Zhou Mingren sank into silence. After a short while, he said, "Three slots. That's our limit. Also, Su Yu won't be allowed to enter."
Hong Tan coldly asked, "Why?"
That was not enough. After all, he would need to share his slots with those who had helped him, like Wu Yuehua and the others. After all, they might not be able to get any slots from this meeting. As for Su Yu, he was someone Hong Tan had been planning to send into the grotto.
Zhou Mingren said, "Su Yu has disrespected his teachers repeatedly. Since you are claiming to be an elder of the single character faction, the Character Faculty is no longer split into two factions. In that case, we are Su Yu's teachers as well. Shouldn't he be punished for disrespecting his teachers?"
Hong Tan frowned, "How had he disrespected you guys? He's only a student. What could he have done? Scolding you in front of your face? Defecating on your face?"
Zhou Mingren said, "With my power as the faculty head, I am forbidding his entry. Is this reason good enough? If you disagree, we will have to put this aside for now and discuss it again at a later time."
Hong Tan frowned. If he insisted on stopping Zhou Mingren from opening the grotto, he would offend even those outside the single character faction. The elders that would have been given some slots would be unhappy.
But for them to ban Su Yu from entering...
Hong Tan's expression changed repeatedly as he contemplated. Suddenly, Zhou Mingren recalled something and smiled, "Don't say that I'm not giving him a chance. And don't say that I'm not giving the other students any chances. I will take out three additional slots and organize a tournament in the academy. The top three in that tournament will be able to get these slots."
"Since Su Yu is so confident in himself, he can just join the tournament for a slot."
Zhou Mingren did not want to push Hong Tan so much that he would veto their decision to open the grotto. Thus, he left a door open for them.
The question was, would they be able to grab this chance?
This was Liu Hong's suggestion, and it was feasible.
If they really gave Su Yu zero chances, Hong Tan might really go crazy.
"Tournament?" Wan Tiansheng grew excited, "Old Zhou, this is a good idea. How about this? The academy will also sponsor the organizers with 10,000 merit points for two additional slots. Make it five slots. We will also be providing the tournament with some other rewards. This is great. It has been a while since such a tournament was last held at the academy. The top 100 is only open to those below 30. If I'm not understanding you wrongly, do you intend to open this tournament to the older students as well?"
"That's right."
Zhou Mingren nodded. Exactly.
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Then increase the slots to five. You will get a sponsor of 10,000 merit points from the academy. Is this agreeable?"
Zhou Mingren frowned. After a while, he nodded, "Yes."
"Good."
With that, a total of sixteen slots had been given out. Five were given to the tournament, three were given to Hong Tan, and eight were given to the other elders.
Zhou Mingren was not willing to compromise more than this. Thus, he said, "This is it. The remaining 34 slots will be ours. If you agree, we will proceed. If not, forget it. We wont open the grotto anymore. "
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Old Hong, why don't we go with this? Su Yu isn't weak. And I'm supportive of the idea that a student should work for his own slot. Just take the three slots given to you. If we keep arguing until we end up not opening the grotto, it would be a loss for the academy. The students also won't be happy if they know about this. There is no need to invite the hostility of the entire academy. That won't be a good idea."
Hong Tan frowned for a long while before saying, "Sure. But three slots are really too little. I want five slots! Su Yu is excluded."
Wu Yuehua, Fan Jin, He Ji, and Chen Ji were the supporters of the multiple character faction. And they had participated in the previous battle as well. Clearly, they wouldn't be given any slots. Hong Tan needed to at least get each of them a slot and keep one for Wu Jia.
Otherwise, he would be too ashamed to face them.
His intention was clear for all to see. Zhou Mingren was about to refuse when Wu Yuehua coldly said, "Forget it. Just take three slots. From now on, the Pillmaking Faculty will no longer provide any pills to the other faculties."
"The same goes for the Talisman Faculty."
"Count the Beast Taming Faculty in."
"..."
He Ji smiled, "Since you're unwilling to give us any slots, forget it. We don't want it anymore. It's not like we won't be able to cultivate anymore without that grotto. Your Character Faculty can forget about using our tamed beasts in the future. And you can stop using pills and talismans as well. I'll contact the Weaponsmithing Faculty after this as well. You guys are too incredible to need the help of any external tools. You can solve everything with your characters."
Zhou Mingren smiled, "He Ji, if you want the slots, sure. I can allocate two more slots to you guys for 5,000 merit points each. Don't forget that we also need to pay when using your pills, talismans, and beasts."
Hong Tan agreed immediately, "Agreed. Ten thousand merit points for two additional slots."
Wu Yuehua was about to start raging when Hong Tan shook his head at her. This was probably the best deal they could get. If they had to pay, so be it.
As for the fact that he had no money, it didn't matter. Wu Yuehua was rich. He could borrow some money for her and pay her back when he had money.
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Good. With this, nobody here is leaving empty handed. By the way, there is no need to give the Foreign Students Faculty any slots. But they can be allowed to join the tournament. We can't be too intolerant. We can also use them to test the strength of our students."
Nobody had any objections to that. Zhou Mingren agreed as well. He was already trying to think of a way to send the myriad race students after Su Yu. Thus, this was the perfect suggestion for him..
Wan Tiansheng smiled and said, "By the way, Zheng Yuming and Bai Feng will be going to the Vanguard Regiment at the Allheaven Battlefield next month. Zheng Yuming can return after killing a Mountainsea enemy. Bai Feng can return after killing ten Cloudbreach enemies. Regardless of the conflict, everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions. Since Bai Fengs kill was performed outside the academy, I won't say anything about it. I can't be bothered to get involved with a warzone set up by the Xia Family. But if I find someone dead within the academy itself, the punishment would be severe."
Nobody said anything.
Wan Tiansheng stood up, preparing to leave.
Right that moment, Old Nie smiled and said, "Wait a moment, Principal."
"Oh, you have something to say as well?"
When Wan Tiansheng sat back down, Old Nie said, "Everyone knows Zhao Ming, right? A few days ago, he looked for me. He said that he had been suppressed. According to him, the Discipline Hall had interfered in his duties and obstructed him from upholding justice and fairness in the academy."
Old Nie paused to look at the Discipline Hall's master and said, "Old He, the grotto guardians, the House of Hundred, the Discipline Hall, and the academy guards are not supposed to participate in any internal conflicts. The Discipline Hall exists to maintain the standards of behavior within the academy. But a discipline master had actually removed Zhao Ming from his position as a referee. He even had Liu Hong act as a temporary referee. That is inappropriate."
Old Nie looked at Old He, the hall master of the Discipline Hall and said, "Old He, you are getting old. I reckon you no longer have the energy to run the Discipline Hall any longer. After all, you have even forgotten the vow we made to each other back then. It's time for you to retire from your position."
Old He remained silent.
Xia Changqing had been silent throughout the meeting. At this time, he frowned and said, "I already punished Xia Yuwen..."
Even now, Xia Yuwen had yet to recover from his injuries. Xia Changqing had only been able to get Xia Yuwen into the Discipline Hall after pulling a lot of strings.
But before he could finish his words, Old Nie said, "Vice Principal Xia, this matter is unrelated to you. The Discipline Hall and the grotto guardians are not under your jurisdiction. Old He, retire. Enjoy your retirement peacefully. You can spend your time gardening or with some other hobbies. We have agreed to let Old Huang replace you. Let go of the position. Old Huang has been with us for so many years. It's about time we let him enjoy the treatment of an elder as well."
They had agreed. The "they" he mentioned naturally excluded everyone in the room. The other elders had an odd look in their eyes, but none said anything.
The grotto guardians and the academy guards were not the forces under the jurisdiction of these elders. Instead, these forces were under the direct control of the principal. But most of the time, the principal would allow them to handle their affairs independently. In truth, these people were basically a faction formed by the students and descendents of the former principals. They were the neutral faction of the academy.
They were the true arbiters of justice in the academy, in charge of maintaining fairness within the academy.
Even when they had personal bias toward some people, they would not do anything unfair. Su Yu was the greatest example of this. Both Old Huang and Old Nie greatly appreciated Su Yu's talent, but none had broken any rules to give him an unfair advantage.
As for the special token in Su Yu's hands, that was the unique right of Zhao Li as the son of the fourth principal. That was not a right they could interfere with.
An old man finally sighed and nodded, "I understand. Old Nie, tell Old Huang to see me for the takeover later. I have indeed been getting too old."
"Sure!" Old Nie smiled and looked at Wan Tiansheng before asking, "Principal, what do you think? Old Huang is not weak. And he is also a veteran ninth-stage Cloudbreach..."
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Sure. If nobody objects, I'll be reporting this change of personel to the Knowledge Seeking Realm and Talent Fostering Bureau."
"Alright. I have nothing else to say." Old Nie looked at Xia Yuwen and added, "Vice Principal Xia, we don't care about what Xia Yuwen is trying to fight for. His business has nothing to do with us. We only care about the academy rules. The Discipline Hall is not something you can touch. When you become the seventh principal, we will naturally follow your lead. Prior to that, please stop interfering in our affairs."
Xia Changqing frowned and said, "That wasn't my intention."
"I know. And I understand." Old Nie smiled, "I'm only giving you a reminder that people like us are around to maintain the stability of the academy. Ultimately, all we do are done for in service of the Xia Family. It would do the Xia Family good to not ruin their own foundations. If you guys are allowed to use us for your internal power struggles, will we be able to maintain our position of absolute fairness? What if a different Xia Family member comes to us for help the next time Great Xia needs a new prefect? What are we supposed to do?
"Vice Principal Xia, the struggle for the position of prefect should be done in an honorable manner. Nobody will get in your way. If Xia Yuwen is really capable of getting this position, he will naturally receive our support upon becoming the prefect. This includes the Devil Subduing Army and Martial Dragon Guards. All these forces exist to serve the Xia Family. Corrupting them right now will only weaken the foundations of the Xia Family and bring chaos to Great Xia. Don't forget that the current prefect and the Great Xia King are still around."
After saying all that, Old Nie stood up and left.
After Old Nie left, Hong Tan laughed and said, "Old Nie's temper is as bad as ever. But he's right. Vice Principal Xia, it isn't smart to ruin your own foundations. Xia Yuwen should focus on only carrying out his duties diligently in the Discipline Hall. What is the point in provoking these stubborn old fellows?"
He was clearly very pleased. Everyone could see that.
Xia Changqing said nothing else. He felt somewhat helpless. In fact, he was already feeling quite troubled. Even now, Xia Yuwen had yet to recover. Sure, the Xia Family did not lack the treasures to heal his injuries. But the injury to the mind was something they couldn't treat.
With the grotto guardians striking back against him, there was really nothing he could do. It would have been fine if Zhao Ming was someone easy to deal with, but Xia Yuwen just had to provoke a professional tattletale who was not afraid of anything. How would this issue be resolved so easily?
And sure enough, the hall master he had just roped in was retired.
Suddenly, Hong Tan said, "By the way, about the matter of promoting the books depository's head manager into an elder..."
Wan Tiansheng shot him a glance and said while standing up, "The grotto guardians are willing to support this if the books depository joins their faction as well. Are you sure you still want to promote Chen Yong? We can do it, but he will need to leave the multiple character faction. Do you agree?"
Hong Tan laughed awkwardly and said, "Forget about it. But let me make this clear. Since this requirement applies to Chen Yong, it better apply to the others as well."
Wan Tiansheng didn't even deign to give a reply.
Zhou Mingren had nothing to say as well. The single character faction had been trying to make Xia Yuwen the new head manager, but nobody knew just how Xia Yuwen was doing right now.
But for Xia Yuwen, the faction wouldnt matter anyway. His goal was to become the next prefect, not the next principal. As for Chen Yong, he should enter the Mountainsea Realm first before talking about his promotion. For now, his only path was to join the neutral faction for a promotion.
As the elders left one after another, Hong Tan exhaled deeply. Fortunately, things had proceeded relatively smoothly. As for Su Yu's slot, there was nothing he could do about it. He already tried his best. The kid would have to fight for it himself.
Zhou Mingren sank into silence. After a short while, he said, "Three slots. That's our limit. Also, Su Yu won't be allowed to enter."
Hong Tan coldly asked, "Why?"
That was not enough. After all, he would need to share his slots with those who had helped him, like Wu Yuehua and the others. After all, they might not be able to get any slots from this meeting. As for Su Yu, he was someone Hong Tan had been planning to send into the grotto.
Zhou Mingren said, "Su Yu has disrespected his teachers repeatedly. Since you are claiming to be an elder of the single character faction, the Character Faculty is no longer split into two factions. In that case, we are Su Yu's teachers as well. Shouldn't he be punished for disrespecting his teachers?"
Hong Tan frowned, "How had he disrespected you guys? He's only a student. What could he have done? Scolding you in front of your face? Defecating on your face?"
Zhou Mingren said, "With my power as the faculty head, I am forbidding his entry. Is this reason good enough? If you disagree, we will have to put this aside for now and discuss it again at a later time."
Hong Tan frowned. If he insisted on stopping Zhou Mingren from opening the grotto, he would offend even those outside the single character faction. The elders that would have been given some slots would be unhappy.
But for them to ban Su Yu from entering...
Hong Tan's expression changed repeatedly as he contemplated. Suddenly, Zhou Mingren recalled something and smiled, "Don't say that I'm not giving him a chance. And don't say that I'm not giving the other students any chances. I will take out three additional slots and organize a tournament in the academy. The top three in that tournament will be able to get these slots."
"Since Su Yu is so confident in himself, he can just join the tournament for a slot."
Zhou Mingren did not want to push Hong Tan so much that he would veto their decision to open the grotto. Thus, he left a door open for them.
The question was, would they be able to grab this chance?
This was Liu Hong's suggestion, and it was feasible.
If they really gave Su Yu zero chances, Hong Tan might really go crazy.
"Tournament?" Wan Tiansheng grew excited, "Old Zhou, this is a good idea. How about this? The academy will also sponsor the organizers with 10,000 merit points for two additional slots. Make it five slots. We will also be providing the tournament with some other rewards. This is great. It has been a while since such a tournament was last held at the academy. The top 100 is only open to those below 30. If I'm not understanding you wrongly, do you intend to open this tournament to the older students as well?"
"That's right."
Zhou Mingren nodded. Exactly.
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Then increase the slots to five. You will get a sponsor of 10,000 merit points from the academy. Is this agreeable?"
Zhou Mingren frowned. After a while, he nodded, "Yes."
"Good."
With that, a total of sixteen slots had been given out. Five were given to the tournament, three were given to Hong Tan, and eight were given to the other elders.
Zhou Mingren was not willing to compromise more than this. Thus, he said, "This is it. The remaining 34 slots will be ours. If you agree, we will proceed. If not, forget it. We wont open the grotto anymore. "
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Old Hong, why don't we go with this? Su Yu isn't weak. And I'm supportive of the idea that a student should work for his own slot. Just take the three slots given to you. If we keep arguing until we end up not opening the grotto, it would be a loss for the academy. The students also won't be happy if they know about this. There is no need to invite the hostility of the entire academy. That won't be a good idea."
Hong Tan frowned for a long while before saying, "Sure. But three slots are really too little. I want five slots! Su Yu is excluded."
Wu Yuehua, Fan Jin, He Ji, and Chen Ji were the supporters of the multiple character faction. And they had participated in the previous battle as well. Clearly, they wouldn't be given any slots. Hong Tan needed to at least get each of them a slot and keep one for Wu Jia.
Otherwise, he would be too ashamed to face them.
His intention was clear for all to see. Zhou Mingren was about to refuse when Wu Yuehua coldly said, "Forget it. Just take three slots. From now on, the Pillmaking Faculty will no longer provide any pills to the other faculties."
"The same goes for the Talisman Faculty."
"Count the Beast Taming Faculty in."
"..."
He Ji smiled, "Since you're unwilling to give us any slots, forget it. We don't want it anymore. It's not like we won't be able to cultivate anymore without that grotto. Your Character Faculty can forget about using our tamed beasts in the future. And you can stop using pills and talismans as well. I'll contact the Weaponsmithing Faculty after this as well. You guys are too incredible to need the help of any external tools. You can solve everything with your characters."
Zhou Mingren smiled, "He Ji, if you want the slots, sure. I can allocate two more slots to you guys for 5,000 merit points each. Don't forget that we also need to pay when using your pills, talismans, and beasts."
Hong Tan agreed immediately, "Agreed. Ten thousand merit points for two additional slots."
Wu Yuehua was about to start raging when Hong Tan shook his head at her. This was probably the best deal they could get. If they had to pay, so be it.
As for the fact that he had no money, it didn't matter. Wu Yuehua was rich. He could borrow some money for her and pay her back when he had money.
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Good. With this, nobody here is leaving empty handed. By the way, there is no need to give the Foreign Students Faculty any slots. But they can be allowed to join the tournament. We can't be too intolerant. We can also use them to test the strength of our students."
Nobody had any objections to that. Zhou Mingren agreed as well. He was already trying to think of a way to send the myriad race students after Su Yu. Thus, this was the perfect suggestion for him..
Wan Tiansheng smiled and said, "By the way, Zheng Yuming and Bai Feng will be going to the Vanguard Regiment at the Allheaven Battlefield next month. Zheng Yuming can return after killing a Mountainsea enemy. Bai Feng can return after killing ten Cloudbreach enemies. Regardless of the conflict, everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions. Since Bai Fengs kill was performed outside the academy, I won't say anything about it. I can't be bothered to get involved with a warzone set up by the Xia Family. But if I find someone dead within the academy itself, the punishment would be severe."
Nobody said anything.
Wan Tiansheng stood up, preparing to leave.
Right that moment, Old Nie smiled and said, "Wait a moment, Principal."
"Oh, you have something to say as well?"
When Wan Tiansheng sat back down, Old Nie said, "Everyone knows Zhao Ming, right? A few days ago, he looked for me. He said that he had been suppressed. According to him, the Discipline Hall had interfered in his duties and obstructed him from upholding justice and fairness in the academy."
Old Nie paused to look at the Discipline Hall's master and said, "Old He, the grotto guardians, the House of Hundred, the Discipline Hall, and the academy guards are not supposed to participate in any internal conflicts. The Discipline Hall exists to maintain the standards of behavior within the academy. But a discipline master had actually removed Zhao Ming from his position as a referee. He even had Liu Hong act as a temporary referee. That is inappropriate."
Old Nie looked at Old He, the hall master of the Discipline Hall and said, "Old He, you are getting old. I reckon you no longer have the energy to run the Discipline Hall any longer. After all, you have even forgotten the vow we made to each other back then. It's time for you to retire from your position."
Old He remained silent.
Xia Changqing had been silent throughout the meeting. At this time, he frowned and said, "I already punished Xia Yuwen..."
Even now, Xia Yuwen had yet to recover from his injuries. Xia Changqing had only been able to get Xia Yuwen into the Discipline Hall after pulling a lot of strings.
But before he could finish his words, Old Nie said, "Vice Principal Xia, this matter is unrelated to you. The Discipline Hall and the grotto guardians are not under your jurisdiction. Old He, retire. Enjoy your retirement peacefully. You can spend your time gardening or with some other hobbies. We have agreed to let Old Huang replace you. Let go of the position. Old Huang has been with us for so many years. It's about time we let him enjoy the treatment of an elder as well."
They had agreed. The "they" he mentioned naturally excluded everyone in the room. The other elders had an odd look in their eyes, but none said anything.
The grotto guardians and the academy guards were not the forces under the jurisdiction of these elders. Instead, these forces were under the direct control of the principal. But most of the time, the principal would allow them to handle their affairs independently. In truth, these people were basically a faction formed by the students and descendents of the former principals. They were the neutral faction of the academy.
They were the true arbiters of justice in the academy, in charge of maintaining fairness within the academy.
Even when they had personal bias toward some people, they would not do anything unfair. Su Yu was the greatest example of this. Both Old Huang and Old Nie greatly appreciated Su Yu's talent, but none had broken any rules to give him an unfair advantage.
As for the special token in Su Yu's hands, that was the unique right of Zhao Li as the son of the fourth principal. That was not a right they could interfere with.
An old man finally sighed and nodded, "I understand. Old Nie, tell Old Huang to see me for the takeover later. I have indeed been getting too old."
"Sure!" Old Nie smiled and looked at Wan Tiansheng before asking, "Principal, what do you think? Old Huang is not weak. And he is also a veteran ninth-stage Cloudbreach..."
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Sure. If nobody objects, I'll be reporting this change of personel to the Knowledge Seeking Realm and Talent Fostering Bureau."
"Alright. I have nothing else to say." Old Nie looked at Xia Yuwen and added, "Vice Principal Xia, we don't care about what Xia Yuwen is trying to fight for. His business has nothing to do with us. We only care about the academy rules. The Discipline Hall is not something you can touch. When you become the seventh principal, we will naturally follow your lead. Prior to that, please stop interfering in our affairs."
Xia Changqing frowned and said, "That wasn't my intention."
"I know. And I understand." Old Nie smiled, "I'm only giving you a reminder that people like us are around to maintain the stability of the academy. Ultimately, all we do are done for in service of the Xia Family. It would do the Xia Family good to not ruin their own foundations. If you guys are allowed to use us for your internal power struggles, will we be able to maintain our position of absolute fairness? What if a different Xia Family member comes to us for help the next time Great Xia needs a new prefect? What are we supposed to do?
"Vice Principal Xia, the struggle for the position of prefect should be done in an honorable manner. Nobody will get in your way. If Xia Yuwen is really capable of getting this position, he will naturally receive our support upon becoming the prefect. This includes the Devil Subduing Army and Martial Dragon Guards. All these forces exist to serve the Xia Family. Corrupting them right now will only weaken the foundations of the Xia Family and bring chaos to Great Xia. Don't forget that the current prefect and the Great Xia King are still around."
After saying all that, Old Nie stood up and left.
After Old Nie left, Hong Tan laughed and said, "Old Nie's temper is as bad as ever. But he's right. Vice Principal Xia, it isn't smart to ruin your own foundations. Xia Yuwen should focus on only carrying out his duties diligently in the Discipline Hall. What is the point in provoking these stubborn old fellows?"
He was clearly very pleased. Everyone could see that.
Xia Changqing said nothing else. He felt somewhat helpless. In fact, he was already feeling quite troubled. Even now, Xia Yuwen had yet to recover. Sure, the Xia Family did not lack the treasures to heal his injuries. But the injury to the mind was something they couldn't treat.
With the grotto guardians striking back against him, there was really nothing he could do. It would have been fine if Zhao Ming was someone easy to deal with, but Xia Yuwen just had to provoke a professional tattletale who was not afraid of anything. How would this issue be resolved so easily?
And sure enough, the hall master he had just roped in was retired.
Suddenly, Hong Tan said, "By the way, about the matter of promoting the books depository's head manager into an elder..."
Wan Tiansheng shot him a glance and said while standing up, "The grotto guardians are willing to support this if the books depository joins their faction as well. Are you sure you still want to promote Chen Yong? We can do it, but he will need to leave the multiple character faction. Do you agree?"
Hong Tan laughed awkwardly and said, "Forget about it. But let me make this clear. Since this requirement applies to Chen Yong, it better apply to the others as well."
Wan Tiansheng didn't even deign to give a reply.
Zhou Mingren had nothing to say as well. The single character faction had been trying to make Xia Yuwen the new head manager, but nobody knew just how Xia Yuwen was doing right now.
But for Xia Yuwen, the faction wouldnt matter anyway. His goal was to become the next prefect, not the next principal. As for Chen Yong, he should enter the Mountainsea Realm first before talking about his promotion. For now, his only path was to join the neutral faction for a promotion.
As the elders left one after another, Hong Tan exhaled deeply. Fortunately, things had proceeded relatively smoothly. As for Su Yu's slot, there was nothing he could do about it. He already tried his best. The kid would have to fight for it himself.
