I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 234 - 232: Brothers, We’ve Struck It Rich

The Ancestral Masters didn’t stop the disciples from celebrating. It had been countless years since a scene like this had occurred.

Zhou Feng’s face was lit up with a smile as bright as a sunflower. He pulled out a bottle of wine and chugged it down, GULP, GULP. ’Damn, this feels good,’ he thought. ’What I couldn’t achieve when I was young, this kid Wang Meng has done it.’

Li Xiuwen stood up, temporarily halting the disciples’ celebration.

"Ning Zhiquan is promoted to Sword Cultivator Elder. In one month, he will depart for the Great Yuan Realm."

As soon as he finished speaking, looks of envy filled everyone’s eyes. The disciples didn’t know what the Great Yuan Realm was, but legend said its Elemental Qi was abundant and it was teeming with Exotic Beasts. Nearly all the elite masters of the Three Sects and Five Schools were there. Even among the Elders, only the most exceptional were qualified to go. Although Ning Zhiquan was outstanding, to be sent there immediately after his promotion made him the first to ever receive such an honor.

The disciples of Dao Guang Hall felt a small measure of comfort. ’Dao Guang Hall has led for so many years, after all. The Ancestral Masters are still on our side,’ they thought. Zhao Guang was practically beaming with joy. Not only was Ning Zhiquan leaving, but he was going far, far away. This was wonderful news. As long as Ning Zhiquan was around, Zhao Guang would always be held back in Dao Guang Hall.

"Wang Meng, in light of your great contributions to both Pill and Body Cultivation, you are promoted to Elder. Today, you led Thunderlight Hall in creating a miracle, sufficiently proving your leadership and ability to unite others. Effective immediately, you will concurrently serve as the Law Enforcement of the Jiufen Hall."

The moment Li Xiuwen finished speaking, all the color drained from Zhao Guang’s face. ’Law Enforcement of the Jiufen Hall... that’s the Senior of the Nine Halls! Wang Meng is replacing Ning Zhiquan! They’re sending Ning Zhiquan away to make room for Wang Meng!’

Without this authority, Wang Meng’s Elder title would have been mostly honorary. But Law Enforcement of the Jiufen Hall... that was the highest, most genuine authority among the disciples, more influential than many Elders.

A wave of cheers instantly erupted, with the Thunderlight Hall disciples shouting the loudest. It felt like a dream. Who would have thought that the perpetually stern Ancestor Master Li, who always kept people at arm’s length, would be so supportive this time?

Cries of praise and adulation echoed from all around.

Li Xiuwen remained expressionless. He simply gave a slight nod, then departed with the other Ancestral Masters. Their presence was no longer needed for what was to come.

The happiest of all was Thunderbolt, whose booming laughter echoed as he left.

There was nothing to be done about it. Fortune’s wheel had turned, and it had finally landed on Thunderlight Hall.

Once the Ancestral Masters were gone, the disciples of Thunderlight Hall could finally celebrate without restraint. They were standing at the very peak; they could cheer as loudly as they wanted, and no one could stop them.

The grounds of Dao Guang Hall had been taken over. Its own disciples retreated dejectedly. The area had become a sea of celebration, for an achievement that was undeniable and beyond reproach.

It seemed like only yesterday that Thunderlight Hall was the hall everyone treated like a doormat, a place anyone could walk all over. Back then, it was a great honor for a Thunderlight Hall disciple to even know someone from Dao Guang Hall. They could brag about it endlessly to their peers: "Hey, I know a guy from Dao Guang Hall!"

And now, those same Thunderlight Hall disciples were standing on Dao Guang Hall’s home ground, cheering their victory.

And it was all brought about by one person: Wang Meng.

Wang Meng was completely exhausted. That final, arm-raised roar had been a release of every last bit of his energy. He had actually done it.

It felt surreal, like a dream.

He was surrounded by cheers, but none of that mattered anymore. Wang Meng’s mind drifted back to the past, to when he had yearned to become a Cultivator. Now, at long last, he truly was one.

This wasn’t a dream.

The celebration continued. Never had the victory celebration for a Grand Competition been so raucous. The Thunderlight Hall disciples walked slowly on the road from Dao Guang Hall back to their own, cheering the entire way. It was a march of glory. Wang Meng, Zhang Xiaopang, and the others were carried back on their comrades’ shoulders.

They could boast, they could shout; this victory belonged to the strength of Wang Meng and his team, but it also belonged to the countless disciples of Thunderlight Hall who had supported them. Wherever the fighters went, the disciples followed. Their moral support was just as crucial.

A fight needs a purpose. If they had only been fighting for themselves, Wang Meng, Zhang Xiaojiang, and Hu Jing would never have made it this far.

All along the way, disciples from other halls kept joining the procession. There was a surreal feeling in the air. ’Did they really just win?’

One after another, from Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao... all the way to Ning Zhiquan himself, every opponent had ultimately fallen.

Wang Meng was literally lying down, carried by the others, gazing up at the sky. The cheers in his ears were a blurry roar, but his face was all smiles. ’I can finally breathe,’ he thought.

Zhang Liang suppressed his own excitement. He had a professional duty to attend to. He quickly sent out the Intelligence Talismans he had prepared.

The entire Grand Competition was the Thunderlight Miracle, Wang Meng’s miracle, but it was also Zhang Liang’s miracle. His intelligence network was now firmly established, and in the wake of the competition, it had rapidly expanded throughout the entire Jiufen Hall.

This was something he wouldn’t have even dared to dream of before.

"Ning Zhiquan’s era is over."

"Haha, what a comeback! They hit rock bottom and bounced back so hard. It’s unbelievable!"

"Thunderlight Hall is going to be rolling in it now. The resource advantage they’ll have is unbelievable."

"I bet it’ll be tough to transfer into Thunderlight Hall now."

"Tough is an understatement! It’s a no-brainer. Think about next year’s disciple selection. How many people from the mortal realm and the Small Thousand Worlds will be lining up to join Thunderlight Hall?"

"Compared to Wang Meng, the record Ning Zhiquan set back in the day is nothing now. The youngest Senior... pales in comparison to the youngest Law Enforcement Elder!"

The disciples chattered excitedly. The whole reason Thunderlight Hall had to recruit so widely from the mortal realm was because no disciple from the Small Thousand Worlds was willing to join them. It was a move born of desperation, an attempt to keep up appearances. But in the end, they had truly struck gold.

In the future, Thunderlight Hall would undoubtedly become the most sought-after destination for new cultivators of age from the Small Thousand Worlds.

With a leader, resources, and a steady stream of exceptional new disciples, its rise to power was only a matter of time.

Back then, Ning Zhiquan had become the Law Enforcement of the Nine Halls while still a disciple. Wang Meng, however, had become the legitimate Law Enforcement of the Nine Halls as the sect’s youngest Elder. At this point, having the status of an Elder, his Control Power was on a completely different level.

This time, every disciple who fought for Thunderlight Hall, both on the main team and as substitutes, would receive a priceless Small Rejuvenation Pill.

When they defeated Lingyin Hall, the disciples had still been somewhat reserved. But now, Thunderlight Hall threw its gates wide open, the entire hall celebrating and welcoming disciples from every other hall.

Fine wine, delicious food, and joyous laughter became the theme of Thunderlight Hall.

After resting for the entire afternoon and recovering his strength thanks to Zhou Feng’s Pills, even Wang Meng was plied with so much alcohol that the world started to spin.

This was a day for indulgence, and the disciples of Thunderlight Hall were free to enjoy it to their hearts’ content.

At the feast, Zhang Xiaopang once again stripped off his shirt. "Brothers! Sisters! Let’s raise a cup to our Elder Wang, to our boss!"

Let’s drink until we drop!

In stark contrast to the celebration at Thunderlight Hall, the seven Ancestral Masters who had returned to the Main Hall all wore grave expressions.

Zhou Luodan’s face was grim. "It strongly resembles the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s Devouring God Technique."

Kuchan was pale, but his expression remained calm. "Those two were both around the seventieth layer of power. Their goal was clearly to find the Teleportation Array leading to the Sect Leader’s place of seclusion. He absolutely cannot be disturbed at this critical juncture."

Ma Hezi slammed his hand on the table in anger. "How audacious! There must be a traitor in our midst!"

"We’ve already screened the Elders and haven’t found anyone suspicious so far," someone said. "But there are far too many disciples in the Sub-Halls. It’s impossible to investigate them all in a short time."