"Du Qingliang, a highly talented Core Formation cultivator within the Shangtang Immortal Palace, how could he lose so quickly!" "Unbelievable!" After a short while, the Core Formation cultivators finally emerged from the shock of that brief duel, crying out in astonishment.

The thousands of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators observing the fight in the plaza—whether they were direct disciples of the Zhou clan from the Purple Sword Palace, affiliated outer disciples, or guests from other Immortal Palaces—now looked at Ye Qin with completely transformed gazes.

Completely defeating Du Qingliang, a genius Wind-element cultivator at the early Core Formation stage from the Shangtang Palace, meant Ye Qin's combat power must be significantly higher than that of his peers to secure victory so swiftly.

In the cultivation world of the East Sea, cultivators have always held respect and reverence for the strong.

"It seems Palace Master Zhou and the Four Great Elders, in overriding the objections, were far-sighted in forcefully promoting Junior Elder Ye to be an Elder of the Purple Sword Palace! The Palace Master and the Elders possess much better judgment than we do." "Indeed. A cultivator capable of mastering the Purple Sword Palace's Great Five Elements Sword Array appears only once in several millennia. This Sword Array is renowned as unbeatable among those of the same cultivation level and is famous throughout the East Sea. Once cultivated to the ninth layer of the Core Formation stage, the cultivator becomes virtually invincible at the Core Formation level, short of a Nascent Soul cultivator—equivalent to half a Nascent Soul expert." "In the East Sea, every Nascent Soul cultivator is immensely powerful and precious, qualifying them to establish their own Immortal Palace and command vast forces. Even the combat strength equivalent to half a Nascent Soul cultivator grants an extremely lofty status." "Most importantly, for an ordinary cultivator to reach the Nascent Soul stage requires surviving the incredibly perilous Great Heavenly Tribulation, and very few succeed. However, Junior Elder Ye, progressing from the first to the ninth layer of the Core Formation stage, does not require breaking through any life-or-death barriers; only diligent practice and consuming spiritual elixirs can grant him the strength of the ninth layer in a very short time." "With the Purple Sword Palace's deep coffers, would it lack spiritual elixirs? If they spare no elixir to fully nurture Junior Elder Ye, even a mediocre talent could reach the ninth layer of Core Formation within a hundred years, possessing the combat power equivalent to half a Nascent Soul expert!" "Regardless of whether Junior Elder Ye breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, he will possess the combat power of half a Nascent Soul expert, enough to sweep aside Core Formation cultivators of the same rank. The Purple Sword Palace already has five Nascent Soul experts; with Junior Elder Ye added, it is equivalent to having five and a half Nascent Soul experts." "Furthermore, given the immense favor and support from the Palace Master and the Four Great Elders, Junior Elder Ye’s chances of breaking the Nascent Soul bottleneck must be far higher than other cultivators. At that time, as an Elder of the Purple Sword Palace, he will be legitimately established, and no one will dare to object."

The cultivators from the various Immortal Palaces murmured amongst themselves, their tones laced with both envy and jealousy.

Any cultivator with discerning eyes could see that Ye Qin, relying on his own formidable strength, coupled with the support of the Palace Master and the Four Great Elders, was destined for a massive surge in status—truly a step to heaven, soaring upwards.

If previously, the Core Formation cultivators harbored dissatisfaction with Ye Qin assuming the role of an Elder in the Purple Sword Palace, then after Ye Qin effortlessly defeated Du Qingliang with the Great Five Elements Sword Array, they no longer held any contempt.

"I am Wu Chen, congratulations to Elder Ye. Elder Ye, as an Elder of our Purple Sword Palace, has single-handedly defeated Du Qingliang of the Shangtang Palace, greatly enhancing the prestige of our Purple Sword Palace—truly satisfying! To think the Shangtang Palace would send mere junior cultivators to challenge Elder Ye is sheer delusion. This serves as a lesson to them, showing them that the Purple Sword Immortal Palace abounds with capable individuals." "I am Ma Haozhong, congratulations to Elder Ye. Senior Brother Wu speaks the truth; with Elder Ye's strength, even if the Shangtang Palace sent a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, they would only end up defeated. Give it a few decades, and none of the Shangtang Palace Core Formation cultivators will be a match for Elder Ye." "I am Ge Chenping, deeply impressed by Elder Ye."

Immediately, a group of Purple Sword Palace Core Formation cultivators flashed over and descended beside Ye Qin, forming a circle around him. They shamelessly flattered him with effusive praise, and soon, more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators from the Purple Sword Palace gathered around Ye Qin.

These Core Formation cultivators were almost entirely outer disciples of the Purple Sword Palace—some were vigorous and at the early Core Formation stage with slightly lower cultivation, while others were elderly masters well past their prime, with the highest reaching the eighth layer of the Core Formation stage.

As for the numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Purple Sword Palace, unable to push into the inner circle, and not daring to compete with the Core Formation cultivators, they could only crane their necks, forming a large outer ring, gazing longingly, hoping to catch the eye of the new Elder.

Ye Qin felt a sense of wry amusement, exchanging customary bows with these outer Core Formation cultivators and mentally noting their names.

However, he clearly understood why these cultivators were showering him with such flattery and ingratiation.

The Purple Sword Palace was a first-rate great Immortal Palace with a vast number of cultivators, but not all were thriving. This was especially true for the outer disciples within the Purple Sword Palace.

Those truly flourishing within the Purple Sword Palace were mostly the direct disciples of the Zhou clan. They possessed noble origins, were deeply trusted by the Palace Master and the Four Great Elders, and occupied various official posts and executorships within the Immortal Palace, controlling the major internal and external powers.

The most lucrative positions, those that offered generous rewards of spirit stones, elixirs, and magical artifacts, were almost entirely monopolized by the direct disciples of the Zhou clan.

The outer disciples, though affiliated with the Purple Sword Immortal Palace, lacked deep connections with the higher-ups, and their strength often wasn't valued by the leadership. They were usually left with the dregs, or sometimes not even that.

These outer Core Formation cultivators saw that the Purple Sword Palace had finally produced a high-ranking figure who wasn't a Zhou, and Ye Qin’s instantaneous defeat of Du Qingliang, securing his position as an Elder, was now a certainty. Naturally, they rushed to curry favor, hoping to become Ye Qin’s confidants early on to gain benefits. If Ye Qin’s circle later became too crowded, even their flattery might not secure them a place.

Although Ye Qin wasn't accustomed to being complimented, he didn't reject it either. After becoming an Elder of the Purple Sword Immortal Palace, he could not handle every single matter personally; many routine administrative tasks required delegation. He was indeed short of capable hands to assist him in managing his assigned duties. Getting acquainted with the outer Core Formation cultivators of the Purple Sword Immortal Palace would be somewhat beneficial.

At this moment, on the steps of the Great Purple Sword Hall, Palace Master Zhou Yu, Supreme Elder Zhou Hong, and the other high-ranking members of the Purple Sword Palace—Zhou Rui, Zhou Xiang, Zhou Rong, and others—watched Ye Qin defeat Du Qingliang in an instant. Seeing the Red Demon Ancestor leave in a rage, they were all overjoyed and beaming with satisfaction.

This outcome exceeded the expectations of the five Nascent Soul ancestors. Originally, they had only promoted the Core Formation first-layer Ye Qin to the position of the Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace, granting him status equal to their own, because Ye Qin presented the "Great Divine Ability Ancient Artifact: Ox Drum," an artifact famous throughout the East Sea during the Ancient Immortal-Demon Wars—a contribution too great to be rewarded otherwise. This appointment did not take Ye Qin's actual combat power or cultivation base into account.

But now, it seemed Ye Qin possessed immense potential, and not only did he deserve the Elder position, but he had also brought the Ox Drum—a highly promising Core Formation cultivator. This was an incredible bargain. The moment this Junior Elder Ye took office, he caused a major loss of face for one of the Purple Sword Immortal Palace's rivals, the Shangtang Immortal Palace, whose Great Elder, the Red Demon Ancestor, arrived eagerly only to depart crestfallen. How could this not bring immense, unexpected joy to the high-ranking officials of the Purple Sword Palace?

"The Shangtang Palace has lost face this time; word spreading will surely cause their prestige to plummet, which is highly detrimental to the Shangtang Palace Master's bid for the Northern Sect Master position. Our Purple Sword Palace gaining Junior Elder Ye means our Immortal Fortune is flourishing, bringing continuous good tidings! Come, let's go down and speak with Junior Elder Ye."

Supreme Elder Zhou Hong, his face rosy with delight, moved toward the plaza.

"The Supreme Elder is right; Junior Elder Ye is truly remarkable despite his youth."

All the Nascent Soul ancestors smiled and leisurely drifted down through the air. The Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounding Ye Qin parted to form a wide path as the Palace Master and the Elders approached.

"Palace Master, Esteemed Elders!" Ye Qin quickly bowed in greeting.

"Junior Elder Ye, there is no need for formality or restraint. From this day forward, you are one of the five Great Elders of our Purple Sword Palace, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us four Elders. The 'War Command' office you are assigned to has always issued orders from the Xuan Command Hall; you will now take charge of the Xuan Command Hall and handle Palace affairs there. However, as an Elder, you are not required to stay in the Xuan Command Hall daily; it would consume too much energy handling such trivial matters."

Supreme Elder Zhou Hong observed Ye Qin with a gentle, smiling gaze. His eyes swept over the Core Formation cultivators surrounding Ye Qin and he continued with a chuckle, "Every Elder in the Purple Sword Palace may personally appoint no more than ten Immortal Palace Stewards. These stewards will exclusively run errands for you. As for whom you appoint, that is entirely up to you. This is the greatest authority granted to every Elder. If a Steward performs poorly, you may also dismiss them directly."

Supreme Elder Zhou Hong handed ten Xuan Command Hall Steward Tokens to Ye Qin. "That is all; the old man will not say more. You will familiarize yourself with the Purple Sword Immortal Palace regulations slowly over time."

"Yes!" Ye Qin accepted the tokens, glanced at them, and nodded.

Palace Master Zhou Yu and the other Elders also gave Ye Qin a few instructions. Only then did they depart with the Nascent Soul guest cultivators from other Immortal Palaces, laughing and chatting, allowing the Purple Sword Palace cultivators to continue celebrating the ceremony for the new Elder. If these Nascent Soul ancestors remained, the hundreds of Core Formation cultivators and thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators present wouldn't dare to breathe too loudly, let alone celebrate.

Once Palace Master Zhou Yu and the Four Great Elders—the Nascent Soul experts—had departed, the plaza before the Great Purple Sword Hall finally erupted into liveliness.

The newly appointed Elder Ye Qin was undoubtedly the highest-ranking and most powerful figure among the assembled cultivators, second only to the Palace Master and the Four Great Elders, standing above all Core Formation cultivators. He naturally became the focus of everyone's attention, quickly attracting a large crowd of Purple Sword Palace Core Formation and late Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even the direct Zhou clan Core Formation cultivators, while not needing to flatter Ye Qin, certainly did not wish to offend him, and they all stepped forward to offer congratulations.

"Wu Chen, Ma Haozhong, Ge Chenping, you three shall serve as Stewards in my Xuan Command Hall, rotating the responsibility of issuing and recalling the 'Expedition Tokens,' changing monthly. You must report to me once a month without fail."

Ye Qin took only a short time to grasp the background of the assembled Core Formation cultivators before appointing the three with the highest cultivation to serve as Stewards in the Xuan Command Hall. These three stewards were all outer disciples of the Purple Sword Palace, in the late Core Formation stage, and were the first to show allegiance to Ye Qin.

Take Wu Chen, for instance—seventh layer Core Formation, a rare late-stage cultivator among the outer disciples. He had married into the Zhou clan via a female disciple, was mature and steady, but his lifespan already exceeded four hundred and fifty years, leaving him with no hope of breaking the Nascent Soul bottleneck. He thus had ample time to manage palace affairs and secure more wealth for his descendants. Ma Haozhong and Ge Chenping were also late-stage Core Formation cultivators; while their specific circumstances varied slightly, they were generally similar to Wu Chen. Assigning them as Stewards to the Xuan Command Hall was quite suitable.

"Thank you for Elder Ye's recognition!" "Please rest assured, Elder Ye, we will exert our utmost effort and pledge to follow Elder Ye's lead, diligently managing the War Command section of the Xuan Command Hall to prosper our Purple Sword Immortal Palace." "We shall visit Elder Ye on the last third of every month without fail."

Wu Chen, Ma Haozhong, and Ge Chenping, the three late-stage Core Formation cultivators, were ecstatic. They each accepted a pale-purple Xuan Command Hall Steward Token from Ye Qin and strongly affirmed that they would place Ye Qin above all else. If Ye Qin directed them east, they would never go west.

It was hardly surprising that cultivators of the late Core Formation stage would lower their status to court the early Core Formation Ye Qin.

The issuance of Expedition Tokens was an immense source of power, influencing all significant military matters within the Purple Sword Palace. For example, tasks like "Subjugating the Earth Clan Tribe Mission" or "Executing a Specific Military Campaign"—different missions yielded different spoils of war. This involved huge inherent benefits. The appointment of the lead and secondary captains for an expedition naturally determined the allocation rights to the spoils.

When Ye Qin and Zhou Yao previously led the Purple Sword Palace team to conquer an Earth Clan tribe on the Blue Mist Island of the East Sea, Ye Qin, as the primary captain, had the final say. The spoils of war were first presented to him; he selected the finest items, followed by Zhou Yao, then the remaining team members. Only the large quantity of common goods was turned over to the Purple Sword Palace treasury. Just the allocation of spoils alone was enough to make many Core Formation cultivators intensely envious and jealous.

The Purple Sword Immortal Palace had many lucrative assignments, but the issuance of Expedition Tokens was undeniably one of the most profitable—perhaps the most profitable of all! There were numerous ways for Wu Chen, Ma Haozhong, and Ge Chenping to profit from managing the distribution of War Commands. Of course, by established custom, the largest portion of these benefits would undoubtedly go to Elder Ye, or their stewardship positions would not last.

Furthermore, the Immortal Palace had not only profitable expedition missions but also highly dangerous military assignments. These carried a high risk of death and demise but yielded very few spoils of war. Everyone avoided these missions. If an Elder was offended, being assigned such a dangerous task would result in great suffering.

The fact that Palace Master Zhou Yu and Supreme Elder Zhou Hong entrusted this significant authority of the Purple Sword Palace to Ye Qin was sufficient proof of the Purple Sword Palace's desire to secure his loyalty.

The Zhou clan direct disciples within the Purple Sword Palace, who were initially unconvinced of Ye Qin’s right to be the Fifth Elder, quickly changed their attitude once they realized they could no longer stop him. They rushed forward to congratulate him, daring not to cause Ye Qin any further trouble.