Chapter 178 | A Manager’s Shield

Chapter 178: 178 | A Manager’s Shield

The Inner Sect Resource Hall was a different kind of battlefield.

No swords hung on the walls. No sparring platforms occupied the floor. Instead, long rows of blackwood desks filled the wide hall, each stacked with jade ledgers, sealed scrolls, and bottles of expensive spiritual ink. Disciples in neat grey robes moved quietly between the shelves, their footsteps soft against the polished stone. The air carried the dry scent of old paper and refined ink, mixed with the faint pressure of formation arrays that monitored every transaction.

This was where the sect’s true veins of power ran—not through martial strength, but through allocation slips and official seals.

Wei Chang strode through the main entrance with a dark expression. A minor Deacon from his faction followed closely behind, clutching a formal request scroll. The Peak Foundation aura around Wei Chang was restrained, yet the cold anger in his eyes made several low-level disciples step aside without being told.

He stopped in front of the central administrative counter.

"I am here to submit an official resource adjustment request," Wei Chang said, his voice sharp. "Cloud-Sea Pavilion’s tournament stipend and material allocation are to be suspended immediately."

The young disciple behind the counter paled slightly. "S-Senior Brother Wei... such a request requires the Vice-Manager’s approval."

"Then call her."

A side door opened almost at once.

Madam Shen walked out with calm, measured steps. Her dark crimson robes were perfectly arranged, the silver insignia of the Resource Hall’s Vice-Manager gleaming at her collar. Her expression was cold and professional, the same face she showed every elder and disciple who came seeking favors or exceptions.

She stopped a few paces away and looked at Wei Chang without any visible emotion.

"Senior Brother Wei," she said evenly. "State your request clearly."

Wei Chang’s jaw tightened. "Lin Tian is only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. Granting him a full tournament resource package and the fifth representative slot is a waste of the sect’s assets. I formally request that all related allocations to Cloud-Sea Pavilion be frozen until after the Regional Tournament."

The minor Deacon quickly unrolled the scroll and held it out as supporting evidence.

Madam Shen did not take the scroll. She simply glanced at it once, then looked back at Wei Chang.

"Under the Edict of Centralized Regulation," she said, her voice remaining cool and precise, "any suspension of approved tournament resources must be supported by one of three conditions: proven waste of materials, violation of mission protocol, or direct order from the Patriarch’s hall."

She paused, letting the words settle.

"You have presented none of these."

Wei Chang’s eyes narrowed. "He is Early Stage. That alone is reason enough."

"No," Madam Shen replied. "Cultivation realm is not listed as grounds for suspension under the current edict. The fifth slot was granted through official recommendation and confirmed by the Patriarch in the Grand Hall. Until a formal challenge result or Patriarch’s decree changes that decision, the allocation stands."

A few nearby disciples had stopped working. They pretended to examine ledgers, but their ears were clearly listening.

Wei Chang’s voice dropped lower. "You would protect a junior disciple over the interests of the ranked Core Disciples?"

Madam Shen’s expression did not change.

"I protect the regulations of the Resource Hall. If Senior Brother Wei believes the regulations are wrong, he is free to submit a petition to the Law Enforcement Hall. Until then, the request is denied."

The minor Deacon shifted uncomfortably. Wei Chang’s face had turned a deep shade of restrained fury.

Madam Shen was not finished.

She turned slightly and spoke to the disciple behind the counter. "Record this. Effective immediately, Wei Chang’s faction will undergo a thirty-day random mandatory audit of all secondary resource withdrawals. All non-essential allocations will be held pending review."

The disciple’s brush moved rapidly across a jade slip.

Wei Chang’s aura flared for a brief moment before he forced it back down. "You dare—"

"I am enforcing standard oversight procedures," Madam Shen interrupted calmly. "Your faction has submitted three high-volume withdrawal requests in the past month. Random audit is within my authority. If your records are clean, the hold will be lifted within the review period."

There was nothing Wei Chang could say.

The regulations were clear. The authority was hers. Any further outburst would only make him look like a Core Disciple who could not even control his temper in front of administrative staff.

He stared at Madam Shen for a long, cold second. Then he turned sharply and walked out of the Resource Hall, the minor Deacon hurrying after him.

The moment the doors closed, the quiet conversations in the hall resumed, now filled with barely hidden interest.

---

Lin Tian had watched everything from a shaded side balcony overlooking the main floor. His presence was fully concealed beneath the Abyssal Shadow Veil, and no one had noticed him.

When the hall returned to normal business, he stepped down and walked toward Madam Shen’s private office.

She was already inside, standing beside her wide blackwood desk. The moment the door sealed behind him and the privacy array activated, the cold Vice-Manager mask melted away.

Madam Shen turned to him, her eyes soft with devotion.

Lin Tian walked forward without hurry. He sat on the edge of her desk and reached out, cupping her face with one hand. His thumb brushed lightly along her cheek.

"You use the sect’s laws like a flawless sword, Shen-er," he said, his voice low and steady. "Look at how the untouchable manager defends her junior."

A visible shiver ran through Madam Shen’s body. The Irresistible Yang Scent that always lingered faintly around him wrapped around her senses, making her knees weaken. She leaned into his palm, her earlier authority completely gone.

"For you," she whispered. "Only for you."

Lin Tian’s fingers slid into her hair, tilting her head slightly so she looked up at him.

"You froze his resources right before the deathmatch. Clean. Efficient. No loose ends."

Madam Shen’s breathing grew softer. The praise settled deep into her chest, feeding the absolute loyalty that already bound her. She rested both hands lightly against his legs, her forehead nearly touching his knee in quiet surrender.

"I am yours to use," she said. "The Resource Hall, the ledgers, the seals... everything."

Lin Tian stroked her hair once, then released her.

"Good. Maintain the audit. Do not push further for now."

She nodded, still kneeling in spirit even as she rose to her feet and adjusted her robes back into perfect order. By the time the privacy array deactivated, the cold Deputy Hall Master had returned as if she had never left.

---

Lin Tian remained in the office for a short while after she returned to her duties. He took out the old profound-iron broadsword from his storage ring and rested it across his knees.

The crack near the guard was still there. It was small, but under the stress of a true life-and-death battle it would become a fatal weakness. Wei Chang was arrogant, yet he was still a Peak Foundation cultivator. Facing him with a flawed weapon was unnecessary risk.

"I need Void-Steel," Lin Tian said quietly.

The temperature in the far corner of the office dropped slightly.

A dark figure stepped out of the shadows as if peeling away from the wall itself. Lady Yun’s cold, beautiful face emerged first, followed by her form-fitting black robes. Her presence made almost no sound.

She inclined her head.

"You called, Master."

Lin Tian looked at her.

"Prepare the Pattern Mask Glyphs, Yun-er. We are visiting the Underground Ghost Market tonight."

Lady Yun’s eyes gleamed with quiet understanding. "The black market auction?"

"Yes. I need a material that can withstand Peak Foundation force without revealing too much of my hand. Void-Steel will do."

She stepped closer, her voice low. "The Ghost Market is more dangerous than usual these days. Several outer forces have been buying high-grade ores."

"That is fine," Lin Tian replied. "We will not be going as ourselves."

Lady Yun gave a single nod. A faint smile, rare and sharp, touched her lips.

"I will have the glyphs ready by nightfall."

She melted back into the shadows and was gone.

Lin Tian sat alone in the quiet office, the cracked broadsword still resting across his knees. Outside, the Resource Hall continued its endless work of stamps, ledgers, and seals.

Wei Chang had tried to use the sect’s system as a weapon.

He had simply chosen the wrong battlefield.

Tonight, the game would move to a darker place—one where steel, gold, and hidden identities decided everything.