A blind man cultivates immortality and witnesses the great secret of the holy maiden in her bridal c

The atmosphere inside the Tianhaimen Council Hall was so heavy it was almost frozen!

The enormous dragon pillars stand tall and straight, their golden dragon scales clearly visible on their surfaces, gleaming with a cold luster under the dim lights of the hall.

Mayon stood in the crowd, hands behind his back, a smug, confident smile playing on his lips—he had every reason to be absolutely confident!

In this council hall alone, cultivators surnamed Ma make up a full third of the room! These people are all direct descendants or vassals of the Ma family, and they will definitely support him without hesitation!

Ma Yong was extremely pleased with himself: Previously, with Ma Wei above him, the next sect leader should have been Ma Wei, not him; but now that Ma Wei is dead and Ma Xiu has suddenly disappeared, he never expected that the position of sect leader would fall into his hands so hastily!

Is this the destiny of the chosen one?

He couldn't help but look up at the high platform—on the platform, Golden Core Elders Zhou Xing and Ma Jinshuo sat on the left and right, respectively, with faint Golden Core aura surrounding them, like two unshakable mountains!

Now that Matthew has just defected, these two Golden Core cultivators are the pillars of Tianhai Sect, and naturally, they have the final say in all matters.

Below the two Golden Core elders were seven Supreme Elders with white hair and beards. They closed their eyes to meditate, their auras deep and silent, like withered trees, yet they held the ultimate power of discourse.

Overall, the selection of the sect leader today will be mainly decided by these nine people!

Of course, there were also more than forty elders of the Tianhai Sect standing on both sides of the hall. They were all cultivators at or above the mid-stage of the Divine Power Realm and were the backbone of the sect's combat power. Although they did not have the final decision-making power, they still had a certain say, and their attitude was enough to influence the course of the situation.

But Ma Yong was not worried at all—the remaining two-thirds of the cultivators had differing opinions and each had their own supporters, so they posed no threat to him whatsoever!

"Thump—!"

A deep, resonant chime broke the silence of the hall.

The Supreme Elder Liu Zhihu slowly rose to his feet, his aged voice booming like a bell, resounding throughout the entire hall: "The position of Sect Master is of paramount importance; Tianhai Sect cannot be without a leader for even a day! Today, the election for the Sect Master of Tianhai Sect officially begins!"

His gaze swept over the five candidates below, and he said in a deep voice, "The five candidates have been selected. Next, you will each step forward to explain your governance philosophy! The opinions of the Supreme Elder Council, the two Golden Core seniors, and all the elders below are crucial! Now, who wants to go first?"

"I'll do it!"

Without hesitation, Ma Yong walked to the center of the hall with his hands behind his back and his head held high, his posture arrogant and his eyes carrying a subtle but palpable sense of authority.

"Greetings everyone, I am Elder Ma Yong, the Transmission of Skills!" He cleared his throat, his voice booming, "When Sect Master Ma Xiucai was in charge of Tianhai Sect, I was always his right-hand man, knowing everything about the sect's affairs! After I become the sect master, I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to serving Tianhai Sect..."

He rambled on and on about a lot of empty talk and platitudes, the core of which was nothing more than "continuing tradition" and "the Ma family contributing their efforts." Between the lines, he was filled with the pride and complacency of the Ma family's direct descendants—in his view, the position of the Tianhai Sect Master must belong to the Ma family, and there could be no other choice!

The Ma family cultivators below nodded in agreement, their faces showing an air of self-righteousness, as if Ma Yong was already the established sect leader.

After listening, the elders simply nodded slightly, their expressions calm and revealing neither joy nor anger.

"The second person, please come up on stage!" Liu Zhihu spoke again.

Everyone instinctively looked at Yang Hongyuan—as the peak master of the Alchemy Peak, he was the most senior and should be the second to speak.

But Yang Hongyuan turned his head and looked directly at Gao Rushi, the youngest person in the crowd, with an encouraging look in his eyes.

Gao Rushi took a deep breath, suppressing her nervousness, and without further hesitation, walked straight to the center of the main hall. She wore a light blue Taoist robe, her posture was upright, her face was beautiful, yet she exuded a firmness that could not be underestimated.

First, Gao Rushi bowed slightly to the platform and the crowd below. Then, she raised her head and spoke in a clear and powerful voice: "Greetings, everyone! I am Gao Rushi, the Peak Master of Talisman Peak! Now, I would like to talk about the three reforms I will implement if elected as the Sect Master!"

"First, the decision-making level! Previously, many policies of Tianhai Sect were decided unilaterally by the sect leader! From now on, this regulation will be abolished! I will select five highly respected elders to form a council to jointly govern the sect with me, so that power can be checked and balanced to avoid arbitrary decisions!"

"Secondly, shared benefits! All elders above the Divine Power Realm will receive sect 'profit shares'! As Tianhai Sect grows stronger, elders can exchange these shares for resources and power, truly enjoying the fruits of the sect's development and sharing in its glory and decline!"

"Third, fairness is paramount! Tianhai Sect does not belong to any one family, but to all disciples and elders! After I ascend to the throne, I will completely abolish restrictions based on birth, bloodline, and connections! Cultivation techniques, elixirs, resources, and all benefits will be equal for everyone! Over the past few hundred years, the Ma family elders have made invaluable contributions to the sect, but the future of the sect should belong to everyone who has dedicated themselves to Tianhai Sect!"

"boom!"

These words were like a thunderclap, and the entire hall instantly erupted in chaos!

Sitting on the high platform, Ma Jinshuo's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes—Gao Rushi's words, seemingly fair, were actually aimed at the Ma family at every turn, and were simply an open provocation!

The Supreme Elder and other elders below were buzzing with discussion, their voices like a swarm of bees:

"Junior Sister Gao's ideas are so advanced! Fairness and benefits—that's exactly what we want!"

"She's so outspoken! Isn't she afraid of offending the Ma family?"

"I support Junior Sister Gao as sect leader! She will definitely lead Tianhai Sect to glory!"

"I support her too! But... she's still so young, and the Ma family is so powerful. Can she really hold onto the position of sect leader? She might not live long!"

The discussions were filled with excitement and agreement, but also tinged with a hint of worry.

After Gao Rushi finished her speech, she bowed to the audience again and turned to walk off the stage.

Suddenly, enthusiastic applause rang out in the main hall! Not only the neutral elders, but also many cultivators from other branches of the Ma family secretly clapped, their eyes filled with longing.

"Next!"

Yang Hongyuan stepped forward eagerly, his face beaming with excitement, his voice booming: "Elders! I was deeply moved by Junior Sister Gao's speech! Her wisdom, kindness, and fairness make her the perfect candidate for Sect Leader! I voluntarily withdraw from the election and fully support Junior Sister Gao as the Sect Leader of Tianhai Sect! I hope that under her leadership, Tianhai Sect will be transformed!"

"What?!"

Everyone was instantly dumbfounded—a candidate had actually withdrawn from the race and instead endorsed someone else? This was unheard of!

Ma Yong's face instantly darkened, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

After Yang Hongyuan stepped down from the stage.

Zhou Heng then strode forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the platform and the crowd, and declared loudly, "I, Zhou Heng, fully support Junior Sister Gao Rushi! Her governing philosophy has shown me the future of Tianhai Sect! She is the one worthy to be the sect leader of Tianhai Sect!"

He spoke at length about Gao Rushi's virtues and his determination to support her, his words sincere and his attitude firm.

After Zhou Heng left, Qin Guan quickly stepped forward, his tone equally resolute: "I, Qin Guan, voluntarily relinquish my candidacy and fully support Junior Sister Gao Rushi's election as sect leader!"

Three candidates in a row withdrew from the race and all supported Gao Rushi!

The entire hall erupted in chaos!