Chapter 266: The Qiu Clan Elders Gathered.
Gathered inside the grand hall, the Qiu clan elders sat in silence, their faces filled with confusion and unease.
None of them knew why the clan master had summoned such an urgent meeting at this hour.
It was already deep into the night, and meetings during this time were unheard of—unless the clan was facing a life and death situation.
At the center of the hall, seated upon the main chair, the Qiu clan master leaned back with a stern expression.
He could already guess what was going through the minds of his fellow elders. His deep voice broke the silence.
"You should all stop looking at me like that. I know nothing about why we have been gathered here. This emergency meeting was not my idea, it was the Second Uncle who called for it."
"Hmm?"
A collective murmur swept through the hall as the elders turned their gazes toward Qiu An, the clan’s Second Uncle.
Qiu An was one of the most respected elders in the Qiu clan.
For him to call such a meeting meant something extraordinary had occurred. But what could possibly warrant such urgency?
The First Elder finally spoke, his voice calm but edged with curiosity.
"Second Uncle, can you tell us what is going on?"
Qiu An nodded slowly, his expression grave. "What do you all think of the Dust Valley Sect?"
The moment those words left his lips, confusion deepened across every face in the room.
"What does the Dust Valley Sect have to do with an emergency meeting?" one elder muttered under his breath.
Though they were baffled, another elder still responded carefully.
"They are one of the more promising sects on the continent. I have heard their methods and practices are... unusual, different from everyone else."
The other elders nodded in agreement.
Qiu An leaned forward slightly. "And have you heard of their young master?"
"Young master?"
Their confusion only grew.
They shook their heads.
None of them knew anything about this so-called young master.
The Dust Valley Sect was notoriously tight-lipped, keeping all information about its disciples under strict control.
"No one has ever heard of their young master," an elder finally answered.
His brows furrowed as he added, "Second Uncle, if there is something we must know, please stop circling around it and tell us plainly."
Qiu An’s expression hardened, his voice lowering. "Compared to their disciples, the so-called young master is the true foundation of the sect. And you should all know—my daughter recently brought a young man into the clan."
The elders nodded almost in unison. That piece of gossip had spread quickly and they all heard it.
At that moment, realization struck one of the elders.
His face paled as he leaned forward. "Second Uncle... don’t tell us that man is the Dust Valley Sect’s young master."
"Hmm?"
Gasps echoed in the hall. The elders stared at Qiu An, waiting anxiously for his confirmation.
Slowly, deliberately, Qiu An nodded.
"That’s right. He is their young master. And more than that—he has brought with him an opportunity that could change the fate of our Qiu clan forever."
"Opportunity?"
The word rippled through the hall, met with disbelief and skepticism.
To them, the Dust Valley Sect was still a relatively small and obscure sect.
What kind of opportunity could its young master possibly bring to their ancient clan?
Out of respect for Qiu An’s reputation, most of the elders refrained from voicing their doubts aloud, but the disbelief in their eyes was clear.
Qiu An’s lips curled into a faint smile. He could read their thoughts as though they were written on their foreheads.
"Everyone, look at this," he said, raising his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, he drew out an item from his spatial pouch.
Whoosh!
A crisp sheet of paper appeared in his grasp. He handed it to the First Elder.
At first, the elder’s expression remained unchanged.
But the moment his eyes swept across the page, his composure shattered. His brows shot up, his mouth slightly agape.
The others exchanged glances.
"What is so strange about a mere piece of paper?" one elder asked impatiently.
"I don’t know," another replied. "But look at the First Elder’s face. Clearly, it’s not ordinary."
They waited with growing curiosity as the First Elder silently passed the papers to the clan master.
The clan master glanced at it once, and his jaw tightened.
His usually steady expression broke into astonishment.
He raised his head toward Qiu An, as if he wanted to ask something, but stopped himself and closed his mouth.
Quietly, he handed the paper to the next elder.
One by one, the paper was passed around.
With each hand it touched, gasps and murmurs filled the hall.
Shock rippled from elder to elder, disbelief spreading like fire.
The paper was unlike anything they had ever seen.
The life-like images, the bold fonts, the precise alignment of every word—it was as though it had been crafted with a technique bordering on divine level.
Even after it left their hands, many elders found themselves staring blankly, still unable to comprehend how such a thing was possible.
Finally, all of them saw it. The atmosphere in the hall was utterly changed.
Qiu An’s eyes narrowed with satisfaction. This was the reaction he had wanted.
"Second Uncle," The clan master finally asked, his voice solemn, "Are you saying this young master created these life-like images and the clear, bold characters we just witnessed?"
Though he had recovered from his initial shock, he still struggled to believe that a nameless sect’s young master could have invented such a miraculous creation.
Several elders shared the same thought. This was too mystical, too incredible.
Qiu An nodded firmly. "Yes. Not only did he create it, but this newspaper has already spread throughout the southern region. And more importantly—my daughter has been placed in charge of the southern branch for publishing it."
"What!"
The exclamation erupted across the hall as all the elders jolted in disbelief.
Their skepticism began to crumble.
If this had already become common in the southern region, and if the Second Uncle’s daughter was personally overseeing it, then this was no mere speculation.
It could only mean one thing...
But Qiu An did not give them time to recover. He pressed on, his voice ringing with urgency.
"This is called a newspaper. It records and spreads the news of what happens in a city, a region, even across the continent. Do you understand what this means? Whoever controls the flow of information controls the hearts and minds of the people."
The weight of his words sank into the room.
"Since it has already taken root in the southern region and been accepted by the people there, it is only a matter of time before it spreads to the capital and beyond. And according to what my daughter told me, this newspaper is only the beginning—it is the least of what their chamber can create."
He paused, letting the silence stretch before he delivered his final statement.
"Right now, this is a great opportunity. We must take him to meet the ancestor and let the matter be discussed. This is a once in a lifetime chance, one our Qiu clan cannot, and must not, miss."