The ancient giant bear hiding in the world of immortal cultivation

Chapter 394 Investigation
At this moment, the gray-robed elder didn't say anything. He took out a purple-gold book from his hand, flipped it casually, and saw lines of golden text rise into the air. Inside were records of all the missions issued by the Hidden Origin Society over the years, as well as the income situation of each year.

In the blink of an eye, the old man in gray had already closed the book and said calmly, "It has been 3481 years since Song Guangming took charge of this branch altar. There has never been a year with a profit. There were 45 years of huge losses, 391 years of medium losses, and the rest were all minor losses."

"Furthermore, the task list reveals that he withheld a number of top-tier materials allocated by the Hidden Origin Society. Instead of using them for personal enrichment, he built a new branch altar in the north. This action was extremely inappropriate. Even if he did not embezzle the funds, his extravagance and incompetence were obvious."

"Of course, we must also be fair. The objective environment of the Vermilion Bird Immortal Alliance is very harsh. Song Guangming applied to close the branches of the Vermilion Bird Immortal Alliance more than ten times, but all of them were rejected. The support from the headquarters was also relatively limited. Overall, we can say that he is not capable enough, but we cannot say that he is incompetent. He also has his difficulties. He has worked hard even if he has no merit. This is also a fact."

"So let's vote, one item at a time. First, let's vote on 'Lying Flat' – has it committed dereliction of duty?"

Upon hearing this, the woman in white and the young man in black exchanged glances. The latter then said indifferently, "Speaking of facts, the base of the Hidden Origin Bell is not damaged, so Song Guangming's questioning is invalid. Moreover, Song Guangming is ignorant of the situation, rash and impulsive, careless and wasteful, and should be admonished."

The woman in white also said, "That's right. Speaking of facts, Tangpingjun is innocent. It is Song Guangming who is too incompetent. After this incident, the relationship between Song Guangming and Tangpingjun will be difficult to repair. I suggest that one of them be transferred, or let Yin Yuanzhong make the decision."

The gray-robed old man glanced at the white-robed woman with an indifferent expression, then waved his hand in the void, and a golden light dissipated, seemingly withdrawing the investigation into Wang Wu.

"Continue the vote on the punishment of Song Guangming."

"Old Gray's words make sense. Even if he didn't achieve anything, he still put in a lot of effort. A reprimand will suffice," the young man in black chuckled.

"Incompetent and muddle-headed, I suggest replacing the head of the Vermilion Bird Immortal Alliance branch." The woman in white had a different opinion.

The old man in gray looked at her quietly for a while, then said calmly, "I abstain."

"Then I'll abstain too. I agree with Frost Lord's opinion." The young man in black continued to laugh it off.

"Very good, the investigation is over. The results will be reported to headquarters. You two may leave now!"

The old man in gray said nothing more and left.

The young man in black stayed behind and looked at the woman in white. “Shuang Jun, the location of the Vermilion Bird Immortal Alliance is a remote and desolate place. It’s also during the coldest time of the year. At this time, no elder of the Hidden Origin Society is willing to take charge of this branch. Although Song Guangming is incompetent and stupid, he is still a ninth-rank elder and can barely keep the situation in check and protect the Hidden Origin Bell. Do you want to promote that Lying Flat Lord? He is still one rank away from becoming a ninth-rank elder.”

"Furthermore, those who have always served as the head of the Yinyuan Society's branch altars must have the strength of a Taiyi True Immortal at the third level or above. Otherwise, they will not be able to withstand the seasonal changes that occur once every hundred years. If you dismiss Song Guangming, that guy might actually think it's a favor."

The woman in white smiled and said, "I don't care what he thinks, but there is indeed a suitable candidate who will be willing to come. As for the little bear, the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. Let him survive this change of seasons first."

After saying that, the woman in white left.

The young man in black stood there for a moment, lost in thought. He took out a five-colored jade talisman, waved it slightly, and transformed into an ordinary person, landing directly from the clouds into a small courtyard in Dragon Head City.

Here, Song Guangming sat dejectedly. He had obviously received the message and couldn't believe that something that seemed foolproof could suddenly go wrong.

Upon seeing the young man in black appear, Song Guangming felt as if he had found his pillar of support and immediately knelt down with a thud.

"Master! Master! Your disciple has been wronged!"

The young man in black still had a smile on his face, and even patted Song Guangming on the shoulder, saying gently, "This time it's not your fault. You just didn't think things through and ran into a more powerful opponent. It's nothing serious. You applied for a transfer several times before, but I advised you to stay. Now you can take this opportunity to leave."

"There's no need to harbor any resentment. I won't repeat the reasons here. Go back to headquarters and go into seclusion for a while."

"Here!"

Song Guangming obeyed, but in the end he couldn't hold back, "Master, I want to know, where exactly did I lose?"

"Where did you lose? Of course, it's because you weren't strong enough. If you could cultivate to the ninth level of Taiyi True Immortal and develop the Heavenly Eye and the Wise Heart, how could you not see through that bear cub's methods? How could you not even be able to handle a small matter like repairing a damaged base? How could you have remained mediocre in the Vermilion Bird Immortal Alliance for three thousand years, accomplishing nothing?"

"I told you, don't dwell on it, don't hold a grudge, and don't try to get revenge. Even if you kill that brat in the future, it will only affect your own mental state. If you're not as skilled as others, that's just being bad. You need to go into seclusion and train. Don't make excuses or find reasons."

"Yes, disciple obeys. Disciple will return to the Hidden Origin headquarters for seclusion." Song Guangming kowtowed in thanks, then left silently without packing up.

The young man in black was still waiting in the courtyard. A moment later, a figure appeared silently not far away; it was the old man in gray.

"Old Grey, thank you for earlier. If it weren't for your help in covering up, the wicked things my unfilial disciple has done would be enough to send him to the Great Wilderness Sin Prison Tower for three thousand years. Where did he get the guts to deceive his superiors and misappropriate the top-tier supplies allocated by headquarters for his own use? Does he think he's some kind of unparalleled divine strategist who can pull off a flawless scheme? No, he's just relying on me to clean up his messes. What a scumbag this is!"

The young man in black cursed angrily. It was hard to imagine that he had just been so gentle and kind to Song Guangming. He must have loved him deeply!

A mocking glint flashed in the gray-robed elder's eyes, but he chuckled and said, "Song Guangming does have some merits; at least he's quite steady. He didn't suffer a complete loss this time. Experiencing a few more trials and tribulations won't be a bad thing for him. But what do you plan to do with that 'Lying Flat' guy?" "What do you mean, 'dispose of'? Elder Gray, are you joking? He's already a first-rank steward of my Hidden Origin Society. One more rank and he'll be a ninth-rank elder. Such a rising star, I'm too busy protecting him to possibly dispose of him. To be honest, I want to take him as my disciple."

The young man in black smiled slightly, his expression softening.

"What a coincidence! I've been thinking about taking on a disciple recently, and this patrol has yielded great results. This 'Lying Flat Lord' is just what I'm looking for! Black Emperor, thank you for your help. Consider this favor my thanks."

"Wait a minute, Elder Gray, is this appropriate?"

The young man in black still smiled gently.

“What’s inappropriate about it? We, the Hidden Origin Society, are very particular about rules. You owe me a favor first, so until you repay that favor, you have to give way to me.”

The old man in gray smiled slightly, confident of victory.

Upon hearing this, the black-clad youth's gentle smile froze on his face. He had no idea. He usually had no dealings with this old man, nor any conflict of interest. They were just passing by each other. Yet today, he was unexpectedly speaking well of Song Guangming. Damn it!
Exchanging one apprentice for another, what a cunning scheme!

No, no, this time the headquarters sent people to inspect and audit, this old man in gray didn't need to come. He asked to come, and even changed his schedule with another elder. This old guy had planned this all along.

"You've cultivated to the twenty-seventh level of Divine Calculation?"

The young man in black looked horrified.

Divine divination is a great supernatural power that humans can only master after completing three thousand Daoist arts, and it is on par with the precognitive supernatural power of the demon race.

Originally, the realm was divided into nine grades, with three levels in each grade, hence it was also called the twenty-seven grades or twenty-seven realms. However, as time went on, especially after the emergence of several geniuses and incredibly powerful demon clans, the term gradually shifted towards the demon clans' version, namely, twenty-seven levels.

Simpler and clearer.

This is almost the highest level that can be reached below the Great Luo Golden Immortal level.

"Hehe, not level 27, just a little short. However, on a whim, I deduced that I was destined to have a closed-door disciple, which is still not a problem."

"Even the Hidden Origin Bell can't block your deductions?"

At this moment, the young man in black had lost interest in arguing and did not want to offend the old man in gray. Instead, he asked curiously, "The divine calculation ability of the human race and the precognitive ability of the demon race are the most mysterious. Low-level divine calculation or low-level precognition is one thing, but level twenty-seven, the entire Hidden Origin Society probably only has this one person."

"It will definitely have an impact, but some secrets can still be revealed." The gray-robed elder smiled slightly.

"So, Elder Grey, what are we waiting for? Call your disciple over, I'd like to broaden my horizons too. I just recently acquired a treasure, which can serve as a gift."

The young man in black laughed and said, "Since things have come to this, there's no point in arguing. So let's just have some fun, since we'll run into each other again eventually."

The old man in gray shook his head.

"I don't know where it is. There's no trace of it in the entire Dragon Head City. It's probably in the cave of the Hidden Origin Bell. Let's wait and see."

"wait?"

The young man in black was somewhat taken aback, but he didn't say anything. Indeed, if he didn't wait, he could still smash open the Hidden Yuan Bell and pull out the little bear cub.

Alas, how bitter!

As a result, this wait lasted for three whole days. When Wang Wu finally recovered from the state where his soul and spirit were almost drained, he saw that there were already several more messages on the jade talisman.

"The investigation into you has concluded. It has been basically determined that you have done nothing wrong and have made merits. Song Guangming, the ninth-rank elder of the Yinyuan Society, is dull-witted, incompetent, and narrow-minded. He has been removed from his position as head and ordered to go to headquarters for seclusion to reflect on his mistakes."

"The Third-Rank Elder of the Hidden Origin Society, the Immortal of the Mist Domain, summons you to pay your respects."

"The Dark Domain Immortal, a third-rank elder of the Hidden Origin Society, summons you to pay your respects."

"The Third-Rank Elder of the Hidden Origin Society, Frost Domain Immortal, summons you to pay your respects."

(End of this chapter)