Chapter 478: Zhuming Palace's Decision

Chapter 478: Zhuming Palace's Decision

November 3rd, 2024

During his wait in Tonglu City, Su Chen had formulated four to five plans, all targeting Wulan Manor.

Twenty-six days after sending the letter, Su Chen finally received a response from Zhuming Palace. This time, the Second Elder, a core member of the sect, had personally come, showing sufficient importance to Su Chen.

The two met in a private room at a restaurant in Tonglu City.

At first, the Second Elder exchanged pleasantries and inquired about Su Chen's recent situation.

Indeed, Su Chen hadn't encountered too many troubles.

Things had been relatively smooth so far.

"At the end of last month, Chi Lou and Liuli Pavilion announced their close cooperation.

The two sects intend to share their jade essence pill crafting techniques with each other.

Many powers in Jin Kingdom have now sided with them."

Upon hearing the Second Elder's words, Su Chen wasn't surprised.

Before Zhuming Palace mastered the jade essence pill crafting techniques, only Chi Lou and Liuli Pavilion possessed such knowledge in the entire Jin Kingdom.

The two forces were once rivals, competing against each other.

But now, with Zhuming Palace's superior pill crafting techniques and deeper sect heritage, the status of the two sects has declined.

The leaders of Chi Lou and Liuli Pavilion aren't fools. They must be seeking change after their decline.

The alliance between the two sects was expected.

As for the Second Elder's mention of other powers supporting Chi Lou and Liuli Pavilion, it's even more normal.

Other sects' attitudes and allegiances are based on their own interests.

Zhuming Palace's dominance is not beneficial to other sects.

Allowing Zhuming Palace to monopolize the jade essence pill market will only grant them the power to demand exorbitant prices.

For these sects, this is not a benefit but a hindrance.

Pulling Zhuming Palace down from its pedestal and having another sect to counterbalance it is a positive development.

Whether it's for the sects demanding pills or those crafting them, it's a good thing.

It's normal for Zhuming Palace to encounter such problems.

Have the two sects' alliance produced any results?

Su Chen asked a few more questions.

When he was in Zhuming Palace, he had seen some paintings.

The paintings depicted the jade essence pills crafted by Chi Lou and Liuli Pavilion.

But from the pills' appearance, they were very basic.

Most of the impurities hadn't been thoroughly removed.

Both sects were at the beginner stage of jade essence pill crafting, and in Su Chen's opinion, their alliance wouldn't easily improve their skills.

But seeing the Second Elder's expression, Su Chen knew he had more to say.

"Chi Lou exhibited a jade essence pill at the beginning of the month.

Its quality has improved significantly.

Zhuming Palace has been under tremendous pressure recently."

The Second Elder complained.

Usually, such complaints are followed by refusals or requests.

The Second Elder of Zhuming Palace held an exceptional status in Jin Kingdom.

His complaints to Su Chen indicated a hidden agenda.

"Fan Chengyan of Wulan Manor harbors intense hatred towards you.

The Palace Master has tried various methods to mediate.

But the results haven't been satisfactory."

As the Second Elder spoke, Su Chen understood the situation.

Initially, there was room for negotiation with Fan Chengyan.

But after you injured Sang Moxuan at the Sacred Jade Tournament, the old grudges and new hatred combined, leaving her completely unwilling to negotiate.

The Palace Master previously sought assistance from various powers to suppress Wulan Manor.

But now, many sects have started to observe and side with Wulan Manor and Fan Chengyan.

The Second Elder paused, gauging Su Chen's reaction to determine his next words.

"Fan Chengyan, as you know, has always acted arrogantly in Jin Kingdom, disregarding consequences.

The Palace Master has made her best efforts, but this grudge is truly irreconcilable.

Wulan Manor is a major sect, backed by even more formidable forces.

Zhuming Palace now stands at a critical juncture.

If we continue to clash with Wulan Manor and Fan Chengyan, we may miss crucial development opportunities."

The Second Elder's words made the situation clear.

Zhuming Palace was unwilling to assist Su Chen and wanted to end the confrontation with Wulan Manor.

"Elder Su, within our Zhuming Palace, you are still one of the palace elders.

All the elders of Zhuming Palace, including the Palace Master, remember your contributions.

If you require anything, simply send a letter back to the palace.

However, at this current stage, we need to stabilize the overall situation.

For Zhuming Palace to maintain its lead, we truly do not have the spare capacity to engage with Wulan Manor.

So..."

These words were as Su Chen had expected.

Elder Su had barely begun speaking when Su Chen had already anticipated these words.

What was so important that he had to say it in person?

If he started by complaining, it would certainly be unfavorable news for Su Chen.

"Elder Su?"

Seeing that Su Chen didn't respond, the second elder hesitated for a moment before asking again.

"Rest assured, Elder, I can understand Zhuming Palace's decision."

Since they had come to speak to him in person, the inner circle of Zhuming Palace must have discussed this matter thoroughly.

These words were their predetermined conclusion.

"Elder Su, Zhuming Palace's intelligence network in the Jin Kingdom is also quite extensive.

Although Zhuming Palace currently lacks the strength to confront Wulan Manor, this intelligence network can still provide you with significant assistance.

Here is a map, marked with the palace's intelligence gathering points in various locations.

If you have any needs, such as wanting to gather information about Fan Chengyan's whereabouts, you can ask them to investigate."

As he spoke, the second elder also pushed the map towards Su Chen.

But how much help could these really provide?

If these intelligence networks were not in a central position, they wouldn't be able to gather core information.

For example, the western intelligence network would certainly not be aware of the eastern region's situation.

Even if Su Chen found the western network and they told him everything they knew, he would only obtain information from one side.

Su Chen could see that Zhuming Palace still held goodwill towards him.

The value he had demonstrated and the gratitude they felt for his contributions were evident.

But for Su Chen to go all out and completely oppose Wulan Manor,

To make a deep-seated enemy of Fan Chengyan, a domineering person, the upper echelons of Zhuming Palace couldn't make that decision.

Saying that they abandoned helping Su Chen wasn't entirely appropriate either.

For Zhuming Palace, they were only willing to help him secretly from then on.

Additionally, with the alliance between Chi Lou and Liuli Pavilion, this was indeed a significant influence on Zhuming Palace.

They worried that if Su Chen made an enemy of Fan Chengyan, he wouldn't be able to maintain his previous status.

With various reasons accumulating, they ultimately made this decision.

The two of them had a simple lunch together, and no further discussions took place.

The second elder had said all he needed to, and he didn't stay any longer.

Leaving Tonglu City, the second elder headed directly to the Drunken Town located north of Tonglu City.

On this trip to meet Su Chen, to prevent the news from spreading, the others were all waiting in Drunken Town.

This also showed that Zhuming Palace held Su Chen in high regard, but not to an extreme extent.

Here in Drunken Town, those who had accompanied the second elder were all waiting.

Seeing the second elder return, the others hurriedly approached to inquire about the situation.

"Elder Su..."

Read the error-free version at 69shu.com! 6=9shu_bar

"It's nothing. Elder Su has always been like this, and he accepted it calmly.

He didn't even ask many questions."

Upon hearing this, the others nearby also remained silent.

Zhuming Palace's treatment of Su Chen was already quite respectful, considering he didn't create a rift with them.

It's not possible for you to treat others poorly and expect them to continue treating you as before.

After a brief conversation, the second elder asked the younger generation to rest.

Only the core members remained by his side.

Many people knew that Su Chen had contributed to Zhuming Palace, as he had become an elder at a young age.

But what exactly was this contribution? Most people were unaware.

Only the core members by the second elder's side knew.

Seeing the younger generation leave, they spoke a little more freely.

One person frowned, his face filled with worry.

"Second Elder, if we let Elder Su leave like this, will he become reckless? After all, he still possesses the Jade Essence Pill crafting technique."

This person's concern was shared by many others.

The value of the Jade Essence Pill crafting technique lay in its rarity, primarily because only a few people knew this technique.

Including Zhuming Palace, there were only three sects in total: Chi Lou, Liuli Pavilion, and Zhuming Palace.

Once crafted, the Jade Essence Pills were not allowed to be taken away.

To consume them, one had to do so under supervision.

All three sects guarded this crafting technique meticulously.

Zhuming Palace's words to Su Chen this time might lead him to trade this technique for personal gain.

Upon hearing the words of those around him, the Second Elder smiled helplessly.

"When I was in the palace, I did mention this to the Palace Master. In my opinion, even if the Zhuming Palace can no longer be Su Chen's backer, it's best not to tell him."

"Perhaps it's better to keep it from him for now, it might benefit us more."

But when I brought this up, the Palace Master scolded me for it."

Hearing this, the others nearby nodded in understanding.

"That's just how the Palace Master is, he believes that Elder Su has helped us so much, and our current actions are inappropriate, right? It's no wonder the Palace Master scolded you, Second Elder."

The core members of the Zhuming Palace, who had followed Yao Wen for many years, were well aware of their Palace Master's character.

Yao Wen's conduct was indeed upright and principled.

Especially when it came to those who had helped the Zhuming Palace, he would always remember their kindness.

This time, not being able to provide more assistance, Yao Wen felt a sense of guilt that had been weighing on him.

Yao Wen's character had led to significant losses for the Zhuming Palace under his leadership.

But everything has its pros and cons.

While they had suffered many losses, they had also gained much.

Furthermore, if Yao Wen did not possess such admirable character, how could so many people beneath him in the Zhuming Palace be so obedient?

His high moral character was a rare and admirable trait.

The reason so many followed Yao Wen was largely due to his own personal charm.

Speaking of which, the Second Elder wasn't too worried about these matters.

"This issue isn't as bad as it seems, it's not that terrible.

Elder Su might seek refuge in another power, but think about it, which power could he turn to?

Even facing off against Fan Chengyan is a headache, could other sects handle it?

The more widely the Jade Essence Pill crafting technique is spread, the less valuable it becomes.

The benefits Elder Su seeks will also diminish accordingly.

Elder Su is intelligent, by not teaching the Jade Essence Pill technique to others, he can maintain a connection with our Zhuming Palace.

In the future, when our Zhuming Palace overcomes its difficulties and greatly enhances its strength and foundation, he can still seek their protection."

The Second Elder's analysis was spot-on.

In his opinion, the enmity between Su Chen and Fan Chengyan would force Su Chen to hide and run for the next few decades.

The Zhuming Palace couldn't protect him openly, but they could still offer Su Chen a lot of help.

As long as Su Chen carefully analyzed the pros and cons, he would make the right choice.

After hearing the Second Elder's words, the core alchemists of the Zhuming Palace also nodded in agreement.

However, they had a lot of misconceptions about Su Chen.

From the very beginning, Su Chen never intended to rely on the Zhuming Palace to deal with Fan Chengyan.

All he wanted was for them to contain her.

It was either that they were thinking too much, or they couldn't even manage that.

Hence, he made this choice today.

After a brief rest, the Second Elder led the others southward.

This trip wasn't solely for Su Chen's matters.

After clarifying things with Su Chen, the real business began.

On the Tonglu City side, after speaking with the Second Elder of the Zhuming Palace, Su Chen proceeded with his plan.

Upon reaching the Fifth Stage Beginner, Su Chen's assessment of his own strength should have already surpassed Sang Meiyuan.

The people of Wulan Manor were threatening him and his family everywhere.

Fan Chengyan was particularly domineering.

After making an enemy of her, Su Chen couldn't attend many public events.

From then on, whenever he encountered Fan Chengyan, no matter who was present, she would act domineeringly.

The title of 'Domineering' wasn't easily earned.

Before, it was always him who was threatened and in danger.

But now, he had advanced to the Fifth Stage Intermediate.

Facing Sang Meiyuan again, including Jun Han who had helped him at the Xuan Ying Tournament, Su Chen had witnessed their strength and made his judgment.

If he used his full strength, he could even defeat Sang Meiyuan fairly at the Xuan Ying Tournament.

Now, with his further advancement and without any external assistance, Sang Meiyuan would die by his hand.

Not to mention, if he were to strike at Sang Meiyuan, it would be an ambush.

His current strength was more than enough to handle it.

The only thing to be cautious of was the many powerful individuals around Sang Meiyuan.

Previously, he had also heard Palace Master Yao Wen mention this.

Sang Meiyuan wasn't just Fan Chengyan's disciple, his family background was also impressive, and the Sang Family seemed to have some capabilities.

Even if this attempt wasn't successful, it wouldn't matter.

As long as he took action and made them feel threatened, it would be considered a success.

He wanted them to know that if they acted against him, they wouldn't escape unscathed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end