With Li Mu's sudden emergence, the Sword Sect had a better option, directly causing its internal divisions to remain unresolved.
The Sword Sect's internal split naturally eased the pressure on the Qi Sect. With too little pressure from outside, differing opinions began to surface within the Qi Sect as well.
Everything was a matter of comparison. Originally, only Cai and Yao were competing, and everyone thought Yao Buzhou was passable. But after Li Mu joined the picture, quite a few Qi Sect elders began to find Yao Buzhou unpleasant.
Unlike Cai Buli of the Sword Sect, Yao Buzhou didn't have a powerful ancestor backing him. People could support him if they wanted, or not if they didn't. There was no reason to stubbornly stick to him.
Not everyone had a keen eye. Although most martial artists knew a little medicine, their knowledge was only skin-deep.
In many people's eyes, Ning Qingyu was still in the prime of his life and could easily work another twenty or thirty years. There was no need to rush the question of a successor.
Since Yao Buzhou wasn't outstanding enough, they could simply choose another disciple and cultivate him. After all, the Qi Sect had produced quite a few promising young talents in recent years.
Though they couldn't compare to freaks like Feng Qingyang and Li Bumu, they still had a chance of surpassing Yao Buzhou.
The position of Mount Hua Sect leader demanded a great deal of overall ability. One needed not only unparalleled martial prowess, but also exceptional political acumen and management skills.
At present, Yao Buzhou was only average, whether in his martial cultivation or in his overall abilities.
He might have been good enough to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately, the Mount Hua Sect was still in the process of expanding its territory. Whether it was heading east through Hangu or pushing west into Hanzhong, both would require a fight.
With insufficient martial prowess and not enough brains, how could he satisfy everyone?
While Ning Qingyu secluded himself to heal, the Qi Sect's small meeting went ahead as usual. With their leader absent, Yue Qinglin, the second-in-command, naturally took charge.
"Everyone, the Eastward Expansion Plan has failed, and the sect suffered heavy losses in the Demonic Cult's sneak attack. The Sword Sect certainly won't let this go.
The leader put forward Li Bumu, which can only distract the Sword Sect for the time being. Once they come to their senses, they won't remain so docile.
Right now, we can only cut through the knot and settle the sect's succession first, while the Sword Sect's opinions are still divided."
Yao Buzhou, seated nearby, grew excited too. As Ning Qingyu's eldest disciple, he had always been groomed as the sect's successor, though it had never been announced publicly.
Now the matter had finally been brought into the open. After all these years of effort, this was the closest he had ever come to becoming the next sect leader. The fact that he managed not to grin was proof enough of his self-control.
By convention, the position of Mount Hua Sect leader had always been held by the Qi Sect. In theory, as long as he secured the support of the uncles and senior uncles present, victory was all but assured.
Unfortunately, the result disappointed him. After Yue Qinglin made his proposal, the room fell silent, and the atmosphere grew strangely tense.
Everyone had tacitly accepted the idea, but when it came to formally appointing the next sect leader, they hesitated.
Elder Yang, the oldest among them, offered a word of advice. "Junior Brother Yue, you're being too impatient. With the leader secluded to heal, it's better for the sect to keep still than to make a move.
We've only just managed to draw the Sword Sect's attention elsewhere. Why bring up succession now and invite trouble?
If this causes problems and delays the leader's recovery, who will take responsibility?
Besides, the standards for becoming leader of our Mount Hua Sect are exceptionally high. One must not only possess outstanding martial arts, but also the bearing and prestige to earn the disciples' respect.
Nephew Buzhou is still young and lacks sufficient experience and worldly wisdom. We can't force him to grow before his time.
There's an opportunity right in front of us. If Nephew Buzhou can expose the traitor within the sect, he'll surely earn the respect of the disciples.
With that achievement behind him, once Nephew Yao reaches the pinnacle realm, we can recommend him as the next sect leader. Even the Sword Sect won't have anything to say."
On the surface, these sounded like the words of a cautious elder. Anyone with a discerning eye knew what Elder Yang really meant: Yao Buzhou still wasn't qualified to inherit the leadership of the Mount Hua Sect.
Yue Qinglin wanted to speak up for him, but didn't know what to say. Yao Buzhou's cultivation was still lacking, he had little prestige within the sect, and his accomplishments weren't enough to convince anyone.
If opinions were so divided even within the Qi Sect, there was no need to mention the Sword Sect.
After all, the position of sect successor ranked even above that of an ordinary elder. Without anything that could convince everyone, what gave him the right to climb over their heads?
Even if they were going to appoint a successor, they would wait until the leader was close to stepping down. Judging by their ages, by the time Ning Qingyu retired, they would be ready to withdraw from the world as well.
The timing would line up perfectly. The sect's transfer of power wouldn't be disrupted, and they wouldn't have to suffer the awkwardness of a junior lording it over them.
A large sect had plenty of complicated affairs to deal with. They couldn't spend every day discussing succession. Neither the Sword Sect nor the Qi Sect had made up their minds, so things in the sect had quieted down.
The Mount Hua Sect couldn't simply ignore such a major attack on its gates. Retaliation against the Demonic Cult was already underway, and the internal threat had to be rooted out as well.
The Demonic Cult's sneak attack hadn't involved only the rats of the Guanzhong Branch. The main force had been elite members from outside.
Nearly a hundred Demonic Cult elites had entered Huayin without anyone noticing and made their way up Mount Hua. Aside from having traitors within the sect, they must also have had people outside the gates helping and covering for them.
For the Mount Hua Sect, which regarded Guanzhong as its base, this was absolutely intolerable. A major purge targeting forces colluding with the Demonic Cult had quietly begun.
None of this had anything to do with Li Mu, though. The main forces had returned, and the Mount Hua Sect wasn't short one more fighter.
Especially for those in Yao and Cai's factions, who would have loved nothing more than to see this "upstart" disappear at once, there was naturally no reason to call Li Mu out and let him take the limelight.
Being left out suited Li Mu just fine. Ever since discovering the state of Ning Qingyu's injuries, he'd realized he didn't have much time left.
If the news got out, the already-conflicted Sword and Qi Factions might not even be able to maintain their outward harmony.
In fact, this was also a result of Li Mu's butterfly effect. If he hadn't turned the tide and preserved the sect's strength, everyone might have lost their composure and started fighting long ago.
Cultivate, cultivate... Aside from cultivating, all he did was cultivate. Li Mu had thrown himself into a life of relentless training, day and night.
In both of his lives, he had never worked this hard. If he'd put this much effort into studying in his previous life, he might not have gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University, but he could at least have made it into a top-tier school.
"Senior Brother Li, Master has returned to the mountain."
Sorry, Haiyue got confused and forgot to set the schedule.
Before you continue