Chapter 270: The Final Verdict
Many people around Li Lang knew the elder from the Drenched Earth Sect was purposefully making trouble for him, but none of them intervened. None of the people present were short-sighted, at least when it came to their own interests. They could see that Li Lang was soon about to garner the attention of the entirety of Violet Isle, and his influence would exponentially increase for the foreseeable future.
If he managed to grow without incident, it wouldn’t have been hard to believe that a power equal to them could rise. In that case, Elder Ji’s point about Li Lang’s faction only having orthodox cultivators was a potential problem. After all, they all knew of the saying—there are no eternal allies, no perpetual enemies, only interests that are eternal and perpetual. No one could assure Li Lang would stay neutral forever.
Facing the scrutinizing gaze of Violet Core experts, Li Lang didn’t falter. Bolstered by the presence of his Spirit-grade artifact behind him, he stood tall, despite having been accused as a spy of the orthodox sects.
“I would love to reassure you that you’re mistaken, but I know words are cheap. The only reason I have previously avoided recruiting demonic cultivators is because of the need for secrecy. I also do not possess any demonic techniques to teach my students, so everyone in my circle inevitably consisted only of orthodox cultivators. Now that my ownership over the Crucible has been revealed, I can naturally remedy your concerns. I am willing to sign a binding contract that states I will ensure at least a third of the people in my nascent organization will consist of demonic practitioners.”
A few nearby dignitaries nodded approvingly at the suggestion. Most of those from the orthodox sect didn’t seem to be interested in this squabble, as they were satisfied that Li Lang himself and his current group were not demonic cultivators. In their view, there was no harm if a few grunts were demonic cultivators, as the leading figures mattered significantly more.
Elder Ji ground his teeth and seemed to be contemplating other areas he could nitpick about, but thankfully, the Sword Saint intervened before it could happen.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I must commend you, Li Lang. You’re quite wise beyond your years, being flexible enough to appease opposing parties. Now then,” he turned toward the rest of his guests. “Shall we move on to the voting?”
Once again, no one dared to second-guess the Sword Saint, and soon, several dozen of the Sword Saint’s disciples began handing out slips of paper to all the representatives at the desk.
Li Lang was relieved to see the Sword Saint take charge once more. He had a feeling this mysterious expert in the Spirit Divide Realm was on his side. If he pushed for the voting to begin, it must mean he believed Li Lang’s chances of winning were high enough. It matched up with Li Lang’s observations as well.
The righteous sects had no complaints, considering they were the ones pushing to form a task force in the first place. Their main concern was preventing their rival’s influence from expanding. To them, Li Lang’s group was one of their own, or an acceptable compromise. By now, their investigations should’ve told them he was a former member of Spirit Grove.