Soon, the remaining elders arrived at the clan hall after being briefed by Nathan and Cristine. They were instructed to create a Qi barrier around their bodies before entering the room. Without exception, they were all taken aback by the dense and pure Qi inside, although it was somewhat obscured by Damian's Qi barrier.

All the members of the Violet Sky clan council were present: James, Celia, Jack, Max, Leticia, Helena, Malik, Hiroshi, Shiva, and Damian. Taking the lead, James addressed the council, "We have called this emergency meeting to discuss the treasure discovered by Elder Damian and the Lambert clan—a white flame that produces incredibly dense and pure Qi, as we have all sensed."

James allowed a few moments for the information to sink in before continuing, "We need to decide how to handle this treasure, how to administer it, and who will have access to it—whether it will be limited to our clan or extended to members of other clans. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring the treasure into the clan compound without alerting the other great clans. They argue that they deserve access to it due to their significant contributions to the city. To avoid immediate conflict and unwanted attention, we agreed to hold a meeting where their concerns will be heard, and we can discuss how to allocate the treasure among the great families."

Leticia, known for her straightforwardness, was the first to express her disagreement. She stated, "Why should we share the treasure? The Lambert clan and we should be the sole beneficiaries."

Malik, the scholarly elder, spoke up, "Before we delve into the discussion, we need a comprehensive understanding of the treasure's history. Elder Damian, how did you and the Lambert clan obtain this flame?"

Damian chose not to disclose the secret of the special tea given by Cedric, as he had promised to keep it confidential unless the Lambert clan chose otherwise. He explained that the Lambert clan was aware of an anomaly several miles deep into the forest but hesitated to explore it due to the presence of powerful late-stage Golden Core beasts in the area. Consequently, they made an agreement with Damian, who ultimately acquired the flame before the elder from the Lambert clan, forging a connection with the flame.

"Intriguing," said Malik, pausing for a moment. "It seems the Lambert clan recognized that they couldn't protect the treasure alone but couldn't resist its allure. They decided to share it with us, considering our clan's strength. Even if the other clans unite, they wouldn't be able to wrest it away from us. However, monopolizing the flame may not be wise. I propose that we determine the capacity for cultivation from the flame and establish a timeframe for its recovery. Then, we can allocate a certain number of spots to each of the great clans. Naturally, we will have more spots than the others. The remaining spots can be given to promising youths from the city, this can be accomplished by a tournament. This approach would minimize complications and reduce animosity."

Hiroshi, a former self-made billionaire, and the clan's business manager, interjected, "That sounds reasonable, but we must also consider the current generation. It is expected that the clan leaders or elders of each great clan would desire reserved spots independent of those allocated to their clan members. This could lead to conflicts, especially since the Markov and Li clans have only one leader, while the Lambert clan has three, and we have ten. They would undoubtedly argue about the significantly higher number of spots for the flame."

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Damian was taken aback. He hadn't even presented his proposal, yet here they were discussing something remarkably similar to what he had pondered for months. It was humbling, to say the least. Damian realized that he needed to be more resolute in the future, as such indecisiveness could become problematic for his future endeavors.

Damian spoke up, "Based on my experience in the cave with the flame, I estimate that we can use it every two to three years, allowing for around one hundred spots to be available without harming the flame."

James chimed in, "Let's allocate fifty spots to the great clans and fifty as rewards for the tournament Elder Malik suggested, this way not only the great clans would benefit but the city as a whole. We will keep twenty of those, distributing ten to each of the great clans. If they raise objections, we can argue that we deserve more spots due to our investment in safeguarding and protecting the flame. If they are dissatisfied with this arrangement, we may need to adopt a less accommodating stance," James added, determination evident in his eyes. Damian realized from the way the elders spoke of the great clans that some arguments between the great clans had unfolded during his absence, and things hadn't been as smooth as he might have assumed.

The council meeting continued for another two hours as members provided their input on the proposed use of the flame. The strongest opponents of sharing the flame with the rest of the city were Leticia, Shiva, and Max. However, being in the minority, they had to accept the majority's decision, which in turn represented the clan's will. During the meeting, they decided not to disclose that the Council of the Violet Sky and Lambert clans, along with a select few, would have unrestricted access to the flame, as they were unlikely to deplete its pure Qi according to Damian estimations, However, this could be adjusted if the Qi quality or density were affected. Moreover, they needed to maintain their position as the strongest clan, and the flame had the potential to be a game-changer. They were willing to share this benefit with the Lambert clan, as they had proven to be powerful allies in the making.

The council briefed Damian on the events that had transpired during his absence. It appeared that certain individuals were dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, leading to the formation of small criminal groups most likely backed by other clans of the city. They suspected the Li clan backed some of them. However, as no definitive evidence had been found they could not go and punish the Li clan. What's more, the backing of the criminal groups could be the action of a small faction within the clan, and not of the clan as a whole.

While the Violet Sky clan desired a peaceful society and aimed to avoid tyranny, they acknowledged that if push came to shove, they might need to eliminate one or more clans.

Finally, the council rewarded Damian for his eight-month absence, providing him with his due wages: eight thousand white spirit stones, four hundred red spirit stones, eighty yellow spirit stones, and his yearly allowance of fifteen green spirit stones. With these resources, Damian had more than enough to procure inscription materials or make purchases at the Markov auction house.