When Tianming saw the elders appear, he relaxed, knowing that his role was over. They were there the whole time, chiefly because they wanted to see if Tianming was truly a pentabane.
The one leading the three was a green-robed middle-aged man who stood tall and sported some white hair at his temples. He was none other than Elder Ye Qing, one of the thirty three elders in the council. Beside him was a smiling white-robed youth wielding a folding fan. He was Exalted Master Ye Shaoqing, Ye Qing's son. To their right was a woman dressed in traditional robes. While she was no doubt a beauty, her aura was fierce and heroic. Tianming had met her before; she was Sacred Mountain Chief Ye Yuxi, the younger twin sister of Ye Shaoqing.
The Ye Clan of the Grand-Orient Sect was dubbed the Clan of the Azure Dragon. Back in the day, they were second to only the Li Saint Clan. Nowadays, they had declined considerably. Now, the top three of their clan were present.
The Clan of the Azure Dragon was the only one that dared to care for the Li Saint Clan after their downfall. With the three of them now here, Fatepath Peak was safe.
"Greetings, Elder Ye, Exalted Master Ye, and Mountain Chief Ye," Tianming and Qingyu greeted respectfully.
"Tianming, let Xuanchen go," Ye Qing said.
"Understood." Now that the elder was here, Li Xuanchen was worthless as a hostage. After Archfiend was untangled, Li Xuanchen, bloodied all over, crawled back to his father's side.
It went without saying that Li Xuanyi grimaced the entire time, unable to do a thing to retaliate after his son was let go. All he could do was greet Elder Ye Qing.
"Li Xuanyi," Ye Qing said with his arms behind his back, his intimidating power stunning all.
"Yes, Elder," Li Xuanyi said with his head lowered.
"As the only saint in the Li Saint Clan, you should know that the appearance of a pentabane is a blessing from your ancestors. Yet not only did you not protect him, you even tried to suppress and kill him for the sake of your own ambitions over your son's future. You don't embody the burning spirit of your ancestors at all. All I can say is that I'm hugely disappointed in you." Every word was enough to make Li Xuanyi's scalp tingle.
"Elder, I have made a mistake." After Li Xuanyi knelt, Li Yansheng and the others followed suit.
"There is no need for this. You aren’t affiliated with Azure Immortal Mountain, so I have no authority over you. You’re beholden to nobody but yourself for your actions. However, I feel the need to remind you that Li Tianming and Li Qingyu are disciples of Azure Immortal Mountain. Since I said I would protect them, you’d better not touch them. Otherwise, there will be consequences," he said with a hint of killing intent.
"Yes, Elder! This humble Xuanyi understands his mistakes!" he said in a panic. Never would he imagine that after that battle, everyone in the three bloodlines would be robbed of their chance to deal with Tianming. The only way he could be killed was if he died at the hands of the Yuwen Clan. At the very least, the three bloodlines' harassment of those living in Fatepath Peak would no longer be tolerated.
"Just be conscious of your actions and their consequences." The elder waved and no longer bothered with him. Turning around and looking at Tianming, he cracked a slight smile. "I witnessed the whole battle just now. Tianming, you have shown yourself to possess guts befitting of the Li Saint Clan, as well as your power as a pentabane. I’d thought that setting a challenge for you to break through to the third level of Unity would be proof enough that you were a pentabane, but now that you managed to reach the second level in merely half a month, it’s only a matter of time until you reach the third. No matter what others say, I believe that you’re a pentabane without a doubt."
His words were just as good as conclusive for the rest of the clan. From now on, Tianming's pentabane status would no longer be a matter of doubt even for Li Xuanhe, Li Chenhong, or the rest of the Wind Bloodline, who were watching from afar.
"Thank you, Elder!" Tianming said. He was helped by the elder yet again.
"I didn't do anything. You’ve proven yourself and won their respect. Frankly speaking, I can see the shadow of the Li Saint Clan's ancestors on you." The more the elder looked at Tianming, the more satisfied he became.
"You flatter me, Elder." Tianming had never thought his fight for Qingyu’s freedom would end with so many benefits. He glanced up and saw Ye Shaoqing and Ye Yuxi's approving gazes.
"Elder, I heard Shaoqing will be accepting an appointment from the council to become one of the thirty-three elders today," Jingyu said.
"That's right. We will be heading there in a moment."
"Congratulations, Elder! The Ye Clan now has two elders in the council!" Jingyu cheered. The stronger the Ye Clan was, the safer the Li Saint Clan would be.
"Matriarch Li, there's also something I’d like to congratulate you on," Ye Shaoqing said as he fanned himself.
"Me?" Jingyu hadn't the slightest clue what he was referring to.
"That's right. After I become an elder, the council will give me Azure Dragon Sword Mountain. I still don't have any direct disciples myself, so I'm planning to take in two direct disciples for a good start," he said with a wink.
"Two direct disciples...."
Even Li Xuanyi couldn't help but look up in shock. In the whole of the Li Saint Clan, there was only one direct disciple: Li Xuanchen. The rank of a direct disciple is second to only that of a prime disciple. Direct disciples didn't just enjoy cultivation resources, they also had the protection of an elder. And who would dare mess with a disciple an elder spent so much effort to guide and train?
In other words, Li Xuanyi wouldn't be able to casually mess with Tianming or Qingyu, or he'd be directly provoking an elder.
Direct disciples were completely different from inner disciples, who numbered in the tens of thousands. In each generation, there could only be less than ten direct disciples. Even Ye Ziyi wasn't able to become one.
Currently, Ye Shaoqing didn't have any disciples, so his first two were crucial. All this time, many had tried to recommend their children for the post, but he had refused them all—including his own elder brother, who had sent his daughter, Ye Ziyi, to be tested. It was clear that he held really high regard for his prospective disciples, as any elder would, since the first disciple's standard, in a way, represented the reputation of the elder.
A bad first disciple would only bring humiliation.
"Shaoqing, who are you going to take in as your direct disciples?" Jingyu said, her eyes beaming with hope. Ye Shaoqing had congratulated her, after all. Could it really be?
Everyone's gazes fell on Tianming and Qingyu.