Chapter 24: Sect Secret Treasure: Dragon Scale

Divine Path Sect, Sect Council Hall.

"Everyone, the sect has recently produced two geniuses; I believe you are all aware of this."

"Before we begin, let us first offer our congratulations to the Peak Masters of these two peaks and thank them for cultivating such excellent disciples."

Led by the Elder presiding over the meeting, the various Peak Masters and deacons clapped sparsely.

Clap, clap, clap...

The sound of applause was not substantial, making the entire scene somewhat awkward for a moment.

It was not that they were narrow-minded and unable to accept the reality of disciples from other peaks being outstanding; it was truly because the scene before them was somewhat peculiar.

The two Peak Masters receiving the congratulations sat opposite each other, and the atmosphere was very discordant!

The Lieyang Peak Peak Master looked solemn, brows furrowed as he watched Jing Yueqin opposite him, his fists clenching and releasing.

As for the Luoyue Peak Peak Master, she looked as if she had not woken up, her head nodding up and down continuously.

And after the applause rang out, she also followed along, clapping unconsciously.

The meeting had not yet officially begun, and she was already wandering in the clouds... but that was not the point; her appearing here was in itself a very incredible thing.

Good heavens!

Jing Yueqin had actually appeared at an occasion that only dealt with serious business.

Huh?

What kind of day is this; has the sun risen from the west?

"Ahem!"

"Alright, let us proceed directly to today's main topic."

Elder Shen, who was presiding over the meeting in place of the Sect Leader, coughed twice, easing the awkward atmosphere.

"Summoning everyone here today is for only one matter, and that is the question of the ownership of the sect's secret treasure, the 'Dragon Scale'."

Hearing this topic, everyone reined in their thoughts and stopped looking at the two "confronting" Peak Masters.

"Because there are deacons present who have been promoted in recent years and may not be clear on the situation, Elder Yan, please provide a detailed introduction."

"Mm."

Yan Siji stood up, said nothing, and directly took a red sandalwood box from his sleeve.

The wooden box had no patterns, appearing plain and unremarkable, with no fluctuations of Dharma Power.

But the moment it was opened, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

Roar—

Everyone present heard an illusory roar.

Clang!

A young deacon was caught unprepared and was shocked, falling to the ground with a cry of alarm.

But the people present did not blame him for his loss of composure, because this was the most normal reaction.

A dragon roar.

That was a dragon roar!

That Peak Master Jing, who had not woken up even with that, was the one who truly had a problem.

Click.

Closing the wooden box, Yan Siji spoke indifferently:

"This is a collection of our Divine Path Sect's former Sect Leader, a scale from a True Dragon."

A True Dragon.

Like the Phoenix and the Eight-Tailed Heavenly Fox, they are all mythical creatures from the legendary Ninth Realm, the Ascension Realm.

Many people present had always regarded their existence as a legend; they had not expected to see a scale that truly existed today!

Very satisfied with everyone's reaction, Yan Siji gave a light hum, proudly raised his head, and said:

"Its value naturally goes without saying; it can easily be exchanged for a large amount of precious treasures from other sects."

"But for us members of the Divine Path Sect, its value is far more than that!"

His eyes lit up, he waved his arm excitedly, and continued:

"Offering it to the Dao God can allow a trace of True Dragon Qi to be added to everyone's Dao God."

"And that is not the best use! Its true purpose is to use this Dragon Scale as a foundation to sculpt a Divine Statue."

"This is the top-tier foundation material for sculpting a Dharma Aspect!"

For members of the Divine Path Sect, the first hurdle on the path of cultivation is the Descending God Selection Path, followed immediately by the "Sculpting the Divine Idol" of the Dharma Aspect Realm.

In the Dharma Aspect Realm, one selects materials to sculpt an Incense Divine Idol, and in the Spirit Transformation Realm, one lets the Dao God reside within it.

The importance of this matter, compared to the Descending God Selection Path, is even greater.

After all, the Descending God Selection Path only represents potential, while the point of Sculpting the Divine Idol will intuitively affect one's strength for a very long time.

It is not that once selected, the material cannot be changed, but compared to choosing the most suitable material from the very beginning, the cost of modifying it later is truly too great.

And it is very likely that the gains will not make up for the losses, leading to all previous efforts being wasted.

Thinking of this point, everyone present became excited, but quickly calmed down again.

Because they realized one point: this Dragon Scale was not prepared for them.

The sect bringing out this secret treasure at this special time—who it is for is naturally self-evident.

Ren Yidao.

The true genius who rang the bell nine times.

He has already proven his potential, and the sect, logically speaking, would naturally support him vigorously, allowing him to turn this potential into the strength to protect the sect in the future.

However...

Would others agree so easily?

Everyone's gaze naturally fell upon Zuo Su.

It was impossible for this Peak Master, who had always been at odds with Luoyue Peak, to remain silent, right?

Just as they expected, before Elder Shen could speak, Zuo Su asked directly:

"Elder Shen, how will this Dragon Scale be distributed? Is it based on the contribution of each peak? Or is it based on the number of disciples in each peak?"

These were words meant to attack the heart.

The two points Zuo Su raised had no other meaning; they were aimed squarely at Luoyue Peak, whose disciples were withered and who did nothing!

The questioning from Lieyang Peak was within expectations; Elder Shen did not panic and shook his head with composure:

"That is not the case. According to the Sect Leader's arrangement, this Dragon Scale already has a destination; he proposed handing it over to Ren Yidao of Luoyue Peak."

The atmosphere became heavy, and Zuo Su narrowed his eyes.

Before Zuo Su could speak, Elder Shen continued:

"However, this is merely the Sect Leader's proposal; the purpose of gathering everyone today is to seek your opinions."

"But regardless of the method, the Sect Leader emphasized one point: this Dragon Scale must be used on a disciple in the Human Realm."

"Otherwise, in terms of merit and strength, no one can compare to him, and he might as well have absorbed it himself."

The Sect Leader's meaning was also very clear.

Letting you decide is fine.

But if anyone dares to pull any tricks, don't blame me for flipping the table.

Although the Sect Leader had not been seen for hundreds of years, he was not in closed-door cultivation without end; he would still issue instructions from time to time.

The Sect Leader's prestige remained, and no one dared to provoke it.

After thinking for a moment, Zuo Su stood up, looked around, and spoke solemnly:

"I propose holding the Inter-Peak Grand Competition, letting the disciples of the Human Realm compete for it themselves, with the winner obtaining the Dragon Scale."

He looked at the hesitating Peak Masters and reminded them:

"Everyone, you must think clearly about one thing: potential is not current strength, and anything is possible."

"This is also the only chance you have to obtain the Dragon Scale."

If it is distributed directly to Ren Yidao, you will have zero chance, so why not fight for this sliver of an opportunity?

After he sat down, Elder Shen spoke:

"Are there any other proposals?"

"Since there are no other proposals, then fellow sect members, please cast your votes."

The final result...

Seven peaks in favor, one peak opposed, one peak abstained (asleep, could not be woken up).

The proposal passed.

Ten days later, the Inter-Peak Grand Competition.

Disciples of the three stages of the Human Realm may all register.

Lasting for twenty days, the final winner will be decided on the 15th of the following month.

Comments, I need more comments; if you don't roast the story, I'm going to take action myself—don't blame me for saying everything then.)

(End of chapter)