The Rainwater Commandery had enjoyed peace for quite some time. The officials who committed offenses did not dare to stir up any more problems. As for Chen Zhao, apart from tempering his body these days, his only other task was to leave the warden's office in the middle of the night, and venture out into the surrounding areas to hunt down demons. He had killed demons numerous times before, so he was naturally familiar with it. After several rounds, most of the demons around the city had been eliminated, especially after Yu Xiyi's flying sword had already taken care of the majority prior to this. Now, he was merely cleaning up the remnants, and the area around the commandery was mostly cleaned.
Although Chen Chao's cultivation had become much stronger now, he could not stay in Rainwater Commandery for too long. It would not be easy to thoroughly deal with every aspect of Rainwater Commandery.
But since he had taken on the role of local warden, he would have to do some things.
Towards the end of autumn, the negotiations on Sublime Bright Mountain finally came to a close.
The delegates from the various major sects finalized the terms of the negotiations at long last and laid down the fundamentals. Then, all representatives signed the agreement, marking the conclusion of everything.
When the vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution arrived at the warden's office, Chen Chao had just ended a body tempering session. After taking a bath and changing into fresh clothes, he met the vice-chairman in the main hall.
The vice-chairman still looked like a tycoon, but there was a trace of fatigue in his eyes that could not be concealed. The recent intense discussions had taken a huge mental toll on him.
"We meet again, Warden Chen."
Though Chen Chao currently held the position of Commander of the Left Guards, it was just temporary after all. His actual official position was Warden of Rainwater Commandery. Even though it was evident that he would not serve as warden for long in Rainwater Commandery, the vice-chairman still chose to address him as such.
Chen Chao returned his greeting with clasped hands. Despite the previous disagreements with the Heavenly Imperial Institution, it was clear that neither of them was inclined to bring it up at this moment.
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution smiled and said, "I heard that this agreement was materialized due to Warden Chen's singlehanded efforts. I couldn't believe it at first. But after learning more about the details, I couldn't help but admire your talents, Warden Chen. It's truly regrettable that the Heavenly Imperial Institution missed out on such a young talent."
Chen Chao replied, "We are all serving the imperial court, regardless of which office we're in."
The vice-chairman nodded and said, "Indeed, Warden Chen, you have a clear perspective."
Chen Chao grunted in acknowledgment and proceeded to engage in some small talk with the vice-chairman. It was mainly compliments and pleasantries.
"When Warden Chen left the Divine Capital, you were just a Divine Trove martial artist. Now, when we meet again, you've already reached the Bitter Sea realm. Truly remarkable."
More light-hearted compliments that did not cost money.
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution smiled and finally got to the point, "In this negotiation, it was decided that the Sublime Bright Mountain will be jointly owned by ten sects, including the Infatuation Daoist Temple, and the imperial court in the future. Each sect will send powerhouses here to guard it."
This was the general direction agreed upon earlier between the Warden and the daoist in green from the Infatuation Daoist Temple. The details were worked out by them subsequently.
Chen Chao nodded his head, he was well aware of this. It was pretty much impossible for the imperial court to reclaim this Sublime Bright Mountain. At least, it was impossible to take it back completely.
As if he knew what Chen Chao was thinking, the vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution nodded and said. "But in name, it belongs to the imperial court."
Chen Chao shook his head. "In name, those immortal cultivators are also subjects of the Great Liang Dynasty."
Names did not hold much weight. It was because all agreements must be built on absolute strength. Otherwise, they would be meaningless.
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution looked around this newly constructed hall and smiled as he said. "There's some truth to that saying. In name, it's still alright. One day, when people refuse to acknowledge it, you can still claim you've made your mark."
Chen Chao thought for a moment and realized the wisdom in these words. He nodded and said softly, "I've learned well."
He began to understand why the imperial court sent this vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution here. He was indeed someone who was well-suited to dealing with foreign cultivators.
"What's decided today is that the various major sect will organize their young disciples to enter and explore it once a year. As for the number of spots, in the first year, there's a limit, depending on the size of the sect. Currently, the imperial court is allocated ten slots."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution slowly started talking about the result. But his tone was filled with concern as he said "Afterward, we sent cultivators inside to take a look, but the situation isn't optimistic. Even Great Beyond cultivators can't last more than half a day inside."
Just half a day. Those Great Beyond Realm cultivators would quickly feel weakened after entering, getting dizzy, and losing strength in all four limbs. They would slowly lose strength until they died.
Chen Chao nodded. "Even those youths can't last for more than three days inside at most. Furthermore, the higher their cultivation realm, the greater the restriction."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution said, "It's precisely because of this, how do we select these ten individuals?"
Chen Chao looked at this vice-chairman with some surprise.
"The message from the Divine Capital is that if there are any doubts, I can ask Warden Chen. Even the list of these ten individuals can be decided by Warden Chen."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution smiled at Chen Chao, his eyes filled with various emotions. When he first received this message, he was also rather surprised himself. How could he have imagined that the Divine Capital actually held such high expectations for Chen Chao? As the Heavenly Imperial Institution's vice-chairman, he knew very well that even though Chen Chao was valued by the Lord Warden Commander, it was not easy for him to have influence in the entire imperial court.
But this message from the Divine Capital this time already pointed this out. It was probably not what the Lord Warden Commander could accomplish by himself.
His Majesty, the Emperor, likely held great expectations for this young man too.
Chen Chao contemplated for a moment and said, "Cultivators cannot use their cultivation within the white mist. Martial artists are naturally the best choice. But selecting ten martial artists may be difficult to satisfy everyone."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution nodded his head in appreciation and said, "That's right, if that's really the case, there will be many discontented voices."
Although the Great Liang Dynasty had many martial artists, they did not necessarily only have martial artists.
Chen Chao smiled bitterly and said, "So, the task of choosing people isn't an easy one."
The vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution smiled and did not make things difficult for Chen Chao. He said, "Warden Chen, you can rest assured. You only need to talk about that white mist. There will naturally be someone to worry about the selection afterward. However, among these ten individuals, there will surely be a place for Warden Chen."
As a cultivator who had entered the ancient ruin, Chen Chao would have great confidence when entering the white mist.
"This time, there won't be any competition; it's simply a joint exploration where each party takes what they need. This is the first time, and everyone is still exploring."
The Vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution looked at Chen Chao and said, "But if there are any gains, they will need to be reported to the imperial court."
He spoke with great seriousness, and his emotions were clear in his eyes, indicating no room for compromise on this matter.
