Advance by Retreat

Sailing against the current, one must forge ahead or be swept backward.

The same holds true for martial arts sects. Once a sect reaches a bottleneck in its development, if it cannot achieve a breakthrough, it must inevitably face a decline.

The various internal conflicts that were suppressed during periods of rapid growth will emerge at such times, dealing a heavy blow to the sect's decline.

Throughout history, countless martial arts sects have withered away for this very reason. The lucky ones managed to preserve their heritage, while most simply vanished into the long river of history.

To avoid such a fate, one must soar like a dragon, standing at the very pinnacle of the martial arts world to accumulate a sufficiently vast foundation.

When that foundation becomes strong enough—much like the Shaolin Temple of today—it becomes deeply rooted in the martial arts world. It may face decay or even the threat of annihilation, but as long as the right opportunity arises, it will be reborn from the ashes.

The Mount Hua Sect has now reached this critical juncture. Success means leaping up to become the third pole of the righteous path, effectively becoming a rule-maker in the martial arts world.

Li Mu naturally could not feel the anxieties of the big shots. With different status and standing come different horizons and different ways of considering problems.

As the biggest winner of this grand competition, Li Mu leaped from an obscure, transparent Mount Hua disciple to a prominent figure within the sect.

At this moment, Li Mu had to be glad he chose the "Mount Hua Mental Method," that cheat-like cultivation technique. Otherwise, having to receive so many visiting fellow disciples every day would have surely caused his cultivation to fall behind.

Fortunately, the rewards promised by the sect had all arrived, and even exceeded the expected amount, which finally soothed Li Mu's wounded heart.

Frankly speaking, the feeling of being flattered was truly enjoyable. Even having lived two lifetimes, Li Mu had never experienced such a spectacle. Fortunately, he had dreamt of being an emperor the night before his transmigration, which allowed him to keep his composure amidst the praise.

The more unperturbed he remained, the higher everyone's evaluation of him became. Especially when compared to others, this quality appeared all the more precious.

His image as a refined gentleman who was easy to approach always made it easy for people to develop a favorable impression of him. It was said that some elders in the sect had already proposed listing him as a candidate for the next sect leader, and this had even received the support of Feng Qingyang.

This news hit Li Mu like a thunderbolt. Although he did not know why Feng Qingyang would support him, the position of heir to the Mount Hua Sect was definitely not meant for him right now.

If he were a disciple of the Qi Sect, Ning Qingyu might have gone with the flow. With the two of them—the only two supreme experts—standing on the same side, it would have been enough to secure the position of young sect leader.

But now, there was no need to think about it. No matter how fair Ning Qingyu might be, he was ultimately a man of the Qi Sect; there was no way he would appoint a Sword Sect disciple as the next leader.

In a sense, this was also putting Li Mu on the fire to roast. Originally, it was a struggle between Cai and Yao, but now with Li Mu added to the mix, it was clearly forcing the two factions to join hands to eliminate him first, as he was the disruptor with the shallowest foundation.

Sensing the crisis, Li Mu immediately sought out Zhou Qingyun. No matter how the situation changed, this master remained his greatest backing.

"Master, the situation in the sect has been strange lately. I fear I have been drawn into a vortex of power."

The sudden change in the situation was not only unexpected for Li Mu, but even Zhou Qingyun, an old hand in the martial arts world, felt lost. However, in front of his disciple, he forced himself to remain calm.

"I did not foresee the current situation either. It is mainly because Junior Brother Feng has never participated in the power struggles of the sect, yet his sudden declaration has caused panic among the factions behind Cai and Yao.

Do not worry too much; they cannot turn the world upside down. With the addition of Junior Brother Feng's support, combined with the elders who support you, the power backing you is actually not much weaker than their two factions.

Although the sect leader has not yet expressed his stance, he has a good impression of you. If Cai and Yao cannot overcome their emotional trials, you may well have a chance; at the very least, there is no stronger competitor than you in the sect right now.

For this short period, just stay on the mountain and cultivate hard. The sect is currently busy launching a new round of expansion; we shall wait until the situation stabilizes before discussing anything else."

It would be strange if he weren't worried. Even when everyone was this busy, people were still playing dirty; if things quieted down, who knew what might happen.

Although the original work did not mention this expansion, based on the plot, it would likely end in failure. If it were truly successful, the newly acquired benefits would have been enough to ease the tension between the Sword and Qi sects for a while.

The position of "sect leader heir" that everyone was coveting was, in Li Mu's eyes, a joke. Sect Leader Ning Qingyu was only in his fifties and could still lead the Mount Hua Sect for decades; there was no need to rush now.

Even if he were to compete, Li Mu would wait until he had broken through to the supreme realm and joined the fray with overwhelming momentum, rather than entering the game now.

It was like the old emperor not yet being dead while the princes below jumped out to fight for the throne; it would be strange if Ning Qingyu had no objections. Perhaps Cai and Yao, who had jumped out now, had already been marked with an "X" in Ning Qingyu's heart.

If he really wanted to take a roundabout route, he could go and woo Ning the Little Girl right now. As Ning Qingyu's only daughter on the surface, becoming his son-in-law would also be a plus.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Mu said firmly, "Master, I will apply to the sect to seclude myself in the Scripture Library for three years and ignore the infighting within the sect."

Originally, Li Mu wanted to say he wouldn't come out until he reached the supreme realm, but he was afraid of startling Zhou Qingyun. Furthermore, worried that the conflict between the Sword and Qi sects might erupt, he knew there wasn't enough time for such a breakthrough, so he settled on a three-year seclusion.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qingyun nodded.

"That is also a way. As long as you remain silent, they cannot do anything. Three years should be enough for you to break through to the first-rate realm, and by then, the situation will be vastly different.

This world always looks at strength. As long as you break through to the supreme realm before Cai and Yao, the outcome will be set.

You do not need to feel too much pressure now. Although their aptitude is not bad, their temperament is far inferior, and the possibility of them breaking through to the supreme realm is slim.

During the sect meeting yesterday, I joined several elders in proposing to the sect leader that Cai and Yao be sent to participate in the expansion operation, using the merits established for the sect as the standard for evaluating the heir."

Hearing this explanation, Li Mu finally understood where his supporters came from.

To hold the foundation of the Mount Hua Sect, without supreme cultivation, one could never suppress the conflict-ridden Sword and Qi sects. Except for those caught in the middle who couldn't see clearly, the elders who stood on the sidelines had long since understood this.

If Cai and Yao could not break through, no matter how much they stirred up trouble, it would all be in vain in the end.

Having clarified the situation, Li Mu felt more and more that his choice to temporarily retreat was correct.

At the same time, he admired this master even more. Although he rarely made big moves, every action he took was extraordinary. Using merit as an assessment standard was clearly a brilliant scheme to dismantle the alliance between the Cai and Yao factions.