Retreating to Advance

A boat rowing against the current would fall behind if it stopped moving forward.

The same was true of the sects of the martial world. Once a sect reached a bottleneck in its development, it would begin to decline if it could not break through on its own.

The many internal conflicts that had been suppressed by rapid growth in the past would surface at such a time, dealing the sect a heavy blow and hastening its decline.

Throughout history, countless martial sects had fallen for this very reason. The lucky ones had managed to preserve their legacy; most had vanished into the long river of history.

To prevent this from happening, they had to soar into the clouds and leap into dragonhood, standing at the very peak of the martial world and building up an immense foundation.

Once that foundation grew strong enough, a sect would be deeply rooted in the martial world, like Shaolin Temple now. It might decline, or even be wiped out, but as long as the right opportunity came along, it could rise from the ashes.

Mount Hua Sect had reached this critical juncture. If it succeeded, it would rise in a single leap to become the third pillar of the orthodox martial world and a maker of its rules.

Li Mu naturally couldn't feel the worries weighing on the great figures. Their status and position were different, their horizons wider, and their way of considering things was different as well.

As the biggest winner of this tournament, Li Mu had gone straight from an obscure Mount Hua disciple whom no one had ever heard of to a celebrated figure within the sect.

At a time like this, Li Mu couldn't help feeling grateful that he had chosen Mount Hua Mental Method, a miraculous technique that cultivated on its own. Otherwise, having to receive so many senior and junior fellow disciples who came to visit every day would have kept his cultivation from advancing.

Fortunately, the sect had delivered all the promised rewards, and even increased the amounts. That was enough to soothe Li Mu's wounded heart.

To be frank, being showered with praise felt wonderful. Even after living two lives, Li Mu had never experienced anything like it. Luckily, he had dreamed of being an emperor the night before he transmigrated, which helped him keep his head amid all the flattery.

The more unruffled he remained, the higher everyone's opinion of him climbed. That was especially true when there was someone to compare him with, making his composure all the more precious.

The image of a refined gentleman who was easy to approach always won people over. It was said that some elders had already proposed naming him a candidate for sect leader, and Feng Qingyang had backed them.

The news struck Li Mu like a bolt from the blue. He didn't know why Feng Qingyang supported him, but he certainly had no chance of becoming Mount Hua Sect's successor right now.

If he were a Qi Sect disciple, Ning Qingyu might have simply gone along with it. The only two peerless experts would then be on the same side, which would be enough to decide the position of future sect leader.

But there was no point even thinking about that now. No matter how fair-minded Ning Qingyu was, he still belonged to the Qi Sect. There was no way he would appoint a Sword Sect disciple as the next sect leader.

In a sense, this also put Li Mu on the roasting spit. It had originally been a contest between Cai and Yao, but now Li Mu had been added to the mix. It was obvious they were forcing the two factions to join hands and eliminate him, the least established disruptor, first.

Sensing danger, Li Mu went straight to Zhou Qingyun. No matter how the situation changed, his master was still his greatest support.

"Master, things in the sect have been rather strange lately. I'm afraid I've been pulled into the vortex of power."

The sudden turn of events had caught not only Li Mu off guard; even Zhou Qingyun, an old hand in the martial world, was at a loss. Still, he did his best to stay composed in front of his disciple.

"I didn't expect things to turn out this way either. The main reason is that Junior Brother Feng has never involved himself in the sect's power struggles. Now that he's suddenly taken a stance, it's made the two factions behind Cai and Yao panic.

"There's no need to worry too much. They can't turn the world upside down. With Junior Brother Feng's support, along with the several elders in the sect who back you, the forces supporting you aren't much weaker than either of their factions.

"The sect leader hasn't made his position clear yet, but he has a good impression of you. If Cai and Yao still can't get over their romantic entanglements, you may yet have a chance. At the very least, there's no one in the sect who's a stronger contender than you right now.

"For the next little while, stay on the mountain and devote yourself to cultivation. The sect is busy launching a new round of expansion. Let's wait until things settle down before we discuss anything else."

How could he not worry? People were already making moves when everyone was so busy. Who knew what would happen once things quieted down?

The original story never mentioned this expansion, but judging by the plot, it would most likely end in failure. If it actually succeeded, the new gains would surely give the Sword and Qi Factions a chance to ease their tensions for a while.

The position of "sect leader's successor" that everyone coveted was a joke, as far as Li Mu was concerned. Ning Qingyu was only in his fifties and could lead Mount Hua Sect for decades yet. There was no need to rush.

Even if he did have to compete, Li Mu would wait until he broke through to the peerless level, then join the contest with the momentum behind him. He wouldn't jump into the game now.

It was like a group of princes vying for the throne before the old emperor had even died. Ning Qingyu would surely take issue with it. Perhaps he had already marked Cai and Yao with an "X" in his mind.

If he really wanted to take the roundabout route, he could go court Ning the Little Girl now. As Ning Qingyu's only publicly acknowledged daughter, marrying into the family would earn him points too.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Mu said firmly, "Master, I'll apply to the sect to seclude myself in the Scripture Library for three years and stay out of the sect's conflicts."

Originally, Li Mu had wanted to say that he wouldn't emerge until he broke through to the peerless level. He was afraid that would alarm Zhou Qingyun, and he was also worried that the Sword-Qi conflict might erupt before he had enough time to break through. So he settled on a three-year seclusion.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qingyun nodded.

"That's one way to handle it. As long as you lie low, they won't be able to do much. Three years should be enough for you to break through to the first-rate level. By then, the situation will have changed considerably.

"This world has always come down to strength. As long as you break through to the peerless level before Cai and Yao do, the momentum will be yours.

"You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself now. Their talents aren't bad, but their temperaments are far worse. The odds of either of them breaking through to the peerless level are slim.

"At yesterday's sect meeting, I already joined forces with several elders to propose that Cai and Yao take part in the expansion campaign. We'll use their contributions to the sect as the standard for evaluating candidates to succeed the sect leader."

After hearing this explanation, Li Mu finally understood how his supporters had come to be.

To take charge of Mount Hua's legacy, one needed peerless cultivation. Without it, there was no way to keep the fractious Sword and Qi Factions in check. The elders who were outside the fray had seen this clearly long ago; only those caught up in it couldn't see the full picture.

If Cai and Yao couldn't break through, then no matter how hard they struggled, it would all be wasted effort in the end.

Now that he understood the situation, Li Mu felt even more certain that temporarily withdrawing was the right choice.

At the same time, he admired his master even more. Though he rarely made a move, every time he did, it was extraordinary. Using achievements as the standard was clearly an open plot to split the alliance between Cai and Yao's factions.