Chapter 31 – Meeting

The intrusion into the confidential archives was a grave matter, which prompted the Spiritbond World to convene a meeting.

As usual, representatives from the government departments, the Spiritbond Master Association, and major families were present. Essentially, it was the same group that had listened to Bai Ze’s prophecy previously, with the addition of Hai Ruobo, who typically avoided worldly affairs.

“I feel like we’ve been having meetings nonstop lately,” a Spiritbond Master Association council member muttered to his companion.

His companion whispered back, “The last meeting was just a week ago.”

“The one before that was a week before the week before,” the council member said quietly.

“And the one before that was the day before the week before the week before,” his companion added.

It wasn’t surprising that the attendees grumbled; they had already attended four meetings within a short time span.

In previous years, these tripartite meetings, where each faction sent representatives, occurred once a year, usually as an end-of-year summary. Major forces would report their annual gains and insights, and discuss prospects for the next year’s development in the Spiritbond World. Most participants would doze off during these meetings.

This year, however, things started on the day of the Awakening Thunder. Meetings were held when the nine parts of spirit energy convened, when the Zhuzhao Academy’s graduation combat tournament saw a celestial phenomenon, when Bai Ze prophesized that the first part of spirit energy would destroy all civilizations, and now this.

Four meetings in half a month was too frequent for anyone’s liking.

Yet, every meeting was convened due to unprecedented events.

One could only say that the frequency of major events this year was unnervingly high.

The attendees grumbled to relieve their anxiety.

At the meeting, Li Zheng truthfully reported the incident of the intrusion into the confidential archives.

He recounted the scenes reconstructed by Hai Ruobo, stating, “…After Yun Xiguang regained consciousness, I believe he was interrogated about what happened inside the confidential archives. He knew nothing about it. He only dutifully chased after Ruan Shu into the archives, but they ended up in different spaces. He didn’t even locate Ruan Shu before collapsing from exhaustion in one of the secret spaces.

“Yun Xiguang entered the confidential archives without permission, but as an employee of the Records Department, he had a responsibility to protect the archives. At the time, he was merely performing his duties, and I don’t think he did anything wrong. Moreover, he did his utmost to hold off Ruan Shu, consume the Bookworm’s spirit energy, and buy time for reinforcements, playing a crucial role. I believe Yun Xiguang deserves commendation.

“Furthermore, Yun Xiguang demonstrated the qualities of a competent Spiritbond Master in this incident, particularly excelling in analytical skills. Considering Yun Xiguang’s contributions in this event, the Spiritbond Master Association should consider awarding him a Grade B Spiritbond Master certificate.”

Upon concluding his report, Li Zheng glanced at the Yun Family representative present at the meeting.

The Yun Family elder’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes grew darker, harboring an impending storm.

Yun Xiguang was a member they had abandoned, and he harbored resentment towards the Yun Family. Yun Xiguang’s success proved that the Yun Family’s decision years ago was wrong. A century-old family would never admit its mistakes, deepening their animosity towards Yun Xiguang.

Li Zheng specifically mentioned Yun Xiguang in the meeting out of concern that the Yun Family might use his unauthorized entry into the confidential archives as an excuse to force the Spiritbond Master Association and the Special Affairs Bureau to punish Yun Xiguang. By making it public, he set the tone, preventing the Yun Family from finding a pretext to harm Yun Xiguang.

The president of the Spiritbond Master Association looked at Hai Ruobo and asked, “Is what Director Li said true?”

Hai Ruobo replied, “The scenes reflected by the Mirage were completely consistent with what Director Li described.”

Hai Ruobo spoke cautiously, only confirming consistency rather than absolute truth. After all, the Mirage’s ability wasn’t infallible; if there were spirit beasts capable of fabricating reality, he couldn’t guarantee that the displayed scenes were real.

The president of the Spiritbond Master Association said, “Let’s handle the minor issue first. Those who agree with Director Li’s proposal regarding Yun Xiguang’s reward or punishment, please raise your hands.”

With so many factions involved in this type of meeting, the president of the Spiritbond Master Association couldn’t make unilateral decisions. The three factions would vote by raising their hands, and the majority’s decision would prevail.

Li Zheng represented the national power, which generally had unified opinions. Since Li Zheng had expressed his viewpoint, the attendees would unanimously agree.

The Spiritbond Master Association, being an organization of Spiritbond Masters, had less strict management, allowing each individual to have their own thoughts. Some believed Yun Xiguang deserved praise, while others felt that a mere Grade C Spiritbond Master had no right to enter the confidential archives and should be punished.

Among the Spiritbond Master Association members, those in favor of praising Yun Xiguang were fewer than half.

Li Zheng looked over at the families’ side.

Families traditionally followed the Yun Family’s lead, and few dared to openly oppose the Yun Family. With the unsatisfactory numbers from the Spiritbond Master Association, if the Yun Family insisted on punishing Yun Xiguang, the votes would likely tilt in their favor.

To everyone’s surprise, the Yun Family elder led the way in raising his hand, agreeing to reward Yun Xiguang.

With the support of the families, those in favor of rewarding Yun Xiguang exceeded the majority, and the resolution for Yun Xiguang was settled.

Li Zheng furrowed his brows slightly, unsure why the Yun Family hadn’t taken advantage of the situation to further harm Yun Xiguang. Recalling how someone from the Yun Family had hinted that he should assign Yun Xiguang to the field operations team, hoping for an “accident” during a mission, Li Zheng became worried again.

He didn’t know what schemes the Yun Family had waiting for Yun Xiguang behind the scenes.

The important matter to be discussed in this meeting was the nine parts of spirit energy!

The president of the Spiritbond Master Association looked at Qin Shu and asked, “How is Bai Ze’s condition?”

After making the prophecy, Bai Ze was struck by heavenly retribution and fell into a serious coma. Qin Shu, Bai Ze’s Spiritbond Master, lost dozens of pounds in just seven days, his complexion pale and sallow, his cheeks sunken, looking as if he could collapse at any moment.

This was fortunate since his contract with Bai Ze wasn’t a true Spirit Contract but a blood pact. Qin Shu could still live a normal life and attend meetings. If it were a Spirit Contract, Qin Shu would have become a vegetable the moment Bai Ze fainted, and he would remain brain-dead until Bai Ze woke up.

The gaunt Qin Shu shook his head. “Bai Ze revealed the secrets of heaven and suffered severe injuries, and must continue to recuperate on Two Principles Mountain.”

Everyone could guess that Bai Ze would recover just by looking at Qin Shu’s appearance, causing them to sigh inwardly.

The president of the Spiritbond Master Association said, “Bai Ze’s prophecy predicted that this part of spirit energy would destroy all civilizations. In fact, if it weren’t for the Records Department dispatching Ruan Shu to investigate related records, which caused the hidden Bookworm to reveal itself before it could grow to a level capable of devouring civilizations, and nipping it in the bud, it could have potentially reached the extent mentioned in the prophecy if left unchecked.”

Li Zheng added, “The Special Affairs Bureau investigated the relevant records precisely because of Bai Ze’s prophecy. It was Bai Ze’s prophecy that gave us a heads-up, enabling us to uncover the hidden crisis. In this incident, Bai Ze deserves primary credit.”

Hearing his words, Qin Shu gave Li Zheng a grateful smile.

Since Bai Ze was severely injured by the backlash of the prophecy, rumors had spread.

Some didn’t believe Bai Ze’s prophecy, thinking it impossible for civilizations to vanish overnight, considering Bai Ze’s warning exaggerated. Others said that Bai Ze, as a divine beast, was undeserving of its reputation since it was incapacitated by making just one prophecy. There were even those who claimed that Qin Shu was too weak, unable to bring out Bai Ze’s true potential, otherwise, the prophecy wouldn’t have been so vague.

During this time, Qin Shu had to worry about Bai Ze’s injuries, endure the pain transmitted through the contract, and bear the mental strain of these rumors, making his situation unbearable.

Now, Li Zheng’s words were a vindication of Bai Ze. He emphasized the importance of Bai Ze’s prophecy, suggesting that without Bai Ze’s daring prophecy, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The president sighed. “Bai Ze truly is a savior. The nine parts of spirit energy, and yet, just one part has such power. Thinking about the remaining eight parts out there is unsettling. Now that Bai Ze is seriously injured and the only manifested part of spirit energy has been seized by the Crimson Chi, how can we deal with the hidden crises?”

The president’s question was also the purpose of this meeting.

Through the case involving Ruan Shu, the Spiritbond World had realized that the nine parts of spirit energy were not friendly.

These nine parts of spirit energy could free spirit beasts from the control of Spiritbond Masters, turning the tables and manipulating the Spiritbond Masters instead. They could also cause weak spirit beasts to undergo qualitative changes. If all nine parts fell into the hands of malevolent spirit beasts, the world would face an imminent disaster.

With no leads and the only source of information, Bai Ze, incapacitated, everyone was at a loss, unsure of where to start.

Silence filled the room as no one could answer the president’s question.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

“We have no clue about the whereabouts of the other eight parts of spirit energy, but we do have leads on the one that was on the Bookworm, don’t we?” The speaker was none other than the Yun Family elder.

“We’ve searched every inch within a hundred miles of the Special Affairs Bureau but found no trace of the Crimson Chi,” Li Zheng remarked. “Does Elder Yun have some brilliant strategy?”

“Do you think there are multiple Crimson Chis in this world?” the Yun Family elder asked in response.

Vice President Fang Hongshen answered, “The more powerful the spirit beast, the fewer there are. A spirit beast as close to divine as the Crimson Chi would be lucky to find one in the world.”

“That’s right. In today’s world, there is only one Crimson Chi, and its Spiritbond Master is a member of our Yun Family,” the Yun Family elder stated. “Do you remember who it is?”

Fang Hongshen suddenly remembered. “I recall that incident. The application for the Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master for the owner of the Crimson Chi was approved, and she was just waiting for the process to be completed to become a Heaven-grade Spiritbond Master. Who…who was she again?”

Hearing Fang Hongshen’s words, Li Zheng vaguely recalled the matter but couldn’t remember who the person was.

The Yun Family elder said, “This person is already dead, and the cause of death is related to a secret. The related events and records have been erased by a mysterious force, gradually fading from everyone’s memory. You can’t remember who she is.”

The president said, “With the Spiritbond Master dead, the trail is broken. Do you have any other ideas?”

The Yun Family elder replied, “The Spiritbond Master’s descendants are still alive.”

Fang Hongshen agreed. “True, the Spiritbond Master is a member of the Yun Family, so her descendants are naturally also in the Yun Family. But I’ve heard of the ability to seek relatives through bloodline, while finding a relative’s spirit beast is unheard of. Has the Yun Family discovered some new method?”

“Of course,” the Yun Family elder said with a sinister smile. “If the descendant is willing to offer half of their blood to fill the formation, we can locate the Crimson Chi. With the Crimson Chi, we can find the first part of spirit energy. And since the nine parts of spirit energy were originally one, we might discover a way to find the other parts from within the first part.”

The president nodded. “That’s true. This time, your Yun Family has made great sacrifices.”

“For the safety of this world, sacrificing one or two individuals is nothing,” the Yun Family elder said.

The president said, “We can’t let this young man, who has lost his mother, sacrifice himself in vain. The Spiritbond Master Association will send several Spiritbond Masters skilled in healing to participate in this matter, responsible for protecting the young man’s life.”

The Yun Family elder seemed reluctant, his eyebrows twitching a couple of times before suppressing his refusal. He simply said, “Then I’ll thank the president on behalf of the young man.”

Seeing his reaction, Li Zheng felt a sense of foreboding. Losing his mother and a young man from the Yun Family matched the description of someone in his mind.

Seeing the president inclined to approve the matter, he hurriedly asked, “May I ask, Elder Yun, who is the young man you’re talking about?”

The Yun Family elder smiled. “Director Li, you know this person. He’s Yun Xiguang, the one you advocated for commendation earlier.”