Saintess Mountain had a decision-making body known as the Elder Council.
The Elder Council was composed of twenty-one Core Internal Elders, including the Saintess, the Great Elder, the Second Elder, and the Law Enforcement Elder.
Whenever Saintess Mountain encountered major events, the Elder Council would convene a plenary session and conduct a vote by a show of hands. This was the Elder Council Meeting.
These twenty-one members were divided into three factions.
One was the Neutral Faction, led primarily by the Great Elder. They had long cast abstention votes during Elder Council Meetings, and their main membership actually consisted only of the Great Elder and the Law Enforcement Elder.
Another was the Conservative Faction, which looked to the Second Elder as its leader, totaling ten members.
The final group was the Emerging Faction, led by the Saintess, totaling nine members.
Since the Second Elder’s faction had one more person than the Saintess’s faction, any agenda item proposed by the Second Elder usually passed. Conversely, it was quite difficult for the Saintess to pass her proposals unless she could win the support of the Great Elder and the Law Enforcement Elder.
These three factions maintained a delicate balance within the Elder Council Meeting.
However, an Elder Council Meeting could not be called on a whim.
Usually, an Inner Sect Elder would draft a proposal and submit it to the Elder Council for screening. Only after passing the screening would the topic be discussed during the regular meetings held once every six months.
However, there were three exceptions: the Saintess, the Great Elder, and the Second Elder. They possessed the special authority to convene an emergency Elder Council Meeting.
That being said, they rarely exercised this privilege unless it was for a particularly urgent matter.
Beneath the Main Peak, quite a crowd had gathered. They were all Law Enforcement Disciples who had come to maintain security.
Before long, however, these Law Enforcement Disciples began to feel a collective headache. The reason was that the Saintess’s faction and the Second Elder’s faction within the council had started bickering.
They lacked any senior-like grace, resembling a group of bickering old women at a market. They used the filthiest language possible, their voices blaring like megaphones as they chattered incessantly.
“The Second Elder is truly exasperating. He shouldn’t abuse his privileges to call an Elder Council Meeting just to protect his own.”
“Don’t go around slandering people! The Second Elder heard the voices of the disciples and called this meeting for the sake of Saintess Mountain’s future. On the contrary, the Saintess turned an Outer Disciple Martial Arts Tournament into a recruitment drive for her own Personal Disciple. Talk about reckless behavior!”
“This year’s tournament featured two heavenly talents, drawing observers from the other Four Great Forces. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to take them both as disciples, yet the Saintess held to her principles and only took one.”
“Shameless! Bah! Sword Fanatic is one thing; he displayed a Sword Domain in the finals. But what about that Nameless? If Sword Fanatic hadn’t surrendered, would he have even taken first place? Besides, look at the trash he fought against. How can they even mention him?”
“Luck is a part of one’s strength! It just shows that Nameless possesses a powerful luck that others simply don’t have!”
***
The two sides were as incompatible as fire and water. They stared each other down with wide eyes and bristling beards, arguing so heatedly that they were on the verge of coming to blows.
The Law Enforcement Disciples watched the scene and simply looked away, pretending not to see. After all, this was not the first time.
Besides, these people were all highly placed figures with great power in Saintess Mountain. They couldn’t afford to offend a single one of them.
Just as the verbal war reached its peak, a thunderous roar shattered the atmosphere.
“Shut your traps! You’re all old enough to know better, yet you argue every single time before an Elder Council Meeting. Don’t you ever get tired of it?”
Upon hearing this, both sides instinctively turned to look. When they saw the newcomer, they all pulled their heads back, not daring to make a sound.
The newcomer was the Master of the Law Enforcement Hall — the Law Enforcement Elder.
Standing beside the Law Enforcement Elder was another highly respected old man. He was the Great Elder of Saintess Mountain.
As soon as they arrived, the crowd of elders from the council scrambled to clear a path. They bowed with hands clasped, saying, “Greetings, Great Elder.”
The Great Elder nodded slightly and walked toward the pavilion on the Main Peak alongside the Law Enforcement Elder.
Shortly after the two entered, the Saintess appeared. Not long after her arrival, the Second Elder followed.
Seeing the Saintess and Second Elder appear one after another, the crowd held their breath, terrified that the two might start a fight on the spot.
After all, the two sides had nearly come to blows back in the Outer Sect. If the Second Elder hadn’t stepped back, who knew what would have happened.
When the two met, their eyes turned red with hostility as if they were mortal enemies. They didn’t even exchange a greeting, turning their heads away and pretending the other didn’t exist.
However, there was only one path, and they could only walk into the pavilion one after the other.
As they watched the pair walk inside, the crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief. The other members of the Elder Council followed suit and filed into the building.
***
Main Peak Pavilion.
All twenty-one members of the Elder Council were present. Seeing that it was time, the Great Elder immediately commenced the meeting.
As soon as the meeting started, the Second Elder stood up. He intended to deliver a passionate denunciation of the Saintess’s actions before explaining his own viewpoint. To his surprise, the Great Elder interrupted him.
“Second Elder, let’s proceed directly to the vote.”
The Second Elder stared at the Great Elder in astonishment. ‘What is this semi-retired old guy planning?’
Aside from the Law Enforcement Elder, everyone else looked at the Great Elder with surprise.
Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, the Great Elder slowly raised his hand. “Those who agree with the Saintess taking a Personal Disciple, please raise your hands.”
As soon as the Great Elder raised his hand, the Law Enforcement Elder followed suit.
Seeing this, the Saintess raised her hand as well, and the members of her faction followed.
“Now, those who disagree, please raise your hands,” the Great Elder added.
The Saintess’s faction lowered their hands while the Second Elder’s faction raised theirs. However, the Second Elder himself did not raise his hand. Instead, he braced his hands on the table, his anger surging.
“Great Elder, what is the meaning of this?” the Second Elder finally snapped, unable to restrain himself.
He had originally thought the Great Elder would do as he always did — neither opposing nor supporting.
He never expected the Great Elder to break tradition and offer his support.
“Second Elder, the meeting is still in progress,” the Great Elder said indifferently.
Although the Great Elder no longer managed many affairs, his prestige remained, and his influence was still felt.
As soon as he spoke, the elders sitting near the Second Elder urged him to sit back down.
The Second Elder had no choice but to sit as if resigning himself to fate.
Just as everyone thought the meeting was over, the Great Elder turned to the Saintess.
“Since the Saintess has decided to take a Personal Disciple, I shall not oppose it. However, since he is to be the Personal Disciple of the Saintess, he cannot be an ordinary person with mediocre talent. Therefore, I intend to set Three Trials to test the Saintess’s new disciple. If he can pass two of them, I will acknowledge him as the Personal Disciple of the Saintess. How does that sound?”