"I do believe that my sect has earned a place in Elder Bai's regiment. We have loyally served the Lunar Peaks Sect for many centuries after all."

"Of course, of course. You are truly within your right to hope for that, and I'd love to support you on this issue. It's only… well, you see, my daughter has been on the verge of breaking through to the Dao Contemplation Realm for over a decade now and she isn't really getting any closer, while I myself am only getting older. It would be difficult for me to put my sect's good name on the line while my own succession isn't well-secured."

"Oh, I'm sure we can figure something out, in fact I'd be more than happy to help out an old ally."

"That is reassuring to hear, my friend."

"Your daughter cultivates the Dao of water just like you, doesn't she? I might have something that could be of help to her. You see, there is this pearl that… oh, excuse me, Elder Shi."

Lan Shi only responded with a slight nod as she pushed herself past the two chatting cultivators. She knew neither of them by name, though vaguely remembered seeing them at some of the sect's larger functions.

Ma Rong, Liu Wei or any of the other more politically inclined elders would know who they were for sure, but for her part, she had neither time nor desire to concern herself too much with the subordinate sects – they weren't really her subordinates anyways, since pretty much all of the sect's relations were handled by the pillar families.

She continued making her way through the room that was filled to capacity with powerful cultivators bickering over superficial honors and minor benefits. She hadn't spotted any of the pillar family heads yet, but Guang Lai had already taken one of the seats in the front and, upon noticing her, signaled for her to join him.

"Elder Shi. I hope you've been having a pleasant time."

"Elder Lai, good to see you. I can't complain, though my… project still hasn't shown the desired results."

She didn't want to openly talk about her failure to break through on such a public space, but Guang Lai naturally knew what she meant.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose that means it'll have to wait until after the current affairs are dealt with?"

"Yes, it will."

"Regrettable. But I'm sure once this is done, my master will be able to help you out."

"I wouldn't doubt Elder Rong's ability for a second, though it's daunting to have to depend on his generosity once more."

"You know as well as I that he will be more than happy to help you out."

"Of course."

Lan Shi sat down next to her ally. The chairs were arranged in two rows facing each other that went down the length of the room. At the head end stood a larger seat that looked suspiciously similar to a patriarch's throne, which Ning Bai had taken to holding the meetings from.

"So, anything you want us to keep in mind for today?"

"Just stick to what we've talked through. We'll try to tone him down if he's being too reckless. Other than that, no unnecessarily antagonizing anyone, we need to be as united as possible in the days to come."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"In all honesty, it feels strange to hear these words from you, Elder."

Lan Shi gave him a dry smirk. It was true that she wasn't usually the voice calling for moderation and if she was honest, she was a little uncomfortable with carrying that responsibility.

"I only fought at one, single council meeting. And it was Elder Peng who started it."

"And I'm sure he won't try again after how that went."

"That would be best for him."

The two went chuckled, reminiscing about the events of that glorious day. After a moment of silence, Lan Shi sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I can't help but shake the feeling that this is somehow going to go poorly."

Guang Lai turned to look at her with a worried expression.

"I share your worries, but I'm sure we'll manage."

Before she could answer, the murmuring from all throughout the room suddenly calmed, prompting Lan Shi, like everyone else, to turn her attention to the entrance. There, dressed in full ornamental robes and flanked by his two fellow pillar family heads Zheng Rong and Jiang Peng, Ning Bai strutted into the room.

When the last people had shuffled onto the chairs and Ning Bai had taken his seat on the throne, he began speaking with a grace voice.

"My fellow cultivators, thank you for attending. I have called for you to assemble here today for a final meeting before landfall. Our fleet will arrive at its destination in just three days, and we shall discuss how to approach out attack on the Roaring Thunder Sect."

Lan Shi resisted rolling her eyes over the pretentiousness of it all. What else were they going to discuss here – the weather?

"As the Lunar Peaks Sect's chief strategist and this army's leader, I have naturally already made some basic plans. It is all rather simple: We will march right for the Roaring Thunder Sect to set up our siege, giving them as little time to prepare as possible."

What? That was a terrible idea, but before Lan Shi could speak up, Ning Bai continued.

"While we steadily assault their defensive formations, we will march on the nearest towns and villages to secure additional supplies. The enemy's most powerful fighters are all locked in their conflict against the other sects, so once their formations are sufficiently weakened, we will face little opposition in storming the sect."

Lan Shi raised her voice, interrupting him.

"Elder Bai, I believe caution is warranted. While the enemy may not have their strongest fighters available, neither do we."

They truly didn't. While their numbers were impressive, Elder Bai was the only cultivator of the sixth stage present, and they didn't have anyone at the fifth stage either. They weren't exactly vulnerable, but if someone like Xing Zhou showed up with his army, they would have little to no options to deal with him.

Zheng Rong answered in place of Ning Bai.

"Elder Shi, you jest. Look around this room, look at our fleet. The Lunar Peaks Sect is mighty, mightier than anyone else. Even if every last disciple of the enemy forms up for a final stand, we'll crush them with ease!"

"My worries, Elder Rong, are not about the sect's garrison, but the several armies that are in the field. We lack information on their whereabouts, but we shouldn't discount them. I believe Elder Wei's original plan was for us to wait for Patriarch Ye's army, wasn't it?"

Ning Bai frowned before answering.

"Circumstances have changed, and we will be arriving much earlier than we originally anticipated."

"Not to mention the cowardice we would be displaying, huddling in our fleet like frightened hares.", Zheng Rong added. "We didn't come here to wait for others to do our work, Elder Shi."

Several of the other elders murmured in agreement, but Lan Shi ignored the provocation. As much as she would have liked to, this was not the time to pick a fight.

"Then let us at least advance with caution. Send out scouts, capture nearby towns and sects as we advance, secure a path of retreat, just in case."

"We can work on all of that once we have the sect under siege. Otherwise, it will slow us down too much.", Ning Bai stated.

"But…"

"As the leader of this army, I did not call this meeting to debate our basic strategy. We will march on the Roaring Thunder Sect as soon as we land, that is not up for debate."

Lan Shi bit her tongue. This idiot didn't want to act strategically; he wanted to be the one to storm the Roaring Thunder Sect. A quest for glory that would put the lives of his subordinates and the success of their campaign at unnecessary risk.

She was already wondering whether Liu Wei had made a mistake in putting him in charge here. She exchanged a look with Guang Lai and swallowed her anger before speaking up once more.

"I understand, Elder Bai. I hope that you will let me secure a route of retreat as soon as we have reached the sect then."

"That will be acceptable, yes. Now that this concern is dealt with, let us talk about the army composition…"

Lan Shi groaned internally. How was everyone just fine going along with it like this?

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