On the third day after Lin Qin returned to Azure Rock Valley, the summons from Council of Elders arrived.
This time it is not Garvey, but a strange young man wearing a gray robe, holding a jade slip of meeting notice, standing at the mouth of the valley expressionlessly. "Elder Lin Qin, the monthly Council of Elders meeting will be held tomorrow at Chenshi."
Lin Qin took the jade slip and glanced at it. In addition to the time and place of the meeting, the jade slip also attached a brief agenda - more than a dozen items to discuss, and his promotion confirmation was ranked first.
The word "confirm" made him squint slightly.
"Got it."
The young man in gray robe turned and left, his footsteps silent.
Lin Qin put away the jade slips and returned to the cave. Not long after he sat down, Lei Luo came.
"Did you see the notice?" Lei Luo got straight to the point.
"Hmm."
"The first item on the agenda is to confirm the promotion." Lei Luo sat down opposite him, with a bad look on his face. "According to the rules, new elders have to go through this procedure. Originally it was just a formality. If there is no objection within three days, it will be passed directly. But you——"
He paused. "Someone submitted an objection."
Lin Qin raised his eyes. "Who?"
"Emmanuel." When Lei Luo said the name, his tone was somewhat complicated, "Fulhan's cousin is in charge of the family Mission Hall. He submitted a formal objection to Council of Elders the day after your promotion. The reason is that the middle god serves as an elder, which is against the rules."
"Rules?"
"The family has a tradition." Lei Luo explained, "The position of elder has always been held by Highgod. Your promotion was too sudden. It has been less than two years since you completed the baptism. Although Seven-Star Fiend has combat power, the accumulation of military achievements is really not enough."
Lin Qin was silent for a moment. "Who else?"
"Who else submitted objections?"
"Who else wants me to leave?"
Lei Luo smiled bitterly, "On the surface, there is only Emmanuel. But behind the scenes - Fulhan must know it, and may even have ordered it. Their lineage has been in the family for many years, and the relationship network is very deep. Although Fulhan is the son of the patriarch, the Gaiseresen patriarch has never favored him. He needs to train his own people.
"What about you?" Lin Qin asked.
"Me?" Lei Luo raised his eyebrows, "Of course I support you. But we Reynalds Branch and Fulhan have a good relationship, so it's not convenient for me to publicly take sides. But don't worry, Elder Garvey and Elder Vladimir will protect you."
Lin Qin nodded.
"At tomorrow's meeting," Lei Luo stood up, "No matter what Emmanuel says, don't be impulsive. Council of Elders has rules. You will speak when it's your turn. Remember, the calmer you are, the more unreasonable he will appear."
"Understood."
After Lei Luo left, Lin Qin sat alone for a while.
He was not surprised by this result. The way Emmanuel looked at him on the day he was promoted to elder said it all. He had seen that look many times - in the Yulan Continent, in Furnace City, in the expedition team - it was jealousy, dissatisfaction, and why he could do it and I couldn't.
But it doesn't matter.
All he wants is to become stronger, not whether or not anyone will obey him.
At Chen time the next day, Azure Dragon Hall.
Lin Qin arrived a quarter of an hour before the meeting time. There were already more than a dozen flying mounts parked outside the hall, including Green-Scaled Eagle, Iron-Feathered Eagle, and several dragon-born monsters with pure blood. These are the transportation tools of the elders, and the owner's net worth can be seen from the appearance of the mounts.
The palace door was wide open, and the guards were still the eighteen Highgod. When they saw Lin Qin, they all saluted.
Most of the people in the hall were already seated.
Lei Luo was sitting in his old seat at the end of the left side. Seeing him come in, he nodded slightly. Garvey Elder was sitting in the fifth place on the left side and was talking in a low voice with a red-faced old man next to him. Vladimir was still concentrating with his eyes closed, like a stone statue.
Morris is covered in black robe, only revealing a pair of deep eyes, with no expression.
On the right side, Reynalds was sitting in the third seat, looking at a jade slip. Fulhan was sitting in the fourth seat. When he saw him coming in, he raised his eyes and looked away, and then looked away. Next to him sat a young man in white robe Emmanuel. He was dressed very formally today. His white elder's robe had no wrinkles at all, his hair was combed meticulously, and he had the right smile on his face.
Lin Qin takes his seat at the end on the left.
Several more elders arrived one after another. At midnight, footsteps were heard from behind the palace. Gaiseresen and Gaia walked out of the side door, climbed onto the high platform and sat down.
"Let's get started." Gaiseresen said in a calm voice.
The second person from the left, an old man with a goatee stood up. He was the record keeper of the meeting, "Elder Wenyuan" Alvin, who was in charge of the family books. He cleared his throat and unfolded a green jade book. "This monthly meeting has a total of fifteen items on the agenda. The first item is to confirm the identity and rights and responsibilities of the new elder Lin Qin."
After he finished reading, he looked at the audience. "As usual, if the newly appointed elder confirms it, if there is no objection, it will automatically take effect within three days.
We have now received a written objection, submitted by Elder Emmanuel. According to the rules of procedure, the objector can state his reasons in court, and the person being objected has the right to reply. The elders can also ask questions.
The atmosphere in the hall became slightly tense.
Emmanuel stood up and moved calmly. He walked to the center of the hall, first bowed to Gaiseresen and Gaia on the high platform, then bowed slightly to the elders on the left and right sides, and then said, "Elders, my objection today is not against Lin Qin himself, but to maintain family rules and clarify the seriousness of the position of elder."
His voice was clear and his words were precise, clearly prepared in advance.
"The elder of the family holds the power of a lineage, decides on one side's strategy, and participates in major family decisions. His position should not be granted lightly. According to the practice of the past, the position of elder should be held by Highgod. This is not a discrimination against the middle god, but because Highgod and the middle god have different levels of life, different qualities of divine power, and a different depth of understanding of the laws."
He paused and glanced at the whole audience. "Elder Lin Qin is indeed extraordinary. The median god combines four mysteries, and his combat power reaches the Seven-Star Fiend threshold. Such talents should be cherished by the family. But the way of cherishing them can be through focused training, resource allocation, or special promotion to core disciples - one by one rather than directly granting the position of elder."
"Why?" He asked himself and answered, "Because the position of elder means decision-making power. Elder Lin Qin has been in the family for less than two years. How much does he know about family affairs? How familiar is he with Eight Great Clans's grievances? How many missions has he performed? How many wars has he participated in? If he can be an elder today, will he be able to participate in Blood War Valley's defense decision tomorrow? Will he be able to mobilize family resources in the future?"
He looked at Lin Qin, his eyes were calm, but his words were sharp. "I am not doubting the potential of Elder Lin Qin, but I am questioning whether he can shoulder the responsibility of an elder with his current qualifications? If we make an exception today, will there be more exceptions in the future? Once the rules are loosened, it will be difficult to tighten them in the future."
After speaking, he bowed around again and returned to his seat.
There was silence in the palace.
Many elders nodded slightly: Emmanuel What he said is indeed reasonable, clear and well-reasoned, and not unreasonable.
Gaiseresen had no expression on his face and looked at Lin Qin: "Elder Lin Qin, do you have anything to say?"
Lin Qin Get up.
He didn't go to the center of the hall, but stood in front of his seat. Everyone's eyes fell on him - curious ones, scrutinizing ones, waiting to see the joke, and a few worried ones.
"I have three sentences." he said.
The sound was not loud, but everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.
"First, I killed Six-Star Fiend."
He held out three fingers. "In the escort mission, there were two. In the rescue mission, there were one and three Six-Star Fiend. They were all frontal kills. There were no sneak attacks and no mistakes."
"Second, I completed the mission."
He put down his hand. "Escort, rescue, and reconnaissance. Every time I come back alive, I complete the mission every time. I harvest the remains of the tribesmen who died in battle. I hand over all the trophies captured. Contribution Points, I use them to exchange for resources and improve my strength. I don't waste any of them."
"Third."
He looked at Emmanuel, his eyes as calm as a pool of deep water. "I don't need anyone to convince me.
After saying that, he sat down.
The hall became quieter.
So quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat.
Three sentences, less than thirty words, are like three huge rocks smashed into a pond, causing ripples.
"I don't need anyone to obey" -1- These words are arrogant, but there is no way to refute it. Because what Lin Qin said is the truth.
He did kill Six-Star Fiend, he did complete the mission, and he did not use the family's extra resources. He came to Hell less than two years ago, and he killed him with one knife after another.
Emmanuel's face changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He opened his mouth, wanted to say something, and then swallowed it.
Fulhan glanced at Lin Qin with complicated eyes.
The fat elder on the right who had been silent all this time suddenly laughed and said in a low voice to the person next to him, "This kid is quite interesting."
On the high platform, Gaia nodded slightly.
She stood up and her voice was cold, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "What Elder Lin Qin said is true. His military exploits are recorded in detail by the Intelligence Department. Iron Wall Outpost escorted supplies three days ago During the mission, he led his team to repel an ambush from Dean and other two clans, killed two Six-Star Fiends, and seized two Godheads and some supplies. The family has verified the harvest."
She paused and said, "Based on military merit, his current accumulated Contribution Points has reached 53,000, which is more than some elders present have accumulated in ten years. In terms of military merit, he is qualified."
Emmanuel's face changed.
Fifty-three thousand Contribution Points! He really didn't know this number. Lin Qin had only been promoted for a few days, how could it be possible----
But he quickly realized that those two Six-Star Fiend, plus the seized supplies, were indeed worth this amount.
Gaiseresen spoke with a steady voice, "Emmanuel Elder's concerns are not unreasonable. Battle merits belong to battle merits, and seniority belongs to seniority. Lin Qin has only been in the family for a short time, and is not familiar enough with family affairs."
He looked at Gaia, then at the core elders Vladimir, Morris, and finally his eyes fell on Lin Qin: "I have a compromise."
"Lin Qin retains the status of an elder and enjoys the rights and responsibilities of an elder. However, in the next hundred years, he needs to complete at least two difficult tasks every year. The type of tasks is designated by Council of Elders. At the end of the hundred years, if his accumulated Contribution Points reaches 200,000 and he has no major faults, his qualifications as an elder will be officially confirmed."
He looked at Lin Qin: "Are you acceptable?"
Lin Qin stood up. "Accept."
Gaiseresen looked at Emmanuel again. "Do you have any objections?"
Emmanuel was silent for a moment, bowed and said, "The patriarch is fair, Emmanuel has no objection."
"Okay." Gaiseresen finalized, "The first agenda item is over. Let's move on to the second item, Blood War Valley last month's battle report----"
The meeting continues.
But Lin Qin could feel that more eyes were falling on him. Some were appreciative, some were curious, some were re-examining, and some were still dissatisfied but suppressed it for the time being.
Emmanuel didn't look at him anymore, and looked down at the jade slip in his hand with an expressionless face. Fulhan looked at him instead, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes? Or was it something else, Lin Qin couldn't see through it.
Lin Qin didn't pay much attention to the next dozen items on the agenda. Those were all specific matters related to Blood War Valley's deployment, resource allocation, and task arrangement. He was not familiar with them yet and was not eager to participate.
The meeting lasted two hours.
When the meeting ended, Lei Luo came over and patted him on the shoulder. "That's a beautiful statement. In three sentences, I can compare to Emmanuel's larger one."
Lin Qin said nothing.
The two walked out of the Azure Dragon Hall. The sun was just right, and the figures of patrols flying over Dragon Path in the distance were like streaks of cyan light.
"But you have to be careful." Lei Luo lowered his voice, "Although Emmanuel lost today, he will not give up. He is in charge of the Mission Hall, and there is a high probability that your future missions will pass through his hands. Mission level,
He can manipulate the difficulty and the degree of danger."
"For example?"
"For example, it is a three-star difficulty mission, but he marks it as four stars for you. It only requires five people, but he assigns three to you. The intelligence clearly shows that the enemy has an ambush, but he suppresses it and does not update it." Lei Luo shook his head, "These are all legal methods, you can't fault it."
Lin Qin nodded. "I understand."
"And Fulhan." Lei Luo continued, "He didn't say a word today, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care.
He is the son of the patriarch and is expected to take over in the future. You, an outsider, have been promoted to elder in just two years. What do people in his lineage think?"
Lin Qin was silent for a moment. "What he thinks is his business."
"That's what I said, but----" Lei Luo sighed, "Forget it, be careful. If you need help, please come to me at any time. Although we Reynalds Branch don't take sides, our personal friendship is my business."
"Thank you."
The two separated at the Dragon Path fork in the road. Lin Qin walked back to Azure Rock Valley alone.
In the valley, Baruch and Hogson were waiting. Seeing his return, Baruch asked eagerly, "How is it?"
I heard that guy Emmanuel made trouble at the meeting?"
"It's okay." Lin Qin briefly explained the meeting.
After Baruch listened, he was silent for a while, then he patted Lin Qin hard on the shoulder. "Well done! I don't need anyone to convince me" - these words are very encouraging! We Baruch Branch should have such strong bones!"
But Hogson frowned. "Emmanuel is in charge of the Mission Hall. You should be careful when you take on tasks in the future. Also, his lineage has been in the family business for many years and his hands are very long. You'd better be more careful when you go out to perform tasks in the future."
"I know."
Lin Qin Return to the cave and close the door.
He sat down cross-legged and took out the jade slip handed out at today's meeting. It was a list of tasks for the next hundred years. It was preliminary and needed his confirmation.
After taking a quick look, there was indeed something wrong.
The first item. "Go deep behind enemy lines to investigate the movements of the Barbary Clan's main force. Time limit is three months. Danger level: four stars (extremely high). Recommended number of people: three."
What is the main trend of the Barbary Clan? That is the intelligence of Asura level. What is the difference between asking a newly promoted elder to lead two people to investigate and risking death?
Item 2: "Sneak into Black Stone Wasteland to destroy the enemy's material transfer station. Time limit is two months. Danger level: four stars. Recommended number of people: five."
Black Stone Wasteland, the place where he lurked for thirty days last time. There are now at least three Eight Great Clans brigades with more than two thousand God-level stationed there. Five people went to destroy the material transfer station?
The third item: "Hunting Deen Clan Six-Star Fiend Soul Eater" Kasa, time limit is half a year, danger level: four and a half stars, recommended number of people: four."
Kasa is one of the top five hunters of the Deen Clan. He is proficient in soul attacks and has killed two Seven-Star Fiend alone. Let him lead four people to hunt an opponent of this level?
Lin Qin Put down the jade slip.
He understood what Lei Luo meant.
These tasks are reasonable in isolation - reconnaissance, destruction, and hunting are all needed by the family. But when combined together, they form a network. No matter which one he chooses, he will have a narrow escape from death. If he doesn't choose? Then he will not be able to complete the target of two hundred thousand Contribution Points in one hundred years.
Good calculation.
Lin Qin Put away the jade slips, close your eyes and practice.
The sky outside the window is getting dark.
There were footsteps outside the cave, and someone stopped at the door.
"Elder Lin Qin." It was the voice of Hogson, "Someone sent a letter."
Lin Qin stood up and opened the stone door.
Hogson handed over a blue jade slip with a seal on the surface. He had seen this kind of seal before - it was Reynalds Branch's unique technique, and only designated people could unlock it.
Lin Qin took the jade slip and unlocked the seal.
When his spiritual sense penetrated, there was only one line in it. "The task list drawn up by the Mission Hall was jointly discussed by Emmanuel and Fulhan. Fulhan I have tampered with the list and replaced two tasks that were originally less difficult. When you choose, avoid the first three and choose the fourth. The fourth appears to be dangerous, but in fact the information has been updated. It is a decoy operation arranged by the family, and someone is secretly cooperating with it. Lei."
Lin Qin After reading it, the jade slips automatically shattered.
He was silent for a moment and put away the ashes.
Fulhan----Sure enough, he is not just a spectator.
Lei Luo's information is very timely. If he didn't know the inside story about this list in advance, he would probably have made the wrong choice.
But now, he knows what to choose.
He took out the jade slip from the task list again and looked at the fourth task. "Item 4: Escort a batch of important supplies to Rock Fortress". On the way, he needs to pass through the Barbary Clan patrol area. The time limit is one month. The danger level is: four stars. The recommended number of people: eight people.
On the surface, this mission is as dangerous as the first three. But if the information has been updated, there is a family secretly cooperating with Lin Qin to take the jade slip into Space Ring.