Winds and Clouds Converge

With such pearls of wisdom preceding him, everyone's perception of what constituted a genius had been significantly elevated, which was why Li Mu dared to reveal his cultivation level.

The effect was also quite obvious; after the assessment concluded, Li Mu instantly integrated into the small circle and became its core.

The world of adults is just that realistic. As long as you have value, people will gravitate toward you. Li Mu was more than happy to see this happen.

A hero needs three helpers; it is not easy to survive in the pugilistic world as a lone wolf.

One only needs to look at the original story to understand: even though Yue Buqun's methods and martial arts were not lacking, he had to resort to extremes to preserve the sect's legacy simply because he had no peers among his fellow disciples.

If he had a group of capable fellow disciples to assist him, with Yue Buqun's schemes, he likely would have been able to stand toe-to-toe with the Mount Song Sect within the Five Mountains Alliance long ago.

The fellow disciples before him might not have high cultivation levels at the moment, but their potential was still quite strong. If nurtured properly, perhaps in three to five years, the Mount Hua Sect could add two or three more first-class experts.

Of course, this was only in theory; in reality, things could never be that smooth. It was not just because the bottlenecks of cultivation realms were difficult to break through, but also because one had to consider the conflicts of the pugilistic world.

When one drifts through the pugilistic world, it is hard to avoid getting cut. One might suffer an injury at any time that affects the foundation of their martial arts, or if luck is bad, they might even end up dead.

This was an unavoidable reality. As the vanguard against the Demonic Cult, the casualty rate of the Five Mountains Sword Sects' disciples had always remained high.

Often, after a great battle between the righteous and the evil, a human tragedy would unfold where more than half of the sect's disciples were lost.

However, every coin has two sides. It was precisely because of the frequent conflicts with the Demonic Cult that the Mount Hua Sect was able to produce talent in such abundance.

Experts are forged through combat; while there is great terror between life and death, there is also great opportunity.

Similar martial demonstrations were also taking place in other small courtyards. Except for Feng Qingyang, who had yet to take on any disciples, the residences of the various elders were currently very lively.

This grand competition was not only to establish prestige in the pugilistic world but also an opportunity for each lineage to showcase its strength. If a disciple made a name for themselves in the competition, their master would also share in the glory, especially since the Sword and Qi Factions were still competing to outdo one another.

If not for the knowledge that a bloody conflict between the Sword and Qi Factions was looming, an average person might have mistaken the situation in recent months for "healthy" competition.

"Dominating Guanzhong, overlooking the Yellow River to the north, leaning against the Qinling Mountains to the south, gazing toward Chang'an in the west, and connecting to the Central Plains in the east."

In a restaurant near the north gate of Huayin, a large group of local old drinkers sat, clinking cups and exchanging toasts, with boisterous laughter and shouting filling the air.

Before long, a group of Taoist priests in high caps and wide belts passed by the entrance—about a hundred of them, both old and young—heading straight out of the city gate toward Mount Hua.

"Hey! It's almost the Double Ninth Festival, and the Taoists are heading up the mountain; could it be they are going to seek a fated encounter with the immortals?" one drinker, flushed with alcohol, laughed loudly.

"It's a pity you weren't here the day before yesterday, kid, or you would have had a feast for your eyes. A group of beautiful nuns entered the city and also went up to Mount Hua yesterday..."

The middle-aged drinker at the next table looked full of regret, as if lamenting that he could not see those beautiful nuns again.

"Hmph! You don't know how to cherish your life..."

A scolding rang out from behind the counter not far away. Old Shopkeeper Li, with his head full of white hair, looked cold, as if he were not afraid of offending these customers at all.

"Are those female bodhisattvas something you can blaspheme? They are all people of the pugilistic world; are you tired of living?"

The middle-aged drinker asked, "Uncle Li, aren't they just a group of nuns? This is Huayin; what pugilistic figure would dare to act recklessly here..."

"You don't know a damn thing, kid. Didn't you see they all went to Mount Hua? Going to Mount Hua at this time of year, they are most likely from the Northern Peak Mount Heng Sect, here to participate in the Five Mountains Alliance meeting!"

Shopkeeper Li sternly lectured the ignorant junior, but a flash of fear crossed his eyes, as if some terrible memories had been awakened.

"Uncle Li is right to scold me; this nephew was reckless!" Upon hearing that they were one of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, the middle-aged drinker immediately looked terrified.

Living at the foot of Mount Hua, even if they hadn't learned martial arts, they had seen many martial artists and heard countless legends. If they disagreed, they would kill; if one were to provoke them...

As they were speaking, another group passed by. The leaders were all in green robes, carrying long swords, followed by a hundred or so burly men in tight-fitting clothes, carrying blades and swords, heading straight toward Mount Hua.

With the arrival of the various sects, Mount Hua became lively. Unlike the intense infighting of the Five Mountains in the original story, the relationships between the sects were still quite good at this time.

After all, the Mount Hua Sect had no intention of merging the sects; there were no core conflicts of interest, and they shared the common enemy of the Demonic Cult.

With the Five Mountains gathered, Li Mu followed his master, Zhou Qingyun, to receive many visiting friends and saw many of the great figures from the original story.

However, these people were currently just like Li Mu—young talents following their elders, full of youthful inexperience.

"How does it feel?"

Zhou Qingyun asked with a smile.

Li Mu was slightly stunned. To be frank, he really didn't feel anything. People in the pugilistic world were still people; meeting them was just a series of polite flattery and empty, nutritionless talk.

Though he thought this, Li Mu was not emotionally unintelligent enough to say it directly. Zhou Qingyun had so many disciples, yet he brought only Li Mu to meet the guests, which in itself was a form of recognition.

Seemingly ordinary meetings were actually the accumulation of connections; they might come in handy at some point, and this was also a way of paving the path.

Of course, the most crucial factor was strength. If his own strength were lacking and he had nothing to show for it, he would never have been brought out to be seen.

After pondering for a moment, Li Mu feigned a solemn expression and said, "They are all quite extraordinary!"

"Zuo Lengchan of the Mount Song Sect has a hint of coldness in his words and actions; he must have practiced an internal energy technique with yin attributes. His cultivation has already broken through to the first-class level, and among his peers, I fear only a few can compare."

"Mo Da of the Mount Heng Sect has an ethereal aura; I suspect he broke through to the first-class level some time ago. He hides his sword within his music, so he must be someone who loves melody. It is a pity that the Mount Heng Sect lacks top-tier sound-based techniques, otherwise, Mo Da would likely be the top figure of our generation in the Five Mountains Sword Sects."

"Mount Tai..."

In fact, the people Li Mu really wanted to comment on were the sect leaders: Zuo Jigao of Mount Song, Zhou Changlong of Mount Heng, Yuxuzi of Mount Tai, and Abbess Lingqing of Mount Heng... these were the heads of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. Unfortunately, his current status made it inappropriate to discuss his elders, so he could only use the younger generation as a topic.

Zhou Qingyun nodded. "Hmm, your judgment is not bad. However, there is no need to worry too much. Don't look at how strong they are now; the four sects have limited legacies, and their development will inevitably be restricted in the later stages."

"Zuo Jigao, Zhou Changlong, Yuxuzi... which of these people wasn't a prominent figure back in the day? Yet, in the end, they all got stuck at the peak of the first-class level, unable to break through."

"They have all been trying to find ways to compensate for this over the years, but..."

The words reached his lips, but Zhou Qingyun swallowed them back. Perhaps these people were stuck because their legacies were incomplete, but the Mount Hua Sect's legacy in this regard was perfect, yet he himself was still stuck at the peak of the first-class level, unable to advance even an inch.