Elder Hall Meeting: Qin Yu Named Holy Son

Elder Hall.

Unlike the other three great halls, it had nearly twenty members, each possessing at least the strength of a Titled Douluo.

Even the seven elders of the Worship Hall and the pope of the Papal Hall were members of the Elder Hall.

Ordinarily, the Elder Hall rarely convened.

But when it did, the matters discussed concerned the future of Spirit Hall.

Tonight was one such occasion.

Apart from Snake Lance Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo, who could not return from their missions, all seven other elders were present.

Pope Bibi Dong, the seven elders of the Worship Hall, and the seven elders of the Elder Hall made fifteen people in all. Every one of them was at least a Titled Douluo.

Spirit Hall had not earned its reputation as the greatest power on the continent for nothing.

At the long conference table, Bibi Dong sat at its head, with Qian Daoliu opposite her. Neither could stand the other; only coldness showed in their eyes.

Qian Daoliu rose, swept his gaze around the room, and said evenly, "Everyone, I called this meeting of the elders to discuss the position of Holy Son."

At those words,

everyone except the elders of the Worship Hall showed a flicker of surprise.

They were no fools. Given the attention Qin Yu had received lately, they naturally knew the Worship Hall intended to put him forward as Holy Son.

For one thing, Qin Yu's outstanding talent made him an ideal choice.

For another, the Worship Hall might be preparing for the future, ensuring Bibi Dong could not hold all of Spirit Hall's power in her hands.

This meeting to select a Holy Son was yet another silent battle between the Papal Hall and the Worship Hall.

"As you all know, the position of Spirit Hall's Holy Son has stood vacant for years. For various reasons, no suitable candidate has emerged."

"But this time is different."

"I'm sure you all know Qin Yu and have heard plenty about what he can do."

"As the High Elder of the Worship Hall, I propose that Qin Yu become this generation's Holy Son of Spirit Hall!"

Qian Daoliu spoke calmly, his expression solemn.

When he finished, the other six elders of the Worship Hall showed little reaction, while the seven elders of the Elder Hall exchanged thoughts for a while.

"Yu is exceptionally talented and has an excellent temperament. At his young age, he is already a level twenty-four Soul Grandmaster, and his second ring is even a thousand-year ring."

"What's more, he is the first Soul Master in history to possess the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul."

"Most importantly, Yu's background is simple and clean. He was born and raised in Spirit City, with impeccable roots."

"So even if Yu weren't my disciple, I would support him becoming Spirit Hall's Holy Son."

Golden Crocodile Douluo stood and delivered his remarks.

He did have personal motives, but he was thinking primarily of the bigger picture and Spirit Hall's interests as a whole.

For the position of Holy Son, Qin Yu was the clear choice.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

"I agree too!"

The other five elders of the Worship Hall spoke in turn, all supporting Qin Yu's appointment as Spirit Hall's Holy Son.

"Given Qin Yu's talent, temperament, and background, he is indeed the best choice for Holy Son." The Ninth Elder, Mad Lion Douluo, nodded his agreement.

"Yes, I agree too."

Ling Yuan Douluo voiced her support as well.

Among the nine elders, Mad Lion Douluo and Ling Yuan Douluo were neutral for now, unwilling to favor either the Worship Hall or the Papal Hall too heavily.

Of course, both Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu were quietly trying to win them over.

Because of family matters, Mad Lion Douluo might lean toward Bibi Dong in the future.

Ling Yuan Douluo, on the other hand, had no family ties. She had grown up in Spirit Hall and tended to consider the bigger picture, rarely involving herself in factional disputes.

After Ling Yuan Douluo and Mad Lion Douluo had spoken, Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo looked not at the remaining elders, but at Bibi Dong.

The other five elders had long since begun following Bibi Dong's orders.

It was supposedly a secret, but everyone knew the truth.

"Bibi Dong, what do you think?" Qian Daoliu asked directly.

As pope, Bibi Dong held three votes on her own and wielded considerable influence.

For a meeting to appoint the Holy Son, a simple majority would not suffice. Qin Yu needed two-thirds of the votes in favor.

The seven elders of the Worship Hall and two elders of the Elder Hall had only nine votes. Even with the absent Snake Lance and Pufferfish, that made just eleven.

"..."

Bibi Dong was silent for a long moment before saying coolly, "Fine. But he has no achievements to his name. Spirit Hall cannot hold a grand ceremony for him."

"Hmm?"

Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo frowned.

They saw what Bibi Dong was doing: limiting, to some extent, the authority Qin Yu would hold.

And her reasoning was not wrong.

Qin Yu had indeed accomplished little so far. If the Elder Hall simply appointed him, few people below would accept it.

Without their support, his title of Holy Son would still be useless.

Qian Daoliu nodded, then changed tack. "We will keep Qin Yu's appointment as Holy Son secret for now and keep all arrangements simple. No one outside Spirit Hall's trusted inner circle is to be told."

"Once Qin Yu has rendered service to Spirit Hall or advanced to Soul Emperor, we will hold the ceremony for him then."

Qin Yu was still only a Soul Grandmaster. Keeping a low profile would do him no harm.

It was enough for those at the top to know he was the Holy Son.

That old bastard... Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes, a trace of coldness flashing through them. Still, she nodded. "Fine."

She had no objection to Qin Yu becoming Holy Son.

But Qian Daoliu wanted to use the appointment to divide the power she held as pope. That alone was enough reason to be wary.

After the Elder Hall meeting ended, Bibi Dong did not return to the Papal Hall to attend to business. Instead, she went back to her own courtyard.

Apart from her and her disciple Hu Liena, only a few maids lived there.

"Nana."

Bibi Dong called out softly.

Before long, Hu Liena ran out of the building in casual clothes and bowed to Bibi Dong. "Teacher."

"That's enough. There's no need for formalities in private." Bibi Dong smiled faintly and gestured for the maids to leave.

"Hehe."

Hu Liena giggled, stepped forward, and took Bibi Dong's arm. Together they went to the pavilion to drink tea and chat.

"Nana, is your mind still troubling you after the backlash from Fox Charm?" Bibi Dong asked gently.

Hu Liena shook her head. "I'm much better after resting for a few hours, Teacher."

"Good."

Bibi Dong nodded slightly, then changed the subject. "The Elder Hall has unanimously confirmed Qin Yu as Spirit Hall's Holy Son."

"Holy Son!"

Hu Liena cried out, then murmured, "That little rascal is amazing."

Bibi Dong heard every word. A strange look crossed her face, but she continued, "Qin Yu is still young, his cultivation is not high, and he has no achievements to his name."

"So we'll keep things simple. His status as Holy Son is confidential. Only Spirit Hall's trusted inner circle may know."

"Nana, remember: you must not tell anyone outside that circle."