Chapter 717: One Person Gains the Way

It wasn't the Giant Sect, surprisingly!

Usually, the names of the three major sects are announced first, followed by the other six. This time, the Azure Cloud Sect was listed after the Grand Elder Sect and the Myriad Swords Sect, clearly showing that the list still followed this traditional order. However, the Giant Sect was absent, and the list jumped directly to the Azure Cloud Sect. This could only mean one thing: the Giant Sect had been excluded!

Kong Yuanba found it hard to accept. “This isn’t fair!” he exclaimed. “If Liang Feiyan can be selected, why was our Giant Sect’s Jin Zhongming excluded?” Several Grand Elders and Elders also showed strong disapproval. If Liang Feiyan hadn’t been selected, they would have had nothing to say. But for him to be chosen and Jin Zhongming to be left out? It was simply unbelievable.

The other sects also fell into contemplation. Although the Giant Sect was generally disliked, one couldn't deny that Jin Zhongming, as the leader of the Giant Sect's younger generation, was extremely powerful. He was second only to Xia Chaoge. Compared to Liang Feiyan, he was undoubtedly more qualified to enter the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Such a result was truly baffling.

Ye Cangyuan cast a cold glance at Kong Yuanba, who was seething with defiance, and at the many members of the Giant Sect. He let out a heavy snort. “The Pavilion Master has an announcement,” he stated. “I had intended to inform you privately, to save you some face. But since you have publicly questioned the fairness of the list, I will inform you publicly as well.”

“By order of the Pavilion Master!” Ye Cangyuan announced. “A Grand Elder of the Giant Sect betrayed humanity, cruelly murdered fellow humans, committed heinous crimes, and caused extremely negative repercussions! Effective today, the Giant Sect is ordered to rectify its conduct for a period of ten years! During this period, no member of the Giant Sect shall have the opportunity to enter the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.”

What? Kong Yuanba was struck as if by lightning. So, Jin Zhongming's exclusion was actually due to a ban! Moreover, for the next ten years, no disciple of the Giant Sect, no matter how gifted, would be eligible to enter the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets! How severe was this blow?

In contrast, the other eight sects cheered and applauded with renewed vigor!

“Hahahaha! Karma!”

“Did the Giant Sect truly believe they could escape responsibility by claiming that Fang Taiji’s actions had nothing to do with them?”

“The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets is wise! A sect with such severe misconduct should be punished without leniency!”

“Let’s see if the Giant Sect still dares to act arrogantly and recklessly in the future!”

“Unless they want their members to never enter the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets again for generations!”

Jiang Fan let out a slight breath. He felt much more at ease. Punishment and reward should be clearly distinguished like this. This would prevent the Giant Sect from believing no one could control them.

Li Qingfeng also burst into laughter. “What a double blessing!” He put an arm around Jiang Fan’s shoulder, grinning, “Some evildoers have been punished. And our Azure Cloud Sect has been successfully selected, breaking a fifty-year record! On a day like this, how can I not celebrate with ten pots of wine?”

No one was surprised by Jiang Fan’s selection. Given his performance in Boundary Mountain and the terrifying combat prowess he later displayed, if he wasn’t qualified to go to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, then Xia Chaoge and Liang Feiyan were even less so. His selection was only natural.

Everyone was about to step forward to offer their congratulations. However, Ye Cangyuan said, “I’m not finished yet.” Everyone was jolted. Could another sect's disciple have been selected? But when Ye Cangyuan finished announcing the list, a deathly silence fell over the area.

“Azure Cloud Sect: Jiang Fan, Liu Qingxian, Xu Youran, Chen Siling.”

“Alright, that concludes the list compiled by the Pavilion Master. On the ninth day of the tenth month, you must report to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.”

No one paid attention to the last two sentences. Their minds were completely captivated by the three additional names.

“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?”

“The Azure Cloud Sect had four people selected at once?”

“Has the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets ever recruited disciples like this before?”

“No! Never!”

“For a sect to have even one disciple selected is a momentous occasion.”

“Four people entering the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets from the same sect – this is just too shocking!”

The uproar that erupted was no less intense than when the two races' truce was announced.

Kong Yuanba found it even harder to accept. Clenching his fists, he said, “Deputy Pavilion Master Ye! In good conscience, can you say that the Azure Cloud Sect’s list is appropriate? I have nothing to say about Jiang Fan’s selection! But what about those three women? Considering their strength, their performance at Boundary Mountain, or their past mission executions, in what way are they qualified to enter the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets?”

In truth, this was what everyone was thinking. Although Liu Qingxian had earned considerable fame with a single sword strike during her battle with Xue Wanzhong, she was likely not as strong as Liang Feiyan. She also wasn’t present during the Boundary Mountain battle. From any perspective, she didn't seem quite qualified. Her selection was indeed hard to accept.

But, it was merely difficult to accept. The latter two, however, struck everyone as utterly absurd! Xu Youran? Chen Siling? Neither woman had even reached the Core Formation realm; they couldn’t even rank among the top two hundred disciples of the Nine Sects! They hadn't participated in the Boundary Mountain battle. They hadn't even made it onto the mission roster before the war. How could two individuals of ordinary strength, who had achieved no significant merits, brazenly surpass so many other disciples and be selected for the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets? This left many sects feeling both absurd and angry.

“If the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets truly had no one to pick from, why didn’t they consider our Thousand Refinements Sect’s Young Master?”

“He personally participated in the Boundary Mountain battle, and his strength is far greater than that of those two female disciples.”

“If your Thousand Refinements Sect feels wronged, doesn’t our Joyful Harmony Sect feel wronged too?”

“What’s wrong with our chief disciple, Xie Liushu? Didn’t he also participate in the Boundary Mountain battle?”

“In the end, we can’t compare to two Foundation Establishment realm female disciples!”

“Where can we go to find justice?”

The air was thick with questions and accusations. Xu Youran and Chen Siling, who were at the center of this, felt their cheeks burning. They quietly shifted their feet, half-hiding behind Jiang Fan. They hadn't expected to be selected for the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets either. This left them overwhelmed, and they felt unworthy. So many talented disciples who had fought bravely in Boundary Mountain were excluded, yet the two of them, who had merely been assisting in logistics, were selected.

“Husband, please ask Deputy Pavilion Master Ye to revoke our qualifications,” Xu Youran pleaded. “Siling and I don’t deserve this.” Xu Youran couldn't bear the many pairs of eyes staring at them.

Jiang Fan was also greatly surprised. After a brief moment of thought, he cupped his hands towards Ye Cangyuan and said, “Deputy Pavilion Master Ye, does the Pavilion Master have a particular reason for selecting these three?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Cangyuan coldly swept his gaze across the crowd, and under his chilling stare, the multitude immediately quieted. “Our Pavilion Master doesn’t need to explain his choices to anyone, nor does he owe anyone an explanation!” he declared. “However, since Jiang Fan has asked, I will make an exception and clarify it for you, lest you maliciously slander these three female disciples!”

He put away the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets’ handwritten note. With his hands behind his back, he continued, “Liu Qingxian, Xu Youran, and Chen Siling. By the rules, they are indeed not qualified to enter the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. The reason for their selection is… the Pavilion Master wishes for Jiang Fan to have no worries while in the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Therefore, these three women have been specially recruited into the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Do you understand now?”

The reason for the three women entering the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets… it was just because they were Jiang Fan’s women? Xu Youran and Chen Siling were, of course, his acknowledged fiancée and concubine. Liu Qingxian was also a beauty publicly acknowledged by Jiang Fan at Boundary Mountain.

Ye Cangyuan snorted coldly. “If anyone is still unconvinced,” he challenged, “then become Jiang Fan’s woman!”

Everyone was disgruntled. If that was the reason, then they truly had nothing to say.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of someone entering the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets and bringing their family members along.”

“A real-life example of 'when one ascends, all their close ones ascend with them.'”

“The value of being Jiang Fan’s woman continues to rise.”

“I’m a man. Is there any hope for me to become Jiang Fan’s woman?”

“I suggest you jump off Boundary Mountain. Maybe you’ll have a chance in eighteen years.”

Xu Youran and Chen Siling were overjoyed. They each gratefully linked an arm through Jiang Fan's, one on his left, one on his right. They had only gained their titles through Jiang Fan, yet they had reached a height unattainable by even the most talented female prodigies of the Nine Sects. Chen Siling covered her mouth, giggling quietly. It proved once again how lucky she was to have boarded Jiang Fan’s 'ship' early on.

Suddenly, she noticed a female disciple in the crowd, retreating silently, tears in her eyes. Her expression became complicated. It was Xu Yining. The opportunity to go to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets was originally hers alone. But now…