But who could have expected that Harper would suddenly interfere so directly and propose something so outrageous?

The first person to oppose her was Justin.

He was a man with a thick beard and a protruding belly, yet despite his appearance, no one dared underestimate him.

After all, he was already at the 8th level of Spirit Monarch Rank.

A realm that countless mystical cultivators could only dream of reaching.

Justin slowly leaned back against his chair before looking at Harper with cold eyes.

"I refuse."

His voice echoed heavily throughout the conference hall.

"This is too much. She has not done anything for the Mystical Cultivation Association yet."

Everyone present understood exactly why this matter was so important.

The Mystical Cultivation Association did not merely provide resources and missions.

It provided protection. Absolute protection.

As long as a mystical cultivator had not openly committed unforgivable crimes against the association itself, they could use the authority of the Mystical Cultivation Association to escape punishment from ordinary laws.

Whether it was assault, destruction, or even killing someone under the claim that the victim had been possessed, very few people dared investigate deeply.

And even if someone doubted the truth, proving anything against a mystical cultivator was nearly impossible.

Because of that, every person holding authority within the association essentially possessed a guarantee.

A guarantee that ordinary people could never touch them.

Other than protection, the association also granted countless benefits.

Members could obtain special quotas for Mystic Realm explorations, gain access to exclusive cultivation resources, secure positions within prestigious universities, recommend relatives into major corporations, and build connections powerful enough to influence entire cities.

It could honestly be said that anyone who successfully climbed the hierarchy of the Mystical Cultivation Association would eventually stand at the pinnacle of society.

This was precisely why so many people dreamed of joining it.

However, despite those dreams, very few people ever became official high-ranking members.

Especially people like Justin, Gavin, Evelyn, Laurie, and even Barry.

All of them had spent decades struggling before finally reaching their current positions.

Because of that, they absolutely could not tolerate the idea of a girl who had not even graduated yet becoming a manager directly.

One needed to understand that within the association, becoming a manager was extraordinarily difficult.

The minimum requirement was reaching the Celestial Core Rank.

And to become a vice president, one needed to step into the terrifying Spirit Monarch Realm.

As for team leaders, they were usually peak Celestial Core cultivators.

Although these standards were not officially written anywhere, everyone understood them clearly.

Furthermore, even cultivators within the same realm possessed vastly different levels of combat strength and authority.

Two Celestial Core cultivators could never truly be equal.

Their foundations, techniques, bloodlines, combat records, and connections all created massive differences between them.

And yet now, Lana was being directly offered the benefits of a manager.

To them, this situation was simply absurd.

At the same time, it made them deeply uneasy.

At that moment, Gavin suddenly spoke up.

"How about this instead? Lana can receive the benefits equivalent to a team leader. However, she must complete at least twice the amount of missions compared to ordinary unofficial members."

Hearing his suggestion, Harper suddenly chuckled softly.

The sound was calm, yet strangely mocking.

"From what I remember," she said leisurely, "you entered the association through personal connections and skipped the stages of unofficial member and intern entirely before becoming an official member directly."

The smile on her lips widened slightly.

"Do you truly think you are in a position to decide such matters?"

Gavin’s face instantly stiffened. Justin immediately fell silent as well.

Meanwhile, Evelyn could no longer hold herself back.

"At least I earned everything myself!"

Her sharp voice echoed through the room.

"I climbed from the very bottom step by step!"

The more she spoke, the more unwillingness filled her heart.

She truly could not accept the fact that a young woman who had not even reached thirty years of age would receive treatment surpassing hers.

Even Evelyn herself had struggled for thirteen entire years before finally becoming an official member.

Why should Lana receive privileges so easily?

Just as that thought crossed everyone’s minds, Harper calmly leaned forward and asked softly,

"Have any of you ever seen a genius among geniuses before?"

Harper slowly continued speaking.

"All of you are geniuses compared to ordinary mystical cultivators."

Her gaze swept across the room one by one.

"But Lana is different. Her aptitude is terrifying enough for her to almost reach the Celestial Core Rank within barely a single year of cultivation."

Harper narrowed her eyes slightly before asking,

"Can any of you accomplish that at her age?"

No one answered.

Not because they did not want to.

But because they genuinely could not. Harper had completely cornered them with facts.

Taking a slow breath, Harper continued calmly,

"I will not even mention the fact that all of you combined still lack the educational qualifications Lana possesses."

Her words instantly caused several expressions to darken.

"You should at least possess enough self-awareness to understand the difference between yourselves and her."

Finally, Harper folded her hands together and spoke decisively.

"I have already made my decision. I will personally propose this matter to Lana."

Her sharp gaze swept across everyone once more.

"If any of you still have objections, speak now."

Everyone fell silent again.

After several moments, Gavin finally spoke weakly.

"If we create an exception for Lana, then others will also demand exceptions in the future."

Hearing his words, Harper merely smiled faintly.

"If that happens," she replied calmly, "then tell them to become as talented as Lana first."

Those words instantly shut everyone up completely.

With that, Harper rose from her seat gracefully.

"Meeting adjourned."

However, just as she finished speaking, Barry suddenly stood up.

"No. There is still one pressing matter left."

Hearing her words, Harper slowly turned toward her.

Barry was a middle-aged woman already in her late hundreds.

Compared to ordinary mystical cultivators, she appeared to age far more rapidly despite possessing equally powerful cultivation.