Disciple discussion

Do you want to join us Yang Ning" asked Grand elder Mu

Yang Ning paused for a moment before deciding not to

"I didn't see the disciple battle it out in the Forest of Trials hence I don't have any opinion on the new disciples" replied Yang Ning

"I will take my leave and head back and cultivate".

Yang Ning then bowed to the 5 elders then took his leave. He headed towards his cave abode in order to prepare breaking through to Nascent Soul Realm. In the meantime, the 5 elders started their discussion on the new disciples who entered the sect.

"Let's start with you Elder Li" said Sect leader Qing.

Elder Li thought for a moment thinking about what has transpired in the last 2 weeks before he replied.

"I can say the quality of the 100 disciples has increased compared to our last disciple selection, however the one that stood out for me is Zhang Wei. At the age of 16 with a cultivation level of rank 6 in the opening realm, he managed to slay 2 rank 7 opening realm beasts in the first day. Using the terrain to his advantage, he sought to use tighter spaces to fight against the Demon Eye Tiger making the larger beast unable to make use of its larger size thereby killing it."

"What really impressed further was when we fought against the 10 Eyed Demonic Spider"

"He basically used a similar trapping method the spider uses in catching its prey".

"Before using himself as bait, he sought to use dry plants and wood creating a circle. The dryness of the plants and wood enabled him to light a fire faster, hence using himself as bait, he lured the spider before setting the trap on fire".

"Definitely a risky tactic as any mistake could have killed him, either by being burnt alive or being eaten by the Spider"

"Despite the risky move, it paid off in the end".

"I can concur with Elder Li's statement about Zhang Wei" chimed in Elder Lu.

"I think he is worth developing and unlocking his potential further with extra resources".

Sect leader Qing, Vice Sect leader Chen and Grand Elder Mu thought for a moment before deciding to agree.

"What you said Elder Li makes sense" replied Sect Leader Qing

"We all saw his ingenuity and his ability to adapt, improve and overcome the Forest of Trails".

"Even towards the end of the trial, he managed to kill a opening realm rank 9 Demonic White Wolf by himself"

"I also think Elder Lu is right and we should provide extra resources to Zhang Wei".

"Let us keep an eye out for him".

Sect Leader Qing then looked at Elder Li

"Elder Li, please assign an elder to look out for him in the sect and see how he improves. Any noticeable improvements, let me know".

"As you wish Sect leader" replied Elder Li whilst giving a fist and hand salute.

Sect Leader Qing then looked towards Elder Lu then spoke

"How about you Elder Lu?"

"Although you agree with Elder Li's statement about Zhang Wei, was there anyone that fancied your eye?".

Elder Lu thought for a moment before responding to Sect Leader

"I do think the young princess Du Xia did quite well"

"With only a cultivation of rank 5 Opening realm, at the age of 14 she swiftly managed to evade multiple demonic beasts that came her way".

"In most cases, the youths would fight in order to impress us Elders before realising they had overestimate themselves. They ended up disqualified because elder intervention was needed to save their lives"

"However, for her, she knew her limits and utilised the terrain similar to Zhang Wei but for the purpose of camouflage and protection".

"Despite not slaying as much Demonic beasts, the ones that she did slay was very clean".

"In a world were pride and strength are foremost, it is also necessary to understand when to advance and retreat"

"I quite like her mentality and strength and I think she should also be provided extra resources".

With that, Elder Lu stopped talking and bowed towards Sect Leader Qing. The 4 Elders could only nod as they heard Elder Lu's statement about Du Xia. The mentality that Du Xia displayed was quite impressive considering she was only 14 years old with a cultivation rank of 5 opening realm.

Unlike Zhang Wei who was from a small village, princess Du Xia was from a neighbouring city where her father was the city head. Most people called her princess due to her fairy like appearance, despite not being a princess in title. It would probably be most appropriate to call her fairy Du Xia, however the populace still called her princess as it deemed her worthy.

After a brief pause Vice Sect Leader Chen added his input

"I don't have too much to comment on regarding Elder Lu's statement"

He then eyed Sect Leader Qing

"I think we should provide extra resources to Du Xia. We all saw her performance".

Sect leader Qing thought for a moment before agreeing.

"Elder Li, please also have an elder look at Du Xia and see her development".

"Allocate an extra 5 spirit stones a month to her including Zhang Wei"

"As you wish Sect Leader" replied Elder Li before giving a slight head bow.

Sect Leader Qing then looked at Grand Elder Mu

"Grand Elder, you've probably seen the disciple ceremony more than we can count".

"Was there any disciple that impressed you?".

Grand Elder, thought for a moment before addressing Sect Leader Qing

"Although Zhang Wei and Du Xia excelled in their own abilities, I would like to point out Wang Li".

"He was probably the one I saw potential, not only in cultivation but in leadership".

Grand Elder Mu then paused looking at the 4 Elders before continuing.

"You should be aware of the situation in our Sect when it comes to leadership".

"Although we have a lot more elders compared to other Sects, most of our elders are quite reclusive".

"You could even say that the vast majority of the Sect are hermits despite being called the Sky Sword Sect".

"Sometimes I even wonder if we should change our name to Hermit Sword Sect" sighed Grand Elder Mu

"If it wasn't for you Sect Leader Qing and Vice Sect Leader Chen in assigning tasks for both our Core, Inner and Outer elders, they would probably haul themselves inside their caves until the end of time".

"But it is also positive aspect of our sect as most other sects see us as hermits rather than the usual power-hungry sects that would go to any lengths to increase their, fame and fortune".

"We have hidden our strength very deeply, which is why a lot of other sects think twice before provoking us, but it is also our reclusive culture and friendly atmosphere that we can have amicable relationships with other sects".

"The leadership that Wang Li displayed, and his ability to gather other cultivators is something worth nurturing".

"Despite the lack of finesse of his leadership, it is still very apparent, especially after they managed to kill a couple of rank 2, 3 and 4 foundation realm demonic beast despite the majority still being in the opening realm".

"Although his cultivation isn't as impressive, as the other 2, still being rank 6 opening realm at the age of 18 is still impressive especially when you include his leadership abilities".

The Four other Elders silently pondered on what Grand Elder Mu said. The sect's reclusive nature was cultivated from the beginning of the Sect, as the Founder wanted a Sect that harboured harmony and cultivation as a priority. Rather than follow the current trend in seeking fame and showing off, the founder wanted to cultivate a sect that took cultivation first rather than seeking fame. He also abhorred the idea of internal conflicts within sects where disciples and even elders would step over each other just to satisfy their own selfish desire. In the records of the Sect Founder, it was written he had experienced countless sects that were destroyed not from enemies but from within. One of the top 10 rules within the Sect was not to bully each other, but to assist fellow disciples. The rule also targeted sect elders as well. This idea was not popular within the Dawn continent as the idea of strength above all was still a major thought amongst the population. However, this didn't stop the founder of Sky Sword Sect to implement this within the rules of the sect.

After a couple of minutes of thought, the sect leader responded

"I agree with what you said Grand elder" nodding the Sect leader.

The other 3 Elders also head nodded as well in agreeance of Grand Elder Mu's statement.

"Having Wang Li and cultivating him into a leadership position will definitely be beneficial for the sect".

"Having seen his actions in the Forest of Trails, he projects an aura of leadership towards his fellow disciples, where the idea to follow him becomes second nature".

"Let's also invest extra resources to Wang Li".

Sect Leader Qing then turned to Elder Lu.

"Ensure Wang Li is looked after. Also add an extra 5 spirit stones a month to aid him in his cultivation".

"Yes, sect leader" responded Elder Lu

The meeting was also wrapping up and the only one left to provide a statement was Sect Elder Qing and Vice Sect Leader Chen.

Sect leader Qing then eyed Vice Sect Leader Chen and asked.

"Apart from the Zhang Wei, Du Xia and Wang Li, was there any other disciples that caught your attention Vice Sect Leader?"

Vice Sect leader immediately responded, "To be honest Zhang Wei, Du Xia and Wang Li are the only ones I think that are worth mentioning".

"Despite the increase of talent amongst the 100 new disciples, no one really stood outstanding to me".

"Let us wait a few years and see how these new disciples progress in their cultivation".

"I agree with Vice Sect Leader" said Sect Leader Qing

"I don't have any eye on anyone apart from the 3 that we mentioned".

"Let us wait a couple of years and see if we missed any uncovered potential".

"Although we have only discussed about 3 new disciples that caught out eyes, let not forget the 97 disciples that have entered".

"Even their potential and strength slightly surpassed our last intake 2 years ago".

"With that said, let us end this meeting. We all have other duties to attend to".

The 5 elders gave each other a hand and fist salute before disappearing.