conspiracy??....

Shocked. Everyone was stunned, except for a few who already knew about the war. While the details of the war were common knowledge—after all, it was a significant event that even now fueled the bitter rivalry between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Qingyuan Sect—no one knew about the promised duel of 'life and death' in the future.

An elder, perplexed, asked, "Sect Master, what is it that you're trying to say? We don't have a Holy Son. How can such a duel take place?"

Sect Master replied, "Two months ago, when Jiang Chen was chosen as Holy Son, I received a letter from the Sect Master of Qingyuan Sect about the promised duel."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

"We've already set the duel for six months from now, which means we only have four months to prepare."

"..." The room remained silent, stunned by the implications.

"Are you saying, Sect Master, that we have a life-and-death duel ahead of us—but we don't even have a Holy Son?" one elder asked incredulously.

"And what about Qingyuan Sect? Don't they have a Holy Daughter?" another elder added.

"Yes, and she's been appointed for over 200 years. Her cultivation is powerful enough to crush Jiang Chen in ten breaths," one elder said solemnly.

"Although Jiang Chen is strong and one of the most talented disciples we've ever seen, he still can't overcome the natural barrier imposed by age. Even if we set the duel for a later date, it should have been at least 50 to 100 years away, not just six months," another elder pointed out.

"Yes, Sect Master, six months of preparation? Isn't that just sending Jiang Chen to his death?" another elder asked.

Zi Xia narrowed her eyes, her gaze locked onto the Sect Master.

Sect Master cleared his throat, his voice steady. "The position of Holy Son has been vacant for too long because of this duel, but it can't remain vacant forever. That's why, after much deliberation, I, along with the Supreme Elders, chose Jiang Chen as the Holy Son, in recognition of his exceptional talent and the many meritorious deeds he has performed. Thanks to him, our Sect's reputation as a righteous sect has grown significantly."

Zi Xia's voice was cold as she asked, "Sect Master, since you and the Supreme Elders have made this decision, we can't question it. But how were you so sure of Jiang Chen's victory in this life-and-death duel? If he loses, he will die."

"It was Jiang Chen's honor to fight for our Sect. He accepted the duel with pride," the Sect Master said, his tone righteous.

"Are you saying that Jiang Chen knew this duel would be a life-or-death matter?" Zi Xia asked, her voice steely.

The Sect Master met her gaze calmly and said, "Yes. He accepted the duel, saying it was his honor to 'represent' the Sect."

Shocked murmurs rippled through the room.

"So Jiang Chen, knowing he might die, accepted the duel?" one elder said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Perhaps that's why he betrayed the Sect—knowing he would die anyway," another elder sneered.

"Yeah, he claimed it was his honor to fight for the Sect, but then he just ran away... Coward," an elder muttered, shaking his head.

Everyone in the room looked disdainfully at the elder who had called Jiang Chen a coward, as if daring to sacrifice oneself for the Sect was a lowly act.

"Why, then, if they were choosing a Holy Son, didn't they select the Sect Master's son? He's also talented, not as talented as Jiang Chen, but his cultivation is higher, and he's in the same age group as Qingyuan Sect's Holy Daughter," one elder mused aloud.

A sudden silence followed. The elder hadn't meant for his words to be overheard, but the entire room heard them.

The Sect Master's laughter broke the tension. "Hahahaha. Jiang Chen was a good disciple, ready to fight for the Sect. But I don't know what happened after he became Holy Son. Does a higher position change a person? Sigh..." He sighed deeply, his voice tinged with mock regret.

A clever elder, understanding the Sect Master's motive, chimed in, "Yes, Sect Master, perhaps he was always like this, and we just didn't know."

All the elders quickly rallied around the Sect Master's words, dismissing the question about the Sect Master's son.

They knew when to keep quiet about certain matters and when to follow the lead.

Only two people in the hall had different expressions—Zi Xia and Gu Yan.

Zi Xia's expression had grown colder than ever, as if her gaze could freeze even fire.

Gu Yan's face remained calm, but her eyes told a different story. She was looking at the Sect Master with an emotion that was not respect, as she had always shown him in the past, but something different—a feeling she couldn't yet place.

She was beginning to draw a conclusion, one she had desperately tried to avoid...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Provoking one dragoness is already a dangerous gamble, but two? That's courting disaster. A single dragon's fury can scorch the skies, but two dragonesses in tandem might just incinerate the entire world—and anyone foolish enough to stand in their path. A wise man knows when to retreat or tread carefully. But it seems our Sect Master is not the wisest of men...

Hahaha...