"Having said all that, these are the resources required to launch the project, along with the potential benefits and drawbacks. What are everyone's thoughts?"
He could already sense the subconscious thoughts and feelings of everyone present through Void Archives.
As Ming Yue asked the question, the smile on his handsome face grew even warmer.
"My Leng Family is willing to support this project."
"My X Family supports it too."
"The X Family opposes it."
"."
A brief silence gave way to the moment when everyone had to choose sides. The Leng Family, another major family in the Spirit Pagoda, had spoken first.
The other council members also made their decisions one after another.
"Looks like a few council members still disagree. Ming Yue, what do you think?"
Qiangu Dieting turned to Ming Yue, gazing meaningfully at the few council members from the Federation and major powers who had voiced their opposition.
"...Even as Pagoda Master, I'm still constrained by these so-called council members. I suppose that's what happens when power is scattered too widely."
Yet under everyone's gaze, Ming Yue's smile remained unchanged as he sighed softly.
His words stunned the entire room.
"...Ming Yue?" Qiangu Dieting furrowed his brows in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean by that, Young Master Ming Yue?"
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
"..."
The council members present were even more incredulous.
Everyone knew that power within the Spirit Pagoda was divided among its senior leadership.
But as a neutral power, the Spirit Pagoda had deliberately established its system that way. After all, it had been laid down by the first Pagoda Master, Spirit Ice Douluo, who had already become a god!
So everyone had always followed it as a matter of course.
For a moment, even though Ming Yue had just made such a good impression on all the council members,
they began to feel that he was being a little too audacious.
"Heh. Saying the Spirit Pagoda belongs to all the people of the world is far too broad a notion. In a world fundamentally ruled by the survival of the fittest, clinging to old rules isn't a good idea."
"So get up, Father. You really aren't suited to sit in this position."
With a quiet laugh, Void Archives appeared, and Ming Yue simply snapped his fingers.
Beneath the golden light flickering from Void Archives, the subconscious minds altered by the Herrscher of Sentience's authority began to obey.
"You!" Qiangu Dieting had still been reeling from Ming Yue's words when he suddenly stopped, rose without expression, and gave up his seat.
Ming Yue sat down without hesitation in the chair that represented the Pagoda Master's position. He rested one hand against his cheek while the fingers of the other tapped repeatedly against the desk in front of him.
After a few more breaths, all the council members fell silent. They sat upright, their faces just as expressionless.
"Very well. I hereby declare the 'Study of the Essence of Martial Souls' project officially established."
"And I, Qiangu Mingyue, as the founder of this project, shall also take credit for this discovery and succeed Qiangu Dieting as the next Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, following his abdication."
Yinsheng issued the command indifferently. As the council members answered in agreement,
Qiangu Dieting also used a special Soul Tool to connect to the Spirit Pagoda's central system, announcing to the major powers and the entire Spirit Pagoda that he was stepping down and Ming Yue would succeed him.
The Spirit Pagoda was shaken!
The entire continent was thrown into shock!
[At 13, after you announced that you would succeed him as Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda that day, countless doubts and ill will came pouring in.] [But under the influence and manipulation of your Herrscher of Sentience authority, Qiangu Dieting and all the Spirit Pagoda's council members stepped forward to publicly support you.] [The sight left the powers across the continent utterly dumbfounded.] [It also forced every power on the continent to accept this bizarre reality!] [System notification! Side quest <The Pagoda Master's Seat Goes Around—This Year, It's My Turn> completed perfectly!] [At 14, a year after succeeding as Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, you delved deeper into your research on the Essence of Martial Souls project, backed by the Spirit Pagoda's vast resources.] [But ever since you became Pagoda Master, the Leng Sisters had come to see you much less often.] [It wasn't until Leng Yulai came to see you alone one day that you learned Leng Yaozhu felt you had long since changed beyond recognition.] [Meanwhile, she and her sister were still standing still. If they wanted to stand proudly by your side and walk alongside you one day, they had to work hard at their cultivation.] [After hearing her out, you pondered for a while. Once you had treated Leng Yulai well and seen her safely home, you added a research plan called Valkyrie Battlesuit to the Essence of Martial Souls project!] [At 15, progress on the Essence of Martial Souls project began to slow, so you shifted your focus to developing the Valkyrie Battlesuit plan.] [With the knowledge in Void Archives as a reference, you soon manufactured quite a few basic Valkyrie Battlesuits.] [At 16, the basic Valkyrie Battlesuits you made were well received among low-level Soul Masters. The Spirit Pagoda's reputation rose considerably once more!] [But in the eyes of Soul Masters with Battle Armor, your Valkyrie Battlesuits still left something to be desired.] [After gaining a deeper understanding of this world's forging profession and its various special metals, you began improving the Valkyrie Battlesuits.] [At 17, after combining the manufacturing processes of Soul Guidance Technology, Battle Armor, mechs, and Valkyrie Battlesuits, you developed an entirely new Valkyrie Battlesuit.] [It combined Battle Armor's enhancements and defense with Soul Guidance weapons, such as Soul Cannons that could be mounted and used, and even the ability to transform into a mech by embedding a core!] [When it was unveiled, the design was initially met with doubt and scorn. But soon, during several live combat trials you arranged, the Soul Masters wearing your Valkyrie Battlesuits completely crushed the Battle Armor users and mech pilots.] [You nodded with satisfaction. After casually developing a set of armor that ordinary people could use too, you set the entire manufacturing process in motion and divided the Valkyrie Battlesuits into five grades: S, A, B, C, and D.] [The Spirit Pagoda's reputation soared once more. Among the billions of ordinary people and low- and mid-level Soul Masters, it had already become a sacred place!] [At 18, after five full years at the helm of the Spirit Pagoda, you hit a bizarre dead end in your Essence of Martial Souls project. So you began trying to make progress on the main quest.] [But the main quest was no easy thing to make progress on. You decided to clear your mind for a while. As it happened, Leng Yulai's coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, so you decided to give yourself a short vacation in the meantime.]
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