Chapter 697: Chapter 693: Recognizing Merit and Giving Rewards

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However, Tang Xing, still basking in the joy of regained happiness, saw everything in the world as bright and beautiful. Even though the heavy commitments might seem daunting, they felt more like encouraging murmurs of love to him. After all, these pledges were nothing compared to the regret of losing a loved one.

“Got it, brother!” Tang Xing replied without hesitation, “I’ll definitely think more before making decisions in the future. And even if my plan is not perfect, I still have you, my brother! Hehe!”

The witty young boy scampered out of the steward’s office, leaving behind a rather helpless Tang Luo.

Hopefully, this experience could lead to some growth for the little one.

…

North Mountain Break-Cloud Peak, Inner Council Hall of the Tang Clan

After several months of recording achievements, the day for merit recognition in the Tang Clan finally arrived. The Clan’s plan was very straightforward: converting clan’s people’s merits into supplies for the Clan. These supplies were then ranked accordingly. This allowed each member to clearly identify their contributions and know how far behind they were from the next person.

If there were any doubts regarding the conversion of merits to supplies, one could approach the steward in charge of internal affairs for detailed explanations. Everything was transparent and open, with no secrets kept. Over time, this method of converting merits into supplies had won the trust of all clan members.

The victory at South Ridge and the destruction of the Mi Clan was an unprecedented triumph for the Tang Clan in a thousand years. Compared to previous times when only six cities were under Tang Clan’s rule, there were now a large number of significant positions available for the Clan members to choose from.

After all, what true talents needed was not merely material rewards, but a platform on which they could showcase their abilities.

First to be announced was the merit and reward for the elders and sect heads.

Unsurprisingly, the Great Elder Tang Siyuan topped the list, followed by the second elder, and then the top-ranked Martial Ancestors in the Martial Hall.

This was expected, as these top-level fighters were the backbones of the war effort. They had all demonstrated their exceptional merit through the continuous battles. One could say that the victory would have been impossible for the Tang Clan without the commitment of these top-ranked warriors.

For the already high-ranked elders, the merit was more of a symbolic honor. As long as they didn’t make major mistakes, these elders were almost guaranteed to be honored as Clan suppliers once they resigned.

The Great Elder Tang Siyuan had long harbored the intention of resigning, but given that the New Alliance in Longxi was still in its early stages, every city and department needed a powerful figure to keep order. Thus, his resignation was postponed, and he was assigned to hold down the fort in Jiejiang City on the frontier.

The other elders were also similarly assigned to various major cities in Lingjiang to maintain stability.

Following the Elders and Sect Heads was the report on the contributions of various departments in the Tang Clan, which defied the general expectations.

The Martial Hall, initially expected to lead the contributions, was instead surpassed by the Dark Thunder Hall. Considering what the various branches of Dark Thunder Hall had accomplished during the war, the outcome seemed reasonable to everyone.

Who would have thought that the initially underestimated Dark Thunder Hall would play such an important role during the war? Not only did they uncover the secret method to incite the Beast Valley’s revolt, but the Left Hall Leader also formed the embryonic stage of the New Alliance of Longxi, with nine top-ranked Martial Ancestors. Moreover, the Evolution Squad stationed in the auspicious Cloud Valley also demonstrated extraordinary combat power. If not for the gap in numbers, each member of the Dark Thunder Hall’s average merit could have even surpassed the elite God Martial Army of the Tang Clan.

While these achievements were enough to earn them the bow and arrow shield of department contributions, the other Clan members couldn’t help but shift their gazes towards the First Head of the Martial Hall, Tang Sen, and the Martial Hall leaders, fearing any objections from the Martial Hall being overtaken in the rankings.

Fortunately, apart from the three leaders of the Martial Hall, the First Head Tang Sen maintained his usual calm expression, neither sad nor joyous, which greatly reassured everyone.

Next came the sect leader, Tang Kuan, and his academies, who had made outstanding contributions.

One could say that without Sect Leader Tang Kuan’s tireless efforts, the losses suffered by the Tang Clan in this war could have been several times worse.

Not to mention the excellent students who had already infiltrated Chengzhou in coordination with the secret boat method, the organized relocation of various departments after the Mi Clan’s allied forces broke through the North Mountain was enough to showcase Sect Leader Tang Kuan’s abilities.

Like a drizzling spring rain, continuous and unfaltering, yet as shocking as the Nine Heavens Thundering, Tang Kuan not only managed the sequence of the four major retreats, but also tried his best to save as many clansmen and subordinates as possible. This prevented the Tang Clan from being short-handed after the New Alliance rolled over Lingjiang.

Mount Sect Leader Tang Kuan, as well as the mentors of various branches of the academy, made great contributions that won everyone’s recognition and approval.

On the contrary, the Wind Media Department, being Tang Clan’s most crucial intelligence agency, had become a mere messenger because of the embargo caused by the flood. Their control over external news was extremely limited. Even the special Mi Clan’s Wind Media’s infiltration into the North Mountain was discovered by Tang Luo.

This serious mistake resulted in a very low score for the Wind Media Department in the war, and they ranked behind the academy without any complaints.

Although Tang Feng maintained a neutral expression, he did not object to this ranking.

In the southwest corner of the Inner Council Hall were seated about twenty disciples of the Academy. Normally, they wouldn’t be qualified to participate in this Clan merit-banquet.

However, these youngsters, who had secretly infiltrated the new city of Mi Clan during the war and sounded the Drum of the Phoenix King in the Beast Valley of South Ridge, made significant contributions. The one who ultimately completed this task was the Clan Head Tang Yao, but without these youngsters drawing the attention of the Mi Clan, none of this would have been possible.

Therefore, all the members of the Academy who returned alive were treated as heroes of the Clan. Especially Clan Head Tang Yao – who was greeted like a returning king.

“Clan Head, the merit and reward of each department in the Clan have been announced. Now it should be time to announce your position as the Young Clan Head, right?” Tang Qiuyan softly said to Tang Yao, who was still remaining calm. He admired this calmness in Tang Yao most; if it were him who had achieved such heroic deeds for the Clan, he would not be able to suppress the pride in his heart even if he kept a humble face. But Tang Yao was acting as if he had only done an unimportant job, focusing on his studies and healing his wounds after the mission. As if the political lessons he missed while carrying out the mission were of utmost importance. As a hero returning in glory, his actions greatly enhanced his prestige among the Clan members.

“Elder Qiuyan, you’re only stating the obvious!” Beside them, Tang Lian was shaking his folding fan with a grin on his face, “Our elder not only accomplished the great task of defeating the Mi Clan but also received a high commendation from the head of the Xiao Clan. Who else but our elder could take up the position of Young Clan Head?”

Despite being moved by their praises, Tang Yao knew that it was more important to keep calm when success was at hand. He put his index finger to his lips and softly told his excited brothers, “Quiet. The Tang Clan will make its own judgement of right and wrong. We just wait for the Sect’s official announcement.”

Upon hearing Tang Yao’s words, Tang Qiuyan and Tang Lian organized their expressions and looked towards the Supreme Sect Head. However, they didn’t really believe his words in their hearts because, following the departmental rewards, it was time to reward the young members of Tang Clan. Was there any young member in the entire Tang Clan who could outshine Tang Yao?