Yi Tianyun continued to test his Luck Aura, and the results were immediately apparent: he even found some bits of loose silver in a corner! However, he didn't find any precious Martial Arts or Spirit Fruits.
Such things simply didn't exist here. Unless his luck was truly heaven-defying—it would probably need a boost of several dozen times its effect—it was impossible for them to just fall from the sky.
'Maybe it would be much more effective if I used it outside.'
Out in the forest, he figured that with good luck, he might actually be able to find some Heaven and Earth Treasures. For now, he stopped the drain on his points. The consumption of one point per second was still painful to him. Killing a single Snow Wolf only yielded five points, meaning he could only sustain the aura for five seconds. It was a pitifully small amount.
Just as he was planning to go out for a stroll, Lian entered, her face red. She didn't even dare to look him straight in the eye.
"Young Master, the Palace Master calls for you to attend the Elder Council…"
"The Elder Council?"
The Elder Council!
Yi Tianyun immediately guessed it was about him. His presence here had always been a major point of contention, and he figured this time would be no exception.
"I'll head over now. Lian, are you coming too?" Yi Tianyun changed the subject to save her from further embarrassment.
"No, that's alright. The Elder Council summoned you. I'm not qualified to enter." Lian had composed herself slightly, at least enough to lift her head and look at him.
Lian's aptitude for cultivation was not high. She was merely an Attendant assigned to serve them, so her status was naturally low.
Yi Tianyun said nothing more and headed for the Elder Council.
He soon arrived at the main hall of the Elder Council. Shi Xueyun was seated at the head, flanked by the three elders. The remaining seats were filled by the elite disciples of Merak Palace.
The disciples were all at the Spirit Refining Stage, while the elders had reached the Core Formation Stage. They were also much older than Shi Xueyun.
The moment Yi Tianyun walked in, all eyes turned to him, sizing him up with vastly different looks.
"We have discussed this before. Broadly, there are two issues. The first is allowing Celestial Cloud to become a disciple of Merak Palace; the second is that since he earned the spot for the Celestial Sinking Ruins, it should be his."
Shi Xueyun said gravely, "Do any of the elders have an issue with this?"
"His performance was undeniably astonishing, but Merak Palace has never accepted a male disciple since its founding. We cannot break the rules. Furthermore, his cultivation is not high; he will be at a great disadvantage entering the Celestial Sinking Ruins! Besides, he is currently here in atonement. Sheltering him is already the height of our tolerance!"
The first to speak was Second Elder Jian Yuping. Her gaze toward Yi Tianyun was unfriendly, filled with outright rejection.
Her meaning was clear: the rules could not be broken, and his cultivation was subpar, so there was no way he could receive the spot. Even if he had earned it himself, the rules were absolute!
Yi Tianyun felt a prickle of unease. 'This old woman's attitude is aimed straight at me,' he thought. 'I'm sure I've never provoked Jian Yuping. This must be the resentment she held for my mother, transferred onto me!'
"I agree with the Second Elder's opinion. Rules are rules, and we have never accepted a male disciple. If we make an exception this time, men from the outside will surely flock to us, causing immense trouble for Merak Palace," said Third Elder Lu Sibing.
"It's true that he has rendered a great service, but we still cannot break the rules. We can compensate him with other things, for example, we could allow him to choose some Martial Arts."
First Elder Mo Yu's attitude was much better. At least she wasn't completely against him, merely constrained by the rules. Her suggestion of compensation showed she was more reasonable.
All three elders had rejected him. This outcome didn't surprise Yi Tianyun. Still, to be treated this way after everything he had done for Merak Palace was truly disheartening.
"Do any of the other disciples have an opinion?" Shi Xueyun's expression was calm, betraying no hint of joy or anger.
The surrounding disciples glanced at one another but remained silent. The elders had already said everything; to speak further would be to demand Yi Tianyun's expulsion from Merak Palace.
Shi Xueyun said gravely, "It seems everyone has chosen to oppose this. In that case, I will state my own decision. Celestial Cloud will become an Official Disciple, and the spot for the Celestial Sinking Ruins will go to him."
Yi Tianyun was stunned. 'As expected of my aunt,' he thought. 'She's completely on my side, and she's not afraid to show it!'
"Palace Master, this is absolutely unacceptable! This goes against the rules and will ruin our reputation!"
The Second Elder grew frantic. She was already opposed, and this outcome was even more repulsive to her.
"Yes! If word gets out, it will cause absolute chaos! Merak Palace hasn't accepted a single male disciple in all its years!" the Third Elder chimed in.
Shi Xueyun's gaze turned icy. She said in a heavy tone, "If I recall correctly, we *did* used to accept male disciples, a long time ago. The rule was simply changed later. Can it not be changed back now? I'm not saying we must accept male disciples from now on; we only need to accept *one* right now!"
She wasn't wrong. Merak Palace truly did have male disciples in the past, one of whom was even a founding patriarch... However, legend had it that he later ran off, abandoning the founding matriarch with whom he had built the palace. This was what led to the rule being changed to only accept female disciples.
"To be honest, considering the Celestial Spirit Sect's earlier performance, if it weren't for Celestial Cloud, we wouldn't have just lost a spot—we would have lost face for all of Merak Palace! So tell me, which is more important: our reputation, or blindly clinging to outdated rules?!"
Her words left everyone speechless. With a single statement, Shi Xueyun's presence completely overwhelmed the three elders. This was the true aura of a Palace Master.
This wasn't just bluster. Mo Cheng alone was more than they could handle. Below the Spirit Refining Stage, no one in Merak Palace could have stood against him!
"But…"
Just as Jian Yuping started to speak, Shi Xueyun glared at her. "Second Elder, I know exactly what you are thinking. You want to give this spot to your own Direct Disciple. But this is something Celestial Cloud earned for himself. I am not giving it to him simply because I dote on him."
"If he were still useless, completely powerless, and had made zero contribution to this matter, I would not have said a single word! But the fact is, he secured the spot! He saved Merak Palace's reputation! Therefore, this spot is what he deserves!"
Yi Tianyun listened, completely floored. 'Now that's a Palace Master!' he thought. 'That's the kind of commanding presence she should have! Her arguments are logical and well-supported; everything she says is convincing.'
If not for him, they would have lost more than just a spot—Merak Palace would have been utterly disgraced! And they still wanted to deny him what he had earned?
Jian Yuping's face flushed red with anger. She had, in fact, been thinking just that; she wanted her own Direct Disciple to go to the Celestial Sinking Ruins. It was a massive opportunity that couldn't be missed. But now that Shi Xueyun had called her out so directly, the situation had become incredibly awkward.
"His cultivation is too low! I cannot agree! Even if he gets in, he won't have any advantage and could even lose his life!" Jian Yuping refused to back down.
"There is still nearly half a year before the event begins. I don't think it will be a problem for Celestial Cloud to break through to the second level of the Spirit Refining Stage. Let's consider that the minimum requirement. Any other objections?" Shi Xueyun said calmly.
"He broke through to the Spirit Refining Stage?!"
They were all stunned. They had assumed Yi Tianyun's cultivation was still at the Body Refining Stage, never imagining he had already reached the Spirit Refining Stage. And now, it seemed he was on the verge of breaking through to its second level!
Yi Tianyun, standing off to the side, smiled calmly. 'This is a piece of cake,' he thought. 'Forget the second level of the Spirit Refining Stage in half a year. Reaching the third or even fourth level shouldn't be a problem.'
Staying here, however, would certainly be a problem. But if he went outside, it would be a different story.
"B-But, even so, he can't become an Official Disciple… That's against the rules. At most, he can only be an Outer Disciple." They stubbornly clung to this final point.
"Fine. He will be an Outer Disciple."
Shi Xueyun agreed so readily that it stunned them for a moment. They had expected her to argue the point, not concede immediately.
She was simply quitting while she was ahead. To her, it made little difference whether he was an Outer Disciple or an Official Disciple. It was just a title; what mattered was that he was now officially part of the sect.
"Celestial Cloud, you must train hard. Entering the Celestial Sinking Ruins will be a massive opportunity for you!" Shi Xueyun advised him with sincere gravity.
"I will train hard!"
Yi Tianyun looked at her serious expression and nodded.
[DING! Main Quest accepted: Conquer the Celestial Sinking Ruins. Reward: Control of the Celestial Sinking Ruins, 100,000 Experience Value, 10,000 Madness Value, and one Sword of Endlessness!]
He was utterly floored when he saw the quest rewards. 'This is an incredible haul!' he thought.