The impact of Qi Xuansu’s remarks was significant. It sounded like a counterstrike.

Regardless of right or wrong, one had to admire Qi Xuansu’s vision, boldness, and elevated perspective.

If these words had been spoken by the Grand Master, they could have already defined the next course of action. Unfortunately, Qi Xuansu was not yet in that position, so he could not settle the issue and could only shift the prevailing sentiment to some extent.

A brief silence fell over the entire hall.

Then, applause broke the silence.

It was Great Sage Jiang, the leading figure of the Grand Master lineage, who chose applause to express his stance.

An applause was generally used to express approval or delight.

Great Sage Jiang clapped and laughed. “What a fine line. ‘Just as all rivers flow to the sea, we’re all heading to the same destination, just using different paths.’ When the Holy Xuan allowed the Western Daoist Order to head west, he must have thought the same. If it wishes to go, let it go. It’s like rain falling, because in the end, it will return and flow back into the same sea.”

These words were not spoken lightly. Great Sage Jiang had clearly come prepared. This was aimed at the Imperial Preceptor, using the Holy Xuan’s words to silence him.

The Li family constantly claimed to be descendants of the Holy Xuan, but the Holy Xuan belonged to the entire Daoist Order, not just the Lis. If the Li family could wield the Holy Xuan’s authority, so could others, using their own weapon against them. This was difficult even for the Imperial Preceptor to counter.

It seemed like a confrontation between Sage Donghua and the Imperial Preceptor, but in truth, Great Sage Jiang had hidden the decisive move. In the end, the Imperial Preceptor was left without a chance to respond.

Following Great Sage Jiang’s stance, more applause rose within the hall.

Of course, not everyone applauded. Some remained seated and silent.

The two factions had now become clearly defined.

At last, the Imperial Preceptor spoke. “I think we should proceed to a vote.”

No one objected.

With the Imperial Preceptor abstaining, only 12 members voted. The result of the vote came out quickly—6 to 6.

Originally, there had been some undecided neutral votes, but in the end, they were convinced by Qi Xuansu.

Since it was a tie. All eyes turned to Sage Donghua, the Chief Omniscient Sage.

Sometimes the power in his hands was merely symbolic, but at other times, it was boundless.

Now was the moment for the Chief Omniscient Sage to exercise that authority of having the extra deciding vote due to the tie.

Sage Donghua slowly stood up and spoke concisely. “My opinion is to oppose.”

Sage Donghua showed little outward emotion and continued fulfilling his duty as the Second Omniscient Sage. He declared, “Seven votes to six. The motion does not pass. This is the final agenda item. Meeting adjourned.”

As he finished his sentence, Sage Cihang also stood, instructing the attending Spirit Guards to open the doors to the hall. The Golden Tower Council clerks sealed the records, and the participants began to leave one after another.

Setting aside the special case of Sage Cihang, the Imperial Preceptor had arrived last and was now departing first.

Great Sage Jiang was the second to leave, followed by Great Sage Shi and Great Sage Tang, who walked out side by side before parting ways—one to the left, one to the right.

As Qi Xuansu walked out, he noticed that Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang were actually waiting for him. He quickly stepped forward to meet them.

At that moment, Sage Cihang was speaking with Sage Donghua about something unrelated to the meeting. “I should congratulate you for being able to take in such an excellent disciple at your age.”

Sage Donghua replied casually. “It’s probably fate. Don’t forget, he first went to the Tiangang Hall, and originally belonged to the Zhengyi Sect. Only later did he transfer to the Quanzhen Sect and join the Ziwei Hall. You just didn’t seize the chance.”

Sage Cihang laughed. “All my disciples are female. I’ve never taken in a male disciple. Besides, it doesn’t matter if I didn’t seize him. It’s enough that my disciple did.”

Sage Donghua smiled slightly. “In that case, since my disciple and yours have become Daoist companions, we are now in-laws.”

“That’s for the best.” Sage Cihang joked, referring to Madam Qi, “She and I can’t stand each other, so now, we’re both free of this burden of dealing with each other.”

Though said jokingly, it reflected some truth. Sage Cihang and Madam Qi were indeed fundamentally different. The former was a model orthodox Daoist, the epitome of propriety, while the latter was a rebellious deviant, the epitome of impropriety. It was hardly surprising they had little in common.

When they were younger, Sage Cihang was the model student who was diligent, well-behaved, and praised by teachers and parents alike. Madam Qi, on the other hand, would be the negative example, who skipped classes, got into fights, and neglected proper pursuits.

Their achievements also illustrated a simple truth. When one’s starting backgrounds were roughly similar, studying hard still mattered.

Although Sage Cihang might seem like just a supporting contender to the seventh-generation Grand Master race, if Sage Donghua and Sage Qingwei were to destroy each other, she could become the first female Grand Master and have her name recorded in history. Madam Qi, despite her influence and resources, would most likely only be remembered as the adoptive mother or mother-in-law of a Grand Master. This was the vast difference in legacy.

Seeing Qi Xuansu approach, the two Sages stopped joking and assumed the demeanor of elders.

Qi Xuansu took the initiative to greet them respectfully.

Both praised Qi Xuansu for his speech. Sage Cihang was direct like a mother, while Sage Donghua was more reserved, like most fathers.

Qi Xuansu accepted it all humbly, accompanying them out of the hall. They looked like a family of three as they exited the Golden Tower together.

To many onlookers, this showed Qi Xuansu’s remarkable prospects. With such powerful backing, even a fool could rise rapidly. No one bothered to think deeply about why these two powerful figures favored this kid.

One could not attribute success solely to personal capability nor entirely to external circumstances, as neither alone was sufficient for true success. Both had to complement each other.

After Sage Donghua and Sage Cihang departed, Qi Xuansu stood still and turned back to glance at the Golden Tower. He could not help but sigh.

Back in St. York, he had read a Western article. There was a candidate running for governor who was known as a respected man. But during the campaign, rumors spread of a dozen unknown children calling him “father.” By the time he withdrew from the competition, his reputation was in ruins.

To enter this very building, Qi Xuansu had paid a great price, and his reputation was starting to follow a similar trajectory. Most people called him a kid riding the winds of fortune and outrightly slandered him. When rumors about relationships did not work, they simply shifted to other angles.

For example, former classmates once asked Qi Xuansu for help, but his secretary Chen Jianchou had turned them away. As such, rumors spread that he had forgotten old ties after rising in status. He was seen as cold, inhuman, and obsessed with image. Only Mo Qingdi got him to help, supposedly because his wife Shi Yu had an illicit relationship with Qi Xuansu.

Others, knowing Qi Xuansu was an orphan, staged fake family reunions, which were also blocked. This gave rise to further rumors that he refused to recognize his biological parents now that he had an influential adoptive mother.

These kinds of despicable, underhanded tactics were simply far too common.

What was the use of standing upright if the ground was uneven? No matter how straight one stood, one would still appear crooked.

Thus, the ground must first be leveled. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Qi Xuansu withdrew his gaze and continued forward, leaving the Purple Mansion and exiting Xuan City.

In the past few days, while revising his report, Qi Xuansu had been staying in his Beichen Hall office. Today, he decided to go home.

Instinctively, he headed toward Haichan Place. But then he suddenly remembered that it was no longer his home, just as Qi Haoran was no longer his master. So he changed direction and went to his new home in Taishang Place.

Qi Xuansu had only been there once with Little Yin and Zhang Yuelu. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu often brought along her friends to visit. After all, it was a well-known residence in Jade Capital. Besides, Qi Xuansu had little money and rarely returned due to official duties, so all renovations were handled by Zhang Yuelu.

Thinking of this, he felt somewhat ashamed that he was so uninvolved in their home. He did not manage their house or care for their daughter, leaving everything to Zhang Yuelu. This was hardly respectful toward the so-called Daoist equality. If word got out, this would just be another accusation to his name. Though female Daoists might not defeat him in physical combat, they could certainly kill with words.

Qi Xuansu decided to use these few days in Jade Capital to make up for his mistakes. He would first check on the house, then solve Little Yin’s schooling issue.

Just moments ago, he had been speaking passionately in the Golden Tower Council about the Daoist Order’s future and the fate of the New Continent, yet in the blink of an eye, he was dealing with such mundane, grounded concerns.

The contrast was quite stark.

As Qi Xuansu arrived at his doorstep, he saw someone waiting, also dressed in the robes of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist, but wearing a white jade lotus crown.

It was none other than Huangfu Ji.

A Sage of the Western Daoist Order enjoyed the same treatment as an Omniscient Sage, aside from being unable to attend the Golden Tower Council.

Fortunately, Taishang Place was full of second-rank Taiyi Daoists, so Huangfu Ji did not stand out much.

Qi Xuansu joked, “Sage Huangfu, you’re quite well-informed.”

To Qi Xuansu’s surprise, Huangfu Ji bowed and said sincerely, “Thank you.”

Qi Xuansu waved it off. “I wouldn’t dare accept that. Some are already calling me a loyalist of the Western Daoist Order. I didn’t do it for you, at least not entirely. I was just speaking fairly.”