The Sect Leader, Peak Masters, and elders rarely appeared before the disciples except on major occasions. Outer Gate disciples, in particular, might go decades without seeing them even once.
Yet today, before the Tenth Round began, many disciples were surprised to discover that the fourteen seats at the very top, which had always stood empty, were almost completely occupied. Only one remained vacant.
Ning Hai was the first to rise. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, and his smile was kindly as he said, "Most of the disciples here probably saw me on the day you joined and have never seen me since. Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Ning Hai, the Thirteenth Generation Sect Leader of the Azure Tide Sect."
Bai Su's eyelid had been twitching since that morning, and a faint, stifling unease weighed on her heart. After seeing the Azure Tide Sect's senior figures in those seats, that unease grew stronger.
She kept feeling that something was slipping beyond her control. Or, more precisely, veering onto a course it should never have taken? Bai Su was dazed for a moment. Once she recovered, she felt puzzled. Why would she have such a feeling?
"The Azure Tide Sect has stood for ten thousand years and weathered storms both great and small. Along the way, we established certain rules. Some were right, others wrong, and as time passed, they continued to change."
At this point, the Sect Leader paused, then said with a smile, "Recently, I have heard quite a few murmurs of dissatisfaction with the Outer Gate's rules."
"As for how the Azure Tide Sect treats its Outer Gate disciples, those whose families include cultivators from other sects or rogue cultivators can make a comparison. If you truly feel it does not suit you, we