Chapter 1140: The Seven Elders Decision; Provisional Guest Elder (I)

"My name is Chu Yan. The cultivators of the Mountains and Seas Realm were kind enough to honor me with the title of Saint Alchemist."

Even after Luo Chen stepped out from that gate, those words still echoed in his mind with the gentleness of a spring breeze and light rain.

It was no wonder he had felt a sense of closeness the moment he first laid eyes on her. They both hailed from the cultivation world of the Eastern Wilderness, were both alchemists, and had both achieved the remarkable feat of refining fifth-tier pills while at the Nascent Soul Realm. All these similarities gave Luo Chen an instinctive desire to get close to her.

However, certain aspects were outside of his expectations. He had imagined the Saint Alchemist as an elderly, ethereal sage with a flowing white beard, but judging by that projection, she was clearly a delicate young woman.[1]

Of course, from the moment she asked out of the blue if he was capable of refining fifth-tier pills, Luo Chen could never see her as some kind of frail girl. She was, after all, a mighty expert on the brink of rising through the clouds and attaining Ascension!

She could feel that I refined a fifth-tier pill once. That must be why she asked that question.

Obviously, Luo Chen had no intention of disclosing the matter of the Law Scrutiny Pills, so he had glossed it over, but it was something he had to keep in mind for the future.

The assessment in the Star Gate took a back seat the moment he saw Saint Alchemist Chu Yan. It was merely a matter of following what Fu Chaosheng had instructed him to say. Thus, Luo Chen left the Star Gate with a nonchalant expression on his face and returned to the Immortal-Welcoming Hall.

Fu Chaosheng, who had been waiting for some time, immediately came out to greet him with anticipation. Alongside him was a young woman—this time, one that was actually young and didn't just appear young on the surface.

"This is my granddaughter, Fu Qinglan. Qinglan, greet Fellow Daoist Luo!"

As she looked at the young Luo Chen, a hint of hesitation crossed Fu Qinglan's fair face.

Luo Chen noticed her awkwardness, and he understood why. It was simply a matter of determining seniority in the cultivation world. He and her grandfather treated each other as peers, but in terms of actual age and cultivation level, he was actually her peer instead. This made the choice of title somewhat tricky.

"Let's just address each other however we see fit, Fellow... Young Fellow Daoist Fu?" When the words rolled off the tip of his tongue, Luo Chen felt a little awkward himself.

Fu Qinglan smiled. "Well, you're the master here, so I'll call you Senior Dao Brother. There's no need for all that ceremony; just call me Qinglan, that's what my friends call me."

Her smile dispelled the awkwardness hanging in the air.

Fu Chaosheng certainly knew how to set up a meeting. In the beginning, he had only stood by, giving the two space to interact. Now that they had broken the ice, he also joined the conversation. He warmly led Luo Chen to the banquet that had been prepared in advance while asking him about the seven-elder evaluation inside the Star Gate.

***

After Luo Chen left, the seven illusory figures began discussing among themselves.

"A cultivator from the Northern Sea, claiming to be a rogue cultivator with no heritage. Yet his mana is distinctly abundant, and the power of his divine soul is well concealed and far surpasses that of a normal first-stage Sage. This makes no sense, and we do not know anything about his background. I believe he should not be accepted!"

This was the representative of the Thirty-Six Noble Houses, the Supreme Elder of the Xiang House. He had taken the initiative, perhaps in hope of setting the tone of the discussion, but his statement was quickly met with objections.

"The Star Gate's talent selection trial has always been fair and open to all. It even accommodates demon cultivators, not to mention rogue humans. And you are saying that he is suspicious? Everyone has secrets. We are all grand cultivators; which one of us has become a late-stage Sage without some fortuitous encounters of their own along the way? Must we really get to the bottom of everything?"

"Indeed, for the Star Gate to grow stronger, it is important to uphold the philosophy of embracing everyone, from all races and all walks of life. The moment Wilderness Hermit entered the gate, the fire-attribute spirit energy in this space grew exceptionally active; it seems he possesses a Fire Spirit Body. He is no more than 300 years old, which means that he clearly has the potential to reach the Divine Transformation Realm. I believe he is well-suited to be a guest elder of the Star Gate."

"His age is one thing, but think of his status. Right now, he is alone, with no home of his own. If the Star Gate takes him in, then in time, he will begin to see himself as one of us. Fu Chaosheng states in the report that this man deeply values personal relationships and loyalty..."

Three outlander elders of Heaven-Earth Peak voiced their opinions one after another, quickly shifting the tone.

The so-called seven-elder evaluation was run by five outlander elders of Heaven-Earth Peak, as well as a representative of the Thirty-Six Noble Houses and a representative of the Twelve Great Houses. From the way these three outlander elders were singing the same tune, it clearly wasn't Luo Chen's dashing style that had deeply impressed them. If anything, their comments were all by the book; they certainly didn't sound as if they'd been deeply impressed.

It didn't take much reflection to figure out the reason behind this attitude. It boiled down to the fact that Saint Alchemist Chu Yan, one of the five outland elders, was about to ascend and leave a vacancy. Her departure would substantially weaken the outlander faction's influence in the Star Gate.

That was why they were so eager to recruit an outland cultivator, someone with a similar experience and background. With one more person on their side, appointing new elders later would proceed much more smoothly and in a way that was more favorable to their faction.

Unexpectedly, however, the discussion took a sudden turn with the next speaker, who happened to be an outlander elder—their ally, in other words.

"You have all been talking about his talent and character, stressing that he has a good chance of reaching the Divine Transformation Realm. But aren't there plenty of such individuals on Woodrot Mountain?"

The expressions of the first three outlander elders sharply changed.

"Dongfang Bai, what do you mean by that?"

Dongfang Bai scoffed. "First, let me remind you again about the principles of the Star Gate! When recruiting talents, we prioritize combat strength and high cultivation, and the older the better. To put it bluntly, we harvest the big, sturdy branches of the Mountains and Seas Realm's Five Territories and turn them into nourishment to sustain this land and support its young generations. This may sound harsh, but we all know the truth deep down. The Dao Sect is just merciful enough to give us old bones a glimmer of hope: a chance to reach the Divine Transformation Realm. That is why we accept this fate willingly.

"That kid Luo Chen is so young and such an exceptional cultivation talent. You want to invite him in so that he could drain the Star Gate's resources and plunder the spiritual vitality of the Central Continent? I do not believe he should be accepted!"

No one had expected a rift to emerge among the outland elders, who were supposed to be a monolithic whole. The other three fell silent, instinctively looking toward the delicate young woman.

Dongfang Bai, however, continued, "In matters such as these, we can merely offer advice; the final decision rests with the representative of the Twelve Great Houses. Elder Zhan, what do you think?"

The person called Elder Zhan said in a brusque tone, "I am, of course, a faithful defender of the Star Gate's principles and do not wish for Luo Chen to join Heaven-Earth Peak. However..."

The moment he uttered the word "however," Dongfang Bai and the Supreme Elder of the Xiang House knew something was amiss.

Sure enough, Elder Zhan's tone softened slightly. "Saint Alchemist, this time, you be the one to decide!"

"Elder Zhan!" Dongfang Bai yelped.

Elder Zhan shot him an icy glance.

The other outland three elders laughed to themselves. As they say, the emperor doesn't care, but the eunuch is worried to death. If the native cultivators of the Central Continent are fine with it, then why does an outsider like you have to be so uptight?

The Supreme Elder of the Xiang House, for instance, appeared completely at ease. It seemed he was determined to follow Elder Zhan's lead. And although the three didn't know why Elder Zhan would suddenly defer the matter to the Saint Alchemist, they felt the outcome was as good as certain. Since they were all outlanders, surely the Saint Alchemist would generously give her approval!

The slender figure slowly spoke up.

"Heaven-Earth Peak reeks of decay. Having such a young man join us is not a bad thing. However, Dongfang Bai's concern is reasonable. Accepting a young outlander into Heaven-Earth Peak goes against the principles of the Star Gate. Once we make an exception, we'll not only lose resources meant for the young generations of the Central Continent but also provoke resentment from the top sects of the four other territories, causing them to unite against the Heaven Origin Dao Sect. Just like when I left the Eastern Wilderness that year...

"Therefore, granting him the status of provisional guest elder should suffice."

Provisional guest elder?

The three outland elders exchanged bewildered stares. Dongfang Bai was taken aback; he, too, found this decision a little unexpected. The Supreme Elder of the Xiang House furrowed his brow.

Elder Zhan said heavily, "There is no precedent for this."

Either he's a Guest Elder or he isn't; what provisional position are you talking about?

Chu Yan chuckled softly. "Elder Zhan, didn't you just say that I get to make the decision?"

Elder Zhan was stunned for a moment, then revealed a nonchalant smile. "In that case, let's do as the Saint Alchemist suggests. The committee's decision is as follows: We shall grant Wilderness Hermit Luo Chen the status of provisional guest elder and allow him free access to Heaven-Earth Peak. However, all resources shall be restricted; he shall need corresponding contributions to redeem them. As for his cave residence... it shall be Cave Residence Jia Seventy-Eight!"

1. The author actually uses the third-person male pronoun when referring to Chu Yan from Luo Chen’s perspective in the previous chapters. As some of you might know, third-person pronouns in Chinese all sound the same, so if Luo Chen only knew her from oral stories, it was actually impossible for him to tell her gender. That said, the written characters are different for male, female, and non-human, and it is fairly weird to think he has never seen anything written about her. Perhaps the Nether Origin Sect simply kept her identity secret. ☜