I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 138 - 136: Struggle for the Eldership

Thunderbolt couldn’t help but be excited.

"Wang Meng, lend me this basin for a bit."

"Heh, it’s a gift, Ancestral Master. The senior brothers at the Forging Pavilion have helped me a lot, and I think we need to improve the quality of our ores to raise our standards."

Hex Ziyuan was getting anxious on Wang Meng’s behalf. ’Who cares about trivial matters like that at a time like this?’

Thunderbolt paused, then shook his head with a laugh. ’So there really are people like this in the world. He truly has the style of an old master.’

"Kid, you need to think more about yourself. What’s that got to do with anything? This thing is hugely important. Don’t be anxious, just wait for my news." Thunderbolt then noticed the still-dazed Hex Ziyuan standing to the side. "Hex Ziyuan, if you guys need anything, just go tell the Fire Cloud Hall. Tell them I sent you. If anyone gives you trouble, have them come find me!"

With a wave of his hand, Thunderbolt dismissed it as a triviality.

Hex Ziyuan was overjoyed. "Thank you, Ancestral Master!"

"Wang Meng, just stay put and don’t run around. Be especially careful of those guys from the Pill Hall. So what if it’s just an Elder position? Whatever they can give you, we can give you too!"

Thunderbolt laughed heartily and quickly put the basin away. He needed to get back and study it carefully.

He left behind a completely dumbfounded Hex Ziyuan... What?

He couldn’t quite believe his ears... An Elder? Wang Meng?

This world was insane.

Wang Meng didn’t think much of it. The basin was just a byproduct of his epiphany; what truly mattered was his insight into the Five Elements Technique. It had to be said, the more he understood, the more he realized his own ignorance.

This kind of insight didn’t directly translate into combat power or make him immensely strong. It was a matter of one’s realm of understanding.

But once this accumulation reached a certain point and achieved Perfection, the increase in power would be immeasurable.

When Wangtian emerged from seclusion, he had surely comprehended the Five Elements Technique. Before, Wangtian was merely one of the strongest, but after his enlightenment, he became *the* strongest, second to none.

However, Wang Meng felt that Wangtian’s comprehension was surely incomplete. While the Grand Thousand World possessed incomparably rich resources, a world barren of Elemental Power could reveal the true essence of the laws.

Returning to his small thatched hut, Wang Meng sealed himself inside. He had now experienced the Five Elements Flame and the Metal of the Five Elements. Within that, there was also Five Elements in Harmony and the principle of Fire Overcomes Metal. Wang Meng couldn’t wait to see what kind of sparks their collision would create.

’This is what you call true seclusion.’

Any Cultivator should be able to cultivate Elemental Power. Those who needed to enter seclusion just to quiet their minds for cultivation would never amount to much.

While Wang Meng was in seclusion, Zhou Feng finally completed his verification of the Five Elements Pill. He ultimately determined that it couldn’t be used for all Five Elements; the Skill Technique of Five Elements Deficiency could only be applied to the Five Elements Flame. This was related to the Pill Flame, and only Pills produced this way would have no side effects.

Although it was only an Emergency Pill for the Fire Five Elements, half of all Cultivators specialized in the Five Elements Master Flame. Capturing half the kingdom was already a terrifying prospect.

As a Pill Cultivator, Zhou Feng was excited, but he had remained skeptical about whether this new Five Elements Pill could succeed. Creating new theories was incredibly difficult in this day and age; after all, anything conceivable had already been thought of over the years. Even so, theories sometimes failed in practice. The fact that this matter had him so anxious just showed how important it was.

But now, it had truly, unequivocally succeeded.

The question now was how to reward Wang Meng.

The Holy Hall was different from other Sects. It had a unique way of operating, which was the source of its strength.

But Wang Meng’s contribution this time was simply too great—so great that even he might not be able to estimate its full value.

Not only could it provide the most timely aid to the Great Yuan Realm battlefield, but it could also give their allies confidence.

"Ancestral Master, this disciple strongly requests that Wang Meng be granted the status of an Elder! His strength may not be there yet, but his talent and contributions are more than enough!"

Zhou Feng said.

A smile appeared on Zhou Luodan’s face. "You, always so impulsive. This is indeed a great achievement, but you can’t be so overt about it. What are the other Ancestral Masters supposed to do? Besides, isn’t this a public slap in the face to Thunderbolt? No matter what, Wang Meng is a member of Thunderlight Hall."

"But... but we can’t just wrong Wang Meng! This disciple... this disciple cannot accept that!"

Zhou Feng grew frantic. He had thumped his chest and guaranteed Wang Meng a fair reward. If a contribution this massive was brushed off with just a few Spirit Stones, he wouldn’t be able to face Wang Meng again.

"The Ancestral Masters can all see Wang Meng’s talent and contributions. But, Little Feng, if only the Cultivation World were so simple. However, Wang Meng has indeed done something great this time, and it’s an even bigger contribution to us Pill Cultivators. I won’t let anyone be wronged. I will handle this, but it can’t be rushed. You need to stay calm, too. Otherwise, if things get messy, even I won’t be able to clean it up."

Zhou Luodan said. Her disciple was good at everything, but he lacked shrewdness and was too impulsive.

"I will leave everything to you, Ancestral Master!"

Zhou Feng was still a bit angry, but he also understood his Ancestral Master’s dilemma. The six guardian Ancestral Masters each had their own duties and spheres of influence. Compounded by the existence of the great families, the situation was so intricate it gave Zhou Feng a headache. He didn’t want to think about it, but he couldn’t escape it. In the past, when it was just his own business, he hadn’t cared. A little more or a little less didn’t matter; he lived well enough regardless. But when a friend was involved, it was a different story.

Zhou Feng had wanted to share the good news with Wang Meng immediately, but now he didn’t have the face to go see him.

Zhou Luodan knew the first person she had to speak with was Thunderbolt. Her Senior Brother Lei was hot-tempered, but he was fundamentally a good person. You just couldn’t cross his bottom line. No matter how bad Hengshan Hall was, it was still his territory. If this matter was to be raised, Thunderbolt had to be the one to do it. She couldn’t overstep her bounds. But how was she supposed to bring it up?

This truly put Zhou Luodan in a difficult position.

What made it even more difficult for Zhou Luodan was that when she sent someone to request a meeting with Thunderbolt, she was told he was in seclusion.

’What kind of seclusion is he entering at a time like this?!’

This was clearly a blatant refusal.

Zhou Luodan really had a headache now. She understood Thunderbolt’s personality well. He wasn’t interested in power struggles, but when he got stubborn, there was truly nothing anyone could do. He who has no desires is unyielding. The other families were also unwilling to provoke Thunderbolt.

’Is it worth offending Thunderbolt over this matter?’

Zhou Luodan was truly at a loss. Zhou Feng was her top general. To put it bluntly, the world of Pill Cultivators was simpler: if you had the ability, you had it; if you didn’t, there was nothing to be done. The Zhou Family line was actually quite fortunate already. Luu Yun’s subtlety paired with Zhou Feng’s strength would, if not make the Zhou Family stronger, at least solidify their position.

She hadn’t expected Zhou Feng to value this Wang Meng so highly. There was really no need to make such a big fuss over a disciple. But Zhou Luodan knew even better that if she didn’t come through this time, it would hurt Zhou Feng’s heart. The simpler a person was, the less you could use complex methods on them.

For once, Zhou Luodan sighed and couldn’t help but smile wryly. ’This kid really knows how to make trouble for me.’

"Luu Yun, what do you think about this?"

Luu Yun mulled it over for a long time before shaking her head with a wry smile. "Ancestral Master, you know him. My husband is a stubborn mule. His life is simple: once he’s set his mind on something, he has to do it."

"Sigh... Go find Wu Fatian and tell him I have something to discuss with him. ...And Li Xiuwen as well."

"Thank you, Ancestral Master!" Luu Yun said excitedly. She knew their Ancestral Master was still willing to call in favors for Zhou Feng’s sake.

A matter like Wang Meng’s was truly special; it would only be possible if at least half of the six Ancestral Masters reached an agreement. The odds were better with Wu Fatian, as he was certain to oppose Thunderbolt.

Zhao Tianlong and Ma Hezi were the types to have their own agendas and were difficult to deal with. That left Ancestral Master Li Xiuwen, who would consider the bigger picture. Therefore, securing Wu Fatian and persuading Li Xiuwen would mean the battle was half-won. The rest would be finding a breakthrough with Zhao Tianlong and Ma Hezi, which would likely require making a deal with their two families.

The Ancestral Masters also had debts of favor among themselves. There were always times when family interests were at stake, but they were reluctant to call in those chips. Besides considering Zhou Feng, Zhou Luodan also genuinely believed that Wang Meng was worthy of this attention.

At this moment, an uninvited guest arrived at Thunderlight Hall. To be precise, it was an Elder, and one with quite an ostentatious presence.

Ma Wanliang had been reluctant when he received the mission. Was a mere disciple worthy of his personal attention? There were plenty of geniuses out there; what was all the fuss about?

However, the thought of catching up with Zhao Ya, and of that disciple with the exceptional temperament, made Ma Wanliang’s mind stir with interest.

Ma Wanliang’s status was rather special. While not the single youngest Elder, he was among the youngest batch, and with the Ma Family’s backing, he was entrusted with important responsibilities.

Wang Bodang and Wan Jing already had a distaste for Family Disciples like Ma Wanliang. What’s more, his reputation and arrogance were more than they could stand, so they simply couldn’t be bothered with him.

Zhao Ya, however, could not ignore him. The Zhao Family and the Ma Family were ranked lower among the four great families, and their current relationship was quite harmonious.

"Junior Brother Ma, long time no see. What brings you to my humble abode?" Zhao Ya offered an elegant smile. As fellow Family Disciples, there was indeed no real gap in status between them.

Ma Wanliang knew to restrain himself. He was well aware that Zhao Ya was different from an ordinary Female Cultivator, but that only piqued his interest further.

"I missed you, of course, Senior Sister Zhao."

Zhao Ya covered her mouth with a laugh. "Your mouth is as sweet as ever, Junior Brother Ma. You wouldn’t visit without a reason, so just say what’s on your mind."

Ma Wanliang stared at Zhao Ya’s full, red lips. ’I bet you’re dying to get a taste of my skills,’ he thought. But a thought was just a thought; he wasn’t so stupid as to confuse being charming with being crass.

"I heard Thunderlight Hall has a disciple named Wang Meng. I’d like to meet him."

Ma Wanliang said.

Zhao Ya was taken aback. ’The Ancestral Masters are also interested in Wang Meng, but with Ancestral Master Thunderbolt and Ancestral Master Zhou Luodan in the picture, they haven’t made a move. The Ma Family is certainly direct, sending Ma Wanliang here just like that.’

"What, is there a problem?" Ma Wanliang asked, a little impatiently.

Zhao Ya smiled faintly. "Of course not. I’ll send someone to get him. You’ll just have to wait a moment, Junior Brother Ma."

Ma Wanliang flashed what he considered a dashing smile. "That’s a small matter. My main reason for coming was to catch up with you, Senior Sister. A day without seeing you feels like three years."

"Heh, with all the beauties surrounding you, Junior Brother Ma, I’m sure you’d long forgotten about me," Zhao Ya said.

Her assessment of Ma Wanliang could be summed up in one word: scoundrel.

He was lecherous and hypocritical, but you had to admit he had some skill. At the same time, he was able to win Ma Hezi’s favor. To be precise, this was a tradition in the Ma Family, which was why Ma Hezi valued him so highly and had invested considerable effort into his cultivation.

As for Ma Tian’Er... how to put it? She was the complete opposite extreme of the Ma Family. Perhaps it was true that when things reach an extreme, they reverse. Ma Hezi had been at his wit’s end with Ma Tian’Er, which was why he’d wanted to send her to Thunderlight Hall to suffer a bit. But who would have thought that Ma Tian’Er would actually be even happier after coming here?