Contest

After sizing up Li Mu, Zhou Qingyun smiled. "You haven't let the benefits right in front of you cloud your judgment. It seems you really have grown up.

"You're right. Those people certainly won't give up Cai Buli easily. But what does that have to do with us?

"I'm not asking you to challenge him for his position directly. Right now, all you need to do is focus on yourself and raise your standing in the sect. Let the rest of them fight it out in their own time!"

That was quite a "hands-off" attitude, but it was also in keeping with Zhou Qingyun's usual style. He had never been good at political maneuvering, and even if he wanted to stir things up, he wouldn't know where to start. So he might as well leave things alone.

As long as they didn't issue a direct challenge, they wouldn't have to burn their bridges, and the risk would remain manageable.

Even if someone wanted to use underhanded tactics, they couldn't take things too far. The Qi Sect was watching from the sidelines, after all. The Sword Sect's higher-ups weren't fools.

Even if Cai Buli recovered from his "romantic tribulation" and eventually completed the transfer of power smoothly, they still couldn't do anything to him openly.

"Tolerating others" was an essential quality for anyone in power. If they couldn't manage that, they would lose the people's support.

The Qing generation had produced a Feng Qingyang. There was no reason the Bu generation couldn't produce a "Li Bumu" of its own—provided his cultivation could keep up.

"Master, what should I do next?"

After taking a thorough beating from society, Li Mu was no longer a greenhorn. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Raising his standing meant more than winning the favor of ordinary Mount Hua disciples. He also needed the elders' support, and the latter mattered especially.

Li Mu wasn't particularly concerned with power or status, but he couldn't ignore the benefits they brought.

Just look at the sect leaders of the various great sects. Their martial arts might not rank first in their sects, but they were certainly among the top three.

As sect leaders, they had to handle the sect's affairs every day, taking up a great deal of their cultivation time. So how did they maintain their long-term advantage in cultivation?

The answer was simple: two words—resources!

"Poor scholars, rich martial artists" wasn't an empty saying. Martial arts training depended on resources from the very beginning. Resources couldn't guarantee that someone would become a master, but they could shorten the time it took to get there.

Although the leaders of the great sects had less time to train each day, the resources they received were beyond the reach of ordinary disciples. It was no wonder they managed to maintain their cultivation advantage.

The Mount Hua disciples at the beginning of Smiling Proud Wanderer had clearly been training in the same "Mount Hua Mental Method" as the disciples now, yet their overall abilities were nowhere near as good.

Even Linghu Chong, whom Yue Buqun had painstakingly raised, was only middle-of-the-pack compared with his peers in the sect. At least a dozen disciples were better than him.

As the protagonist, Linghu Chong's talent was extraordinary. If he had to be compared to anyone, it would be Feng Qingyang. Perhaps he was slightly inferior, but not by much.

Yet their levels of cultivation were worlds apart. Ultimately, that came down to the difference in resources. It wasn't just a lack of supplementary resources; their educational resources and training environment were incomparable, too.

Beneath the shadow of the "Sword-Qi Dispute," whether Li Mu could replace Cai Buli wasn't important. What mattered was that he wanted to use this chance to secure resources from the sect.

Those resources weren't only material. They also included knowledge and teachings. At its peak, the Mount Hua Sect, a great power in its own right, had possessed an immensely rich collection.

Li Mu had been coveting it for ages. Unfortunately, given his current standing, he could at most read some unimportant miscellaneous books or incomplete martial arts manuals that no one cared about. He wasn't qualified to get a glimpse of the core teachings.

If he didn't get his hands on those things now, then after the Sword-Qi Dispute, he might want them all he liked, but he wouldn't get the chance.

At the very least, the original story never mentioned the Mount Hua Sect's foundational teachings. They had either been destroyed during the Sword-Qi Dispute or stolen by someone.

In any case, they couldn't have been in Yue Buqun's hands. With the Mount Hua Sect's strength back then, carrying those treasures around would have been like a child carrying a gold brick through a crowded marketplace.

If those foundations had still been intact, Yue Buqun wouldn't have needed to covet the Lin Family's Evil-Warding Sword Technique. The two couldn't even be compared.

Even if Lin Yuantu were still alive now, he would have been no match for the Mount Hua Sect. Neither Ning Qingyu nor Feng Qingyang would have had any trouble keeping him in check.

Zhou Qingyun lifted his teacup and took a small sip before speaking slowly. "You all know the purpose of this Mount Hua Assembly. It's to further raise the standing of our Mount Hua Sect in the jianghu, while also giving a warning to a few unruly martial arts factions.

"We've already chosen our targets. Originally, this was meant to establish Cai and Yao's reputations, but their performance over the past few days has left many people in the sect dissatisfied.

"Earlier today, the sect leader made another decision: any disciple at the second-rate level who defeats any three first-rate experts on the list will receive double the reward for first place in this tournament!"

As if to give Li Mu a moment to take it in, Zhou Qingyun paused deliberately before continuing:

"Bu Mu, this is your chance. The people on the list may seem to have impressive reputations, but they're all old.

"Unlike the great sects, these small, minor clans can't maintain their strength as they age. Once they're old, they're lucky if they can bring out seven or eight tenths of their power.

"With your current strength, you shouldn't have much trouble defeating them, as long as you're careful. They'll make perfect stepping-stones for your entry into the jianghu.

"If the chance comes, you can also spar with elite disciples from the other four sects and establish your position among the younger generation of the Five Mountains Alliance."

Zhou Qingyun felt no embarrassment about having his disciple "squeeze the soft persimmons." If you wanted to establish yourself in the jianghu, the first requirement was to be ruthless enough!

It was the same in every sect in the jianghu. Disciples always began their path to fame by squeezing the soft persimmons.

Compared with marching straight to someone's doorstep to challenge them, the Mount Hua Sect's approach was already fairly mild. Even if they failed and were thoroughly humiliated, they would have a bunch of fellow disciples to share the disgrace, so they wouldn't lose too much face.

Afterward, they could always praise them to the skies. If they made the Mount Hua disciples sound like legends, their failures would hardly draw any attention.

People had been doing this since time immemorial. The jianghu was always a place where a new generation replaced the old. The old hands had long since adapted and knew what would serve their own interests best.

Li Mu bowed and answered solemnly, "Master, please rest assured. Your disciple knows what to do."

Zhou Qingyun had made it sound simple, but Li Mu knew there was no way things were that straightforward behind the scenes. When interests were involved, nothing was ever simple.

Regardless of how many disciples could manage it, the sect's willingness to open this door showed that Cai and Yao's standing was wavering.

Even if the two of them had disappointed everyone with their earlier performance, they had both been young once. Even if the elders were dissatisfied, they wouldn't act against them so quickly.

Judging by who stood to benefit and who had the motive to push this forward, Li Mu was now the biggest beneficiary. That meant Zhou Qingyun was most likely the one behind it all.