The hall fell silent amidst the Cultivator’s angry curses. The Cultivators near him stared at the old man in horror, as if seeing him for the first time. Of course, some shot him looks of admiration, but far more were looks of mockery.

Monk Minghui, the target of the tirade, was utterly shocked. He seemed to have never imagined someone would publicly insult him like this. Under the gaze of over a thousand people, fury flared across his face. But just as he was about to erupt, the projection vanished. Along with his projection, Mingxin, who was beside him, also disappeared.

It must have been Mingxin who, seeing the situation spiral out of control, decisively cut off their projections. It was a wise decision. If Monk Minghui had actually started arguing with that Cultivator, he would have been the only one to lose out. The best solution was silence, even if silence was also quite humiliating.

"Well said!"

A Third Realm Cultivator whom Wang Ping didn’t recognize stood up and applauded. He was dressed in the style of the Western Continent, his face covered in a curly beard and his hair wrapped in a white silk scarf. In slightly clumsy Zhongzhou dialect, he said, "These damn bald donkeys from Vajra Temple, always talking about compassion, but all they do behind your back is petty, thieving shit."

Many of the Second Realm Cultivators present were from Vajra Temple, and many among the Third Realm also had connections to them. They wanted to say a word or two, but just then, Yang Shu rose with a faint smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, please stick to the matter at hand. Do not involve others." After speaking, he turned to the old Cultivator in the fourth-tier seats and continued:

"According to the Daoist Scripture Hall’s regulations, everyone at this assembly can express their differing opinions. But remember, you must stick to the facts of the case and not involve other matters. We’ll consider this your first offense and won’t pursue the matter further."

Yang Shu glanced at the member of the Water Race among the four accused Third Realm Cultivators and asked, "Since you have a different opinion, Fellow Daoist, what do you think the sentence should be?"

This old Second Realm Cultivator wasn’t a complete fool. Yang Shu’s polite manner was gratifying to him. Thus, he first clasped his hands in a respectful salute before saying, "It’s not about what I think should be done. The laws of the Daoist Scripture Hall are written in black and white. For their crimes, they should be imprisoned in the Daoist Scripture Hall’s dungeons for at least seven hundred years!"

"Indeed. The laws of the Daoist Scripture Hall cannot be subverted!"

Yang Shu smiled, sweeping his gaze across everyone present. In a soft voice, he said, "However, the specific sentence will depend on everyone’s vote. Rest assured, it will still be an anonymous vote. No one will know how you voted."

The moment his voice fell, another fourth-tier Cultivator stood up, clasped his fists, and said, "A seven-hundred-year sentence is a bit too harsh. The Eighth Prince also just mentioned that the Northwest Region needs Third Realm Cultivators to maintain order. Locking the four seniors up would be the easy way out, but then the various parts of the Northwest would be left completely unmanaged. At that point, it won’t just be a million people displaced, but the entire twenty million people of the Northwest!"

Having said this, the fourth-tier Cultivator bowed respectfully and said, "Therefore, I suggest allowing the four seniors to atone for their crimes through meritorious service. Let’s have them stabilize the situation in the Northwest first, and discuss this again later!"

"That’s a bit ridiculous!"

A fifth-tier Cultivator wearing a light blue demonic mask rose, clasped his fists, and said, "These four are the ones who stirred up the chaos in the Northwest in the first place. Letting them continue to oversee the Northwest—are you trying to say the situation isn’t chaotic enough?"

’Well now.’

The arguments started up again. But this time, they had a clear focus, unlike the earlier bickering for the sake of bickering.

Wang Ping couldn’t help but size up the four individuals in question. From the moment they appeared until now, they had allowed everyone to comment on them without saying a single word. Such excellent self-control, and yet they were known to get into violent fights over simple verbal disputes.

Just then, Zi Luan sent him a transmission: "When it’s your turn to compete for a Third Realm seat, they will use even more critical language to comment on you. At that time, unless there’s a question you absolutely must answer, you don’t need to say a word in response to other comments. I have people arranged to speak for you. Of course, if you’ve arranged for others yourself, they can also stand up."

Wang Ping’s expression turned serious. He once again observed the state of the four. Looking closely, he could see subtle changes in their eyes, which meant they hadn’t sealed off their hearing. However, the changes in their expressions showed no anger or annoyance. It was as if they were watching the debate unfold like a game.

The debate went on longer than Wang Ping expected. It took three days to produce three sentencing proposals. Monk Minghui’s proposal was kept. Correspondingly, the proposal refuting Minghui’s was also kept. The final one, which was negotiated over the three days, was to confine the four to their respective Dao Fields for three hundred years.

’Barring any surprises, the third proposal will pass. After all, it’s the result of three days of everyone’s negotiations.’

The voting took place on the fourth day. Sure enough, during the voting session, the third proposal passed.

It was worth noting that the few Cultivators who had been particularly disruptive on the first day did not appear again from the second day onward. On the third day, a few more people were missing. By the fourth day, a quarter of the attendees had left.

That was several hundred people!

Most of them had probably left early on their own accord. The rest had all gone missing. Among them was Liang Breath, who had provoked Liu Shuang and Liu Chang on the first day.

After Yang Shu announced the results of the vote, he did not immediately move to the selection of new Third Realm seats. Instead, he announced a three-day recess!

After exiting the illusion, Wang Ping looked at Zi Luan beside him. While reaching out to tease Yu Lian, he said, "The higher-ups will probably add two more Third Realm seats, right?"

Zi Luan chuckled, stood up, and walked to the window. Gazing out at the orderly Jinhuai Prefecture City, he replied, "Adding seats is a certainty, but the number of candidates will increase as well!"

"Oh?"

"The Dragon Monarch’s ninth son doesn’t have a Third Realm title yet."

"Fellow Daoist Jiang?"

"Yes."

"Don’t you worry. Your Third Realm seat is guaranteed. The Loose Cultivators might say some unpleasant things, but you just have to listen. Also, pay close attention to those who oppose you. Some of them can’t be allowed to remain."

"Understood!"

Before the third day even arrived, a handwritten letter from the Xiao Shan Lord was delivered on the morning of the second day.

It confirmed that two Third Realm seats would be added, but the specific candidates were undecided. Also, there would be changes to the voting process, but it didn’t say what those changes would be.

「On the third day.」

Even fewer people showed up on time at the assembly hall. Aside from the sixth-tier spectators, only the fifth- and fourth-tier Cultivators connected to the Third Realm candidates remained.

As for the Third Realm Cultivators, they were all present as always, an immovable force. But these people only voted; they didn’t speak.

"Fellow Daoists, before the voting begins, I have an announcement to make..."

Yang Shu spoke in his characteristically casual tone, "I said before the assembly began that with pressing matters in all regions, headquarters had intended to add two Third Realm seats to handle some difficult cases. Unexpectedly, four criminals emerged, which has actually reduced the number of Third Realm members. Therefore, after a resolution by several Lords and all current Third Realm members, we have decided to add another two Third Realm seats."

The full quota for the Daoist Scripture Hall’s Third Realm was 101 members. Currently, with the four who were stripped of their titles, there were 82 members. Yang Shu’s use of the word ’add’ was clearly inappropriate. He seemed to be deliberately circumventing certain Daoist Scripture Hall regulations.

"These two Third Realm seats will be elected from the other seven candidates, and the vote will also be held in three days."

This last sentence he added was the real point. It undoubtedly added a bit of uncertainty to today’s vote, because some pre-arranged deals might change for the sake of the next vote in three days.

"It’s alright. If there were any changes, the Lord would have said so in advance." Zi Luan’s words steadied Wang Ping’s mind.

Just then, they heard Yang Shu continue, "As dealing with the Northwest issue has taken up too much time, we have heeded the suggestions of some Fellow Daoists and decided to shorten the voting process..."

In the old voting process, each candidate had to go through three rounds of voting. Before the vote, they also had to face questioning from everyone present. In theory, anyone could ask questions, but in practice, only fourth-tier or Third Realm Cultivators conducted the questioning, which had become the norm over the years.

This part of the process was an easy opportunity to find fault. In the past, many Cultivators who were on a stable path to entering the Third Realm were eliminated because they couldn’t endure the provocations of their rivals.

After speaking, Yang Shu introduced the new voting rules: "This vote will also have three rounds. However, all seven candidates will participate in the voting simultaneously. The two Fellow Daoists with the highest average votes across the three rounds will become the new Third Realm members."

The rules were simple and brutal, but they also best reflected each candidate’s network of connections within the Daoist Scripture Hall.

"The voting method is the same as before. You will receive a bamboo slip marked with seven colors. Behind each color, the name of the candidate it represents will be written."

"The voting will begin in a quarter of an hour. Fellow Daoists, use this time to consider your choices."

After saying this, Yang Shu sat down directly, took a popular folk novel from Lishui Prefecture out of his storage pouch, and started reading. The nearby Third Realm Cultivators all closed their eyes to meditate.

At that moment, Zi Luan sent a transmission: "The rules are in our favor!"

"Yes!"

Wang Ping let out a breath. He felt he was getting too attached. He had never wanted the Third Realm seat in the first place; he had just been pushed into this position by the Xiao Shan Lord. But he had unknowingly become engrossed in it, to the point where he felt as if he were the one who truly wanted to compete for this seat.

He couldn’t help but sigh internally: ’This sea of suffering is truly boundless.’

Yu Lian replied, "If you cultivate to the Saint Realm, perhaps you can escape the sea of suffering. But it’s more likely you’ll just enter another one."

Her answer brought a slight smile to Wang Ping’s face.

A quarter of an hour passed in a flash. The assembly hall remained quiet. When Shu Yang, who was in front of them, stood up, Ruan Chunzi, sitting next to Wang Ping, whispered, "I was originally going to vote for my junior brother, but I owe you a favor. This vote is yours."

His words made the two Third Realm members from the True Yang Sect sitting nearby change their expressions, but they said nothing more. Zi Luan, who was in front, also turned his head to glance at Ruan Chunzi.

"Let the voting begin..."

As Yang Shu announced the start of voting, Wang Ping’s gaze involuntarily shifted to the other six candidates. Two of the six were from the True Yang Sect, one was from Lishui Prefecture, another was from the Earth Cave Sect, and the remaining two were Loose Cultivators.

Then, Wang Ping quickly scanned the people in the hall, especially the Third Realm members. He was certain of votes from five people: Wen Yang, Wu Quan, Ganxing, Zi Luan, and Tianshan Daoist.

’And with Daoist Zi Luan’s arrangements, everyone from Vajra Temple should vote for him as well. Add to that the votes from the Earth Cave Sect and the Star God Alliance, and it would be foolproof.’