"This must be Master Huo Yun of Fenyan Valley, indeed a formidable presence..." Xiao Yan also gazed at the elderly man with fiery red hair, his expression growing serious. In his perception, the elder's strength had reached the level of a one-star Battle Saint, and even surpassed his own, by a slight margin. A one-star Battle Saint in the mid-stage! With a genuine master from Fenyan Valley, having maintained such a strong standing within the ranks of the three valleys for so many years—based solely on their strength, they were clearly capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the former Tianming Sect and Hua Sect. Yet, they had never fully revealed this strength. "Old Master Yao, I never thought you'd still be alive after all!" The Master Huo Yun laughed loudly, descending gracefully with Tang Zhen and Tang Huo'er behind him, turning to gaze at Yao with a warm voice. "Indeed, you've managed to elevate me to the level of a Battle Saint!" "The medicine elder chuckled, looking at the scene, clearly having known Fire Cloud Elder before. "Hmph. To break through to the Supreme Saint level, I nearly lost my life—compared to that young man behind you, I'm just someone with a thin fortune," Fire Cloud Elder said, brushing his lips as his gaze shifted to Xiao Yan. "At your service, Master Hao. I am Xiao Yan." Xiao Yan bowed gracefully. "You're Xiao Yan, aren't you? Indeed a fine young man—quite a match for my son, Fire Cloud." Fire Cloud Elder studied Xiao Yan from head to toe, nodding with clear satisfaction. "You...," said the young man behind him, hearing Fire Cloud Elder speak so openly and warmly in front of everyone. Her cheeks flushed deeply, though she had to maintain her composure and give the elder her due respect, so she clenched her teeth and fixed her fierce gaze on the elder's back. Xiao Yan himself felt a bit embarrassed by Fire Cloud Elder's words, only managing a wry smile and a slight shake of his head, without stepping forward to continue. "The Dantai representatives have arrived as well..." As Xiao Yan found himself somewhat overwhelmed by the magnanimity of Huayun Elder, his mind suddenly cleared, and his gaze shifted toward the Stellar Gate. There, the space subtly trembled, and then, mysteriously, several figures materialized atop the mountain peak—Grand Elder Dantai, along with Xuankong Zi. "Huh? Elder Lin, the eternal one, you've actually come as well?" Huayun Elder's face lit up with surprise upon seeing Grand Elder Dantai appear. "Is that so? Then, Elder Huayun, you're not going to make it alone, are you?" Grand Elder Dantai responded with a composed smile. "Well, since everyone has arrived, let us all enter the Hall and discuss matters concerning the alliance!" Upon seeing all present, Elder Yao smiled and then turned, swiftly flying toward the Master of Xingyin Pavilion. The others followed swiftly behind. ... Inside the main hall, within a grand hall, the guests took their seats, settled into their respective positions, and engaged in lively conversation. After a while, they gradually shifted into serious discussion. "Thank you all for making the time to come personally to my Xingyin Pavilion. As for today's matter, everyone has already been aware of it..." The old pharmacist glanced around the hall, speaking calmly, "The actions of the Hún Palace over the past few years are well known. The Dan Tower has suffered the most severe losses—many alchemists have fallen under the Hún Palace's hands. The gradual encroachments of Tianming Sect upon Huazong Sect in recent years also bore the Hún Palace's influence. As for the old Master of Huayun, he too had growing tensions with the Hún Palace, though ultimately, he had to endure due to his deep respect for the Hún Palace's strength." The old pharmacist clearly knew the intricacies of the grievances among the three factions and the Hún Palace—some of these old disputes even went beyond what even Xiao Yan himself had heard. "Recently, Tianming Sect has been negotiating among several powers to form the 'Minghe Alliance,' aiming to dismantle our Xingyin Pavilion. The Hún Palace has played a significant role in this effort. Given that I and Xiao Yan have long been at odds with the Hún Palace, this alliance now presents Hearing the elder's words, the people present nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with what he had said. "The alliance is feasible, but I would like to know—after the alliance is established, will there be no interference in the internal affairs of other sects?" The elder of the Fire Cloud Sect gently rotated two fire orbs formed from flames in his palm, speaking slowly. "Within the alliance, there are no hierarchies or distinctions among the parties; all are equal, thus possessing no authority to intervene in the internal matters of any other sect." Upon hearing this, the faces of the gathered attendees relaxed slightly. The most concerning issue regarding the alliance had always been such interference—should this occur, allies would not only fail to cooperate but might even begin to develop rifts. "This alliance does not impose overly strict conditions; it merely aims to unite us several powers so that when one faces difficulty, the others can provide support. We all understand that individually, no single force can withstand the Huan Palace. Therefore, we must form an alliance..." Seeing the expressions of the others, Xiao Yan immediately grasped their thoughts and spoke with solemnity. "Such an alliance is indeed feasible..." The senior abbot of Xiao Dan Tower slowly nodded. "However, since it's an alliance, there must be a leader to unify our decisions. Otherwise, consensus would be difficult to achieve. And who should hold this position?" The woman in green court robes from the Hua Sect—known as the Qing Xianzi—spoke gently. Upon hearing this, a quiet moment of stillness fell over the hall. This question was both sensitive and significant. "Since we've already mentioned the alliance, if we now actively propose a candidate for the chief, it might draw unnecessary comments. Therefore, I suggest that you three jointly nominate someone for the position of chief—should the choice be suitable, we will gladly agree." The Elder of the Herbs paused slightly before speaking. Upon hearing that the Elder had immediately set aside this idea, the other three parties were momentarily taken aback, and then slightly embarrassed, especially the young immortal maiden, whose cheeks flushed with regret—she had not intended to make the Elder take the initiative to distance himself. "The position of Grand Marshal absolutely requires someone with strong capabilities and sufficient prestige to command the respect of others. I believe I am not suited for this role. As for Master Huayun, though his strength is formidable, he tends to be somewhat impetuous and occasionally acts on personal feelings, making him less than ideal as Grand Marshal." The young nun hesitated slightly before speaking slowly. Upon hearing this, Master Huayun rolled his eyes, but remained silent—something he deeply disliked, especially regarding administrative matters, which is why he had entrusted the management of Burned-In Valley to others so early on. "Therefore, the two most suitable candidates at present are Master Lin from Xiao Dan Pagoda and Master Yaochen. Both possess strong capabilities and enjoy considerable prestige and influence across Zhongzhou. Thus, the position of Grand Marshal should be chosen between these two." The young nun said again. Hearing this, the senior elder of Xiao Dan Tower paused, then shook his head with a smile, lightly sighed, "With my age and the cooling of my vital energy, if the alliance needs to remain steadfast in one region, I would be more than willing to step aside. But clearly, this alliance requires vitality. Should I be elected as its grand master, I fear I shall inevitably bring about a sense of stagnation. Therefore, the position of grand master should go to Yao Chen." The young immortal smiled and then turned her gaze toward Master Yao, saying, "Then, I believe you will have no choice but to accept." "Seeing this, the herbal elder smiled sadly, hesitated slightly, and then settled for not making a great show of it, saying, 'Since I've been entrusted with your trust, I'll temporarily take charge of the position of Grand Marshal. Once a more suitable candidate emerges, I'll hand it over to them...' Seeing that the Grand Marshal position remained firmly in the herbal elder's hands, Xiao Yan smiled gently and then softly asked, 'Now that the Grand Marshal has been chosen, it's time to decide on the name of the alliance. A union must have a name to give people a sense of belonging. What do you all think—what should we call this alliance?' 'When it comes to naming, it naturally has to be grand and impressive. Otherwise, people would find it rather unimpressive and laugh at it.' "Master Huayun seems quite interested in this name. At once, he said, "How about we call it the Hall of Magnanimous and Righteous Qi?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched slightly. That name... "Er... our opponents are the Spirit Palace. Since they take the Spirit as their palace, we should surpass them by taking the Celestial Expanse as our seat. How about we call it the Celestial Expanse Palace?" The Senior Elder cleared his throat, paused, and said. "Taking Spirit as palace and Celestial Expanse as seat—well, the Celestial Expanse Palace does sound reasonable," Xiao Yan smiled and added, "But since the Celestial Expanse is synonymous with the sky, let us simplify it. Then, our alliance shall be known as the 'Celestial Court.'" "The Celestial Court—taking the sky as our seat. That indeed sounds grand and majestic," Master Huayun stroked his beard, finding this name preferable to his own Hall of Magnanimous and Righteous Qi. "Ah, that works too," the Senior Elder nodded and smiled. The group all expressed strong approval, and the herbal elder smiled, saying, "Since everyone agrees, let us name our alliance as 'Tianfu.' With heaven as our hall—this name indeed carries more grandeur than the Spirit Temple." "The alliance is now established. Let us raise our glasses to this newly formed 'Tianfu Alliance'!"