Laying on the bed, Jiang Chen was both excited and tired, so he eventually fell asleep.
Zi Xia entered the hall, where many peak masters, elders, and the sect master were seated, with the sect master sitting at the center on a throne-like chair.
She took her designated seat, and soon after, the sect master addressed everyone.
"Since you're all here, there are some urgent matters I'd like to discuss."
An elder asked, "What is it, Sect Master, that requires all of us to be present?"
All the others were curious about the reason for this sudden gathering.
"As you're all aware, Jiang Chen has betrayed us. I'd like to discuss what should be done about this—should we continue searching for him, or should we leave him be?"
An elder angrily responded, "Of course we should hunt him down. How dare he..."
Another elder said calmly while stroking his beard, "Yes, he disrespected the sect, disrespected his master, and disrespected our ancestral teachings. For the sake of the dao, he should be punished severely."
"Yes, our sect's honor is on the line. What would others say if we can't even punish a single traitor?" another elder chimed in.
The sect master nodded at their words and looked at Gu Yan, who was quietly listening. "Gu Yan, what do you think?"
Gu Yan calmly replied, "Everybody is equal in the eyes of the sect's law." Then, she closed her eyes, not adding anything further.
The sect master turned toward Zi Xia and asked, "What do you think, Peak Master Zi Xia? Since you weren't present during his judgment, I'd like to hear your opinion."
Everyone knew about Jiang Chen's history with Zi Xia, and they were eager to see how she would react—whether she would laugh at him or regret not being there when he was banished.
Zi Xia's heart was burning with rage upon hearing all of this, and she wanted to blast them all into pieces. But she knew she couldn't. They were just insignificant dogs, and they didn't matter. She calmed herself.
In a cold voice, she replied, "Sect Master, why don't you talk about the real reason for this 'gathering'? You've already punished him, abolished his cultivation, and now you're hunting him down. I don't think there's any reason for this new 'judgment gathering,' is there?"
The sect master smiled knowingly. "You're right. He's not that important that I'd gather all the important people of the sect just to judge him... I just wanted to lighten the mood," he said with a laugh.
Hearing this, Zi Xia's anger reached a boiling point. What do you mean he's not important? He is the most important! But you... you are not important. Your whole family is not important. Your whole sect is not important...
Though she cursed inwardly, her face remained calm. She closed her eyes and said nothing further.
Her disrespect toward the sect master was quite obvious, but Zi Xia had always been like this—unconcerned about anyone's authority.
The sect master didn't mind, nor did the others. However, Gu Yan noticed Zi Xia's true feelings. She knew that Zi Xia had never truly hated Jiang Chen, despite her outward actions. In fact, she had once approached Gu Yan after the disciple acceptance ceremony, asking her to hand Jiang Chen over to her, but Gu Yan had refused. Zi Xia's constant glaring at Jiang Chen had always shown her obsession with him, but now, she seemed to be controlling herself and avoiding talking about him. Gu Yan wasn't sure why, but she could feel that something had changed with Zi Xia. She didn't dwell on it, though—it was none of her business.
The others remained focused on the issue at hand. Despite Jiang Chen's cultivation being abolished, and him being hunted, he still possessed something crucial that they needed. The gathering wasn't excessive, but now, there was a more pressing matter.
The sect master continued, "As you all know, since Jiang Chen's banishment, our Holy Son's position is vacant."
"Yes," many elders nodded.
"But what does the Holy Son's position have to do with this gathering? Even before Jiang Chen was chosen as Holy Son, the position had been vacant for nearly 100 years, so it shouldn't be a problem now," an older elder said, stroking his odd-looking beard.
The sect master solemnly replied, "There wouldn't have been a problem if Jiang Chen hadn't been chosen as the Holy Son."
"Sect Master, please tell us clearly what you mean," another elder said, sensing the gravity of the situation.
"Nearly 1,000 years ago, there was a life-and-death duel between the Holy Sons of our Heavenly Sword Sect and Qingyuan Sect. Both fought for many days and nights, and in the end, our Holy Son barely won. The death of Qingyuan Sect's Holy Son sparked a war between our sects, causing many casualties. Eventually, both parties agreed to end the war by forming a condition..."
"And that condition was to let their next generation of Holy Sons have a life-and-death duel..."
~~~~~~~😲😲😲😲😲😲😲~~~~~~
(Audience)