Chapter 313: 244 The Enchantress of the Dayan Sect is also an Enchantress
The ancient ancestor of the royal family, Liang Heng, finally grew weary in his heart. Had he given up on these unworthy descendants earlier, he might have lived a few more years.
On the surface, Princess Liang Lu seemed more suitable to inherit the throne.
However, after discussing with Princess Liang Lu, Liang Heng realized that her heart was set on the path of immortality and she had no interest in the throne. He thus handed over several treasures to her, advising her to practice diligently for the glory of the Liang. Ultimately, he passed the throne to Liang Pei.
The news of Liang Pei’s ascension caused an uproar throughout the Liang Kingdom.
She was the first female Emperor of Liang, and her accession was so bizarre it seemed divinely assisted, creating much talk and spawning an array of folktales and minor anecdotes.
However, the major powers privy to certain details remained much more composed.
Their reactions were largely in line with what Princess Liang Lu had predicted; most were accepting of Empress Liang Pei’s ascension.
But there was one thing Princess Liang Lu hadn’t guessed—the great powers of Liang Kingdom’s wariness towards Jiang Cheng!
As for the Taixu Sect itself, needless to say, they had observed all of Jiang Cheng’s maneuvers from the sidelines.
Jiang Cheng not only efficiently and exceedingly fulfilled the tasks of the Taixu Sect but also sneakily stole a crystal and swindled them out of Princess Liang Lu, the cultivator seed they had painstakingly cultivated.
Fortunately, Lin Yao’s resolve was steadfast; she was not greatly beguiled by Jiang Cheng, otherwise, the Taixu Sect would have been utterly bankrupted by the loss.
Next was the Linlan Sect.
The earliest Plant Autonomy Talisman had already cost the Linlan Sect dearly. Moreover, the recent Enlightenment Experience Talisman not only depleted their cultivation technique reserves but also directly thwarted their attempt to influence the throne. The loss was akin to losing a wife and an army—it was a painfully costly defeat.
Finally, there was the Tongtian Sect.
The Tongtian Sect had been mere spectators in this struggle for the throne—though not entirely, since Jiang Cheng was, after all, one of their own.
Judging by the outcome, the Tongtian Sect broke even, as the other families didn’t gain much, so the Tongtian Sect’s dominant position in the Liang Kingdom remained unchallenged. This round, the Tongtian Sect was like a master stock trader, outperforming ninety-nine percent of investors without even making a move.
But looking towards the future, the Tongtian Sect had suffered a significant blow, and the entire sect was in a state of alarm.
Because Jiang Cheng is only a freshman this year, he must remain at Lotus University for at least three more years!
Three years!
Who knew what else he could pull off?
Members of the Tongtian Sect’s Capital University branch were now on edge, fearing that any misstep might draw Jiang Cheng’s attention, leading to disaster.
To address this situation, the high-ranking cultivators of the Tongtian Sect’s Capital University branch gathered together.
This included the Helmsman Li Ancheng, President Yu Mo of Capital University, Dean Jian Youqiu of the Treasure and Talismans Academy, and President Gao Miao of the Talisman Master Association, among other core members.
The sole topic of their meeting today was: how to politely request the great Jiang Cheng of Capital University to leave without causing offense.
“President Gao, among us, you are most familiar with Jiang Cheng. You start,” said Li Ancheng.
Gao Miao felt troubled inside; being acquainted with Jiang Cheng wasn’t the same as having a method to deal with him!
“Well, I believe that Jiang Cheng chose to apply to Lotus Cloud University because he had his sights set on the Tongtian Sect. After all, if he wanted to go to the Linlan Sect, he would definitely have chosen Capital University there was no need to go through the rigmarole at Lotus University,” he said.
After listening, Li Ancheng mused, “So you’re suggesting we go with the flow and try to send Jiang Cheng to the Tongtian Sect?”
Yu Mo shook his head and said, “Skipping grades to advance directly into the Tongtian Sect can only be accommodated by schools affiliated with the Gen Mountain Branch. Our Lotus University doesn’t have enough authority for that.”
The oldest among them, Jian Youqiu, said, “It might not need to be us who send him away; we could have someone come and ask for him!”
Yu Mo’s eyes lit up. “Dean Jian, you mean to say…”
“There’s more than one way into the Tongtian Sect than just through examinations. If an Elder of the sect, a Spirit Mountain Master, or a Spirit Peak Master is willing to take Jiang Cheng as a disciple, then he can bypass the exams and enter the Tongtian Sect directly!”
The organizational structure of the Tongtian Sect is relatively dispersed; in theory, it can be considered a large alliance composed of many smaller sects.
Therefore, each of the smaller sects within the Tongtian Sect has a certain degree of autonomy. No one can stop a master of a peak from taking a disciple if they wish.
As long as the candidate is suitable, has a clean background, and shows no traces of the Demonic Tao, no one really interferes with the recruitment.
After all, the resources of the Tongtian Sect aren’t distributed per capita; most peaks are expected to be self-sufficient and profitable on their own, so the concern about acquiring disciples falls on the shoulders of the mountain and peak masters, not the unrelated members of other peaks.
Li Ancheng said, “Now the question is, which elder is willing to take Jiang Cheng in?”
“That…”
Everyone was momentarily at a loss for words.
It wasn’t that they lacked connections within the Tongtian Sect; it was that ordinary gifts wouldn’t suffice to sway a peak master’s decision.
Moreover, even if the subrudder were to pay for it, what if, after sending Jiang Cheng over, they faced poor reviews and a refusal to refund? Not only would they fail to solve the issue, but they would also offend a high-ranking cultivator.
For a while, everyone inevitably turned their gaze to Li Ancheng.
As the Helmsman of the Tongtian Sect’s Liangguo Subrudder, Li Ancheng was likely the most well-connected cultivator in the whole of the Liang Kingdom. If he had no solution, it was unlikely that this approach would succeed.
Li Ancheng looked thoughtful and said, “I recall that Elder Yu Sheng has been in our Liang Kingdom for over a hundred years, hasn’t he? He’s old, experienced, well-qualified, and nearly at the point of returning to the main sect. Why don’t we let him make the trip for us?”