At the center of the hall, the heavenfire stone still burned fiercely, crackling in the flames.
Fang Qianyuan walked unhurriedly to his seat, unfastened the Black Feather Cloak from his back, and casually handed it to Yan Yu, who followed beside him. Only then did he sit down.
Fang Lian and Bai Aoxue went to the foot of the steps and found places to stand in the front row.
Some General-Rank Warriors unfamiliar with them cast curious glances their way, but soon seemed to recall something, their expressions shifting slightly.
Fang Qianyuan asked, "Has everyone arrived?"
One of the Personal Guards replied, "Reporting to the Grand Commander: fifty-three subordinates were summoned, and fifty-three are present. Everyone has arrived. The other registered commander-level officers all have assignments they cannot leave and requested leave beforehand."
Fang Qianyuan nodded slightly. "Good. Then let us begin."
He had now ascended to Heaven Tier, his aura merging into the natural world. To the many Human Rank cultivators, and even those at the relatively low early Earth Rank, he seemed almost like a mortal with no cultivation at all. Yet merely sweeping his gaze around the hall gave them a feeling of cold desolation, as though they stood in a snowfield, and they could not help lowering their heads slightly.
Fang Qianyuan said, "I have summoned you here primarily for two matters."
"I have recently ascended to Heaven Tier, and the Elders' Council has honored me with Installation as Grand Elder. Beginning next year, I will take up residence in the Otherworld Grotto-Heaven known as the Heavencrystal Snowfield to oversee it. After that, I will seldom travel back to headquarters, and exchanging written messages will also prove inconvenient. I have therefore decided to establish the post of Deputy Grand Commander within the Bureau, allowing decisions to