A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

After Lingji, Huinuma, and Daorong left, the room fell into silence.

After a short while, Ji Wuyai cleared his throat and said, "As you all know, my Qingyang Sect has always adhered to a policy of balance, which is essentially the idea of ​​harmony leading to prosperity. Now the situation among the various sects of the Nine Provinces has changed somewhat. The Taiyi Sect has two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. I think everyone understands the implications of this. Rather than creating chaos and conflict, let's discuss a solution. How should we divide the benefits? Let's all share our opinions."

After Ji Wuyai finished speaking, the atmosphere fell into silence again.

A few breaths later, Fu Hongyu spoke first, saying, "How should the benefits be divided? My Wuji Palace is far away in the north. The affairs of Taiyi Sect, Shenyi Sect, and Tianyan Sect have nothing to do with Wuji Palace."

"It has nothing to do with my Hundred Machines Institute."

"The Free and Unfettered Alliance will not participate either."

Upon hearing Fu Hongyu's words, Shang Lu, the patriarch of the Hundred Machines Academy, and Ke Qian, the patriarch of the Free and Unfettered Alliance, immediately echoed her sentiments.

Fu Hongyu glanced at the two of them with disdain.

Those two old bastards, so cunning and shrewd, clearly had the same intentions, yet they deliberately hid behind her, a woman, pretending to be mute unless she spoke.

Seeing this scene, Ji Wuyai simply sat there expressionless. The Qingyang Sect did indeed adhere to a policy of balance, but it was definitely not the kind of harmony that he had just mentioned.

The so-called "equalization of sects" strategy of Qingyang Sect is actually a matter of whoever becomes powerful uniting with other sects to curb their development.

The powerful sect now is Taiyi Sect.

In fact, among all the sects in the Nine Provinces, the one that least wanted the Taiyi Sect to take the lead was the Qingyang Sect.

Now that Wuji Palace, Baiji Academy, and Xiaoyao Alliance are all challenging Taiyi Sect, Ji Wuyai is naturally happy to stand by and watch, so why would he care?
Duan Rong's gaze swept over Shang Lu, Ke Qian, and Fu Hongyu, and he smiled, saying, "When the fist gets bigger, the appetite naturally gets bigger too. I think you all understand this principle, right?"

Fu Hongyu turned to Shang Lu and Ke Qian, and sneered, "They're asking you a question! Are you two pretending to be mute?"

Shang Lu and Ke Qian both looked rather grim.

Ke Qian said, "Since our three sects are not connected to the Taiyi Sect, no matter how big Brother Duan's appetite is, can it swallow the sky?"

Before Duan Rong could speak, Li Ku of the Tianyan Sect jumped out and shouted, "The Nine Provinces are one. Wuji Palace, Baiji Academy, and Xiaoyao Alliance, it's not so easy for you to stay out of this. It's true that your three sects don't border Taiyi Sect, but Ke Mazi, don't forget that your Xiaoyao Alliance borders my Tianyan Sect!"

Ke Qian's face was pockmarked, so Li Ku, somewhat annoyed, simply called him "Ke the Pockmarked."

Li Ku's anger was not without reason. If Wuji Palace, Baiji Academy, and Xiaoyao Alliance remained uninvolved, then only his Tianyan Sect and Shenyi Sect would have to bear the pressure from Taiyi Sect.

Seeing Li Ku's unfriendly words, Ke Qian's face darkened further. He said, "What? Does your Tianyan Sect intend to lose one thing and gain another?"

Li Ku chuckled coldly twice and said, "Why not?!" He then turned to Zhuang Tairu and said, "Old Zhuang, if the Free and Unfettered Alliance stays out of it, would you be willing to join forces with me to attack the Free and Unfettered Alliance?"

Zhuang Tairu naturally knew that Li Ku wanted to drag the other sects down with him and face the pressure from the Taiyi Sect together. At this time, he naturally could not hold Li Ku back, so he said, "Of course. Old Li, I will stand with you through thick and thin."

"You!?" Ke Qian's face was as black as the bottom of a pot as he roared, "Are you trying to provoke a war between sects!"

"It's not that bad...it's not that bad...everyone, calm down..." Ji Wuyai was getting more and more carried away with the conversation, and his goal was to unite the various sects to suppress the Taiyi Sect. Why were they starting to fight amongst themselves?

Ji Wuyai said, "Brother Li is right about something. The Nine Provinces are one. I think no one should talk about staying out of it. Let's discuss and come up with a concrete plan."

Duan Rong suddenly said, "Our Taiyi Sect already has a plan. Everyone can listen to it first."

Seeing that the time was almost right, Duan Rong picked it out directly.

The eyes of everyone in the room instantly focused on Duan Rong, and for a moment, they all had different thoughts.

Duan Rong turned to Zhu He and said, "Zhu He, tell the elders about the plan you have proposed."

Zhu He immediately felt immense pressure. Everyone present was a powerful figure at the Nascent Soul Realm. Duan Rong didn't feel any pressure from that divine soul, but he was already covered in cold sweat.

Zhu He's lips trembled slightly as he said, "This plan is only a preliminary one. If any of you elders feel there are any issues, please feel free to point them out..."

After Zhu He finished presenting his proposal, a brief silence fell over the room.

Of all the people present, Ji Wuyai of the Qingyang Sect had the most unpleasant expression, because Zhu He's plan was surprisingly ingenious and reliable. It involved both a matter of tact and a keen understanding of the situations of various sects.

Ji Wuyai did not expect that Taiyi Sect could come up with such a plan. His real purpose in organizing this negotiation was to make them break down.

Taiyi Sect made exorbitant demands, and the other sects, unwilling to be at their mercy, joined forces with the other sects to pressure Taiyi Sect during the ensuing conflict.

But now Taiyi Sect's proposal is very tactful, as if they have seen through his thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Fu Hongyu spoke first: "This proposal is worth discussing."

At this moment, Li Yunjing suddenly whispered something to Li Ku.

Li Ku immediately looked at Zhu He and said, "In the past few months, how much benefit has your Taiyi Sect swallowed up in terms of border interests? These should also be included in the negotiation proposal."

Duan Rong coldly said, "Since you've swallowed it, it belongs to my Taiyi Sect. If you're not satisfied, you can swallow it back."

"You!?" Li Ku stared at Duan Rong, speechless for a moment.

Lu Yinlin chuckled and said, "Elders, let's discuss the plan itself. If you have any opinions on the details, please feel free to raise them."

The room immediately became lively.

It was mostly Zhu He who connected with the various sects.

Zhu He faced six opponents, and these six were from six sects, not six individuals. At first, under the pressure of divine souls, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, but gradually he relaxed, somewhat like a debate with a group of scholars.

The discussion continued into the night, with many issues still unresolved. Because it was late and everyone was tired, they had to adjourn and discuss it again the next day.

This Miaokuo Courtyard has been the site of Miaokuo's small gatherings for tens of thousands of years, so the arrangement of everyone's rooms has long been established.

Duan Rong followed a monk into his room and found it contained nothing more than a table, a chair, a bed, some bedding, and a few tea sets. Duan Rong laughed and said, "The Buddhist temple is truly a pure land!"

Duan Rong's words were half sarcastic, and the monk understood. He glanced at Duan Rong, then turned and left.

After the monks left, Duan Rong sat on the bed for a while, then poured himself a glass of water.

He sat at the cold table, drank the water sip by sip, and then walked out of the room. It was still early, and he was wide awake.

It was already night. Duan Rong walked out of his room, stood in the courtyard, and looked up.

The light curtain that enveloped the temple shimmered with colorful rays of light from the outside, but when you looked up from here, it was pitch black.

In fact, the array of runes and light that enveloped the temple was originally hidden. If it weren't for the fact that the entire Miaokuo Courtyard was hidden deep in the desert during the Miaokuo Small Gathering, no one would have been able to discover it.

The light was specially illuminated because a small gathering was to be held, just so that everyone could find their seats.

After they all arrived, the glow of the sunset had already disappeared.

Duan Rong walked slowly through the courtyard, which had three sections and was decorated with many lanterns.

The temple was eerily silent, both inside and out, without the usual chanting or hymns of a temple.

The ancient pines and cypresses, illuminated by lanterns, looked somewhat eerie in the deathly silence.

Duan Rong bypassed the main hall and the Heavenly King Hall, arriving at the temple gate, only to find it closed. He couldn't help but sigh slightly. In truth, what he longed for were the four pure gold Buddha heads outside the temple, but now that the gate was closed, he couldn't easily leap out.

It was his first time attending the Miao Kuo Small Gathering, and it was perfectly normal for him to go and see the four pure gold Buddha heads. He could also take the opportunity to devour the spirits of the Buddha heads. However, if he climbed over the wall at night, it would arouse suspicion.

With the temple gates closed, Duan Rong had no choice but to put aside his worries and leisurely stroll through the enchanting night.

Duan Rong strolled to the back courtyard of his residence and saw a faint halo of light shining through a secluded corner.

His eyes lit up, and he went out. He saw a small courtyard with a stone plaque above the gate with four characters as sharp as iron hooks: Huikong Zen Temple.

There is a small stone tower in the courtyard, about waist-high, and the faint halo of light shines from the top of the stone tower.

The courtyard was quiet. Duan Rong was unsure if he could enter, so he stood under the plaque of Huikong Temple and asked, "Is anyone in the courtyard?"

He asked twice but received no answer, so he slowly walked in, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he headed toward the stone tower at the top, which was shimmering with a faint glow.

Duan Rong walked up to the stone pagoda and looked down at it intently.

The top of the stone tower was a recessed area, which was a glass box.

Inside the glass box were more than twenty bone fragments of varying sizes and shapes, each about the size of a little fingernail, emitting a soft white light.

Duan Rong was slightly surprised. He didn't know what those joints were, but he could sense their extraordinary nature. After reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, his perception of the world had become much sharper. The moment he looked at those joints, he clearly felt something surging within him.

"Junior Brother Duan."

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard gate. It was Lü Yinlin, who had come out for a stroll out of boredom in the night.

Duan Rong turned his head and glanced at the courtyard gate. "Senior Brother Lü."

Lu Yinlin walked in slowly with a smile, looking at the stone pagoda and said, "The stone pagoda in Huikong Temple enshrines the Buddha's bone relic of Master Ci'en, the founder of the Faxiang School."

"Buddha's relics!?" Duan Rong's face was filled with astonishment; he hadn't expected that this object would actually be a relic.

Lü Yinlin said, "That's right."

Duan Rong said, "This relic should be a priceless treasure. But it seems that no one is guarding this place."

Lu Yinlin said, "I don't know. Sometimes there are people there." He glanced at the dark room in the courtyard and continued, "But this stone tower is also shrouded in a talisman array."

Duan Rong's eyes flickered. He hadn't gotten very close just now, so he obviously hadn't triggered the rune array.

Lu Yinlin said, "The talisman arrays covering the stone pagoda and the temple are interconnected, both originating from the talisman array of the suppression pagoda. In other words, even if this place is unguarded, stealing the Buddha's relics would be equivalent to breaking the talisman array of the suppression pagoda. In all of the Nine Provinces, I'm afraid no one has that ability!"

Duan Rong was slightly startled. The array of runes on the Tower of Suppression was designed to suppress gods and demons; even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't break it. Thinking of this, his brow twitched. He remembered the four pure gold Buddha heads outside the temple. If they were also shrouded in runes, it would be troublesome for him to devour the spirits of the artifacts.

Duan Rong asked, "Senior Brother Lü, are those four pure gold Buddha heads outside the temple also covered by talisman arrays?"

Lu Yinlin's eyes flickered. He hadn't expected Duan Rong to suddenly mention those Buddha heads, so he said, "I don't think so. Those aren't just Buddha heads; the entire thing is a pure gold statue the size of a mountain. There's a large talisman array covering them and the temple, so there's no need to create a separate talisman array for the statue."

"I see." Duan Rong felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

Once Duan Rong confirmed that there were no talisman arrays blocking the Buddha's head, he focused his gaze on the relic before him and asked, "Senior Brother Lü, what is so wondrous about this relic?"

Lu Yinlin said, "This relic is a sacred object for healing. If our nascent souls are injured, nourishing them with this object will greatly benefit our healing."

Duan Rong's eyes lit up. Just now, when he saw the Buddha's relic, his nascent soul in his dantian also reacted.

Lu Yinlin said, "It's getting late, junior brother, let's go back."

The two left Huikong Temple and chatted as they walked back.

Reaching the door of Duan Rong's room, Duan Rong said, "That Zhuang Tairu said he wanted to play another game of chess with me, but I haven't seen him all night."

Lu Yinlin said, "He and Li Ku are in the room, studying the proposal Zhu He put forward today. They're so stressed out that they have no time to play chess."

Duan Rong smiled slightly upon hearing this. Zhu He was most skilled at this kind of thing; this time, it had given him a chance to shine before the various sects of the Nine Provinces. (End of Chapter)