Paragon of Sin

"..." 

The entire room was silent; Sheng Jizi had sprung this ruling up on the rest of them earlier, and they had all agreed because, logically, there was no detriment nor a way it could effectively harm them. Yet, here they were.

Sheng Jizi's plot was insidious, timely, brilliant, and rich with unexpected foresight. Shui Yu felt an urge to praise Sheng Jizi, but held himself back, wondering if Ma Zheng had a rebuttal to this move. After all, it all but sealed Huoyan Liulan's fate—she would not be Ma Zheng's champion!

Huoyan Liulan had a thunderstruck expression, completely different from her neutral, serene, and profound appearance befitting an Earthly Saint. She subconsciously turned her head towards Ma Zheng, her eyes flickering with all types of thoughts. 

She was an undeniably strong Earthly Saint, wielding sufficient power to place her firmly amongst the top 40's amongst all Earthly Saints throughout the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, which roughly numbered two hundred or so. As a nominated champion, she felt confident in securing a victory, especially with all the tremendous preparations she had made for this event. 

The price she paid for certain armaments, improvement of her various arts and spells by elite Architects, and much, much more. She invested an absurd amount of wealth into her strength, all for this single play. Over two thousand years of extreme planning, the act of birthing Ma Sujiang, of using Star-Hex, all of it was nullified off a single move that she had never expected.

She, in her disbelief, asked: "How can this be allowed?" Her tone was a mixture of unwillingness and frustration. 

Shuang Xi frowned slightly, her displeasure leaking, speaking with an icy-chill: "Primal Flame Hex Queen, be mindful of where you are. Our Pavilion Master's authority and rights vested in him by the organization are not for your casual judgment. Furthermore, we all agreed unanimously to implement this rule." 

"..." Huoyan Liulan's vexation only grew with those words. She felt that Ma Zheng's handle on this matter was slipping. If he hadn't been expelled, this could never have happened, and she would've brought home a victory. She clenched her fists tightly. If it wasn't for her thread of awareness, she might've been more aggressive. 

Shui Yu's aged face couldn't help but form a slight smile suffused with amusement. There was a reason Sheng Jizi was their Pavilion Master and the Life Branch Manager of the Golden Life Pavilion. It was clear that he was aware of Ma Zheng's attempt. Moreover, he was aware that Huoyan Liulan was guaranteed to be his champion. 

The rule didn't seem like much at first glance, but it specifically targeted Ma Zheng and Huoyan Liulan. He hadn't

registered at the time it was proposed that it could be used in this blockade fashion. He decided to make a mental note that all other rules that Sheng Jizi wished to implement or change would have to be deliberated for much, much longer. 

He wasn't the only one. Which amongst the Golden Council didn't have a sense of business and interest, and this scheme of Sheng Jizi had shown them that seemingly benign rules that could act as a safety net could also be used as a barbwire. Ma Zheng was a real life example of this. 

Of course, if Ma Zheng was still a Branch Manager, this rule would have certainly never passed considering his intentions. To capitalize on this short window to immediately snuff out Ma Zheng's strength, nothing short of extraordinary. 

The voting commenced. 

Ban Ma raised his hand.

Shui Yu raised his hand.

Shaung Xi raised her hand.

The rest soon followed. Everyone had their hands raised in favor of allowing Huoyan Liulan to become a Transient Council Member, temporarily entering the Golden Council, invalidating her qualifications to be a champion for either party. The alternative was losing the extraordinary expansion contract into the third strongest starfield, a deal none of them was willing to lose for this. 

Huoyan Liulan didn't even conceal her exasperation. She glared at Sheng Jizi, who merely smiled at her. He calmly said, "No worries Primal Flame Hex Queen; your daughter's future position isn't threatened regardless of the outcome." There was a wisp of consolation within his tone, alongside a hint of an apology. 

Huoyan Liulan's expression changed. She was actually somewhat relieved after hearing this from Sheng Jizi. Even if Ma Zheng lost, this was the same as saying the branch opened through this contract will likely be managed by her daughter. This actually served all her interests. 

In fact, with this hinted at, there was no need for her to feel the slightest bit frustrated. She was in a win-win situation now regardless of who came out on top, so she settled down. She hadn't expected Sheng Jizi to be willing to make this concession. Sheng Jizi's few words directly neutralized a vexed Earthly Saint.

"Good," Sheng Jizi concluded the vote with an official declaration. He gave Huoyan Liulan a unique emblem designed for a Transient Council Member of the Golden Council. "Apologies for the interruption, Senior Ma. Continue with your challenge." His tone was extremely genuine. If one were to hear it without context, they would never guess that he'd just gutted Ma Zheng with a butcher's knife, taking off a strong limb from his body with one swipe.

Ma Zheng inhaled, exhaled, and soon regained his serenity as he smiled. A show of strength and confidence, yet there were few in the Golden Council that felt it was genuine. This was a best of three, needing three champions, and the winner would take the seat in question at this point. 

However, the brutality of a Pavilion Master challenge was far, far greater than Managerial Positions. A two win, one loss, and zero ties victory was still a hard, fat loss for the challenger. The challenger, without question, must prove themselves superior without a shadow of a doubt. At this point, they must reveal that their connections were terrifyingly strong, their rallying power was consistent, and they had sufficient intelligence to prepare against an opponent. 

The challenge itself gives the initiative to the challenger, and the challenged must defend with what little time they have, against an opponent who has likely done tremendous intelligence gathering of their abilities and limits. It would be foolish to challenge without being certain of victory. 

"I, Ma Zheng, select…" Ma Zheng gestured towards the masked figure beside him. Wu Yu took a step forward, and all eyes focused on his impressive demeanor, and his stable aura. The mask lent him an air of mystery that was quite alluring. A few of the Councilwomen looked Wu Yu up and down. 

This was an Earthly Saint! 

Sheng Jizi's eyebrows narrowed imperceptibly, giving this masked cultivator a piercing look. In truth, he was fully aware of his fellow members' limits, and he knew that Ma Zheng had a swathe of connections to call upon. He couldn't stop them all, but he could reduce a certainty. Huoyan Liulan was certainly a trump card of Ma Zheng. A trump card that had been prepared for two millennia. 

He had an idea of his other two challengers, and he had fully prepared against them. However, this masked figure was unexpected.

"Highlord Ma, I'll remind you that, unlike other contests, all champion's identities must be known prior to any battle to prevent any rule-breaking through deceit," Shui Yu explained. Recently, Ma Zheng had a masked Soul of Mysticism cultivator fight for him, and that cultivator dominated his opponent so badly it was quite depressing. That said, this wasn't a simple matter like then. 

Ma Zheng's smile grew slightly, "Of course." 

Wu Yu didn't need to be prompted as he removed his mask.

"...!"

"You?!"

"The Grand Knight?!" 

The Golden Council devolved into a commotion. Sheng Jizi's eyes contracted slightly. Wu Yu! This was Wu Yu! The recent Earthly Saint that defeated the Ever-Knights! The Alchemic Knight of Wei Wuyin, the Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn—Wu Yu! 

Everyone was stunned. 

What did this represent? 

What did this mean?

While they knew that Wei Wuyin was connected to Ma Zheng, this was almost the same as stating his position in this contest for the Pavilion Master! He lent him his Alchemic Knight! 

The curiosity, shock, and anticipation in the room elevated several degrees. While Wei Wuyin wasn't a terrifying existence, so much that he could single-handedly decide the seat of Pavilion Master, but his potential was abundantly clear.

Sheng Jizi had to take a breath, looking at Wu Yu with a little gloomy glint in his eyes. "Are you here representing your Alchemist, representing Wei Wuyin?" This question instantly silenced the commotion.

Wu Yu maintained a neutral expression. This was to be expected. Since Wei Wuyin's name has graced the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, he has made waves upon waves. Unfortunately, Wu Yu didn't lie this time. 

He truthfully answered, "I'm acting on my own free will, permitted by my Young Lord." 

"..." The rising excitement died down a little. Wu Yu was here by himself, acting on his own interests, so Wei Wuyin wasn't invested in this attempt. If Wu Yu had said otherwise, they wouldn't have doubted it, but it certainly would change the Golden Life Pavilion's attitude if Ma Zheng lost this challenge. With this stated, it was clear that Wei Wuyin had yet to throw in his lot fully with Ma Zheng.

If he had, then there might not be one Earthly Saint from Wei Wuyin. If that strange Earthly Saint that toppled the Tang Clan was here, or others he might have in reserve, this might not even be a question of if, but when Ma Zheng will become Pavilion Master.

"Is he aware that this challenge can lead to deadly consequences?" Shuang Xi asked Wu Yu.

Wu Yu didn't show any flicker of emotion. He was aware that this challenge could lead to deaths. Typically, the position would be fought with Soul of Mysticism or Demi-Mortal Lord cultivators, not Earthly Saints. Considering their immense power, chances of death were extremely high if neither side held back. 

Unfortunately, Wu Yu couldn't answer this because Wei Wuyin was entirely unaware of the details of this event. He remained silent, not answering, but this was an answer in and of itself. 

The others knew that Wei Wuyin likely gave him free reign, trusting in him to do as he pleased without bringing trouble for him. As for the details of what was happening, he might not even be aware! 

"...select Wu Yu as my first champion." Ma Zheng finished his declaration.

Sheng Jizi nodded and calmly announced, "I, Pavilion Master of the Golden Life Pavilion, Sheng Jizi, select Nansi Yuangu as my first champion." 

Woah!

Nansi Yuangu! The Earthly Saint of the Nansi Clan?! The leader of the external clans of the Elementus Domain! 

This was bound to be a battle of giants. The spectators couldn't help but grow extremely interested.