Elder Hall Conference

A ray of sunlight streamed through the window, and Shang An slowly woke up.

"Dong'er... mm!"

The beauty beside his pillow was already gone, leaving only a faint fragrance lingering on the bed.

Rubbing his slightly swollen head, Shang An sat up.

"Was I dreaming?"

Last night, he had had a beautiful dream. He dreamed that his cultivation had reached perfection and he had attained immortality, with the Holy Maiden in his left arm, the Pope in his right, the Silver Dragon King beneath him, and the Blue Silver Emperor wrapped around his waist. What bliss.

"It must have been because my Primordial Spirit was overworked and mental exhaustion made me dream."

Ever since Shang An began cultivating, he had never dreamed again. Dreams were merely the subconscious operating on its own. His mind was focused and his Primordial Spirit unified; if he had not been excessively exhausted this time, how could he have dreamed?

"But it really was a wonderful dream."

He savored the dream from last night for a moment.

"First, I'll set a small goal: turn the dream into reality, attain immortality, left... ahem."

After getting up and dressing, Shang An walked to the table. Today, he had to deal with that old man Qian Daoliu. He was not as easy to persuade as Bibi Dong.

That afternoon,

In the Elder Hall's council chamber in Spirit City, a solemn meeting slowly began. Elders and Worships who were rarely seen in ordinary times entered the hall one after another.

The Elder Hall Conference was Spirit Hall's true highest decision-making assembly. Even the removal or appointment of a Pope could be decided by the Elder Hall Conference. Every time it was convened, it was to determine the grand direction of Spirit Hall's development.

The last time it had been held was when Bibi Dong assumed the position of Pope. Even the establishment of a Holy Son did not require an Elder Hall Conference.

Only the Grand Pontiff or the Pope was qualified to initiate an Elder Hall Conference. Ordinary elders held the lowest status in the meeting and possessed only the right to observe and make suggestions.

Only the Worships had voting rights. The six great Worships each possessed one vote and were the main participants in the conference. The Pope possessed three votes and was an important decision-maker, while the Grand Pontiff held veto power.

Under normal circumstances, the Pope was the descendant of the previous Grand Pontiff and could also obtain the support of the various Worships. But Bibi Dong was clearly not a normal case.

That was also why Bibi Dong had never convened an Elder Hall Conference since inheriting the position. She had no interest in making trouble for herself.

As the elders arrived one by one, Bibi Dong also came to the Elder Hall's council chamber with the Heng and Ha Generals. She walked directly to the foremost seat on the left, then closed her eyes and quietly waited for everyone to arrive.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a head of golden hair, a pale gold robe beneath a red cloak, and a stern face appeared in the council chamber.

An imposing golden giant crocodile was embroidered on his chest, its savage aura rushing at them. This man was Spirit Hall's Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo.

Even Bibi Dong opened her eyes. Unlike the other elders and Worships, Golden Crocodile Douluo was a Peak Douluo, and his Beast Martial Soul, the Golden Crocodile King, was among the finest of all Beast Martial Souls. His strength was extraordinary, and his influence within the Worship Hall was second only to Qian Daoliu.

Even the former Bibi Dong had not dared claim she could defeat Golden Crocodile Douluo. But now...

Of course, that was not the key point. The key point was that Golden Crocodile Douluo had never gotten along with her.

"Bibi Dong, why have you convened this assembly? This old man has no time to play house with you."

The only one who would immediately pick a fight with Bibi Dong like that was Golden Crocodile Douluo.

But Bibi Dong was no longer comparable to her former self. She had already reached the same level. After cultivating the Taiyin Sunu Sutra, her Soul Power had undergone another refinement. Although her Soul Power Level was the same as Golden Crocodile's, the quality of their Soul Power could not be mentioned in the same breath.

If it were Qian Daoliu, she would still fear him somewhat. Golden Crocodile? Heh. What she feared was that he would not come.

Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes narrowed, and an immense pressure bore down on Golden Crocodile. Perhaps he had not expected Bibi Dong to strike at him proactively. Caught off guard, Golden Crocodile let out a muffled grunt and retreated half a step. His blood and energy churned, but he forcefully suppressed it.

"Enough!"

Qian Daoliu suddenly appeared in the hall, breaking the increasingly tense atmosphere. Bibi Dong took back her aura accordingly. She needed to establish her authority, and her goal had already been achieved. She had not come today to fight Qian Daoliu to the death, and she had judged the balance perfectly.

One only needed to look at the elders and Worships present to know. Their gazes toward Bibi Dong had become far more respectful. Several elders straightened their postures, while the Worships in particular no longer dared show even a trace of contempt toward her.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was second only to Qian Daoliu. Beating them would be like a father beating his sons. Even he had suffered at Bibi Dong's hands, so how could they dare look down on her anymore?

Golden Crocodile Douluo's gaze was filled with shock. Although Bibi Dong had taken him by surprise, the aura displayed by that pressure had already surpassed his own and faintly reached the realm he had long dreamed of.

He had never expected that the little girl from back then had now surpassed him. For a moment, he truly felt old. Without saying anything further, he took his seat.

"The Spirit Hall Elder Hall Conference now officially begins."

With Qian Daoliu's declaration, the Elder Hall Conference officially began.

After a moment of silence, Chrysanthemum Douluo was the first to stand.

"Grand Pontiff, Your Holiness the Pope, esteemed Worships and elders, under Your Holiness the Pope's leadership, Spirit Hall has now... However, as the continent's foremost power, we..."

Chrysanthemum Douluo first spoke of Spirit Hall's current achievements and even offered Bibi Dong a small bit of flattery. Then he pointed out Spirit Hall's many remaining shortcomings.

Which of the elders and Worships present was not a shrewd old fox who had lived for decades or even centuries? They understood that this old chrysanthemum might not amount to much, but the person standing behind him was different.

Though these words came from Chrysanthemum Douluo's mouth, he was merely a messenger voicing the thoughts of Her Holiness the Pope.

Bibi Dong had just established her authority, and Qian Daoliu had yet to speak. The other Worships did not dare speculate carelessly, much less did the elders dare speak. Thus, after Chrysanthemum Douluo finished, the hall immediately fell silent.

For a moment, they looked at one another in awkward silence.

In the end, Spirit Hall's Third Elder was the one who spoke.

"Then does Elder Ju have some excellent remedy to save Spirit Hall?"

There was a faint trace of mockery in his words. Chrysanthemum Douluo had just listed countless flaws within Spirit Hall, stopping just short of saying that Spirit Hall should disband.

Did they Worships not understand those problems? It was simply that some matters could not be managed merely because one wished to manage them. Besides, he felt that Chrysanthemum Douluo was exaggerating the danger.

Still, he restrained himself somewhat and did not openly oppose him. Bibi Dong had just established her authority, and he did not wish to offend her too greatly.

Facing the gazes of the Worships and even Qian Daoliu, Chrysanthemum Douluo braced himself and spoke again.

"I believe Spirit Hall needs a reform."

"Reform?"

"How should it be reformed?"

At that moment, Bibi Dong spoke.

"Regarding the reform, my disciple has drafted a reform proposal."

Her disciple?

The newly appointed Holy Son?

Bibi Dong had only two disciples. Hu Liena was still obtaining Spirit Rings, so it could only be Shang An.

Yes, they acknowledged that the Holy Son's talent was unparalleled throughout history, but having a nine-year-old child formulate a reform plan was a little too absurd.

That was what most of the Worships and elders thought.

At that moment, Shang An also emerged from the side hall. Though he stood only one meter seventy-five tall, he was upright as a pine, with a faint smile on his face that was gentle yet dignified.

"Greetings, Teacher, Grand Pontiff, esteemed elders."

By rights, even the Holy Son was not qualified to participate in an Elder Hall Conference. However, since Shang An himself had proposed this motion, Bibi Dong arranged for him to introduce it.

After exchanging greetings with the elders and Worships, Shang An took out more than ten prepared documents and distributed them among the elders. Naturally, he had others copy them; His Holiness the Holy Son would not suffer through such work.

"Esteemed elders, although Spirit Hall is strong, we have already entered a bottleneck. Moreover, the two great empires and several major sects have always been wary of and resistant toward Spirit Hall."

"The documents in your hands contain some of my thoughts regarding Spirit Hall's reform."

"I believe that Spirit Hall internally... and furthermore... Therefore, Spirit Hall has reached a point where it must change."

Shang An made it sound even more serious than Chrysanthemum Douluo had, but no one had any mind to mock him now. They were all stunned by the documents in their hands.

At first, most of the elders and Worships had not taken the documents seriously. They opened them only to give Bibi Dong face and avoid making the Holy Son too embarrassed. Who would have thought that Shang An had placed a bombshell in the documents, instantly leaving them dazed?

After a long while, no one spoke. Everyone frowned deeply as they read through the documents.

"Ahem, I think this reform should perhaps be considered over the long term."

It was once again the Third Elder who broke the silence. After roughly reading through it, even he had to admit that the document had substance. But it had too much substance, and it was too easy for things to go wrong. It would be better to maintain the status quo. Had they not always lived this way?

"The Third Elder has a point. Your Holiness the Holy Son, reform is no child's play. If something goes wrong, who will bear the consequences?"

A Title Douluo with a turtle Martial Soul spoke.

The others began discussing it as well. For a time, the meeting became somewhat noisy, but most still favored taking a long-term view.

"Silence!"

The moment Qian Daoliu spoke, the hall immediately quieted. The Title Douluos promptly shut their mouths, behaving even more obediently than students at school.

"This old man has already reviewed the Holy Son's proposal. I support this reform. This old man will bear all consequences."

Once Qian Daoliu set the tone, the direction of the meeting immediately changed.

"I also think it is time for a change."

"The Grand Pontiff is right. I support His Holiness the Holy Son."

"This old man agrees as well."

That voice belonged to Golden Crocodile.

With Spirit Hall's Grand Pontiff, Second Worship, and Pope Bibi Dong all supporting it, naturally no stubborn fool would continue opposing it. Those with quicker minds had already begun considering how to benefit from the reform.

"Then let us vote by raising our hands!"

As he spoke, Qian Daoliu raised his right hand.