Chapter 10: Meeting |
So at this moment, Liu Xiaoming, seated not far away, secretly observed that radiant senior brother quietly eating his meal, and there was not a trace of disdain left in his heart—only overflowing admiration and a faint sense of pride.
“Look, this is our Lingyun Sect’s Senior Brother! Impressive, right?”
Lu Fengmian had no idea about a certain disciple’s rich inner thoughts; he was focused on finishing the last few bites of spirit rice while planning out the afternoon’s schedule.
【Schedule Reminder: At the third quarter of the Wei hour, a preparatory meeting for the sect’s minor competition will be held in Lingyun Hall on the main peak.】
The sect’s minor competition was one of Lingyun Sect’s important annual events, intended to test the disciples’ cultivation progress over the past year and select outstanding talents.
Aside from the sect grand competition, it was regarded as one of the most eye-catching major events in the sect.
Logically speaking, preparation work for an event of this level ought to have been led by the Ritual Hall, with every peak cooperating.
But ever since Lu Fengmian had taken over part of the sect’s affairs, Venerable Lingxuan seemed to think that this “training opportunity” could not be missed, and with a wave of his hand, had handed all the preparatory coordination and hosting work of the minor competition over to him.
On the surface, he had put it this way: “Fengmian, as Senior Brother, you must learn how to coordinate large-scale events; this is a very good training opportunity for you.”
So not only did he have to attend the afternoon meeting, he also had to preside over it.
Thinking of that pile of pending matters and the possible arguments that might break out, Lu Fengmian felt that the remaining spirit rice in his bowl did not smell nearly as good anymore.
He had to hurry and finish eating, go back, and quickly review the plan jade slips sent over by the Ritual Hall.
Otherwise, if he, the host, knew nothing at all at the afternoon meeting, or if some shrewd elder caught him out on a detail, then his image as the “Perfect Senior Brother” would collapse.
Time was pressing. After finishing his meal, he practically ran back to the side hall on Luo Xia Peak.
On the desk in the hall, there really was a stack of jade slips half a chi thick, all sent over by the Ritual Hall and the various peaks, containing the preliminary plan, suggestions, demands, and past records concerning the sect’s minor competition.
Lu Fengmian did not even have time to drink water before immediately sitting down. His divine sense rapidly spread out as he began processing the information at high speed.
This was a skill he had been forced to hone over the past three years—handling multiple tasks at the same time and swiftly grasping the key points.
Thanks to auxiliary skills like “Microscopic Divine Sense Control” and “Rapid Reading,” which the system occasionally rewarded him with, plus the multi-threaded work ability he had been forced to cultivate in his previous life as a corporate drudge, he was now fairly adept at this.
As Lu Fengmian skimmed through everything at high speed, he recorded key points and annotated opinions on blank jade slips.
He really had already organized two previous sect minor competitions.
The first time had been half a year after he entered the sect; at that point he had just established his foundation, and he had been anxious and uneasy, terrified of making mistakes. He had spent nearly a month preparing without rest before finally sorting out the entire process.
The second time, he had been far calmer, able to make many optimizations based on feedback from the first.
As for this third time, he was even more confident. He roughly knew which stages were prone to problems, which elders liked to argue over which details, and where the bottom lines of each peak’s core demands lay.
He worked with complete concentration, and time passed quickly.
At the second quarter of the Wei hour, Lu Fengmian finally put down his brush and rubbed his slightly swollen temples. In front of him were several jade slips recording the key discussion topics and proposed plans.
He changed into a more formal cloud-patterned brocade robe, retied his hair crown, and checked his appearance—mm, he looked spirited and composed.
Lu Fengmian drew in a deep breath, turned into a stream of light, and flew straight toward Lingyun Hall on the main peak. Along the way, he pulled up the system panel and checked the task progress.
【Main Task (Third Year): Obtain the approval of 20% of the sect’s core members. (Current progress: 16%)】
【Total number of core members: approximately 209 units. Current total approvals required: 42 units. Approval units already obtained: 34 units.】
【Overall approval rate: 34%.】
Still short by 8 points. Lu Fengmian calculated that the sect’s minor competition was a good opportunity. If he could organize it successfully and demonstrate enough ability, he ought to win even more recognition.
The responsibility was heavy, and the road ahead was long.
Lu Fengmian shook his head, steadied himself, and saw that Lingyun Hall was already right before him.
He lowered his sword light and straightened his robe.
Inside Lingyun Hall, more than ten people were already seated. Experts from five of the seven great peaks, or the elders representing them, had all arrived, and the relevant stewards from the Ritual Hall, Discipline Hall, and elsewhere were basically all present as well. When they saw Lu Fengmian enter, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“Fengmian arrived late and kept all teachers, senior brothers, and senior sisters waiting. My apologies.” Lu Fengmian bowed, his posture proper.
“It’s all right, the timing is just right.” Seated to the left of the main seat was an old man in a purple robe. Stroking his beard, he smiled faintly; he was the master of the Ritual Hall, a highly respected elder in the middle stage of the Soul Transformation realm.
Lu Fengmian walked to the center of the hall, the place specially left open for the host, and remained standing there.
According to the rules, a meeting like this ought to have been chaired by the sect master or a designated elder. Although he was presiding in their stead, out of respect for the elders present, no seat had been arranged for him.
“Thank you all for coming.” Lu Fengmian’s voice rang clearly through the entire hall. “What we are discussing today is the preparation work for next month’s sect minor competition. Please have Steward Zhou first give a brief introduction to the plan.”
Steward Zhou of the Ritual Hall stood up and began reporting: “Honored elders, this minor competition will still focus on arena matches, with the aim of testing the disciples’ cultivation progress over the past year and encouraging them to make progress. The participants are all inner sect disciples and elite disciples.”
Lu Fengmian nodded. This was the usual practice from past years.
Lingyun Sect’s elite disciple rankings were a dynamic and independent ranking list, with a fixed total of 365 spots in each term, symbolizing the very best among the inner sect disciples.
And the minor competition was precisely one of the most important moments for personnel reshuffling.
Steward Zhou continued, “As for the rules, we will follow the old precedent. Inner sect disciples may spar with one another, and they may also challenge the elite rankings; elite disciples may challenge one another as well. The winner takes the rank and exchanges places with the loser.”
“Regarding rewards,” Steward Zhou said, raising his voice slightly, “besides the conventional prizes, this year we have also specially established the following: the top ten of the elite disciple rankings may obtain an opportunity to cultivate in the ‘Scripture Pavilion’ for three days; the top three will additionally receive one earth-tier medium-grade magic treasure; and the first-place winner will receive one earth-tier high-grade magic treasure, as well as one opportunity to enter the ‘Cliff of Enlightenment’ for seven days of meditation.”
Several elders in the hall listened and nodded from time to time.
“In addition, we have also set up special exhibitions and assessments for auxiliary skills such as alchemy, divine weapons, talismans, and formations; those who perform exceptionally well may likewise receive rewards.”
As Lu Fengmian listened, his gaze swept over the crowd before he spoke: “Steward Zhou has already explained everything clearly. This is a major sect event for encouraging disciples and selecting talent, and the details require everyone’s joint discussion.”
“First, regarding arena combat sparring, although it is free-form, one point must be made clear: once the limit is reached, it must stop. Malicious injury is strictly forbidden, and violators will be severely punished.”
“Second, the assessment criteria for auxiliary skills must be jointly formulated by the professional elders of each peak and announced in advance.”
“Finally, safety is the top priority. The protective formations must be repaired in advance, the list of responsible elders must be confirmed as soon as possible, and sufficient healing pills must be prepared.”
Everyone present listened seriously. Their expressions varied, but most showed thoughtful or approving looks.
The representative from Wanren Peak, Master Leng Ye, was the first to speak: “The arena rules still need adjustment, and then the judges should decide according to the specific circumstances.”
The elder from Baicao Peak was more concerned about the auxiliary skill assessments: “The assessment standards must be announced beforehand, and two elders each should be sent from our Baicao Peak, Duanxing Peak, Lingzhuan Peak, and Tianyan Peak to judge jointly, so as to avoid favoritism.”
The representatives from the other peaks also voiced their agreement one after another.