing that no one else had anything to say, Jian Yuanzi finally smiled and spoke, "Reporting to the revered one, my young disciple indeed has shown another aspect of his talent."
"Oh? Let\'s hear it." White Brow\'s interest was piqued; the stronger his disciples\' talents, the more gratified he naturally felt.
"Young disciple, show your spiritual power to the revered one and your elder uncles," Jian Yuanzi said with a smile.
Yang Ji nodded and summoned a strand of spiritual power, emitting a faint blue hue.
As soon as it appeared, it gave off an impression of sharpness.
"Is this Sword Qi?" True Sage Ming Cheng gasped, then shook his head, "No, could this be True Rigidity Spiritual Power?"
(The next chapter follows.)