"Does anyone have any objections?" Joe Di turned his gaze toward James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch, along with several others.
James Wan replied calmly, "Since no one has any objections, the Divine Clan naturally has none either."
He didn't fear Zachary Yu of the Cloud Clan alone, but with the addition of the mysterious Joe Di, it was no longer something James Wan and You Ming Jin Qiao could handle easily. Moreover, Joe Di's words this time were lofty and stood on the side of more races, leaving James Wan with no room to oppose even if he wanted to.
The Redlin Patriarch and his group also spoke up, "We naturally abide by everyone's decision."
Unable to resist, they could only comply.
Joe Di nodded slightly to Zachary Yu and stepped aside.
Zachary Yu cupped his fists and said in a clear voice, "First, on behalf of Allclan Sanctuary, I welcome all races who have come here to attend the Grand Conclave of All Races. I also thank the Human Clan's Joe Di for his tremendous contribution to this event. Congratulations to the Human Clan for rising once again and contributing even more to the defense of our universe."
"Everyone's purpose for attending the Grand Conclave is clear, so I won't waste words and will get straight to the point. The first matter is to discuss the quotas for the Providence Gate. The Providence Gate is about to open, and it contains countless top-tier treasures. Unfortunately, the number of slots is limited..."
Although everyone knew they should continue listening to Zachary Yu, when it came to the quotas for the Providence Gate, many cultivators in the plaza couldn't help but become agitated and restless.
Zachary Yu continued, "Each time the Providence Gate opens, the maximum number of entrants is only one thousand..."
So many slots? Joe Di was taken aback; he truly didn't know how many quotas there were for entering the Providence Gate. He'd only heard that each Quintessence Saint was allotted ten slots, and there should only be about ten Quintessence Saints in this universe. By that calculation, there should be at most three or four hundred slots, but unexpectedly, there were actually a thousand.
The plaza quieted down once more, leaving only Zachary Yu's voice echoing throughout, "If more than a thousand people enter the Providence Gate, they will be immediately expelled, so the quota of a thousand cannot be increased. To ensure fairness and give more outstanding cultivators a chance to enter, the quotas for the Providence Gate will be allocated as follows..."
At this point, Zachary Yu paused and looked at James Wan. "Daoist Wan, how many Quintessence Saints are involved in this quota allocation?"
James Wan replied indifferently, "How would I know such a thing? As the host of the Grand Conclave, you should know better than I do."
Zachary Yu nodded, "That's true."
After saying this, he didn't bother with James Wan anymore, but instead announced loudly, "For races with Quintessence Saints, each Quintessence Saint receives ten slots. Each clan should report the number of their Quintessence Saints; if you do not report, you forfeit your right to slots via Quintessence Saints. I'll start: My Cloud Clan has two Quintessence Saints."
Joe Di said without hesitation, "My Human Clan has three Quintessence Saints."
He wasn't actually a Fifth Step Paragon, but he could easily overpower Quintessence Saints, so he counted himself as one. Who could refute him? Besides him, Saint Tyron and Quentin Yuan were also Fifth Step Paragons.
The Redlin Patriarch quickly said, "My Redlin Clan has two Quintessence Saints..."
Lucas Ling of the Coldmoon Clan didn't bother with further politicking and quickly announced, "My Coldmoon Clan has one."
...
Clans with Quintessence Saints reported their numbers, and even James Wan had to report the Divine Clan's count. Not reporting meant forfeiting; could he defy the rules? In the end, there were seventeen Quintessence Saints.
After all the clans with Quintessence Saints finished reporting, Zachary Yu continued, "Out of one thousand slots, after subtracting one hundred seventy, there are eight hundred thirty remaining..."
"Brother Yu, according to tradition, half of these eight hundred thirty slots should go to the Divine Clan and Redlin Clan, since they have late-stage Quintessence Saints..." one Quintessence Saint couldn't help but whisper. He was worried Zachary Yu, having been missing for so long, might not know the usual allocation.
"Why is that? Is it because the Divine Clan and Redlin Clan have more prestige, or have they contributed more to the universe? Or did the Grand Conclave of All Races unanimously agree to this?" Joe Di's calm voice rang out, his powerful Dao aura pressing down, making the early-stage Quintessence Saint who spoke shiver and fall silent.
James Wan and the Redlin Patriarch's faces darkened—they realized they'd miscalculated. But facing so many powerful clans, they didn't dare make the request, as it would invite universal outrage.
Joe Di's words made Zachary Yu understand immediately. He continued without hesitation, "The remaining eight hundred thirty slots will all be determined through combat..."
"Daoist Di, we must reserve a few slots, because the key to the Sixth Step is also in the Providence Gate. If all the slots are given away, we won't be able to enter." The Redlin Patriarch couldn't hold back any longer and quickly spoke up.
Zachary Yu also paused and looked at Joe Di. "Brother Di, how should we arrange the combat rounds?"
"Let me handle the rest." Joe Di motioned for Zachary Yu to step aside and walked to the center of the combat arena.
Everyone looked at Joe Di with expectant eyes. Every cultivator at the Third Step wondered if they had a chance to win a slot.
Joe Di spoke loudly, "Friends, as I understand it, the Providence Gate will only be open for a few days at most. If we want everyone to have a chance to enter, the competition would take months, maybe longer..."
The plaza fell silent; everyone knew Joe Di was telling the truth. In past openings of the Providence Gate, most slots were monopolized by the major clans, leaving the smaller ones out. Only a few dozen slots were left for competition, which ended quickly. That's why the Grand Conclave of All Races was never held months before the gate opened.
Now Joe Di intended to allocate all eight hundred plus slots, giving everyone more chances. But if his method was the same as before, even eight thousand slots wouldn't make a difference.
Joe Di motioned for everyone to leave the combat arena, then waved his hand and produced a massive, tower-shaped treasure in the center. The tower soared into the clouds, its top invisible.
While everyone was still confused, Joe Di spoke again, "Fellow Daoists, this is a Dao-Seeking Tower I personally crafted, with eighty-one levels. All cultivators below the Fourth Step may enter. Before entering, you must write your name and background outside the tower."
Each step forward in the Dao-Seeking Tower earns points; the higher you climb, the more points you get. Outside the tower, a formation screen will display the results of all entrants. The top eight hundred thirty will earn slots for the Providence Gate.
The plaza outside the Grand Conclave erupted in excitement—Joe Di's method was exactly what everyone wanted. It was the fairest way, with no chance for cheating or favoritism.
If not for Joe Di still standing on the arena, many would've rushed into the Dao-Seeking Tower already.
Although Joe Di knew the Grand Conclave wasn't just about the Providence Gate, in his eyes, only the gate mattered—everything else was irrelevant to him.
Once the crowd's noise died down, Joe Di continued, "You may now enter the Dao-Seeking Tower to compete for Providence Gate slots. Anyone who ranks in the top eight hundred thirty can collect an entry jade token from the Human Quarter."
With that, Joe Di stepped off the arena in one stride. Since the Dao-Seeking Tower was his, he wasn't worried about impersonators.
Seeing that Joe Di wasn't concerned about the slots, the Redlin Patriarch approached and cupped his fists again. "Daoist Di, I'm serious—we must enter the Providence Gate. Only then can we find opportunities for the Sixth or even Seventh Step."
Joe Di replied calmly, "If that's the case, then go ahead. As for the slots, each Quintessence Saint gets ten—surely we can spare one for ourselves?"