Elder Hall Meeting

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

"Dong'er... hmm!"

The beauty who had been by his side was gone, leaving only a faint, lingering fragrance on the bed.

Rubbing his slightly throbbing head, Shang An sat up.

"Did I have a dream?"

Last night, he had a wonderful dream. He dreamt that his cultivation had reached perfection, he had attained the Dao and become an immortal, holding the Saintess in his left arm, the Pope in his right, the Silver Dragon King beneath him, and the Blue Silver Emperor wrapped around his waist. How delightful it was.

"It must have been the overexertion of my primordial spirit, leading to mental fatigue and causing the dream."

Ever since Shang An began his cultivation, he had never dreamt before. Dreams were merely the autonomous operation of the subconscious; his mind was focused and his primordial spirit was unified. If it weren't for this excessive exhaustion, how could he have dreamt?

"But that dream really was a beautiful one."

He savored the memory of last night's dream for a moment.

"Let's set a small goal first: turn the dream into reality. Attain the Dao, become an immortal, left... ahem."

Getting up and putting on his clothes, Shang An walked to the table. Today he had to deal with that old fellow Qian Daoliu; he wasn't as easy to persuade as Bibi Dong.

In the afternoon, Inside the Elder Hall assembly hall of Spirit City, a solemn and dignified meeting slowly began as the elders and titled elders, who were rarely seen, walked into the hall.

The Elder Hall meeting was the true highest decision-making body of Spirit Hall. It could be said that even the deposition or appointment of a Pope was decided by this meeting. Every time an Elder Hall meeting was held, it was to determine the major development trends of Spirit Hall.

The last time it was held was when Bibi Dong took office as Pope, and even the confirmation of the Holy Son did not require the convening of an Elder Hall meeting.

Only the Grand Elder or the Pope had the authority to initiate an Elder Hall meeting. Ordinary elders were at the lowest level in the meeting, possessing only the right to listen and offer suggestions.

Only the titled elders held the right to vote. The six titled elders each held one vote and were the main participants of the meeting. The Pope held three votes and was an important decision-maker, while the Grand Elder held a veto.

Under normal circumstances, the Pope was a descendant of the previous Grand Elder and could obtain the support of the various titled elders, but Bibi Dong was clearly not a normal case.

This was also the reason why Bibi Dong had never convened an Elder Hall meeting since she took office; she had no interest in asking for trouble.

As the elders arrived one by one, Bibi Dong also arrived at the assembly hall of the Elder Hall with her entourage. She walked straight to the seat of honor on the left, then closed her eyes, preparing to wait quietly for everyone's arrival.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with a head of golden hair, wearing a pale gold long shirt, draped in a red robe, and possessing a cold expression, appeared in the assembly hall.

On his chest was embroidered a ferocious golden giant crocodile, and an aura of viciousness rushed toward them. This person was none other than the Second Elder of Spirit Hall, Golden Crocodile Douluo.

Even Bibi Dong opened her eyes. Unlike the other elders and titled elders, this Golden Crocodile Douluo was a level 98 peak Douluo, and his martial soul, the Golden Crocodile King, was the most top-tier existence among beast martial souls. His strength was extraordinary, and his influence in the Elder Hall was second only to Qian Daoliu.

Even the previous Bibi Dong would not have dared to say she could defeat Golden Crocodile Douluo, but now...

Of course, these were not the key points; the key was that Golden Crocodile Douluo and she did not get along at all.

"Bibi Dong, what is your reason for opening this grand meeting? This old man doesn't have time to play house with you."

The only one who would dare to confront Bibi Dong right from the start was this Golden Crocodile Douluo.

However, the current Bibi Dong was not comparable to the past. She had reached level 99, and after practicing the Taiyin Sunu Sutra, her soul power had been tempered once more. Although her soul power level was the same as Golden Crocodile's, the quality of her soul power was not in the same league.

If it were Qian Daoliu, she would still be three parts wary, but Golden Crocodile? Heh, the only thing she feared was that he wouldn't come.

Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes narrowed, and a powerful pressure surged toward Golden Crocodile. Perhaps not expecting that Bibi Dong would dare to take the initiative to attack him, Golden Crocodile was caught off guard and let out a muffled groan, taking half a step back. His blood surged, but he forcibly suppressed it.

"Enough!"

Qian Daoliu suddenly appeared in the arena, breaking the increasingly tense atmosphere. Bibi Dong also took the opportunity to withdraw her aura. She needed to establish her authority, and the goal had been achieved. Today was not the day to fight to the death with Qian Daoliu; she grasped the scale of this very well.

One only had to look at the elders and titled elders present to know; their eyes toward Bibi Dong were even more respectful. The sitting postures of several elders became much more upright, and in particular, those titled elders no longer dared to show even a trace of contempt when looking at Bibi Dong.

One had to know that Golden Crocodile Douluo was an existence second only to Qian Daoliu; he could beat them like a father beating his son. Even he had suffered a loss at Bibi Dong's hands, so how could they dare to be dismissive again?

Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes were filled with shock at this moment. Although Bibi Dong had taken him by surprise, the aura displayed by that pressure just now had already surpassed his own, faintly reaching that realm he had dreamed of.

Unexpectedly, that little girl from the past had now surpassed him. For a moment, he truly felt that he was old. He didn't say anything more and sat down in his seat.

"The Spirit Hall Elder Hall meeting officially begins."

With Qian Daoliu's final word, the Elder Hall meeting officially began.

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

"Grand Elder, Your Holiness the Pope, esteemed titled elders and elders, currently our Spirit Hall... under the leadership of Your Holiness the Pope... but as the number one power on the continent, we..."

Chrysanthemum Douluo first spoke of the current achievements of Spirit Hall, even flattering Bibi Dong a little, and then he pointed out many shortcomings that still existed within Spirit Hall.

Which of the elders and titled elders sitting here wasn't a shrewd person who had lived for decades or even a century? They understood that this old chrysanthemum might not be much, but the person standing behind him was different.

Although these words came from the mouth of Chrysanthemum Douluo, he was merely a mouthpiece, speaking the voice of that Pope.

Now that Bibi Dong had just established her authority, and Qian Daoliu had not spoken, the other titled elders did not dare to speculate wildly, and the elders dared not speak even more. So, after Chrysanthemum Douluo finished speaking, the hall suddenly fell silent.

For a time, everyone looked at each other, feeling quite awkward.

In the end, it was the Third Elder of Spirit Hall who spoke up.

"I wonder if Elder Ju has any good remedies to save our Spirit Hall?"

His words carried a slight hint of mockery. Chrysanthemum Douluo had just listed many of the ills of Spirit Hall, and he was only a step away from saying that Spirit Hall should be dissolved.

Do these Elders not understand those flaws? It is just that some things cannot be managed simply by saying so, and he also felt that Chrysanthemum Douluo was truly being an alarmist.

However, he still restrained himself slightly and did not openly oppose it; Bibi Dong had just established her authority, and he did not want to offend her too much.

Facing the gazes of the several Elders and even Qian Daoliu, Chrysanthemum Douluo braced himself and spoke up again:

"I believe that our Spirit Hall needs a reform."

"Reform?"

"How to reform?"

At this moment, Bibi Dong spoke:

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

Disciple?

That newly appointed Holy Son?

Bibi Dong only had two disciples; Hu Liena was still out hunting for a soul ring, so it could only be Shang An.

Yes, we acknowledge that the Holy Son's talent is peerless throughout history, but isn't it a bit too ridiculous to let a nine-year-old child draft a reform plan?

This was the thought shared by most of the Elders and even the titled elders.

Just then, Shang An walked out from the side hall. His 1.75-meter frame stood as straight as a pine, and a faint smile hung on his face, gentle and composed.

"Greetings, Teacher, Great Elder, and esteemed elders."

Logically speaking, even the Holy Son was not qualified to participate in the Elder Hall meetings, but since this proposal was put forward by Shang An himself, Bibi Dong had arranged for him to present it.

After exchanging greetings with the elders, Shang An took out the dozen or so copies of the materials he had prepared and distributed them to the elders. Naturally, he had others transcribe them; His Holiness the Holy Son would not suffer such drudgery.

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

"The material in your hands contains some of my ideas regarding the reform of Spirit Hall."

"I believe that within Spirit Hall..., and... therefore, Spirit Hall has reached a point where change is inevitable."

Shang An spoke even more gravely than Chrysanthemum Douluo, yet no one had the heart to mock him; they were all stunned by the contents of the materials in their hands.

Most of the elders did not take this material to heart at first. They opened it only to give Bibi Dong face and to avoid making the Holy Son look too embarrassed. Who would have thought that Shang An had dropped a bombshell in the document, completely blindsiding them?

A long time passed, and still, no one spoke. Everyone was frowning as they flipped through the material.

"Ahem, I think this reform should be considered carefully."

It was the Third Elder who broke the silence again. After a rough read-through, he had to admit that the material had substance, but it was too substantial and too prone to backfiring. It would be better to maintain the status quo; after all, hadn't they always gotten by this way?

"The Third Elder speaks with reason. Your Holiness the Holy Son, reform is not child's play. If something goes wrong, who will bear the consequences?"

A Titled Douluo known as the Sea Turtle spoke up.

The others also began to discuss it in hushed tones. For a moment, the meeting became somewhat noisy, but the majority were in favor of careful consideration.

"Silence!"

As soon as Qian Daoliu spoke, the scene instantly quieted down. Those Titled Douluos immediately shut their mouths, behaving even more obediently than students in a classroom.

"The Holy Son's proposal has been reviewed by this old man. I support this reform, and I shall bear all consequences."

After Qian Daoliu set the tone, the atmosphere in the meeting hall shifted instantly.

"I also feel that a change is needed."

"The Great Elder is right; I support His Holiness the Holy Son."

"This old man agrees as well."

This voice belonged to Golden Crocodile.

With the Great Elder and Second Elder of Spirit Hall, along with the Pope Bibi Dong herself in support, naturally, no one else was stubborn enough to oppose it. Those with more active minds had already begun to consider how to reap the benefits of the reform.

"Then let us put it to a vote by show of hands!"

As he said this, Qian Daoliu raised his right hand.