Chapter 894: Big Stick and Sweet Carrot

The Grand Elder's Mansion is situated at the very center of the immense circular platform where the Four Spirits Origin Tower stands. On that bustling platform, while numerous pavilions and buildings exist, the Grand Elder's Mansion is undoubtedly the most magnificent. However, for a long time, the Four Pavilions had been without a Grand Elder, which led to the mansion remaining vacant for a considerable period.

Now that Zhou Yuan has been promoted to Grand Elder, the mansion has naturally been reopened.

Today, a large number of Four Pavilions members gathered around the Grand Elder's Mansion, their gazes nervously fixed on its interior. This was Zhou Yuan's first Four Pavilions Assembly since his promotion to Grand Elder, and everyone could easily surmise that it would bring significant news. The attitude of this new Grand Elder, who had risen from the position of Wind Pavilion Master, towards the other three pavilions would directly affect the practical interests of all their members.

Members of the Pavilion of Fire were particularly aware of the trouble their pavilion, led by Lu Xiao, had caused Zhou Yuan previously. Now, with the new official taking charge, it was highly likely that the initial "fire" would be directed straight at their Pavilion of Fire.

Inside the Grand Elder's Mansion, within the vast assembly hall, all seats were occupied. The four Pavilion Masters sat at the forefront, followed by the Deputy Pavilion Masters, commanders, and other high-ranking officials. Essentially, all top executives of the Four Pavilions had gathered there today.

Zhou Yuan sat at the highest position, his gaze sweeping over the entire hall. His calm expression exuded an intimidating aura, creating a heavy and subdued atmosphere throughout the room. His eyes briefly rested on the front row of the Pavilion of Fire, where Lu Xiao was seated. However, Lu Xiao's face was still pale, clearly not having fully recovered from the aftermath of the battle days earlier. Moreover, his demeanor lacked the confidence and sharp edge he once possessed. Losing to Zhou Yuan in the Grand Elder competition seemed to have dealt him a significant blow.

Behind Lu Xiao, the Deputy Pavilion Masters of the Pavilion of Fire remained silent. However, a hint of hostility still lingered in their eyes as they looked at Zhou Yuan. After all, they were all disciples of the Heavenly Spirit Sect and loyal supporters of Lu Xiao, making Zhou Yuan's ascendancy particularly difficult for them to accept. Before arriving, they had already reached a consensus: while Zhou Yuan's current influence was formidable and they dared not openly oppose him, they could employ indirect tactics, such as feigning compliance while secretly undermining him. As long as they secretly caused trouble and prevented Zhou Yuan from integrating the Four Pavilions, the sect's high-ranking officials could use this as a pretext to challenge him, possibly even impeaching his position as Grand Elder.

Zhou Yuan surveyed the entire hall. After a moment, his calm voice resonated: "Gentlemen, since I have fortunately been promoted to Grand Elder, I believe it's time to prepare for the upcoming Nine Regions Grand Assembly. Over the years, the strength of our Tianyuan Region among the Nine Regions has been declining. Therefore, if we wish to achieve a good performance at the assembly, we must integrate our internal forces."

His words were not circuitous at all; they were remarkably direct. He had painstakingly secured the position of Grand Elder not to flaunt power or authority, for which he had no interest. However, the Nine Regions Grand Assembly operated on a regional basis, and he could not fight alone. Therefore, if he wanted the Tianyuan Region to stand out at the assembly, he had to take control of all forces within the Four Pavilions.

Zhou Yuan's gaze, sharp and direct, locked onto the high-ranking officials of the Pavilion of Fire. Under his stare, Deputy Pavilion Masters Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and others felt a jolt in their hearts. However, Zhou Yuan gave no one a chance to speak. Knowing the intentions of the Pavilion of Fire's leadership, he had no intention of showing mercy and launched directly into his attack: "The Pavilion of Fire has eight Deputy Pavilion Masters, seven of whom are from the Heavenly Spirit Sect. Of its twenty-five commanders, twenty-three are also from the Heavenly Spirit Sect. This proportion is highly imbalanced and must be changed."

As soon as these words were spoken, a low murmur of uproar erupted from the Pavilion of Fire's side. Deputy Pavilion Masters Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and others showed anger on their faces. Zhou Yuan completely ignored them and continued: "From now on, I nominate the following individuals from the Pavilion of Fire to contend for the positions of Deputy Pavilion Master and commander..."

One after another, pre-arranged names then flowed from Zhou Yuan's lips, echoing throughout the assembly hall. Upon hearing those names, many present broke out in cold sweat. They realized that all those nominated by Zhou Yuan were exceptionally strong individuals within the Pavilion of Fire who had previously been suppressed by Lu Xiao, preventing them from rising. These were talented individuals from various backgrounds, but notably, none were disciples of the Heavenly Spirit Sect. The strength of these individuals was not necessarily inferior to that of the current Heavenly Spirit Sect Deputy Pavilion Masters in the Pavilion of Fire. If they were indeed promoted, it was likely that Lu Xiao would lose control over the internal affairs of the Pavilion of Fire.

Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and others looked ashen, unable to resist speaking out: "Grand Elder Zhou Yuan, you cannot do this!"

Zhou Yuan's expression remained calm as he responded: "Why not? Are the people I nominated lacking in strength? Or do I, as Grand Elder, lack this authority?"

Zhu Lian and Zuo Ya were both speechless, their faces alternating between green and pale. Among those nominated by Zhou Yuan, a few possessed formidable strength, even comparable to several of the current Deputy Pavilion Masters. Thus, they could only cast pleading glances towards Lu Xiao, who remained silent at the front.

Noticing their gazes, Lu Xiao raised his somewhat pale face and said indifferently: "You are the Grand Elder and have the authority to do anything within the Four Pavilions. However, the situation in the Pavilion of Fire is already established. Your actions will surely cause dissatisfaction among the Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples. If it escalates, you will have to deal with it yourself."

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Yuan's eyes upon hearing Lu Xiao's words. He realized that Lu Xiao was not directly opposing him but rather adopting a somewhat passive, retreating stance. Seeing this, Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and others grew anxious and tried to speak, but Lu Xiao weakly closed his eyes.

Zhou Yuan calmly stated: "These proposals originate from me, and I will take full responsibility for any consequences. For those I have nominated in the Pavilion of Fire, within the next ten days, they may challenge the current Deputy Pavilion Masters and commanders of the Pavilion of Fire. Should they win, they will take their positions." He had slightly altered Yi Qiushui's original plan, as this competitive selection model would inevitably create a deeper rift between the Heavenly Spirit Sect members and non-Heavenly Spirit Sect members within the Pavilion of Fire. As Grand Elder, he naturally could not allow the Pavilion of Fire to remain a unified front against him.

After addressing the Pavilion of Fire, he turned his gaze to Han Yuan of the Pavilion of Mountain. Upon meeting his gaze, Han Yuan's heart immediately turned cold. As expected, Zhou Yuan then nominated several individuals from the Pavilion of Mountain to contend for Deputy Pavilion Master and commander positions. However, the number was significantly fewer than for the Pavilion of Fire, which served as a minor punishment for Han Yuan's tendency to waver.

Even so, this caused a considerable shock to both the Pavilion of Fire and the Pavilion of Mountain. The entire assembly hall erupted into chaos; had it not been for the intimidating authority of Grand Elder Zhou Yuan, order would likely have completely collapsed. Zhou Yuan's decisive and sweeping actions were undeniably ruthless. However, the resulting chaos and unrest would also be somewhat difficult to manage. Thus, Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and others secretly sneered, believing that if Zhou Yuan couldn't control the situation, it would be a dereliction of duty for him as Grand Elder!

Fortunately, Zhou Yuan only employed these tactics against the Pavilion of Fire and the Pavilion of Mountain; the Pavilion of Forest and the Pavilion of Wind remained unaffected. This prevented an outright mutiny in the hall.

Zhou Yuan's expression remained consistently calm as he surveyed the hall and slowly declared: "Additionally, besides these nominations, there is another announcement: From now on, the selling price of Four Mother Runes will be reduced by thirty percent. Furthermore, high-quality Four Mother Runes will also be made available for sale to the other three pavilions."

The noisy and tumultuous assembly hall instantly fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes revealing undisguised shock. The reduction in the price of Four Mother Runes was a benefit to all members of the Four Pavilions, and Zhou Yuan was actually willing to give up such an advantage? Faced with such temptation, even some Heavenly Spirit Sect disciples from the Pavilion of Fire hesitated. Their insistence on positions like Deputy Pavilion Master and commander was primarily to obtain more cultivation resources. Now, by lowering the price of Four Mother Runes, Zhou Yuan was granting them resources from another avenue. For a moment, they began to feel that this change might not be entirely unacceptable. Only Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and others had fluctuating expressions, as they did not care about a bit of cultivation resources; they cared more about their reputation and influence. However, they ultimately represented only a minority.

Thus, when Zhou Yuan announced the reduction in Four Mother Rune prices, the tone of the meeting was set, and the chaos gradually subsided. It was easy to imagine the sensation this news would cause once it reached the Four Pavilions; at that point, over eighty percent of the members would support Zhou Yuan, the new Grand Elder.

Lu Xiao, still pale, stood up. He glanced at the anxious faces of Zhu Lian, Zuo Ya, and the others, then calmly stated: "His momentum is already established. Do not try to make trouble for him anymore, or if he finds an excuse to expel you from the Four Pavilions later, there's nothing I can do." Having spoken, he was the first to head outside.

Zhou Yuan's strategy, combining the "stick" with the "carrot," was sufficient to subdue the Four Pavilions. Therefore, Lu Xiao knew that from then on, the Four Pavilions truly belonged to Zhou Yuan.