551 Internal Conflic (1/2)
Mie Liezi narrowed his eyes when he heard Feng Qiuran's words, and he cast a cold glance at her. Back then, Feng Qiuran was at the peak of the early-stage Soul Conduit realm, pressuring the then Mie Liezi who had just entered early-stage Soul Conduit realm, which left him without a choice but to work with the Federation.
However, he had gradually advanced in his cultivation, and the difference between him and Feng Qiuran wasn't large. Despite that, unless he had no choice, he didn't want to go against Feng Qiuran. After all, there was still You Ran as one of the Elders of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace.
Even though You Ran always seemed nonchalant about matters, Mie Liezi was still vigilant towards him. Mie Liezi was about to speak when You Ran, who was beside him, sighed.
”Mie Liezi, Feng Qiuran, stop arguing, the both of you. This happens every time… However, Elder Feng, Elder Mie Liezi was right about something. What's most important is the incident involving the Hyacinthus Tree! I also think that we should first reach a conclusion regarding the Hyacinthus Tree before discussing other matters. What do you think?”
With Daoist You Ran acting as the peacemaker like always, Feng Qiuran silently nodded her head as an indication of her agreement to discuss the Hyacinthus Tree issue first.
”Thirty-seven years ago, seven leaves fell off the Hyacinthus Tree, and now, there's only three. The number of falling leaves are decreasing, and it is likely that only one will fall the next time.” Daoist You Ran sighed softly, and a look of anxiousness and concern could be seen in his eyes.
”That means that we only have three tokens this time around. If everything goes smoothly, three disciples could enter the Worship Palace Pavilion of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace and carve their names down on the Dao Plate based on the opportunities that they have obtained. That will allow them to be bestowed with an identity as a true Dao Palace disciple. Do both of you have any suggestions on how to choose the three disciples?” As Daoist You Ran spoke, he looked towards Mie Liezi and Feng Qiuran.
Without waiting for Feng Qiuran, Mie Liezi began speaking with a cold tone.
”Back then, there were seven leaves, and we sent seven people, but four of them didn't survive. Only Chi Lin and three others successfully became the outer sect disciples of the Dao Palace. There were simply too many losses. Furthermore, since we only have three leaves now, I don't think there is any meaning to sending anyone there!”
Hearing those words, Feng Qiuran was immediately displeased and began speaking.
”The leaf of the Hyacinthus Tree is the token needed for one to officially be part of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. This is a tradition that has been passed down since the Dao Palace was established. Wasn't that the case for us too? Even though there is some danger in entering the Worship Palace Pavilion now, the fact that the Hyacinthus Tree still sheds its leaves means that there is a significance behind it!”
”Perhaps there could really be someone whose opportunity is so valuable that he is able to become an inner sect disciple. That would mean a lot to us. Of course, if Elder Mie Liezi doesn't agree, you can give up on the eligibility to receive the Hyacinthus Tree leaf for the disciples under your wing.” As Feng Qiuran spoke, Mie Liezi laughed suddenly.
”What Elder Feng said makes sense. I have not been considerate. Since this is the case, it's easy to distribute the three leaves. We shall receive one leaf each, and let our respective disciples undergo a trial. The winner of the trial will receive the Hyacinthus Tree leaf!”
”Right now, the disciples are too complacent. We must let them know how brutal cultivation can be, that it is a fight between people and the heavens. After all, back in the day, the three of us also overcome all sorts of trials to achieve what we have today.” With that, Mie Liezi narrowed his eyes and looked towards Feng Qiuran. However, he was laughing evilly in his heart. On the surface, whatever he said about distributing the three leaves amongst the three of them sounded fair, but in reality, there was an evil intent behind it!
For Daoist Mie Liezi and You Ran, they could appear to let their disciples battle it out to receive the Hyacinthus Tree leaf on the surface but actually make the decision through a simple command.
However, it was a different case for Feng Qiuran. That was because things were made more complicated with the involvement of the Federation under her lead. Even though she had tried to prevent it, two different factions were forming. One continued to support Feng Qiuran, while the other was beginning to show signs of revolt amidst their silence.
Building on the formation of the two factions, that was the case for the disciples as well. The Federation Seedlings were weak and could only stick with each other. While the other disciples of the faction working under Feng Qiuran supported them, they were unable to see the Federation Seedlings as their own in a short period of time.
Therefore, the problem now lay in who to give the leaf to. If it had to be obtained through battling like Mie Liezi suggested, there would be an issue of whether the Federation Seedlings should participate…
If they participated, then the Federation Seedlings would definitely have to fight with each other for the Hyacinthus Tree leaf, and it would be inevitable that deaths and injuries would result. After all, not many would give up on this valuable opportunity. Therefore, once the real battle began, the distance between the Federation and the complex web of factions under Feng Qiuran would grow continuously, despite it being a fair and reasonable battle.
However, if the Federation Seedlings weren't allowed to participate, this differential treatment would still widen the gap between them. At the same time, even if Feng Qiuran didn't choose to let the disciples battle it out, she would still be faced with a similar dilemma. Giving the leaf to anyone amongst the Federation Seedlings would cause unhappiness amongst the cultivators under her lead and vice versa.