Next Holy Son??

After some bootlicking, an elder asked, "So, Sect Master, what should we do now about the duel?"

Now all eyes turned to the Sect Master.

The Sect Master continued, "Well, I tried to persuade the Sect Master of Qingyuan Sect to postpone this duel, as our Holy Son has betrayed us and was banished, but she refused. She has made it clear that this time, the duel will happen no matter the cost."

"But how can we?" one elder asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yes, there isn't much time left either way," another elder added.

Soon, some constipated elders began to discuss among themselves in low voices.

Cough "So, we have to select a new Holy Son," the Sect Master declared.

Upon hearing this, all the elders sneered inwardly—Holy Son or sacrifice?—but on the outside, they simply said, "Yes, we must select one immediately so we have time to prepare for the duel."

"So, I ask all of you to present your talented and honorable disciples for this respectable position of Holy Son, so we can choose a new Holy Son," the Sect Master said with a smile. But that smile only disgusted the others, as it was clearly a gesture of "asking yourself to be sacrificed while you sit back and watch."

Zi Xia's voice broke the tension. "There is no need for this. I'd like to select Zhang Wan as the new Holy Son. He is not only talented but also in the same age group as the Holy Daughter of Qingyuan Sect."

The room went silent. Zhang Wan was none other than Zhang Wei, the Sect Master's son.

Gu Yan also spoke up, "I too support Zhang Wei."

Zi Xia shot her a cold glance but said nothing.

Six other peak masters supported Zhang Wan as the new Holy Son.

As Zhang Wan's name was brought up, Zhang Wei's expression darkened. But he smiled, and as the other six peak masters agreed, his eyes narrowed further.

Though eight peak masters out of twelve supported Zhang Wan as the new Holy Son, the other four, siding with Zhang Wei, voted against him.

Finally, the Sect Master spoke with a smile, "I'm honored that so many peak masters and elders think so highly of my son, Zhang Wan, to want to make him the Holy Son. However, I think he has the talent to become the new Holy Son, but his attitude… you all know his arrogance, right? Alas… I wish he could shoulder this honorable duel for our Sect, but he is too arrogant. He is not yet befitting of becoming the Holy Son right now."

Upon hearing the "right now" part, Zi Xia understood. It was all part of Zhang Wan's plan. He knew they would support him as the new Holy Son after the duel. It was a strategic move to gain their backing after the life-and-death duel. Shameless fox, Zi Xia thought.

Not only Zi Xia, but many others also understood what was going on. Even Gu Yan did.

Gu Yan then spoke, "It's not a problem, Sect Master. I believe that once Zhang Wan accepts the responsibility of the Holy Son, he will soon come to terms with his arrogance. And a little bit of pride is necessary for a cultivator."

Although Gu Yan knew her words would be used later for electing Zhang Wan as the new Holy Son, she wanted to see what card Zhang Wei would play next. "The arrogant one" card wasn't very valuable in this situation.

"You are right, Peak Master Yan," the Sect Master agreed, his voice initially filled with excitement. "His arrogance is not that big of a problem. In fact, it can be called pride—the pride of belonging to the Heavenly Sword Sect. But alas..." His voice trailed off in regret. "Right now, he is training under Supreme Elder Qin Mo. He isn't allowing Wan'er to come out. I asked him to let him out, but he said that he is in a critical phase of his cultivation… sigh..."

Everyone in the room thought, A Supreme Elder is involved too. Well, it's not impossible to involve a Supreme Elder with the Sect Master's connections.

Gu Yan's thoughts were deeper. It's much more rooted than I thought.

The Sect Master sighed with a regret-filled smile. "So, we have to choose someone from your brilliant disciples."

One peak master spoke up, "Sect Master, there is another option. Since Jiang Chen accepted this duel, he should finish it too. I suggest we capture him, and as repayment to the Sect, he should fight in the duel."

A nearby peak master quickly responded, "Peak Master Yu, since you weren't present at the time of the judgment and may not have heard what happened to him, Jiang Chen's cultivation was abolished. He is useless now."

"Though the idea was not bad, if his cultivation hadn't been abolished, we could have had him fight in this duel too," another peak master said, laughing mockingly.

Everyone's attention turned to Gu Yan, who had been the one to abolish Jiang Chen's cultivation.

A male peak master said in a joking tone, "Haha, Peak Master Yan, you should have controlled yourself. Abolishing a runt's cultivation is no use to us now. At least he should have been useful in this duel, hahaha."

Hearing this, Gu Yan didn't say anything. She simply clenched her fist.

Zi Xia, however, was not one to hold back. Everyone who mocked Jiang Chen and threw their names into her Death Note—or rather, her precious Torture Diary—would soon regret their words.