41 Gratitude (Part 2)

"... I propose that it is time we properly baptize young Wang with the sacred waters of the Holy Dragon's lake. If anyone objects, you may speak!"

The voice of Sect Leader wasn't loud to the ears, but it resounded with clear echoes and reached the end of the halls.

Seated on the highest seat, before him was humongous round table that took up most of the Hall's interior space, and seated on the other seats below were the elders of the Sect who have gathered here for the discussion.

This was the Elder Hall. A fashionably grand auditorium lit up by a tiny sun above the ceiling. Everything was golden and sparkling with radiance, from the walls to the table to even the floor that they stepped on. Everything was grand, and what made it even grander were the people who had come to attend with their powerful auras shrouding them.

Power Core Experts!

In total, about 12 of such experts had gathered in one place and it stirred a storm of Spiritual Energy in the hall as they established their presence.

Some seats were empty as the majority and only a handle had been called to attend. But that did not affect the discussion at all as they proceeded onwards.

After Sect Leader's proposal, the entire hall went silent. But wasn't because no one was willing to speak. In fact, streams over streams of telepathic messages were being rampantly transmitted all over the place.

'Old six, what do you think?'

'I think it's laughable that sect leader could have overlooked such a problem under his powerful eyes.' one of the elders snorted in his heart. 'Perhaps it is true that Wang Xie should be rewarded for what he has contributed. Although it's not remarkable, if we were too late to have foreseen it, then the sect would have been trampled from within!'

'I agree, a Grandmaster of the Poisonmancy, although the document report didn't state what Cultivation realm he had, it was stated that he was able to many control powerful monsters without trouble and even managed to command a Poisonous Insect Beast that was as powerful as a Foundation Formation Expert! If I'm correct, then whoever this grandmaster may be, he ought to be at least a Power Core Expert.'

'Setting aside how powerful that person is, we know now that if that culprit who massacred the entire population of Whisker village had successfully planted his seed, there is no doubt that it will greatly affect our Dragon Vein. The source of our endless supply of energy!' one of the elders said gravely. 'It is unknown what method was used to corrupt the Draconian essence of a Dragon Vein but from what Sect leader had testified after investigating there himself, it seems that there were remnants of a sinister Yin Storm that had taken place and almost wiped out a third of the village. It seems that kind of Yin storm was capable of annihilating anything that isn't Yin, the sect leader reported.'

Dragon Veins were generally known to be part of a one big Leyline of endless energy that was situated beneath the earth's crust. Generally, there was only one big Dragon Vein, what separated it from in classification was the output energy released from its intersection points that rises up from the ground and bless the lands with its essence. So basically, they were connected underground, and if one corrupted output has connections reaching the output of the Holy grounds of the sect, then the results would have been catastrophic!

The sect would have been crumbled from the inside!

'And then there's also the fact that Whisker village is especially close proximity to the territory of the sect. We all know about the boundless perception of Sect leader's "Eye of the Sun", he should have been the one to notice the anomalies of the village first before the Poisonmancer could have made a move. In fact, he should have been the very first person to check what was going on himself! After all, he is typically the Lord and the village is his territory and the villagers were his subjects. Not to mention, wasn't it the previous sect leader who had established that village to make use of that tiny Dragon Vein located there? The responsibility of lording over it has been passed down to him, correct?'

'That might be the case indeed. And it seems that Sect leader has been neglecting his duties.'

Most elders had come to this conclusion.

Their sect leader now had always been a responsible and diligent man just like the rest of his predecessors. With his position and his ability to lead the sect, he had pinned his hopes on the younger generation and hoped they bring it to further heights.

But after hearing the situation of that village not so far away, they beginning to question his credibility.

'You lots are all overlooking the point here.'

'What exactly do you mean?'

'You mean you don't know yet? Can't you at least think how this fiasco started? It all began because young Wang had ventured off outside Sect territory with a commission to investigate about a hidden village that we lost contact.'

'So, what does that mean?'

'I mean it's all too convenient for young Wang!' the messaging paused for a bit before transmitting again. 'Think about it, when you see a commission about investigating about the anomaly of a hidden village, usually our young disciples wouldn't even bother to take it because the danger is low and so is the reward. But Wang Xie actually took it as if it was prepared for him. What do you guys think?

'And that's not all, there's also the situation about the village. Like you said, with sect leader's powers, if there was a problem with the village then he'll come and instantly deal with it... Except that he didn't!

'Which means, he probably prepared that stage for Wang Xie to make his contribution. He probably knew that a Poisonmancer had made his way and deeply rooted himself so near our proximity and allowed him to do so despite endangering the lives of his subjects!'

'This...' the other elders were speechless when they heard this revelation. Even Wang Liu and Xingjian who listened in also furrowed their brows.

When Xingjian came to talk with Wang Liu to make an appointment with Wang Xie, Sect leader came out of the blue and quelled their problems for the moment. Even indirectly vouching for Wang Xie's innocence.

At that time, they thought it was natural for a leader to alleviate the dissatisfaction amongst his subordinates, but after hearing what that elder had to say, they couldn't help but mull deeply that there might be some underlying intentions in this simple farce.

Was the massacre of the village... One part of some grand scheme taking place?

Doesn't this also mean that sect leader had allowed a worm to infect the holy power of their Dragon God?

'That's a preposterous speculation! Old six, I don't know how you come up with this ridiculousness but I have to disagree! Sect leader has always been a loyal devotee and he would never overlook potential threats that endangers the foundations of the Helios Dragon sect! Why would he do so anyway? If he had set it all up just so our reckless genius can make some contribution of his own for once in his life, then he would have announced it without the massacre of hundreds of mortals and the endangering of the Dragon Vein!'

'But that's exactly my point here, you dim-wit! Sect leader had set it all up and made Wang Xie contribute an irrefutable deed that if he were to somehow fail, then our reality right now would have been so different! We wouldn't be here discussing about how to reward that brat, we would have been here in the state of emergency to discuss how are we going to save the Dragon Vein! Face it, sect leader had set us all up! With the unprecedented contributions made by Wang Xie alone in front of our faces, it would slap us back if we took this lightly and only reward him with simple First Grade Pill.

'If we don't reward Wang Xie with the access to the Holy Dragon's lake, then what are we going to reward him, him! Who is basically our hero who saved us from an impending doom?!'