Chapter 298: Deliberation

This is the defensive power nearing the second stage!

Even without using his full strength, his punch had unleashed seven or eight tenths of its power—yet it failed to break through the green-light armor's defense, and he himself felt almost no impact.

"Huh"

Wang Yu exhaled another long breath, his body swelling dramatically into a miniature giant nearing two zhang tall, while fine threads of golden mist seeped from the armor's seams and swiftly coiled around its surface.

In an instant, dense golden patterns covered the green armor's surface, appearing deeply mysterious; his right fist was layered in successive coats of gold, nearly turning the entire fist pure golden in color.

Wang Yu rose solemnly to his feet.

"Boom"

The massive golden fist struck his chest with full force; a shockwave erupted, causing Wang Yu's body to tremble slightly and forcing him to step back half a pace.

Centered on his chest, the green energy shield rippled violently as golden spiritual runes condensed—but immediately churned and dispersed, then rapidly stabilized again; within a few breaths, the shield returned to normal.

Excellent!

Wang Yu was greatly satisfied upon seeing this.

With the green-light armor's defensive power, even his formidable punch strength would likely require over a dozen consecutive strikes to break through—and the armor itself was also quite sturdy, capable of withstanding considerable damage.

This was merely the defensive effect of three components; if all six could be collected, the defensive enhancement would be unimaginably greater.

The claim that this set of artifacts was modeled after a third-stage green-jade dragon armor seems mostly true—but I wonder just how terrifying the defense of the real third-stage battle armor would be.

Wang Yu couldn't help but contemplate this with longing.

…

In a certain hall atop Tianzhu Mountain.

Dozens of Foundation Establishment elders gathered here, debating loudly; several even raised their sleeves, stamped their feet, faces flushed with anger.

At the main seat sat a thin, elderly man with three strands of long white beard, also lost in silent thought.

"Brother Kang, you are the sect master—surely you must give some answer regarding Wang Yu's application for True Disciple status."

"Wang Yu has rendered great service to the sect; granting him True Disciple status seems entirely justified, especially since he is now effectively the top cultivator among the Qi Condensation disciples."

The thin elder frowned but did not immediately reply; instead, the burly man across from the scholar snorted in rebuttal:

"Brother Yu, that's nonsense. Even if Wang Yu has earned some merit and possesses astonishing strength among Qi Condensation disciples, he's still a four-element cultivator. Even if we gave him True Disciple resources, how far could he possibly go? He might not even make it to Foundation Establishment."

"Don't forget—the True Disciples are meant to be nurtured as Golden Core seeds. How could we waste resources on a cultivator with such inferior talent? Meanwhile, Li Yun and Cang, who just recently reached Foundation Establishment, are both under forty and possess dual elements—they still have a real chance at Golden Core. They're the ones who truly deserve True Disciple support."

"So you Li and Yun clans really don't bother hiding your rivalry for the True Disciple spot anymore," the pale-faced scholar said, his expression darkening.

"Brother Yu, recommending better-qualified new Foundation Establishment disciples for True Disciple status doesn't violate any sect rule—what does that have to do with the Li or Yun clans? If any other disciple with decent talent emerged, I'd recommend them just as readily," said another elderly man with a ruddy complexion, speaking slowly but clearly siding with the burly man.

"Brother Yun is right. I recommended Li Yun and Cang simply because they're the only two new Foundation Establishment disciples in the sect right now—perfect candidates for True Disciple status," the burly man declared openly.

"Brothers Li and Yun, do you take us for fools? The only two new Foundation Establishment disciples now? That's only because your clans have superior intelligence networks."

"As soon as the Jialan Secret Realm opened, you both began arranging dozens of your own disciples to break through to Foundation Establishment. Between your two clans, over ten Qi Condensation peak disciples tried—and only two succeeded. And now you dare to covet True Disciple status?" The pale-faced scholar could no longer contain himself, shouting at the two across from him.

"Brother Yu, don't speak recklessly. These are merely your suspicions—do you have any proof?"

"Besides, can you guarantee Wang Yu will succeed in Foundation Establishment? If you can't, it's wiser to reserve True Disciple resources for others," the Yun elder said calmly, showing no sign of panic.

"Exactly. Even if our two clans arranged so many disciples to break through, it's merely a coincidence," the Li clan's burly man added with a grin.

"You two…"

"Enough. Brother Kang, decide how to handle this. In the past, such matters were always settled by the sect master and the Elder Council—no need to trouble the Ancestors."

"I still have a talisman unfinished. Decide quickly so I can return." A beautiful young woman, unable to endure their bickering any longer, sharply interrupted and spoke impatiently to Master Kang at the main seat.

"Sister Ye, don't rush. I'm already considering how to resolve this—after all, what each of the three brothers said has some merit. Brother Yu, are there truly only two True Disciple slots left?" Master Kang asked the pale-faced scholar.

"Master, the sect's current True Disciple resources are far less than before. We can only support two True Disciples now—this is even after removing the three former True Disciples from Mount Qinglong's roster."

"Regarding the Mount Qinglong matter, the Three Ancestors have already spoken: though that branch has suffered setbacks, its ordinary disciples are innocent and its lineage must not be severed. Therefore, one of the vacant True Disciple slots must be reserved for Mount Qinglong," Master Kang declared decisively after a brief pause.

Upon hearing this, Brother Yu and the Li-Yun clan disciples said nothing in objection; the other Foundation Establishment elders nodded, clearly accepting it.

"So now, the only question remaining is who will fill the final True Disciple slot. According to sect rules, anyone becoming a True Disciple must first pass an assessment—"

As Master Kang spoke, a large red light shot into the hall from outside, flashed several times, and appeared beside him—revealing a man with half his hair blazing red.

Master Kang's words cut off abruptly; his face showed surprise.

"Brother Gu."

"Brother Gu."

Most of the Foundation Establishment elders, except for a few, greeted him warmly.

"Brother Gu, you rarely attend Elder Council meetings—did Master Lihuo have an important instruction?" Master Kang asked, startled.

"It's not Master Lihuo's instruction. I heard this Elder Council is discussing True Disciple appointments, so I came to inform you of something beforehand," Gu Fei bowed to Master Kang, then whispered silently.

Master Kang's expression remained calm at first, then shifted to surprise, and finally he asked the red-haired man: "Brother Gu—is this true?"

"Of course it's true. But Master Tianchan doesn't want too many to know yet, so I could only tell you privately," Gu Fei smiled.

"Thank you for informing me in time. I know how to proceed," Master Kang said, his face shifting through several expressions before finally bowing in gratitude.

"No trouble at all. I have other matters to attend to—farewell," the red-haired man laughed, bowed to the other elders, then turned into a red light and flew out of the hall.