I Pick up a Lost Godhood-Chapter 89 - 87: Taken Seriously

"I understand. I’ll head over in a moment. Dandan, you’re coming with me this time."

"Yes, Senior Sister."

Before the Hundred Treasures Hall Meeting officially started, the leaders of each Sub-Hall would have a brief get-together. This meeting was initiated by the Senior of the leading hall, and two representatives from each Sub-Hall would attend.

However, Ning Zhiquan hadn’t shown up for the last two meetings. Instead, Gongsun Wuqing, one of the Dao Guang Four Saints, had presided. In a way, Gongsun Wuqing’s status wasn’t on par with the Seniors of the various Sub-Halls. But the Dao Guang Hall was just too powerful, and Gongsun Wuqing’s personal strength was beyond question. In any Sub-Hall besides Dao Guang, he was more than qualified to be the Senior.

Ning Zhiquan’s strength had long surpassed the rest of the younger generation, so it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t deign to play with the children.

Ning Zhiquan could afford to disrespect them, but the others could not afford to disrespect the Dao Guang Hall.

The allocation of resources for the Sub-Hall Elders was decided by the Main Hall, but the allocation of resources for the Sub-Hall disciples was decided by Ning Zhiquan.

The Thunderlight Hall had also received the notification, delivered by a disciple from the Dao Guang Hall who was quite arrogant. At present, Hu Jing was representing the Thunderlight Hall.

"Junior Sister Hu, here is the notice for the routine meeting."

By rights, the leaders of the Sub-Halls were to be respectfully addressed as Senior Brother or Senior Sister; only peers of equal rank would differentiate based on age and strength.

But this disciple from the Dao Guang Hall was clearly unwilling to do so.

The Thunderlight Hall disciples glared, but the messenger remained perfectly calm.

Hu Jing smiled. "I understand."

’Since he was being disrespectful, there was no need for her to acknowledge it.’ "Junior Sister Ma, call for Wang Meng. Have him go with me."

Ma Tian’Er immediately agreed with a cheerful "yes" and darted out of the room. Wang Meng was outside, happily helping the Body Cultivators move some things.

"Brother Wang, Senior Sister Hu is calling for you."

Hardly had the words left Ma Tian’Er’s mouth when a group of Body Cultivators suddenly put on falsetto voices, "Brother Wang, Senior Sister Hu is calling for you!"

Ma Tian’Er’s face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple. While not a stunning beauty, she was cute and had an endearing charm that grew on you, not to mention her personality was simply wonderful.

"You guys... Alright, I’ll head over now. You all can take your time cleaning up."

Wang Meng said with a laugh, "Don’t pay any attention to this bunch."

Ma Tian’Er bit her lip, looking utterly charming.

A young girl in the bloom of first love is the most beautiful.

A shame her affection was unrequited...

"Wang Meng, you have to go with me. This is my first time attending a meeting like this, and I’m a little nervous."

Hu Jing said. In front of others, she seemed capable of anything, but she felt nervous too.

Wang Meng smiled. "What’s the big deal? It’s not like they’re demons with three heads and six arms. They’re all fellow disciples from our own sect."

Hu Jing quickly tidied her appearance, and once she was sure she looked presentable, she and Wang Meng set off for the meeting venue at the Dao Guang Hall.

By the time Yang Ying arrived at the small meeting hall in the Dao Guang Hall, nearly everyone was already there.

The meeting was hosted by the Dao Guang Hall, and as had become custom, the Flying Phoenix Hall was the last to arrive. A beautiful woman, after all, has the privilege of making gentlemen wait. Besides, Yang Ying had no desire to arrive early and engage in a round of meaningless small talk. Arriving last allowed them to get straight to the point.

While other girls might enjoy such fawning, to her it was a burden. But as a Senior Sister, she couldn’t always put on airs and keep everyone at arm’s length.

The hall was filled with familiar faces. To some surprise, Ning Zhiquan himself was present. Gongsun Wuqing, however, was not; Zhao Guang had taken his place.

"Greetings, Brother Ning." Yang Ying and Gao Dandan bowed respectfully. The respect was genuine; Ning Zhiquan’s cultivation and character had earned it.

"Heh. Junior Sister Yang, Junior Sister Gao, please wait a moment. You’re actually early this time. The Thunderlight Hall has yet to arrive."

Ning Zhiquan spoke with a gentle tone, yet his presence was as imposing as a majestic mountain range. This level of self-mastery from his Qi Cultivation Skill was something the Saint Cultivator Elders greatly admired.

"The nerve of Thunderlight Hall, making all of us wait for them!" The one who spoke was Song Zhong, the Senior of Fire Cloud Hall.

"Zhao Guang, looks like your management was lacking back in the day," Tang Wei added gratuitously.

It was a surprise to many that Zhao Guang had managed to climb the ranks so quickly. No one knew what strings he’d pulled to have Ning Zhiquan bring him to a gathering like this. His presence was undoubtedly a move to cement his new status.

It proved that even in the Dao Guang Hall, he, Zhao Guang, was still a force to be reckoned with.

Zhao Guang replied with a slight smile, "Perhaps they’ve gotten a bit bold lately."

Back in the day, Zhao Guang had, after all, been a major figure on par with Tang Wei. Even now in the Dao Guang Hall, he clearly still didn’t think much of him.

That single, veiled jab was enough to make Tang Wei squirm.

"It should be Junior Sister Hu Jing representing the Thunderlight Hall this time. She probably doesn’t know the rules," Mingren said. Mingren was the perennial peacemaker. While there were still ten minutes before the scheduled meeting time, it was Ning Zhiquan’s custom to be early.

The representatives from Lingyin Hall were Mingren and Li Tianyi. Li Tianyi was slumped in his chair, his posture as sloppy as ever. Rules and etiquette meant nothing to him.

Immortal Origin Hall was represented by Liangyuan and Hann Li. Both had been defeated by Li Tianyi in the past. They had remained silent since arriving, though they appeared outwardly calm.

"Should we send someone to hurry them up?" Jia Shidao from the Beast Hall asked. "We can’t just sit here waiting."

"Brother Ning, why don’t we just start? It’s not like it matters whether the Thunderlight Hall shows up or not. All of our time is valuable."

Only Qiao Qian, the Senior of the Hundred Herbs Hall, would say something like that. No matter how you looked at him, he had the air of a merchant about him.

Ning Zhiquan raised his hand, signaling for everyone to wait a little longer. "There are a few important matters this time. We need everyone to be present."

This time, however, the wait wasn’t long. Wang Meng and Hu Jing arrived, and the moment they stepped inside, every eye in the room turned to them.

Hu Jing could handle pressure, but this was a bit much even for her. The strongest members of the younger generation from all nine of the Holy Hall’s Sub-Halls were present, and every one of them was staring, their gazes a mixture of impatience and scrutiny.

"Greetings, Brother Ning. Apologies for being late."

Ning Zhiquan smiled. "You must be Junior Sister Hu. Your timing is perfect. Please, have a seat. Everyone’s here now."

Ning Zhiquan didn’t acknowledge Wang Meng. After all, Hu Jing was the new leader of the Thunderlight Hall; regardless of her actual strength, her position demanded respect. Anyone else was negligible.

Based on the seating order, the Thunderlight Hall’s seats were naturally at the very end, which at least saved them a long walk.

With just a slight pause, Ning Zhiquan drew everyone’s attention back to himself. Though each of them might harbor a desire to challenge him in their hearts, when they actually faced him, they couldn’t help but feel awed by his presence.

"Normally, these preliminary meetings are just an informal get-together for us to chat. This time, however, there are two important matters to discuss before the Hundred Treasures Hall Meeting. The first, as I’m sure you’ve all heard, is that Ancestor Master Zhou, Ancestor Master Lei, Ancestor Master Wu, Ancestor Master Zhao, and Ancestor Master Ma will be gracing the Hundred Treasures Hall Meeting with their presence. For us, this is without a doubt a great test, but it is also a great opportunity."