The Six Elders immediately took turns to scrutinize the gold-edged letter, and the last to handle it was Yin Huixing, who also always stood at the end when the elders were ranked.

As the first five elders inspected it, Bian Jixiong patiently waited, but once it reached his wife, he no longer waited and directly spoke out, "Each sect needs to send five individuals to attend the conference, let's decide who to send."

Yin Huixing frowned slightly, glanced at her husband, and then quickly skimmed over the content of the letter.

The elder positioned first on the left and also the oldest, Yi Huachun, raised a question, "After the Sect Master received the notification, have you contacted the Domain Office? What does it mean to restrict the participants' cultivation to below the High Martial Great Success Realm? I can understand restricting it to below the Human Immortal Realm, but since those with High Martial cultivation can attend, why specifically exclude those in the Great Success Realm?"

After hearing this, some nodded and some looked curious, but all turned their gaze to the ones with higher authority.

Bian Jixiong nodded and said, "After receiving the notification, I had many questions as well, and have already contacted the Domain Office. The decision was made after consulting with many sects. The reason is quite simple, those who have reached the High Martial Great Success Realm are just one step away from entering the Human Immortal Realm. For such individuals to fall in this affair is a pity for all sects, so it was set to be below the Great Success Realm."

The elder seated at the forefront on the right side, with a stern and severe face, Elder Ke Yizong asked, "Fall? Are there going to be that many casualties in the search for the Insect Extreme Crystal?"

His colleague seated next to him, Elder Feng Youzhi, raised his hand to pat his shoulder and gave a bitter smile, "Old Ke, why choose the places of North Wilderness and West Pole as the testing ground?"

Elder Ke stroked his beard, "North Wilderness's bright moon and West Pole's flowing essence are where the Insect Extreme Crystals are most commonly found."

Elder Feng continued, "The area of the West Pole is vast and desolate. With so many people scattered in there, who can keep an eye on everyone? Since there's competition involved, do you think they can avoid conflict?"

Elder Xia Fu, positioned second on the left, agreed, "Exactly. There are always some who think they are superior and can't stand others finding more than them, especially disciples from the large sects. They can't tolerate being outdone and will inevitably take action against others in secret."

Following his words, Elder Cui Youfei hummed, "Not to mention other places, just in our Sheng Province, the so-called rewards publicly listed in the notification alone, in my opinion, are a disaster waiting to happen. The sect that achieves the most will gain the benefit of having an 'Xun Gate' built at their doorstep. If an 'Xun Gate' were built in Lankang City, this desolate place would become bustling immediately. What does this mean for all sects? The temptation is too great. The sects within Sheng Province will start fighting among themselves; I really don't understand what the Domain Master is thinking."

Elder Feng added, "But it can't be helped, without enough incentives, who would give their all? Such grand events are rare in Shengshen Continent, seen only once in many years. Believe it or not, certain dignitaries will start gambling, and they will bet eagerly once they involve themselves. If they mix in, things will probably turn sour. I even have reason to suspect they are behind the promotion of this grand event. Not to mention those noblewomen, to them, this bustling affair is a joyous gathering, while the disciples from various sects fight fiercely below."

"That's enough," seeing the discussion getting heated, Bian Jixiong promptly interjected to interrupt, "Some things are better left unsaid here. Let's get back to discussing who to send, shall we?"

With a stern face, Elder Ke said, "Knowing that people will die, do we still need to send disciples to their deaths? The letter does not say we must go to Wukang Mountain, we might as well refuse to try."

Bian Jixiong waved his hand dismissively, "Although Wukang Mountain is situated within Sheng Province, we have often dealt directly with the Royal Court, and you all know that the Domain Office has had grievances against us for a long time. Now that there's a matter in Sheng Province, and it's time for us to contribute, refusing to take part won't please anyone. Do you think they have no means to deal with us? Do the elders still want to move freely in Sheng Province?"

Elder Ke retorted, "Then you tell us, Sect Master, which disciples should we send to their demise? Excluding the use of talismans, Wukang Mountain's combat strength in Sheng Province doesn't even rank within the top thousand. What right do we have to participate in such a contest? With so many people from the entire Shengshen Continent involved, even if we gave away all of Wukang Mountain's talismans to the participating disciples, it still wouldn't be enough!"

His words also highlighted the most awkward part about Wukang Mountain. Although their talismans were useful and quite profitable, they depended on nature and couldn't increase production. This limitation indirectly affected many other aspects, including the number of disciples.

Bian Jixiong gestured with his hands for him to calm down, "Elder Ke is being too serious. Wukang Mountain does not aspire to compete for rankings or for the 'Xun Gate' to be built on our grounds. We're just there to make up the numbers. Our disciples are protected by talismans, and as long as we don't vie for anything, it's unlikely that anyone would deliberately come looking for trouble. Elder Ke, and all the elders, there are many things beyond our control. Once again, do you still want to move around Sheng Province in the future?"

The group fell into silence.

Bian Jixiong continued, "What I mean is, to announce the news to the entire sect and let those who are willing sign up. Then, we can choose five individuals from those who have signed up. If there are no volunteers, we can designate some later. What do you elders think?"

Elder Xia Fu suddenly sighed, "That seems to be the only way. It's not appropriate to send anyone to take risks. Elder Ke is known for his fairness, and his decisions are trusted by the disciples. I think the selection should be left to Elder Ke to handle."

The elders nodded in succession.

Seeing the agreement, Bian Jixiong said, "Very well, then that's settled."

Elder Ke was very efficient in his work, and soon posted a related announcement on the mountain, causing a sensation throughout Wukang Mountain.

Inside the case room, Bian Jixiong held an announcement posted by Elder Ke. The content made his face darken; stating the matter would have sufficed, but why did Elder Ke have to spend so much space describing the dangers of the conference? Now, who would dare to sign up?

He hoped the disciples would volunteer. If it came to making designations later, assigning anyone would lead to accusations of favoritism.

Angrily, he tore the announcement to shreds and slammed the table. But he couldn't do anything to Elder Ke, who was just making the risks clear. Had he done anything wrong?

Just then, Bian Weiyin arrived in a hurry, holding the notice. Seeing the torn notice on the ground, a flash in her eyes revealed her sudden understanding.

"What are you here for?" Bian Jixiong erupted upon seeing the notice in her hands.

Bian Weiyin first performed a formal salute, then stated solemnly, "Father, I wish to sign up for the meeting!"

Bian Jixiong was taken aback, frowning as he said, "Stop joking, this doesn't concern you. Everyone knows you resigned from your position as City Lord to focus on cultivation. No one will criticize you for not getting involved. Just go back to your cultivation quietly."

Bian Weiyin: "Father, I really want to go."

Bian Jixiong: "I'm not joking with you either. The dangers mentioned there are real; it's not child's play."

Bian Weiyin: "It's precisely because it's dangerous that I must go, and I want to be the first to sign up. Because I am your daughter, the daughter of the Sect Master. If I am the first to volunteer, then whoever else is chosen to go after won't be able to accuse you of unfairness."

She indeed wanted to be the first to sign up. To her, it was a golden opportunity to showcase herself. She desperately wanted her father to recognize her efforts—even receiving a single approving look from him would be tremendously encouraging.

It was also a chance to earn prestige. From the moment she saw the notice, she knew another opportunity to boost her prestige had come. When the disciples of the sect faced danger, she was the first to stand up!

That was why she had hurried over.

She had done similar things before, but this time was more serious because the danger was real.

She believed that prestige was built up bit by bit in this manner. She thought that as long as her contributions were significant enough for everyone to feel them, who could say she wasn't qualified?

Bian Jixiong fell silent, his gaze flickering before he slowly said, "Actually, for our Wukang Mountain disciples, it's not very dangerous. First, we don't want to fight for anything, it's just a formality. Second, we will provide enough talismans for self-protection. Making it safely to the end shouldn't be a big problem. The real issue now is your mother. She definitely won't agree."

Bian Weiyin excitedly said, "As long as father agrees, that's enough. I will persuade mother."

Bian Jixiong replied with a helpless, bitter smile, "Let's wait until your mother agrees."

"Alright." Bian Weiyin turned and ran. After stepping out of the door, she paused and looked back, seeing the relief, admiration, and approval in her father's eyes. She felt so elated that she could almost take flight. Her departing steps became incredibly light as she saw everything in a brilliant, sunny light.

Inside the Punishment Court, during the leisure time of the day.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang sat on the steps under the eaves to enjoy the spectacle, watching Pang Tiansheng and a circle of people discussing the notice about the meeting.

The conversation turned to the risk involved, and everyone debated who would sign up to go.

"Let's say hypothetically, and I'm just assuming, what if no one signs up, or there aren't enough volunteers? Do you think those of us here in the Punishment Court who have erred might be nominated to go?"

Someone suddenly blurted out this comment, immediately eliciting a wave of anxious worries.

Pang Tiansheng, sitting on the stone mill, fell silent, obviously also considering the possibility.

Wu Jinliang whispered aside to Shi Chun, "It would be best if that chubby guy gets picked."

Not satisfied with just whispering, and not wanting to be a petty person who gossips behind others' backs, he called out loudly, "If it comes down to the Punishment Court, Brother Pang, being such a responsible man, will definitely be the first to step up and take the lead, won't you?"

He always purposefully blurred the pronunciation of "Pang" and "fat."

Pang Tiansheng recognized the voice as soon as he heard it, instinctively wanting to turn around and glare back, but he forcefully restrained himself, suspecting the troublemaker was deliberately trying to provoke him. He took a deep breath to hold back, not taking the bait, remembering his junior sister had asked him to look after them.

There were quite a few holding back laughs.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, on the other hand, continued to enjoy the lively scene, taking pleasure in the others' fearful expressions. They didn't have to worry about this danger since it would not befall them—they were not disciples of Wukang Mountain.

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