Wang Buyao's face was terribly grim. He had known from the start that Li Mu would be difficult to deal with, but now that he had actually lost, he still found it hard to accept.
Wang Buyao had held the third-place position among the inner disciples for six years. Now he had handed it over just like that—and lost to a junior brother whose cultivation was lower than his own. Naturally, he couldn't bear to face it.
"Your senior brother's skills are lacking. I've made a fool of myself before you, junior brother!"
He was an adult, after all, and knew how to weigh the pros and cons. No matter how unwilling he was inside, with so many elders and fellow martial artists from the jianghu watching, Wang Buyao still forced a smile.
But his fierce pride wouldn't let him say something he didn't mean, so he chose a self-mocking reply instead.
As the victor, Li Mu naturally wouldn't seize on his words and make an issue of them. He smiled calmly.
"Senior Brother Wang, you jest. You're about to break through to the first-rate realm and become a pillar of the Mount Hua Sect. How could your skills be lacking? Allow me to congratulate you in advance on your breakthrough."
This wasn't deliberate flattery. Wang Buyao had indeed touched the threshold of the first-rate realm and could break through at any moment.
During their fight just now, Wang Buyao had already gained some insight. He had simply been too fixated on winning and losing to seize the opportunity.
Though he had missed it, he had still found the thin barrier. As long as he settled down and honed himself, breaking through would take only a year or two.
Li Mu could see it, and the elders of the sect could see it too. Rather than wait for the elders to point it out later, he might as well speak up himself and earn some goodwill.
"Break through?"
Wang Buyao was taken aback. Once he understood, regret flooded him. Compared to a breakthrough in cultivation, winning or losing on the arena truly meant nothing.
"Thank you for your guidance, junior brother. I'll go into seclusion now."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wang Buyao vaulted off the arena and hurried away from Chaoyang Peak as if his brows were on fire, not even staying for the rest of the tournament.
Li Mu could only stare in astonishment. He'd already missed the opportunity; now he could only take his time and let things settle. Why rush?
Wouldn't it be better to wait until the tournament ended, collect the sect's rewards, and then leave?
In the end, Li Mu didn't call out to stop him. He and Wang Buyao had just fought, and they weren't close enough for him to interfere in the man's private affairs.
Wang Buyao's reaction also made Li Mu understand how badly people of the jianghu craved progress in their cultivation. When a chance to break through appeared, they didn't dare waste even a moment, afraid something might go wrong.
Having defeated Wang Buyao, Li Mu automatically claimed third place in the tournament. Many of the senior and junior brothers below were itching to challenge him, but in the end, they held back.
The sight shook Li Mu. Unspoken rules were still unspoken rules; they weren't written regulations and had no power to force anyone to obey.
He had deliberately made it look as if winning had taken everything he had. Even if the Sword Sect disciples were reluctant to make a move, surely a Qi Sect disciple could have taken advantage of him?
If their positions had been reversed, Li Mu wasn't sure he could have resisted the temptation. The sect's rewards this time were simply too generous.
How much was face worth when there were benefits to be had? Yet in the end, so as not to become a laughingstock before their fellow martial artists, everyone held back, fully displaying the bearing expected of disciples from a renowned orthodox sect.
As a result, even the damage caused earlier by Cai and Yao had now been somewhat diminished.
Sure enough, no great power with an ancient lineage was simple. Even the Mount Hua Sect, riven with internal strife, had its own unique way of cultivating its disciples.
This had actually been shown in the original story, too. Feng Qingyang had chosen to guard the sect in silence, while Yue Buqun had taken the revival of Mount Hua as his life's mission. Even the Sword Sect disciples scattered beyond its gates still couldn't let go of the Mount Hua Sect.
It was this sense of solidarity and belonging that had forged the Mount Hua Sect's glory.
Without realizing it, Li Mu discovered that he, too, had been affected. Deep down, he had come to identify with the sect.
At dusk, Zhou Qingyun's courtyard was brightly lit, and joy shone on everyone's faces.
Though Li Mu hadn't taken first place in the tournament, winning third at his age was still worth celebrating.
It meant he might become one of the core members of the Mount Hua Sect's Bu generation. When one person rose to prominence, it didn't necessarily mean everyone around him would rise to heaven, but they were bound to benefit.
If Li Mu became the next core member of the Sword Sect, Zhou Qingyun's branch would inevitably gain more influence within the sect. Everyone would benefit.
If the tournament hadn't still been underway, they would probably already have started pouring wine and holding a feast for their guests.
Seated in the place of honor, Zhou Qingyun said, his face glowing, "Bu Mu, you did well today and brought honor to our Sword Sect. But don't let it go to your head.
"I'd originally planned to have you keep a low profile and build up your reputation little by little. But the situation has changed.
"The farce between Cai Buli and Yao Buzhou was deeply disappointing. As leading figures of the Mount Hua Sect's next generation, they actually disregarded the sect's greater interests over a woman.
"I don't know what the Qi Sect has planned, but within the Sword Sect, some elders have already proposed replacing Cai Buli and cultivating a new successor.
"This is an opportunity. With your talent, if you can secure a greater share of the Sword Sect's resources, you'll soon surpass them and stand out."
Not being hungry for power didn't mean Zhou Qingyun had no desire to accomplish anything. The intensifying struggle between the Sword and Qi Sects especially filled him with worry.
Yet the Mount Hua Sect was deeply factional. Every fellow disciple of his master's generation had stalled at the second-rate realm, leaving them unable to enter the decision-making ranks.
Without any staunch supporters among the elders, Zhou Qingyun would have been pushed to the margins if not for his own formidable cultivation, which placed him among the sect's top five.
Though he hadn't been pushed aside, Zhou Qingyun still had little say in the sect.
If he wanted to sway the sect's decisions, he would first have to break through to the peerless realm. Only then, perhaps, would people sit down and seriously consider his proposals.
Unfortunately, Zhou Qingyun had no clue how to reach the peerless realm. Even the wealth of experience recorded by the sect had been of no use to him.
Now the situation was different. Cai Buli, the Sword Sect's next-generation core disciple, had an unstable position, and his own disciple, Li Mu, had become the strongest challenger.
If Li Mu could become a core member of the Sword Sect's Bu generation, the situation would change completely. At the very least, his branch would gain far more influence within the Sword Sect.
"Master, I'm afraid that won't be easy. Though Senior Brother Cai's performance was poor, he hasn't committed any serious offense. The elders won't abandon him lightly."
Li Mu asked with a frown.
Whichever branch produced the next generation's leading figure would become the future master of the Mount Hua Sect.
Power struggles were never easy. When personal interests were involved, few could remain fair and objective.
Raising an expert was no easy task. Unless they had no other choice, the elders who had invested heavily in Cai Buli wouldn't give up on him easily.
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