"The last point,"
"Luo Yu impersonated the God's Child of his own free will; it was us old folks who came up with the idea before he was even born."
"He did this as a sacrifice for our Great Xia, do you understand?"
"If one day his false identity as God's Child is exposed, by what right should he be slandered? Has he committed any evils by relying on this identity, or bullied men and women?"
"Is this a mistake? I think this is instead the greatest feat!!!"
The conference room was deathly silent; not another person spoke.
Qin Zheng opened his mouth to speak, but finally closed it, left speechless by the argument.
The rough-looking Zhu Wushi nodded frequently, as if he had just seen the light.
Patriarchs such as Liu Shengji and Zhao Yingtian revealed a look of surprise; Cao Xiong usually remained detached, so why was he speaking out today exclusively for Elder Luo's grandson?
Luo Tiance, however, saw clearly and knew that this old fellow was not entirely speaking out of justice; he was actually repaying a favor.
Since the video had played quickly earlier on, the assembly was still unaware that Cao Ritian had been saved by Luo Yu.
"I think the title 'Pillar of the Nation' is quite fitting," Luo Tiance said softly.
"Shush, shush, shush!"
All the Eight Kings of Great Xia turned their gaze over.
"This... Elder Luo, this absolutely must not be," Liu Shengji protested repeatedly, waving his hands.
Zhu Wushi also widened his eyes and said, "Isn't this a joke? The title 'Pillar of the Nation' is the foremost title agreed upon by all the high-ranking officials of Great Xia."
Even Cao Xiong hadn't expected Luo Tiance to take such a radical approach, trying to nail down the 'Pillar of the Nation' title right away; it was somewhat too extreme.
"If it's bestowing this title, I won't say another word, and would wholeheartedly approve, but your grandson..." Qin Zheng shook his head and sighed, leaving the rest unsaid, but the meaning was clear.
He is not worthy.
Luo Tiance laughed, "Do I look like I'm joking to you?"
"How would you confer it, with what, and on what basis! If it were the third title, I think he might barely make the mark, but the first is out of the question," Qin Zheng interjected.
Others also wanted to stop it.
Luo Tiance clearly saw everyone's expressions and actually understood everything in his heart.
This glory, renowned through history, this honor of our ancestors—everyone wants it. All eight of those old fellows are plotting, hoping that their monstrous descendants could try hard and fight for it.
"The title I speak of conferring, is not for now," Luo Tiance said.
"Then when?" the others asked, surprised.
Luo Tiance laughed, "When my grandson's false identity as the God's Child is pierced through, all these years he bore humiliation and heavy burdens for our Great Xia—shouldn't his contributions be enough by then?"
"After all, impersonating a God's Child is not easy; it's not simple to play such an exceptional role while facing constant assassination attempts from foreign forces."
"Moreover, for so many years, he has been the spiritual pillar of the entire Great Xia, motivating young martial artists, preventing the public from losing the will to resist—aren't his merits sufficient?"
Luo Tiance's eyes shone with an indescribable trust and pride.
"Supporting the Heavens White Jade Column, the Sea-spanning Amethyst Gold Beam."
"This title, 'Pillar of the Nation.'"
"My grandson is up to the task!!"
"And don't say I'm not giving you a chance. Let your grandchildren fight for it; if their achievements can surpass my grandson's, why would that bother you? That would be Great Xia's fortune."
Upon learning that Luo Tiance wasn't intending to bestow the title now, and was letting their descendants compete for it, all the patriarchs nodded their heads, not objecting any further.
Nothing is certain until the very end.
"Elder Luo, to be honest, my Zhu Family is certainly going to vie for this title," Zhu Wushi said with a hearty laugh, not mincing his words.
Cao Xiong commented, "My child isn't the best behaved, but when it comes to this title, he is determined to have it."
Patriarch Qin opened his mouth, "Elder Luo, your grandson, who goes by the name Xia Luo, provoked my grandson; how shall we handle this?"
Luo Tiance looked at him and said, "Then let it be handled however it should be handled; we don't need to concern ourselves with the matters of the younger generation."
Qin Zheng shook his head, "How can it be a matter for the younger generation? My brat has grown stubborn now and doesn't even listen to me; what if he really bashes your grandson into a bad shape? Then the God's Child's false identity will be exposed."
"Rest assured, the trump cards I left for my grandson are very strong; you just worry about your grandson," Luo Tiance said indifferently.
"Good, haha, my grandson has been spoiled and could use some disciplining," Qin Zheng said, though a special gleam crossed the depths of his eyes.
With Luo Tiance's words, he had all he needed.
If his own grandson could defeat the God's Child and ascend to the altar, there were only benefits and no downsides.
Qin Zheng's strength was also at the peak of Great Xia, and deep down, he had always been frustrated by being suppressed by Luo Tiance for so many years.
Cao Xiong was also deep in thought at this moment.
Watching Elder Luo's every word and action, had he been overly suspicious? It seemed that Godchild Luo Yu might really be the real deal, not fake?
Luo Tiance's expression was cold.
In fact, the main purpose of this meeting was not to campaign for a title for Luo Yu. He believed that, given his grandson's talent, the current military achievements were just the beginning. Shocking the world would happen sooner or later; there was no need to rush into setting a title for him.
His true aim was to make any potential traitors hiding among these old men believe that his grandson was still that fake godchild, that his current strength came merely from a bit of talent and the treasures he had given him, thereby keeping his grandson safe for the time being.
If there were no traitors, it would make no difference.
Just as the meeting was nearing its end, the Patriarch of the Xiang Family, who had not taken part in the discussion, spoke up:
"By the way, Elder Luo, there's something important I need to discuss with you."
"Go ahead."
The others looked over curiously; Xiang Chu was in charge of diplomacy, so any report he had would definitely concern the movements of the foreign forces.
With a furrowed brow, Xiang Chu said, "The major foreign forces have decided to hold the World Youth Martial Arts Competition at the end of this year, asking whether Our Great Xia dares to participate?"
"Dares to participate?"
"Boom!"
Zhu Wushi rose furiously, emitting a terrifying aura.
"What's there to fear? Do these foreign forces think they have a bunch of godchildren and that Our Great Xia has no capable people?"
Cao Xiong squinted his eyes, "These foreign forces are really despicable, always holding meetings behind Our Great Xia's back."
Luo Tiance asked, "Which forces have decided to participate in the competition?"
Xiang Chu replied, "The Pantheon Temple of North America, the Dark Council of Europe, Olympus of Northern Europe, and Takamanohara, which is doing quite well, as well as the Ancient Buddha Holy Land..."
"Interesting." Luo Tiance's lips curved upward, his eyes flickering with a cold light.
Liu Shengji sneered, "This competition is not well-intended; I reckon that whichever side is weaker will be swiftly devoured by the other major forces."
"Indeed, this is a test of the strength of Great Xia Country." Zhao Yingtian nodded.
"We must consider this carefully." Cao Xiong said, "Why not move the national Martial University competition, which is set for the middle of next year, to the end of this month? We could have the impressive young martial artists from the military participate as well, so we can train our forces early and select competitors for the World Competition at year's end."
"Agreed."
"Good."
"Excellent."
Luo Tiance said, "Cao Xiong, instruct the University and Military departments to get the message out, letting everyone prepare in advance."
"Alright." Cao Xiong nodded.
Luo Tiance continued, "Zhao Yingtian, you direct the TV stations and all major media to publicize this competition and the upcoming world competition ahead of time. In these turbulent times, the public needs to see the valor of our young martial artists from Great Xia to maintain their will to survive."
"But..." Not only did Zhao Yingtian hesitate, others were also doubtful.
"This might not be a good idea; if our competitors from Great Xia happen to..." Zhu Wushi couldn't finish his sentence, but the others all understood the implication: "It would shatter public confidence."
"Indeed, those are godchildren who have inherited the power of the gods, which is akin to cheating in cultivation." Cao Xiong shook his head.
This wasn't a matter of confidence; it was about the foreign forces being unfair, using divine power to bully mortals.
Luo Tiance snorted coldly.
"The People of Great Xia all have pride in their bones; when have we ever shown fear before a battle?"
"Even if we're outmatched, we should still tear a piece of flesh from our enemy's body."
"Cowering and hiding away, not disclosing any information, is when a crisis will arise as the people start to notice on their own."
"Do as I say."
Luo Tiance stood up, his gaze intense and fiery.
"Our Great Xia will not lose."
"The younger generation will not lose."
"And I, as an old man, will not lose either."
"Elder Luo, you're not going to break through, are you?" The others seemed to sense something from Luo Tiance's confident demeanor.
Luo Tiance nodded.
"I feel the rules that bind this world are loosening. By the end of this year at the latest, it will be time for my breakthrough!"