With the matter already settled, Yang Kai didn't want to waste any time. He urged, "Time is of the essence, so I'll trouble Senior Brother to select suitable candidates as quickly as possible."
Qiu Ran raised a hand. "No rush."
Yang Kai was startled. "Don't tell me Senior Brother is going back on his word."
Qiu Ran scoffed. "Since I've agreed to it, how could I go back on my word? It's just that, as I said before, there's no precedent for this. Let me ask you — for every Daoyuan Realm cultivator you borrow, how many Elder Contributions per month should be charged against you?"
Yang Kai immediately grew wary. "Senior Brother, don't you go setting an outrageous price."
Qiu Ran said, "This isn't something I can decide on my own. I'll need to call the other Elders here to discuss it together and work out a reasonable set of terms. Besides, the Temple Master needs to be informed as well."
That made sense. Yang Kai nodded upon hearing this. "Naturally."
Immediately, Qiu Ran and Gao Xueting each took out their transmission compasses and notified the other Elders of the Divine Temple.
Before long, figures flew into the hall one after another — all familiar faces, all Elders of the Divine Temple. Even Xiao Baiyi and Murong Xiaoxiao, the two newly appointed Elders, had come.
Within the Divine Temple, any Disciple who advanced to the Emperor Realm was eligible for an Elder seat. It might just be a titular position without much real authority, but an Elder was still an Elder — their status was vastly different from that of an ordinary Disciple, and the treatment they enjoyed was entirely separate as well.
Yang Kai greeted each of them in turn. Xiao Baiyi remained his usual cold, aloof self, saying little, while Murong Xiaoxiao greeted him with her familiar smile and came over to exchange a few words.
He asked after Xia Sheng and learned that the latter was still stationed at Spirit Lake Palace, rarely returning to the Azure Sun Divine Temple.
"Senior Brother Xia said to thank you for last time. If there's ever an opportunity, he'd like to invite you to Spirit Lake Palace for a drink."
"Last time..." Yang Kai paused for a moment before recalling the incident where they had been trapped in the Demon Cave during their expedition to the Southern Marsh. The Palace Master of the Hundred Flowers Palace, Hua Yulu, was a close friend of Xia Sheng's, and Xia Sheng had entrusted her to Yang Kai's care. Fortunately, Yang Kai had lived up to expectations and nothing bad had happened to her.
He smiled and waved it off. "A small matter."
Just then, Qiu Ran stood up, and the entire hall fell silent. Everyone turned to look at him.
Qiu Ran wore a helpless expression. "The Temple Master says he won't be coming. He's leaving this matter for us to discuss and resolve among ourselves." Normally, something involving over a hundred Daoyuan Realm Disciples was no small matter, and Wen Zishan would definitely have been expected to attend. But Wen Zishan was a man who had long grown accustomed to being lazy — he usually didn't bother with the Temple's affairs, leaving everything to Qiu Ran to handle, so naturally he wouldn't make an appearance today either.
Everyone seemed to have anticipated this. You Kun's raspy voice boomed out, "If the Temple Master doesn't come, then he doesn't come. Makes no difference whether he's here or not — we can discuss it ourselves just fine."
No other Temple's Elder would dare speak about their own Temple Master so brazenly. Only the Azure Sun Divine Temple could be like this — the saying "when the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be askew" existed for a reason.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Qiu Ran looked pained, silently cursing the state of discipline among the ranks.
Without further delay, everyone took their seats.
Yang Kai glanced to either side and cupped his fists. "Then this junior brother will take his leave first."
Qiu Ran said, "This matter concerns you directly. There's no need for you to step aside. Stay and listen."
Well then, no need to leave. Yang Kai simply turned around and sat down. Like Xiao Baiyi and Murong Xiaoxiao, he was a newly appointed Elder. But while Xiao Baiyi and Murong Xiaoxiao were proper, full-fledged Temple Elders, he was merely an Honorary Elder. So despite his considerable contributions to the Divine Temple, his seat was placed at the very end, right beside Murong Xiaoxiao.
At this kind of council meeting, Xiao Baiyi and Murong Xiaoxiao weren't yet qualified to participate in the discussion — they simply lacked the experience. They'd been called here to listen and prepare for the future. Sooner or later, they too would wield real authority in the Divine Temple and make decisions that shaped the fates of the Disciples under them.
Qiu Ran cleared his throat and first explained how Yang Kai had brought a large quantity of Emperor Pills and exchanged them for an enormous sum of Elder Contributions. The Elders all looked at him with surprise and envy. Over one hundred and fifty thousand Elder Contributions — that was an unprecedented figure. Even if one entered the Spirit Sensing Mirror World every year, it only cost two thousand points per visit. One hundred and fifty thousand was enough to last sixty or seventy years.
Still, there was no point being envious. Not everyone could refine Emperor Pills. The Elders only became more convinced that being an Alchemist was truly a lucrative profession — so quietly and unobtrusively, one hundred and fifty thousand contributions had fallen into Yang Kai's hands. How long would it even take him to spend it all?
Yang Kai sat there looking perfectly composed, the picture of serene nonchalance. In reality, he was secretly chatting with Murong Xiaoxiao through a private transmission.
After the initial shock subsided, someone raised the very concern Qiu Ran had worried about earlier — how exactly Yang Kai planned to spend these contributions.
Qiu Ran then explained Yang Kai's request to borrow one hundred Daoyuan Realm and four hundred Xu Wang Realm cultivators. Since this had already been discussed and Qiu Ran had given his approval, nobody had any objections. What remained to be debated now was how many Elder Contributions each of these borrowed cultivators should cost per month.