Yan Ming suddenly reminded, "Old Xiong, don't be too confident."

"Don't forget, Twilight Forest Village still has Xiao Mu."

"Xiao Mu is someone who repeatedly performs remarkable feats. Not long ago, he even used the Great Array to obliterate the Five Elements Grandmaster."

"I reckon your disciple, Chen Ming, may not be able to surpass Xiao Mu. In this Life and Death Seal battle, if the cultivation reward from the Human Emperor Tower is not handled properly, it might just end up benefiting Xiao Mu instead."

"This..."

Xiong Jin pondered, "You're right, that Xiao Mu is indeed a threat. With him around, it's truly difficult for Chen Ming to secure the First Merit. Elder Jin."

With that, Xiong Jin turned his gaze towards Elder Jin.

Jin Yuan squinted and said, "Old Xiong, you aren't suggesting I issue an order to ban Xiao Mu from participating in the Life and Death Seal battle, are you? Xiao Mu is currently under the jurisdiction of Zhou Xuanmen. Even if I were willing to issue such an order, Zhou Xuanmen wouldn't comply."

Xiong Jin chuckled, "Elder Jin, you're joking. I wouldn't dare propose such an unreasonable request. What I want to ask is, can Elder Jin delay announcing the reward information and only reveal that the First Merit winner will have the opportunity to cultivate in the Human Emperor Tower after the Life and Death Seal battle concludes?"

"Concealing such information might not be feasible."

Jin Yuan shook his head, "We couldn't pass the scrutiny of the Divine Phoenix Lady. If reward information is not reported to her in advance, the rewards given afterward would lack legitimacy."

"Haha!"

Xiong Jin laughed heartily, recognizing Jin Yuan's fear of the Divine Phoenix Lady.

In truth, it wasn't just Jin Yuan who feared the Divine Phoenix Lady—he feared her too. After all, the Divine Phoenix Lady was personally appointed by the Human Emperor as the decision-maker. Not only was her strength formidable, but her personality was domineering as well.

"Elder Jin, you've misunderstood my intentions. I'm not asking you to keep this from the Divine Phoenix Lady. We'll still report to her as usual. However, lower down, say to Zhou Xuanmen, we can temporarily withhold the reward details."

"In this way, Zhou Xuanmen won't be aware of the reward for the First Merit, and Xiao Mu naturally won't know it either."

"If he doesn't know there's a reward for performing feats, Xiao Mu wouldn't deliberately strive for merit."

"Once Xiao Mu isn't actively pursuing merit, I can have Chen Ming draw closer to him. Later, this Human Emperor Tower reward will surely land with us, won't it?"

Elder Jin mulled it over but still shook his head, "I fear it still won't work. If there isn't a single indication of related reward information, granting rewards afterward still lacks legitimacy. Should the Divine Phoenix Lady call us out, we'll both be in serious trouble."

Xiong Jin grew somewhat irritated, his expression suddenly darkening.

The Divine Phoenix Lady, the Divine Phoenix Lady—this Elder Jin just couldn't stop mentioning her. It was utterly unhelpful.

"Heh heh!"

Fei Xuan suddenly chuckled, "Elder Jin, Elder Xiong, I have an idea that could ensure the Divine Phoenix Lady has no grounds for blame, while still keeping the reward information hidden from Zhou Xuanmen and Xiao Mu."

"What is it? Speak quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Xiong Jin's mood brightened noticeably.

Jin Yuan followed up, "If Elder Fei has a good idea, don't hesitate to share. If it can truly shield us from the Divine Phoenix Lady's inquiries afterward, I'm willing to accommodate."

"After all, Chen Ming is one of us. Xiao Mu, on the other hand, belongs to Zhou Xuanmen."

Fei Xuan said seriously, "Elder Jin, Elder Xiong, my plan is quite simple: distribute Merit Records. We can issue Merit Records to every participant in the Life and Death Seal battle."

"With Merit Records, every individual's merit can be documented clearly. Later, even if the Divine Phoenix Lady is displeased, what can she say?"

"We will reward each participant based on their actual contributions. No one will have grounds for argument."

Xiong Jin's eyes lit up, "That's an excellent plan. Issuing Merit Records is enough to silence everyone, leaving no room for complaints."

"When the time comes, Chen Ming will secure First Merit, and we'll provide him with the reward based on his recorded merit—it's perfectly logical."

Jin Yuan finally nodded, "If there are no better methods, let's proceed with this plan. Comparing Xiao Mu and Chen Ming, Chen Ming is undoubtedly one of us. The chance to cultivate in the Human Emperor Tower, such a great prize—I naturally wouldn't want Zhou Xuanmen's people to gain it."

※※※

"Elder Yan, Old Yan, where are you headed?"

Yan Ming had just left the meeting hall and was preparing to ride the cloud to leave, when suddenly, Elder Qi Gu intercepted him.

Elder Qi Gu Qi, though part of the same faction, had a rather strained relationship with them.

This time, however, Yan Ming caught sight of Qi Gu, glanced at him, and pulled him aside, "Old Qi, come here, there's something I need to tell you."

"Can't you just say it here?" Qi Gu said reluctantly.

"It's confidential. Too many ears around."

"Then let's head to my office."

They both conjured their clouds and swiftly arrived at Qi Gu's office.

After seating themselves, Yan Ming shared the details of Elder Jin, Xiong Jin, and Fei Xuan's discussion earlier, then remarked, "Old Qi, don't you think they're completely ignoring me? While I may lack personnel to send out, that doesn't justify sidelining me entirely."

"Fei Xuan as Elder Fei has personnel to deploy, and Xiong Jin traded a Boundary Breaking Pill and promised away a future merit opportunity for competition slots."

"For me, though, nothing at all. Wouldn't you say that's disrespectful towards me?"

Instead of focusing on Yan Ming's grievance about the lack of benefits, Qi Gu was intrigued by the mention of cultivating in the Human Emperor Tower, "Old Yan, wait a second, what did you say just now about the Human Emperor Tower cultivation opportunity? What cultivation opportunity?"

"Cough cough!"

Yan Ming immediately realized his slip of the tongue, quickly covering up, "Old Qi, forget about what I just said. Pretend you didn't hear it."

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