# Chapter 19: Council Deliberation
The three days of waiting were among the longest of Xìng Huáng's existence. While Sarah and Mark progressed through their own evaluations—both achieving respectable but unremarkable scores that secured basic tribal membership—he found himself in a state of suspended anxiety that no amount of meditation could fully alleviate.
His hidden interface had been largely quiet since the evaluation, providing only basic status updates and occasional warnings about maintaining his masking protocols. But the silence felt ominous rather than reassuring, as if even his divine heritage was holding its breath to see what the tribal council would decide.
CURRENT STATUS SUMMARY:
MASKING INTEGRITY: 82% STABLE *(Slight improvement during rest period)*
TRIBAL EVALUATION: UNDER COUNCIL REVIEW
ADVANCEMENT PROBABILITY: UNKNOWN
RISK ASSESSMENT: MODERATE TO HIGH
On the evening of the second day, Grakh visited their quarters with news that did nothing to ease Xìng Huáng's concerns.
"The council is... divided regarding your evaluation results," the hobgoblin announced without preamble. "Your scores were unprecedented for a probationary member, but your background raises questions that some find troubling."
"What kind of questions?" Sarah asked, her Tactician instincts immediately focusing on the political implications.
"The kind that question whether someone can legitimately advance so rapidly without hidden advantages or external assistance." Grakh's expression was carefully neutral, but his tone suggested personal concern. "There are factions within the council who believe exceptional performance from a refugee species indicates deception rather than genuine capability."
Mark's evolved Spiritual Harmony trait allowed him to sense the emotional undercurrents in the conversation. "But you don't believe that," he observed.
"I have witnessed your group's development from desperate survivors to competent cultivators," Grakh replied. "Your advancement, while rapid, followed logical progression based on demonstrated capabilities and philosophical alignment."
"And the council members who weren't present for that development?" Xìng Huáng asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
"View your results with suspicion proportional to their impressiveness."
The implications were clear: his success had created enemies as well as opportunities. And those enemies might have the power to eliminate him regardless of his actual capabilities or intentions.
"What are our options?" Sarah asked pragmatically.
"For you and Mark, straightforward tribal membership with standard advancement opportunities. Your evaluations were solid without being controversial." Grakh turned his attention to Xìng Huáng. "For you... the situation is more complex."
"How complex?"
"The council has scheduled a special session tomorrow to discuss your case. Three possible outcomes: accelerated advancement to senior member status, assignment to specialized observation for further evaluation, or..." He paused meaningfully.
"Or elimination as a potential threat," Xìng Huáng finished.
"Elimination as a potential threat," Grakh confirmed.
That night, Xìng Huáng barely slept. Instead, he spent hours in meditation, not just reinforcing his masking techniques but preparing for the possibility that he might need to reveal his true nature to survive the council's deliberation. His divine heritage remained hidden, but he could feel it responding to the approaching crisis with increasing urgency.
The hidden interface finally activated during the deepest part of the night:
EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ASSESSMENT:
SITUATION: CRITICAL DECISION POINT
RECOMMENDATION: PREPARE CONTINGENCY MEASURES
DIVINE REVELATION OPTIONS AVAILABLE IF SURVIVAL THREATENED
WARNING: EARLY REVELATION CARRIES EXTREME RISKS
ALTERNATIVE: DEMONSTRATE OVERWHELMING VALUE WITHOUT EXPOSING DIVINE NATURE
The message was both reassuring and terrifying. His divine heritage could save him if necessary, but the consequences of early revelation might be worse than whatever the tribal council was planning.
The council chamber was a marvel of cultivation architecture—a circular amphitheater where spiritual energy flowed in patterns that enhanced both speech clarity and emotional resonance. Thirteen hobgoblin council members sat in positions arranged according to cultivation level and tribal authority, their combined spiritual pressure creating an atmosphere that would have been crushing to anyone below Black Iron cultivation.
At the chamber's apex sat someone whose presence made even Valorka seem diminished by comparison.
COUNCIL CHIEF: WARLORD GRIMJAW
Cultivation: DIAMOND - LOW *(Estimated)*
Authority: ABSOLUTE WITHIN TRIBAL TERRITORY
Spiritual Signature: ANCIENT POWER, BATTLE-TESTED WISDOM
Assessment: BEYOND CURRENT CAPABILITY TO ANALYZE
Diamond-level cultivation. Xìng Huáng had never encountered anything approaching that level of power. The Warlord's spiritual pressure alone was enough to make breathing difficult, and his gaze carried the weight of centuries spent in cultivation and conquest.
"Blood Seeker Xìng Huáng," Warlord Grimjaw's voice resonated through the chamber with the authority of absolute power. "Approach the speaking circle."
As Xìng Huáng moved forward, he could hear whispered conversations among the council members—some supportive, others clearly hostile, all concerned about the implications of his evaluation results.
"Your assessment scores are unprecedented," the Warlord continued. "In three hundred years of tribal evaluations, no probationary member has achieved such comprehensive excellence across all testing categories."
"I am honored by the recognition, Warlord."
"Honor is premature. Excellence of this magnitude in a refugee from a dead reality raises questions about authenticity, external assistance, or concealed nature."
The direct challenge hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall. Xìng Huáng felt his masking techniques strain under the combined spiritual pressure of thirteen high-level cultivators, all focused on detecting any sign of deception or hidden capability.
"Council Member Thakgor," the Warlord gestured to a scarred hobgoblin whose spiritual signature radiated barely controlled aggression. "Present your concerns."
Thakgor stood with the fluid grace of a predator. "Warlord, the human's advancement rate suggests either impossible natural talent or deliberate concealment of true capabilities. No mortal entity achieves Black Iron - High cultivation in less than a week without external enhancement."
"Council Member Valorka," Grimjaw continued. "Present your assessment."
Valorka rose with considerably more dignity than her colleague. "Warlord, while the advancement rate is unprecedented, my detailed evaluation found consistent philosophical alignment and authentic spiritual resonance. The candidate demonstrates genuine understanding rather than memorized knowledge or artificial enhancement."
"Yet you noted 'hidden depths' in your report," Thakgor interjected. "What manner of depths remain concealed?"
"Personal complexity consistent with high intelligence and significant life experience. Not necessarily supernatural concealment."
The debate continued for nearly an hour, with council members presenting arguments for and against Xìng Huáng's trustworthiness. The divide was roughly even—six members supporting advancement, six expressing suspicion, and one remaining notably silent.
Finally, Warlord Grimjaw raised a hand for silence.
"The evidence presents a paradox," he announced. "Exceptional capability married to suspicious circumstances. Traditional evaluation methods are insufficient for this case."
The Warlord's gaze fixed directly on Xìng Huáng, and suddenly the chamber's spiritual pressure focused like a weapon aimed at his consciousness.
"Therefore, we invoke the Trial of Absolute Truth."
The announcement sent shock waves through the council chamber. Even Valorka looked stunned by the decision.
"Warlord," she began, "the Trial of Absolute Truth has not been used in over a century. The risk to the subject—"
"Is proportional to the significance of the questions being examined." Grimjaw's tone brooked no argument. "If this human possesses only mortal capabilities enhanced by exceptional talent, the trial will confirm his worthiness for advancement. If he conceals supernatural nature or external assistance, the trial will reveal the truth."
HIDDEN INTERFACE: EMERGENCY ALERT
TRIAL OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH DETECTED
NATURE: SPIRITUAL EXAMINATION THAT BYPASSES ALL CONCEALMENT
OUTCOME: COMPLETE REVELATION OF TRUE NATURE
RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE DIVINE AUTHORITY ASSERTION TO SURVIVE
The warning was clear: his masking techniques would be completely useless against whatever this trial involved. His divine heritage would be exposed regardless of his preferences.
"Do you understand the nature of this trial, Blood Seeker?" the Warlord asked.
"I understand that concealment will be impossible," Xìng Huáng replied honestly.
"And do you accept the trial, with full knowledge that deception or hidden supernatural nature will result in immediate execution?"
This was it. The moment where his carefully constructed secrecy would either be preserved through miraculous survival or shattered by necessary revelation. But as he stood before the assembled council, facing powers that could crush him without effort, Xìng Huáng realized that the choice wasn't really his to make.
The path to godhood had led him to a point where hiding was no longer possible.
"I accept the Trial of Absolute Truth," he said, his voice steady despite the magnitude of what he was unleashing.
"Then let all present witness the revelation of what lies beneath the surface of our enigmatic Blood Seeker."
As the trial preparation began, Xìng Huáng felt his divine heritage stirring to full wakefulness for the first time since the merger. Whatever happened next would change everything—for him, for his companions, and potentially for the entire balance of power within the Blood Iron Tribe.
The Lord of Greed was about to make his debut in the Blood Demon Martial Realm.
And the consequences would be beyond anything any of them could imagine.