Contention

Taking a look at Li Mu, Zhou Qingyun smiled and said, "Not being blinded by the benefits right in front of you—it seems you have truly grown up."

You are correct; those fellows certainly won't give up on Cai Buli so easily. However, what does that have to do with us?

It is not as if I am asking you to directly challenge his position. Right now, you only need to focus on yourself and raise your reputation within the sect; as for the rest, just let them fight it out slowly!"

This was quite "Buddhist" of him, yet it was consistent with Zhou Qingyun's usual style. He was never good at playing power politics, and since he didn't know where to start even if he tried to stir up trouble, he simply chose not to.

As long as one does not launch a direct challenge, it does not count as tearing off the mask of civility, keeping the risks within a controllable range.

Even if someone wanted to use underhanded methods, they could not go too far. The Qi Sect is still watching from the sidelines; the Sword Sect leadership is not that foolish.

Even if Cai Buli emerges from his "emotional tribulation" and successfully completes the power transition in the future, he cannot do anything openly.

"Capacity for tolerance" is an essential quality for those in power; if one cannot achieve this, the hearts of the people will scatter.

If the Qing generation could produce a Feng Qingyang, the Bu generation could naturally produce a "Li Bumu," provided that his cultivation keeps pace.

"Master, what should I do next?"

Having been tempered by the harsh realities of society, Li Mu was no longer a naive youth; he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

To raise one's reputation, it is not enough to just win the favor of ordinary Mount Hua Sect disciples; one must also gain the support of the elders, and the latter is especially important.

Although Li Mu did not care much for power and status, he could not ignore the benefits that came with them.

One only needs to look at the sect leaders of the major schools to know that their martial arts are at least in the top three of their respective sects.

As a sect leader, one must handle sect affairs every day, occupying a large amount of time that could be spent on cultivation, so how do they ensure their cultivation remains in the lead for the long term?

The answer is very simple, just two words: resources!

"Poor scholars and rich warriors" is not an empty phrase; martial arts training has been inseparable from resource support from the very beginning. While resources cannot guarantee that a person will become a master, they can shorten the time it takes to become one.

Although the leaders of the major sects have less time for daily practice, the resources they obtain are incomparable to those of ordinary disciples, so it is no surprise that they maintain an advantage in cultivation.

Take the Mount Hua disciples at the beginning of the original story; they were practicing the same "Mount Hua Mental Method" as now, yet their overall quality was far inferior to the current generation.

Even Linghu Chong, who was painstakingly cultivated by Yue Buqun, was only at a mid-tier level when compared to his peers in the sect; there were at least two dozen people who surpassed him.

As the protagonist, Linghu Chong's aptitude was extraordinary; if one were to benchmark him, it would be against Feng Qingyang. Perhaps he was slightly inferior, but not by much.

Yet, the difference in their cultivation realms was worlds apart, which ultimately boiled down to the disparity in resources. It was not just a lack of auxiliary resources; the educational resources and the cultivation atmosphere were incomparable.

With the shadow of the "Sword-Qi Dispute" looming, it was not important to Li Mu whether he could replace "Cai Buli"; the key was to take the opportunity to obtain resources from the sect.

This included not only material resources but also the inheritance of knowledge. As a hegemon, the Mount Hua Sect's collection during its peak was extremely rich.

Li Mu had long been coveting it, but unfortunately, with his current status, he could at most read some unimportant miscellaneous books or incomplete martial arts manuals; he had no qualifications to peek at the core inheritance.

If he didn't get his hands on these things now, he wouldn't have a chance after the Sword-Qi Dispute.

At the very least, the original work never mentioned the foundation and heritage of the Mount Hua Sect. These things were either destroyed during the Sword-Qi Dispute or snatched away by others.

In any case, they could not have been in Yue Buqun's hands; given the strength of the Mount Hua Sect at that time, holding onto such things would be like a child carrying a gold brick through a busy market.

If these foundations still existed, Yue Buqun would not have needed to covet the Lin family's Evil-Warding Sword Technique; there was simply no comparison between the two.

Even if Lin Yuantu were still alive today, he would be nothing before the Mount Hua Sect; both Ning Qingyu and Feng Qingyang could firmly suppress him.

Zhou Qingyun picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said slowly: "You all know the purpose of this Mount Hua Assembly: it is to further elevate the status of our Mount Hua Sect in the Jianghu and, incidentally, to warn some restless martial arts forces.

The targets have already been selected. Originally, we were going to use them to establish the prestige of 'Cai and Yao,' but their performance over the past few days has left many in the sect dissatisfied.

During the day, the Sect Leader made another decision: any disciple at the second-rate realm who can defeat any three first-rate experts on the list will receive double the reward of the first-place winner of this grand competition!"

As if to give Li Mu a moment to process this, Zhou Qingyun paused before continuing:

"Bumu, this is your chance. These people on the list may seem famous, but they are all old now.

Unlike those from major sects, once these people from small families and minor schools get on in years, it is considered good if they can exert seven or eight tenths of their peak power.

With your current strength, as long as you are careful, defeating them will not be difficult. These people are perfect stepping stones for you to enter the Jianghu.

If you have the chance, you can also spar with the elite disciples of the other four sects to cement your status among the younger generation of the Five Mountains Alliance."

Zhou Qingyun felt no shame in sending his disciple to "pick the low-hanging fruit." The first rule for establishing a foothold in this Jianghu is to be "ruthless"!

It is the same for every sect in the Jianghu; the path to fame for disciples entering the world always begins with picking on the weak.

Compared to directly attacking their gates, the Mount Hua Sect's approach was already considered mild. Even if one fails and gets slapped in the face, there is a group of brothers to keep one company, so the loss of face won't be too severe.

As for the aftermath, one can simply boast about it fiercely. As long as the Mount Hua disciples are praised to the heavens, their failures will not attract much attention.

Throughout history, everyone has operated this way. The Jianghu has always been about the new replacing the old; the old hands have long since adapted and know what is most beneficial for themselves.

Li Mu bowed and replied solemnly: "Master, please rest assured, this disciple knows what to do."

Although Zhou Qingyun made it sound light, Li Mu knew that there was absolutely nothing simple behind it. Anything involving interests is never simple.

Regardless of how many disciples could achieve this, the fact that the sect opened this door was a manifestation of the wavering status of "Cai and Yao."

Even if the two had been disappointing, everyone has their youth; even if the sect elders were dissatisfied, they would not act so quickly.

Analyzing the motive of who benefits and who pushes for it, since he was currently the biggest beneficiary, it was highly likely that Zhou Qingyun was the one pushing all of this.