Everyone in the grand hall held their breath, their faces marred with shock. As for the bearer of the horrifying sword attack—
He was trembling vehemently, his eyes closed as if waiting for his end while his body was covered in perspiration.
Elder Luo Zhen was pleased, but the sneering on his face made it impossible for others to see how excited he was.
He clicked his tongue arrogantly and sheathed the sword.
The External Affairs Elder gasped as he slowly opened his eyes.
"I’m still alive!" he exclaimed, happiness evident on his face.
Just then, the sound of metal crashing to the ground echoed in the still, quiet hall. The previous shield that no one could break below the Golden Core realm was cut into two.
Looking at the cleanly cleaved shield, everyone sucked in a cold breath once again while the External Affairs Elder shuddered.
If Elder Luo had not controlled the might of the sword, he would have been cleaved apart like the shield.
With that, he realized how close he was to dying.
He raised his head and looked at the nonchalant Elder Luo with an unsightly expression.
Without uttering a word, he returned to his seat with trembling legs.
The Sect Master cleared his throat twice to get everyone’s attention from their previous shock.
"Elder Luo, did you refine this sword?" the Sect Master asked.
"Yes..." he nodded calmly. "This is the project I’ve been working on, but it’s a semi-finished product. It’s quite lacking."
Semi-finished product!
The Sect Master and the elders were stunned. Especially the External Affairs Elder. He felt like crying.
If this was a semi-finished product, then what would have been his fate if it was a complete product?
"Then, when will you have the complete product?" the Sect Master asked.
"I don’t know. Maybe a week or a month..." Elder Luo Zhen responded.
He truly did not know when he would have a breakthrough in his research.
But he knew he was in the right direction, and he only needed one component for his idea to come into manifestation.
"Good. You can take your time. You have the full support of the sect." The Sect Master was visibly happy.
With such a weapon, fighting across the realm would not be difficult.
This was the thought of everyone in the hall. They feared anyone outside the region if they had such a weapon.
Thus, they couldn’t wait for the completion of the weapon.
"From this moment onward, no one should disturb the Refining Hall. Anything they ask for should be given to them immediately. If I hear anyone going against my order..." The Sect Master did not complete his words, but every elder knew the meaning.
The elders were not fools. With the Refining Hall working on such a powerful weapon, why would anyone go against them?
The Sect Master looked at the elders for a moment before he nodded slightly. "Now, let’s get to the real reason why I called this meeting."
All turned their heads and looked at the Sect Master. Previously, they thought it was because of the Refining Hall secret, but now, they realized they were all wrong.
Why would the Sect Master care about the Refining Hall? Can anything be hidden from the Sect Master?
With that thought, some lowered their heads in shame.
Elder Luo Zhen and Elder Li Huang did not hide their disdain for them.
The Supreme Elder Sun was shocked. He had meddled in such muddled water without understanding anything.
As a Supreme Elder, he should not have lowered himself to the level of a common elder, yet...
’I’m getting old.’ He shook his head with a bitter smile.
The Sect Master did not care about their thoughts. "You all know why we’re the weakest region..."
The elders nodded. They had quickly gotten over their emotions and looked at the Sect Master seriously.
"All the Golden Core cultivation techniques have been monopolized by the big sects and ancient clans. Apart from that, there is another reason."
Most of the elders were confused. They only knew of the first reason but did not expect there would be a second reason.
Only a few of them were not surprised.
"Why do you think the central region is where all the powerful experts gather?" the Sect Master threw another question to the elders.
Without waiting for their response, he continued. "The reason is simple. The central region has an abundance of resources and the spiritual energy is extremely high."
"With the region overflowing with spiritual energy, there would be an abundance of resources. That is a given. But why is it only the central region that has such a high concentration of energy?"
"Because they steal all the spiritual veins of other regions."
The elders widened their eyes in disbelief. They did not expect the cultivation holy land would have such a nefarious backstory.
Watching the shocked expressions of the elders, the Sect Master continued. "This is not a secret. Most of the sects and clans knew of it. But what could anyone do? With the overwhelming might of the central region, we could only swallow our grievances."
"Therefore, to appease the anger of other regions, the Assembly Summit was created."
Everyone wore a look of realization. Now, they understood the entire reason for the creation of the Assembly Summit.
It was just a consolation prize.
However, with each passing year, the Assembly grew stronger and the popularity of the Summit grew as well.
Now, it has become the holy gathering that sects and clans wish to partake in.
"The reason why I told you this is because of what I’m going to say next." The Sect Master’s calm expression vanished into thin air, and his face became solemn.
Everyone wore serious expressions.
"With the blessing of the heavens, my sect has discovered an Earth-Grade Technique that would allow us to break through to the Golden Core realm without any side effects."
All the elders froze as they stared at the Sect Master with wide eyes.
Is the Sect Master telling the truth?
Supreme Elder Sun rose from his seat and looked at the Sect Master. His lips trembled. He had been stuck at the peak of the Core Refining Realm for many decades, and his lifespan was coming close to an end.
Without breaking through to the Golden Core realm, he could only wait for death. But now...
Everyone could understand his feelings. The Sect Master looked at him and flashed him an assuring smile.
"I’ve placed the technique on the highest floor in the Scripture Pavilion. It can be redeemed with one million contribution points."
"Really!" The Supreme Elder Sun could not hide his joy.
The Sect Master nodded.
"Ahahah. Good. Good. This old man still has a shot at life." His laughter echoed in the hall.
Just then, an elder asked, "Sect Master, there is no mission that could be rewarded with a lot of contribution. Won’t it take us forever to earn one million points?"
"You’re wrong. There are many missions. For example, killing a grade-3 beast would earn you above fifty thousand points."
"Apart from that, if you find or discover rare herbs, mines, materials, you can earn massive contributions."
When the elders heard this, a bright smile plastered on their faces. Previously, they were scared that there wouldn’t be missions, but now—
They were filled with a burning fighting spirit.
They could not wait to leave the hall to take on the mission.
Seeing this, the Sect Master couldn’t help but be stunned.
’That rascal is damn right.’