Essence Devouring Art

Just as expected.

After a moment of silence,

As everyone watched, Qi Canghai rose from his fur-lined chair. His flawless face, once the benevolent visage of a "Smiling Buddha," turned cold and indifferent.

"Since no one was killed, no rules were broken. Qin Nanchun’s skills were lacking, and he made a critical misjudgment. He has no one to blame but himself.

As for the Grand Elder’s proposal...

This competition had no rule against concealing one’s strength. Therefore, the proposed punishment for Hall Master Wu is rejected."

Hall Master Wu...

This change in address,

showed that Qi Canghai already considered Wu Dao one of his own. His words were laced with protectiveness.

Today’s matter

was now considered settled.

No amount of complaining from Elder Qin could change the outcome.

"Qi Canghai... You... Fine, just fine! So much for the days you used to call us ’uncle’!"

Hearing Qi Canghai’s indisputable verdict, Elder Qin grew so enraged the corners of his eyes nearly split open.

Losing all sense in his fury, he even called Qi Canghai by his full name in front of everyone, causing the Grandmaster’s expression to turn grim.

Seeing that the other members of the Elder Council were all feigning ignorance, staring at their own noses as if meditating,

Elder Qin knew he had no choice but to swallow this loss. After shooting Wu Dao a venomous glare, he picked up the unconscious Qin Nanchun and departed in a huff.

"Um... I forfeit."

An awkward voice suddenly piped up. It was the number nine Pojian Master from Wu Dao’s group.

After the display Wu Dao had just put on,

he knew he couldn’t possibly withstand it. It was better to forfeit now than to go up on the stage and be publicly humiliated.

No one in the crowd mocked him for it.

After all, the gap between the two was enormous. Forcing a match would just lead to a one-sided beatdown. Any sane person would choose to withdraw.

’Old bastard, I’ll let you scream and shout for now!’

Wu Dao, however, paid them no mind. He was watching Elder Qin’s retreating figure, his dark eyes narrowed, unconsciously grinding his teeth.

Then,

he retracted his gaze and cupped his fist toward Qi Canghai on the high platform. "Thank you, Grandmaster, for your wise judgment. From this day forward, if you have any command, I will walk through a mountain of blades or a sea of fire without hesitation."

When you are the weaker one, you must graciously accept any face a stronger person gives you. In life, one must never be arrogant or look down on others.

"Haha, it won’t come to that,"

Qi Canghai said with a faint smile, shaking his head. He knew Wu Dao was just speaking pleasantries, not to be taken literally.

Still, one good turn deserves another.

Everyone enjoys hearing flattery, and making grand promises is an essential skill for any leader.

"Now that you have joined the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, we are all brothers-in-arms. As long as I, Qi Canghai, am here, I will never let my brothers come to harm."

Upon hearing this,

everyone, including Wu Dao,

rose and cupped their fists toward Qi Canghai.

"The Grandmaster is wise!"

Qi Canghai waved his hand dismissively. "Enough with the formalities," he said with a smile. "There will be an appointment banquet tonight. Hall Master Wu, Hall Master Zhou, and Hall Master Chen are the guests of honor, so don’t be late."

With that,

Qi Canghai left the Martial Arts Arena, accompanied by several Vice Hall Masters. The members of the Elder Council followed soon after.

As for Wu Dao and the other two new hall masters,

they were received by a high-level Steward from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

However, 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

as Wu Dao was leaving the Martial Arts Arena, he noticed Grand Elder Chen of the Elder Council give him a deep, meaningful look. A flicker of malice flashed in the old man’s eyes before vanishing.

As for the Grand Elder’s animosity,

Wu Dao knew exactly where it came from.

The power of a Second Rebirth.

This was enough to be considered a heavyweight within the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

Unfortunately,

thanks to that fool Elder Qin, it was now impossible for Wu Dao to join the Elder Council’s faction. He had already been pushed into Qi Canghai’s camp.

From now on,

he could expect to be targeted by the Elder Council.

Still,

Wu Dao felt no fear.

The Elder Council had dozens of members, but most of them were old-timers who had not even reached the Cocoon-Breaking Realm.

Fewer than ten had undergone a Rebirth.

As for the Third Rebirth, only Elder Chen and the Second Elder had achieved it.

Unless those two made a move personally,

no one else could pose a threat to Wu Dao. Besides, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s rules forbade members from harming one another. At most, they could play some petty, insignificant tricks behind his back.

After all,

Wu Dao wasn’t the only Pojian Master who sided with Qi Canghai. If the Elder Council acted like a pack of mad dogs, viciously targeting every opponent, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall would have collapsed long ago.

Of course,

that old coot Elder Qin was an exception.

Wu Dao had crippled his grandson, creating a blood feud between them. Retaliation was sure to come, and soon.

But would Wu Dao give him the chance?

...

The moon climbed high, and night fell.

The great Lancang City showed no signs of the world’s chaos.

While the outer districts were somewhat dark, the Inner City was a different world. The hazy glow from countless homes and the bustling night market shone like a galaxy of stars, illuminating every street and alley.

On the Lancang River,

enormous, brightly lit pleasure barges drifted.

The air carried the sounds of flirtatious laughter, the chatter of beautiful women, and the boisterous calls of wealthy patrons spending fortunes in pursuit of pleasure. The sounds of revelry traveled far across the water.

「In the Inner City.」

At the headquarters of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall,

a grand banquet was underway within a magnificent estate.

Guests were numerous as clouds, and the air was rich with the aroma of wine and roasted meat.

The appointment of three County-level Hall Masters signified the addition of three Pojian Masters to their ranks.

This was no small matter for the White Whale Martial Arts Hall; the lowest-ranking guest in attendance was at the Divine Power Realm.

In addition,

some of the most prominent and powerful families in Lancang City had also been invited. They arrived bearing generous gifts, eager to offer congratulations and make their acquaintance with the new powerhouses. Not a single seat was empty.

At the banquet,

all eyes were on Wu Dao, the new Hall Master who had made such a stunning debut that day. A constant stream of people came to offer him toasts.

In response,

Wu Dao played along amiably, maintaining a polite smile that was neither too familiar nor too distant.

Until a person’s Power was great enough to make the rules, they were still, at heart, a social creature, unable to exist completely detached from the collective.

’As for all this false sincerity...’

Wu Dao had seen more than enough of it in his past life. He knew exactly how to handle it—

accept the gifts, but as for the people...

’We’re the best of friends at the table,’

’but once we leave, who are you again?’

After the public portion of the banquet concluded,

Qi Canghai led the upper echelons of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall in a brief internal meeting.

It was no different from the corporate drivel of his past life—reminiscing about the past, cherishing the present, and looking toward the future. Wu Dao found it utterly dull.

After the meeting,

Qi Canghai led the group to pay their respects at the ancestral hall. Only then did he formally hand over the appointment Documents and the Hall Master’s Tokens to Wu Dao and the other two.

Wu Dao accepted the palm-sized, rectangular Token and looked down to examine it.

The Token was crafted from fine white jade, and on its surface were three exquisitely carved, lifelike giant whales swimming through the ocean.

With this White Whale Token,

one could command all the White Whale Martial Arts Hall branches and disciples within an entire County’s territory.

This Token

was also a clear symbol of status within the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, a mark of one’s rank.

A Token with one white whale

was for the Hall Master of a Village.

Two white whales were for the Hall Master of a town.

Three was for the Hall Master of a County.

Higher still,

there was the four-whale Giant Whale Order. This one was special; it wasn’t awarded based on strength, but on seniority and ability.

It belonged to those who managed the Hall’s internal affairs, commerce, finances, intelligence, and punishments—

the members of the Elder Council and the Vice Hall Masters, the absolute core of the leadership.

Most of these were ’administrative’ positions.

Some high-level members with a four-whale Giant Whale Order hadn’t even reached the Cocoon-Breaking Realm.

A five-whale Order,

was held only by Grandmaster Qi Canghai.

As for why there was no specific rank for a Prefecture-level Hall Master, it was because some of the three-whale branches were already established within Prefecture cities.

Although the northern part of Guangqing Prefecture had numerous counties and prefectures,

the White Whale Martial Arts Hall didn’t establish branches everywhere. It had to consider the local economy and the livelihood of the people in the surrounding area. A branch would only be established if it was profitable.

Why open a branch in a dirt-poor place with no money to be made? You’d have to be an idiot.

After receiving their White Whale Tokens,

Wu Dao and the other two were each assigned to different counties where there were vacancies.

However,

this step of the process ran into a slight problem.

「In the Inner City.」

Within a courtyard belonging to the Four Seas Gang,

"Tan City..."

Wu Dao sat in the main seat of the hall, legs spread in an imposing manner. His dark eyes were narrowed, and his large hand stroked the Token in his palm.

During the assignment of the new posts,

the meaningful glances from the Elder Council and the sympathetic looks from the other Hall Masters all told him one thing: there was definitely something wrong with the branch in Tan City!

Fortunately, this wasn’t some closely guarded secret.

Wu Dao made a few inquiries afterward and quickly understood the reason.

Suspected trouble from an Anomaly!