The Five Mountains Martial Arts Gathering

With the two big bosses of Shaolin and Wudang staying out of trouble, the other people of the jianghu naturally didn't dare cause a stir. The Mount Hua martial arts gathering came to a successful close without a hitch.

As the gathering ended, the Mount Hua Sect's prestige spread throughout the jianghu along with its many guests.

As if overnight, the saying "Fists from Shaolin, swords return to Mount Hua" resounded across the land.

Li Mu, one of the stars of the tournament, also rode the wave of attention and was hailed as "the most talented swordsman of the younger generation."

Strictly speaking, that praise would have suited Feng Qingyang better, given their ages. It was just that everyone tacitly agreed to kick that cheat out of the "younger generation."

There was no helping it. A top-tier expert in his twenties was simply too despair-inducing. After all, most of the promising young martial artists were still at the second-rate level.

Comparing themselves to such a freak would only give them needless grief. Since they couldn't compete, they might as well kick him out of the running.

So if you heard someone of Feng Qingyang's generation call him "senior," don't be surprised. It was perfectly normal. Everyone had been so thoroughly crushed that they had no choice but to grant Feng Qingyang the status of an elder.

Only after seeing off the many guests did the Five Mountains martial arts gathering begin in earnest. In this respect, Ning Qingyu's methods were leagues ahead of Zuo Lengchan's.

Even if you wanted to put your juniors in their place, you did it behind closed doors. Doing it in front of so many fellow martial artists might make you look imposing, but it also gave outsiders a reason to laugh.

Since they were an alliance, they should present a united front to the outside world. If the alliance's juniors lost face, then how could the alliance leader avoid losing face as well?

Perhaps for the sake of unity among the Five Mountains, and concerned that Cai and Yao might cause trouble while they were out of sorts, Ning Qingyu temporarily made Li Mu the leader representing the Mount Hua Sect.

Taking a group of senior disciples to spar with disciples from the other four sects—it was almost too absurd to take seriously. Following the principle that "if I'm not embarrassed, then the embarrassed one is someone else," Li Mu slipped right into the role.

"Senior brothers, with Senior Brothers Cai and Yao in seclusion, the responsibility of exchanging pointers with the four sects falls to us. Whatever else happens, we cannot lose this bout and bring shame to the Mount Hua Sect.

"The four sects have sent their finest disciples. Zuo Lengchan of Mount Song, Mo Da of Mount Heng, Tianmen of Mount Tai, and Dingjing of Heng Mountain have all broken through to the first-rate level. I'll take responsibility for facing them.

"The remaining elite disciples from the four sects will be up to you, senior brothers. In principle, friendship comes first, so be careful not to let things sour."

There was no point in asking for opinions. Li Mu didn't want to invite trouble. Although the headmaster had appointed him to lead, he still had little standing within the sect. It was impossible to make everyone accept him.

In that case, he might as well make the decision outright. Li Mu wasn't worried about anyone disagreeing. Zuo Lengchan, Mo Da, Tianmen, and Dingjing were more than they could handle.

Even if someone wanted to object, they would have to consider whether they had the fists to back it up. If they took on the task and then lost the bout, they wouldn't get off lightly.

In truth, judging purely by personal talent, the senior brothers present might not be inferior to those four, and the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts were superior to those of the four sects.

The problem was that those four had been raised with the full support of their respective sects. They had enjoyed far more resources from childhood, giving them an early advantage.

If you moved the timeline forward twenty years, it would be hard to say who was stronger. After all, the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts were all about building up strength over time before unleashing it.

If Yue Buqun in the original story hadn't been under so much pressure, lost his composure, and been distracted by a mountain of trivial affairs that interfered with his training, he might well have had a chance to reach the pinnacle and contend with Zuo Lengchan.

"Junior Brother Li is right. With Senior Brothers Cai and Yao in seclusion, you're the most suitable person to spar with those four. As for the rest, we can choose our own opponents!"

Wang Buyao spoke up in agreement. This outcome was both unexpected and entirely within everyone's expectations.

Although Wang Buyao had lost to Li Mu in the tournament and been embarrassed, he had found his path forward in that fight. The gains far outweighed the slight loss of face.

Feng Buping, standing nearby, said with a faint trace of displeasure, "Junior Brother Li's arrangements are sound. Let's do it that way."

But his displeasure wasn't directed at Li Mu. It was aimed at Wang Buyao. Li Mu had seemingly made arrangements, but in truth had only assigned himself a match, while Wang Buyao had made the decision on everyone else's behalf.

Being spoken for—by a Qi Sect disciple, no less—was bound to irritate Feng Buping, a disciple of the Sword Sect.

Unfortunately, his influence here was limited. Aside from letting a little dissatisfaction seep into his tone, there was nothing he could do.

If he wanted to overturn Wang Buyao's proposal, he could. All he had to do was fight him on the platform. Whoever won got to decide. When it came to settling things, disciples of the same generation kept it simple.

Li Mu was already used to this sort of thing. Though the Sword and Qi Factions within the sect fought fiercely, the higher-ups remained restrained under Ning Qingyu's control, adhering to the principle of a gentleman arguing with words, not fists.

Among the lower ranks, things were completely different. The young and hot-blooded Mount Hua disciples seemed to have a knack for taking the saying "a gentleman argues with fists, not words" to heart.

If they couldn't convince the other person, they'd find a place to fight it out. It seemed the bad habit had started with Cai and Yao, and had carried on for more than a decade.

As the host, Li Mu leaped onto the platform first and challenged Zuo Lengchan.

"Senior Brother Zuo, please enlighten me!"

You should squeeze a soft persimmon, but when it came to kiwi fruit, you had to pick the firmest one. Compared to Mo Da, Tianmen, and the others, the future leader of the Five Mountains Alliance from the original story was much more tempting.

The opportunity was rare. If he missed it, it would be difficult to beat Zuo Lengchan openly and fairly again.

Unaware that a miserable fate was about to befall him, Zuo Lengchan replied courteously, "Junior Brother Li, please!"

With so many elders watching, neither of them wanted to make the first move. For a moment, they simply faced each other, competing in sheer presence.

By rights, Li Mu, who was only in the late second-rate realm, was far inferior to Zuo Lengchan in internal energy. A contest of presence should have put him at a clear disadvantage.

Unfortunately, there were always exceptions. In his previous bouts, Li Mu had gained a deeper understanding of the mysteries of artistic conception. Even though he could only draw on a trace of it, that was enough to keep him from falling behind in their contest of presence.

Seeing that neither could get the better of the other, they attacked almost simultaneously. The platform was swept by their flashing steps, their figures skimming past like drifting shadows. The sight was dazzling.

After exchanging more than a dozen moves, Li Mu suddenly sprang into the air. He spun and swept out a dazzling curtain of light, like countless stars falling from the night sky, straight toward Zuo Lengchan's right arm. There was nowhere to dodge.

As his arm seemed about to be severed, the crowd below grew solemn. Mount Song's head, Zuo Jigao, had even broken out in a cold sweat.

Li Mu smiled faintly. His sword suddenly turned ninety degrees, striking Zuo Lengchan's right hand and knocking the sword away.