213 Inner Sect Meeting

The library looked much larger on the inside than from outside. Naturally, it couldn't compare to the Primordial Library, but it was still the second largest library Shui had ever entered.

'Then again, I haven't seen many libraries before.'

The first thing Shui did was go to the librarian for a brown plaque that detailed the name and location of every book and spell on the first floor of the library. Although the librarian of the first floor was just an old woman, Shui was impressed by the fact that she was in early Sky Realm.

'As expected of an average-rank force.'

With the plaque in hand, Shui made quick steps as Fatty followed close behind. He only needed to check it once before memorizing the structure of the library and the placement of the books he wanted. After reaching a certain part of the library, with each step he took, he used his hands to swiftly pick out a book or spell. Within a short time, there was a small tower of literary materials in Shui's hands.

"Wow, Boss! Are you planning on reading all of that?"

"Yes, this should do for light reading."

Fatty Zain looked like he wanted to say something about what Shui called 'light reading', but he eventually decided not to.

"Should I pick something to read too?"

"Don't worry, I've already found a few simple spells for you to look at. They should provide a decent boost to your fighting ability."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Tier 0 spells were generally disdained, but Fatty had a feeling that if Shui recommended them then it would be worth a try. After collecting the books he had in mind, Shui and Fatty found an empty table and sat down. If he wanted to, Shui could flip through his large selection in under an hour, but once he passed the spells to Fatty, he took his time reading. As he wanted to have better control over his aura dilution, Shui used reading a means of relaxing so that he could naturally sink into the atmosphere of the library and spread his aura as much as possible.

As Shui continued reading while occasionally giving pointers to Fatty, and rumours were spreading about a new inner sect disciple with a black pass, a meeting was convened in the sect for the elders. The meeting was held in a space similar to an auction house or colosseum, where seats were placed radially. The meeting was called to review the disciple recruitment that was soon to end among other topics. Normally, this meeting would start off with a reveal of how many disciples had joined the manor during this period, but this time it wasn't just the new disciples that they were concerned about.

"Why?!"

"If he still has to go through the selection then we might as well not have given him the pass!"

"If that's how you want to treat him then I can take care of him myself."

"Hold it right there!"

Unlike what would be expected of elders belonging to an established force like Storm Sky Manor, the meeting hall which the elders were in was bursting with noise. No matter if it was the outer sect elders who sat at the lowest seats or the core elders who sat at the highest seats, everyone was embroiled in this argument.

After one of the inner sect elders finished explaining their point, Elder Rong gave his input.

"So, when should he be promoted to core disciple status?"

Since Shui was given a black pass and his strength was proven through the final test, it would be traditional for him to quickly become a core disciple after spending a short time in the inner sect. However, this was where the trouble started. Elder Rong thought that he would soon see the fruits of his efforts and that Shui would soon be begging him for help, but he forgot that he wasn't the only one who was appreciative of Shui's extraordinary talents.

"Wait, maybe we should have him properly take part in the core disciple selection, lest the young ones think we're being unfair." said one outer sect elder with a cloud white beard.

It seemed to make sense but multiple elders glared at him. With his strength they didn't think it would be much of a problem for him to pass the selection, but they wondered why the outer sect elder was suggesting that he participate. Furthermore, there were several heads nodding to his proposal among both outer sect and inner sect elders.

"Indeed, hardships will help mould him to reach higher levels." an inner sect elder commented.

By this time, even the slow ones among the elders realized their plot.

'These sneaky rats!'

'They're afraid that once he gets accepted as a core disciple of Storm Sky Manor, they'll no longer have a chance to recruit him.'

Someone who only knew the ideal of sects would certainly look down on this display of greed, but it was a common sight in any force. If Shui became the direct disciple of an outer sect or an inner sect elder and performed very well, then that elder might become a core elder. Even core elders couldn't easily give up the chance to teach him since their status and position could still be elevated.

And so, for hours they argued until a small tap was heard. Oddly, every elder heard this sound despite their hot discussion and turned towards it.

There, before any of them had noticed, an old man stood at the center of the hall. While some grimaced when they heard the newcomer, once they saw him there was not a single grumble. His peak Sky Realm cultivation wasn't very imposing to the core elders, but none of them dared to treat him lightly.

"What a disgrace."

The old man started off with an easily understandable insult, but there was only silence in response. These elders who argued fiercely were now but sorry pups. They knew that they couldn't afford to offend him.

"Allow him the opportunity to prove himself before awarding him the status he deserves. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, High elder."