CHAPTER 675: CHAPTER 79: 1000 GATHER TOGETHER TO SLAY THE GIANT RACE

After True Master Qin entered the hall, the four noble family True Masters each revealed subtle shifts in expression. True Master Sun furrowed his brows and stood up, letting out a cold chuckle. True Masters Zhu and Yan exchanged a look, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became somewhat nuanced.

True Master Qin strode to the front of the hall as though no one else existed, found a seat to the right of Sect Leader Qin, and sat down. She then spoke, "Senior Brother, this little sister has heard that the esteemed True Masters are discussing who should assume the position among the Top Ten Disciples. In my opinion, Huang Fuzhou has been cultivating in the sect for over a hundred years. In terms of achievement, cultivation level, and seniority, he is not inferior to the Top Ten Disciples. Moreover, he has rendered considerable meritorious service to the Mountain Gate. He should be capable of taking on this position."

As she reached the end of her words, she slowed her pace of speech, raised her fair head, and swept her gaze across the faces of the noble family True Masters with a meaningful glint in her eyes.

True Masters Xiao and Du both remained silent, but True Master Han seemed somewhat intrigued, leaning forward slightly.

True Master Chen sat as rigid as an unmoving clay idol, eyes tightly shut, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

Only True Master Sun scoffed coldly, saying, "True Master Qin, your words are mistaken. Huang Fuzhou was already defeated by Zhang Yan during the grand competition. If he were to take the position of a Top Ten Disciple, how could he command the respect of others?"

True Master Qin glanced at him and said faintly, "Nephew Sun, Zhang Yan merely relied on a Dharma Treasure for his victory that day. If Huang Fuzhou is granted a suitable Dharma Treasure, the outcome would be far from certain."

True Master Sun laughed out of anger and was about to retort when he heard someone from outside the hall saying, "True Master Qin, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment. During the last grand competition, Huang Fuzhou only managed to defeat Luo Yuanhua after an arduous battle. In contrast, this time, Zhang Yan defeated Huang Fuzhou, then triumphed over Luo Yuanhua, proceeded to vanquish Feng Zhen, and even fought Xiao Tang and Du De to a draw. I ask you, with such a record, who among the Hua Dan disciples in the sect could possibly compare? The difference in their abilities is already crystal clear."

As the voice drew closer, a female cultivator with a phoenix hairpin adorning her coiled hair and a long gown trailing behind her stepped into the hall. When her voice subsided, she happened to arrive in the center of the grand hall. She bowed to the Sect Leader and said, "Disciple Peng Wen Yin pays her respects to Sect Leader True Master."

Sect Leader Qin swept his sleeve with a warm and gentle smile, saying, "Nephew Peng, no need for excessive courtesy. Sit down, and then we can discuss further."

Pend Wen Yin cast a glance around with phoenix-like eyes, gracefully moved forward, and sat with the faction of the teacher-disciple bloodline.

Though the four noble family True Masters maintained composed expressions, they all sensed that the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Judging by the current circumstances, True Master Peng had openly aligned herself with the teacher-disciple faction.

Meanwhile, outside the grand hall, Zhang Yan overheard True Master Peng speaking up on his behalf. He couldn’t help but smile faintly, feeling even more confident in his heart.

This was exactly the scenario he had meticulously planned for—bringing True Master Peng into the fold through his own ascent, thereby inviting her into this grand chess game.

It could be said that the activation of this single critical piece would rejuvenate the entire game.

Earlier, as he adapted to the situation’s momentum, he focused on minor details to identify the breaking point, eventually persuading Qi Yuntian to step down. While the teacher-disciple faction appeared to have suffered by losing the Ten Disciples Leader position, they gained the open support of a Cave Heaven True Master, significantly strengthening their power overall.

The move Zhang Yan made seemed straightforward, but it required sharp insight, a stroke of luck, and decisive action. The opportunity was fleeting—any hesitation would have resulted in its loss.

With the support of True Master Peng, the teacher-disciple faction would no longer need to concern themselves with the balancing tactics of True Master Qin.

Zhang Yan anticipated that True Master Qin would not let him ascend so easily; she would surely maneuver to keep True Master Peng out of the equation.

Yet now, this chess game was already more than halfway won. Tactics and scheming might work for a time but could not prevail indefinitely. Ultimately, everything would rely on personal strength.

At this moment, in the Floating Heavenly Palace’s grand hall, all ten Cave Heaven True Masters of the Mingcang Sect had assembled.

True Master Peng appeared and publicly declared her support for Zhang Yan, then further solidified her stance by sitting with the teacher-disciple faction.

True Master Qin sighed inwardly. She, too, knew of Huang Fuzhou’s shortcomings, but with no better candidates at hand, she had no choice but to push him forward. If True Master Peng had not intervened, she would have had a significant chance of temporarily securing that position for Huang Fuzhou.

Her beautiful eyes shifted slightly as she decided not to argue with True Master Peng. Instead, she directed her words to Sect Leader Qin: "Senior Brother, verbal disputes won’t determine who is the stronger candidate. Whether Huang Fuzhou or Zhang Yan is superior need not be debated further. I admit that my earlier considerations were insufficient. There are numerous talented individuals in our sect; why must these two alone stand out? In my view, how about this—whoever can capture Su Yihong in the upcoming mission to annihilate the Su Family shall ascend to this position. What does everyone think of this proposal?"