Chapter 319
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Chapter 319: Rising Competitive Pressure
"Xing’er, what is going on? The Country Lord summoned you all?"
The high priest, with a face full of confusion and concern, pulled Lou Xing aside.
"I made a huge mistake and abandoned all my cultivation, resulting in my demotion to second-class citizens…"
Lou Xing replied helplessly.
"You abandoned your cultivation and became a second-class citizen?"
The high priest felt as if struck by lightning; his vision darkened, and his body swayed unsteadily.
"Father!"
Lou Xing was startled and quickly went forward to support the high priest.
"How could this happen?"
The high priest’s face turned pale, and he still felt dizzy.
With such severe punishments, had his son been totally ruined?
As Lou Xing was about to turn sixteen, the high priest had spent the past few months planning how to pave the way for him.
During this time, he had worked tirelessly, even to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.
He studied the personnel structure of the Political Council and its branches, as well as the personnel of the four armies.
He also researched the development direction of the Great Flame Kingdom and the four armies.
From all of this, he designed an extremely detailed plan for Lou Xing’s rapid rise.
He meticulously mapped out how to earn qualifications, which achievements could be leveraged, and which superiors would promote him at the right moments, leaving no details unplanned.
The high priest understood how poor his own reputation was; if Lou Xing rose through his influence, he’d inevitably carry that tarnished name.
Thus, he chose to have Lou Xing start from the bottom.
According to his plan, in about ten years, Lou Xing would be qualified to become a middle or upper-ranking official in the Political Council.
Moreover, the promotion process would be grounded in solid qualifications and achievements, advancing step by step without any faults to be found.
What he never anticipated was that Lou Xing would suddenly err so badly, not only ruining his cultivation but also being demoted to second-class citizens.
All his plans and hopes crumbled into nothing.
"Father, you won’t reject me as your son over this punishment, will you?"
Seeing the high priest deeply affected, Lou Xing cautiously asked, feeling quite nervous.
"How could that be possible?"
The high priest sighed and shook his head.
This adopted son was given to him by Yi Chen, who had reminded him to treat him like a real son.
At first, he may have done it just to fulfill Yi Chen’s orders.
But over time, he became completely accustomed to it and genuinely regarded Lou Xing as his own son.
Learning that Lou Xing had received such a harsh punishment, he worried only about his son’s future being completely destroyed.
As he never considered whether he would be affected by Lou Xing’s grave mistake, he also never thought about rejecting this son.
"That’s good. Not having a realm doesn’t mean my Qi Sea is destroyed; I can still continue to cultivate and start over."
Lou Xing felt relieved and said confidently, "As for being a second-class citizen, as long as I achieve something, I can be promoted back to first-class citizen."
"It’s not as simple as you think. You have lost all your strength, and with no official position, how can you achieve anything substantial?"
The high priest shook his head repeatedly.
He understood very well what it meant to be a second-class citizen.
This classification was set by the Political Council to protect those intelligent fierce beasts.
But at the same time, this was to differentiate the status between humanity and fierce beasts, making promotion extremely difficult.
He still remembered when the Political Council enjoyed a rare moment of harmony.
Loving power and status, he naturally hoped that the hierarchy in the Great Flame Kingdom would be as strict as possible, so he thought that it was better if it were harder for second-class citizens to be promoted.
What surprised him was that the six Vice Councilors not only did not oppose him, but they also had no rivalry among themselves and felt similarly about making promotions for second-class citizens even more difficult.
The high priest still couldn’t understand what was going on.
The truth was that the six Vice Councilors came from the human federation and had a clearer racial stance than the natives of the exile planet.
They also did not want a large number of intelligent fierce beasts to gain the same status as humanity.
Sighing, the high priest never expected that one day the threshold he set would become a stumbling block for his son.
For a second-class citizen to rise to a first-class citizen was almost like an ordinary person trying to obtain nobility.
"I can’t do this. I need to talk to the Country Lord. My cultivation can start over, but I must seek his help to cancel the second-class citizen status."
The high priest thought hard and realized there was no quick way for Lou Xing to earn significant achievements. Clenching his teeth, he walked towards the palace.
"Wait!"
Lou Xing was startled and hurriedly stopped the high priest, who wore a defiant expression as if he were unafraid of death.
He felt a mix of embarrassment and warmth in his heart.
His old father, the thing he feared the most was meeting Yi Chen.
For the sake of his second-class status, knowing that Yi Chen might be furious, he still resolutely decided to go in and plead, which showed his determination.
"Is the Country Lord still upset?"
The high priest also felt anxious. With Lou Xing’s interruption, his momentum to confront Yi Chen for his son’s future immediately softened.
"This matter can’t be changed. If it were just me, perhaps the Country Lord would give me some face. But the problem is, everyone going in will face the same."
Lou Xing shook his head, unsure whether the Country Lord was still angry.
However, he understood perfectly that if the high priest went to confront him, he would be thrown out without a doubt.
In Yi Chen’s eyes, his old father indeed held some influence.
Yet no matter how much influence he had, it wouldn’t allow Yi Chen to make an exception and lift his punishment.
"Wow!"
The high priest’s eyes widened in surprise.
Everyone is the same?
"Does that mean Zhong Ren, Feng Yue, and the others have also lost their cultivation and become second-class citizens?"
Lou Xing nodded, confirming the high priest’s guess.
"What have you done to anger the great Country Lord so much that he unleashed such a large-scale heavenly punishment?"
The high priest was stunned, finding it hard to believe that Yi Chen had severely punished even prominent figures like Zhong Ren and Feng Yue from the Political Council.
This was completely out of character for Yi Chen.
After all, Zhong Ren and Feng Yue were founding nobles of the Great Flame Kingdom.
In the high priest’s view, as long as there was no major betrayal, Yi Chen would not strip them of their titles.
"The reasons cannot be shared, but as long as my father knows that the Country Lord’s actions are a mere small punishment for a greater warning, that’s enough."
Lou Xing glanced at Zhong Ren and the others who were huddled together discussing something in the distance and pulled the high priest back:
"Let’s return first. The aftermath of this situation will be significant. Many people have even had their positions revoked. Whether in the Political Council or the Military, there will be fierce competition for these positions. We need to discuss how to maintain our status and ensure our safety."
"Since there are a lot of vacant positions, shouldn’t we find a way to support a few people to step up?"
The high priest asked curiously.
"No forming cliques, no building power, we will stick to the original plan."
Lou Xing shook his head.
He already understood clearly that the high priest, lacking ability, could remain the head of the Political Council solely because of his immense contributions during the early days of the Flame Mountain Tribe.
As long as there were no significant mistakes and no major issues requiring the high priest to take the blame, he could continue to serve as the head of the council.
What Lou Xing truly worried about was Zhong Ren, Feng Yue, and the others, who would now be fully relieved of their burdens and shackles, completely immersing themselves in the Great Flame Kingdom.
Once they got their bearings, they would undoubtedly target the high priest first.
These proud individuals would never tolerate being led by someone they considered beneath them.
From now on, their only goal would be to become the second high priest of the Great Flame Kingdom, reaching the pinnacle of power within the kingdom.
Despite appearing unaffected today, the high priest and the four military leaders would face a significantly increased competition in the future.
Even if Yi Chen held nostalgia, he would only offer preferential treatment in terms of titles and benefits.
As long as there were enough reasons and more capable individuals to replace them, he would mercilessly remove them from their positions.
Lou Xing did not want the high priest to retire early, lose his ambition and desire for power, and then go to a territory to have a bunch of younger siblings for him.
