Ultimately, cultivation is about one's level of spiritual attainment.
If someone in the Northern Pole Sect reaches the First Rank in cultivation, regardless of whether they are True Disciple, they will become the sect leader.
The purpose of True Disciple Candidate and True Disciple outstanding talents is ultimately to select and nurture them.
Everyone in the sect knows that the sect leader's lifespan is limited. Without First Rank expert to take over the sect, who knows what the Northern Pole Sect will become!
Zhou Zhiyi lived for over ninety years, so he naturally understood these principles deeply.
He also understood Zhou Wuji's intentions: to gain a huge advantage with a small investment, to rise to power by stepping on their Yuheng Lineage, and to obtain the Secret Method of the Third Rank Army-Breaking Sword.
However, their Yuheng Lineage has many experts, and they still lost to Zhou Wuji's Seven Star Consecutive Battles, so what else is there to say!
In fact, even if they had won this battle, Yuheng would have been humiliated.
Zhou Zhiyi agreed because Zhou Yichun had no chance left, and he couldn't let Zhou Wuji or Zhou Zhihua have an easy time either.
Gods fight over a stick of incense, humans fight over a breath of air.
If you've lost your competitive spirit, what kind of sword cultivator are you?
Zhou Zhiyi returned to the Yuheng Hall and immediately summoned the many elders there to explain the matter. The elders were all shocked and furious; a mere junior daring to challenge the Yuheng Lineage was utterly arrogant!
However, they also felt that this was outrageous, and that as the temple master, he should not have agreed in the first place.
Even if they win, there's no benefit. But if they really lose, the Yuheng Lineage will lose all face.
In front of Zhou Zhiyi, the elders did not say much.
Once the words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.
The group could only discuss and decide on the best candidates to ensure victory in this battle.
The Yuheng Lineage consists entirely of sword cultivators, all of whom excel in combat. There are countless powerful sword cultivators below the Third Rank.
Zhou Yichun is True Disciple Candidate, which is because he is more capable than his peers and is also a direct descendant of the Zhou Household.
If age restrictions are removed, there are quite a few sword cultivators more powerful than Zhou Yichun. The crowd quickly listed several formidable sword cultivators, all just a step away from the Third Rank.
An elder said, "There is a genius in Yuyang Upper Court named Ye Wuque. He is only twenty-six years old this year, but he has already reached the Fourth Rank of perfection. He has mastered the Tianshu Sword technique to a superb degree."
"We were originally going to add someone as a candidate for the True Disciple Candidate this year, but Zhou Wuji took the spot, so we'll have to wait until next year."
"Call Ye Wuque. If he can defeat Zhou Wuji, he can be added as a candidate for the True Disciple Candidate..." Zhou Zhiyi glanced at the elder. This old fellow also had the surname Lu, and was obviously taking the opportunity to promote his own family member.
He had also heard of Ye Wuque; he was said to be quite formidable at the Yuyang Upper Court.
Ye Wuque as a candidate for the True Disciple Candidate because he strongly opposed it, which led to the suppression of the proposal.
He was also Ye Wuque for Zhou Yichun's sake. Ye Wuque's arrival would inevitably divert the resources of the Yuheng Lineage, and might even cause many elders to have other ideas, leading to internal divisions.
Now that Zhou Yichun is destined to fail to advance to the True Disciple, bringing Ye Wuque wouldn't be a bad idea.
If Ye Wuque proves himself and can truly defeat Zhou Wuji, he will wholeheartedly recommend Ye Wuque!
Zhou Zhiyi immediately nodded in agreement and told them to transfer the personnel over right away.
The sword duel on the Seven Star Platform was agreed to take place on the night of the fifteenth of August.
There's still plenty of time; they can allocate manpower at their leisure...
At the same time, Zhou Wuji went to the Purple Tenuity Hall to see the sect leader.
The agreement to duel with Zhou Zhiyi was a private matter. However, the matter concerning the inheritance of the Army-Breaking Sword Secret Method is no longer a private matter.
As a True Disciple Candidate, Zhou Wuji had to report this matter to the sect leader. The young disciple recognized Zhou Wuji and led him to a quiet room in a side hall to wait.
After waiting for most of the day, it wasn't until the afternoon that the young Daoist priest came and led Zhou Wuji to another side hall.
The young Daoist didn't explain. Many people had come to pay their respects to the sect leader, and to be received was already a great honor bestowed upon this potential disciple by the True Disciple Candidate leader.
Upon entering the side hall, Zhou Wuji saw the sect leader Zhou Xuan'an, sitting quietly on a long couch, his eyes slightly lowered, seemingly in meditation or perhaps taking a short rest.
Zhou Xuan'an had a lean and refined appearance, with a long gray beard. He sat there quietly wearing a dark blue Daoist robe with gold flecks, his aura calm and natural, exuding an indescribable Daoist spirit.
"Disciple greets Sect Leader." Zhou Wuji bowed deeply, his posture respectful.
Zhou Xuan'an opened his eyes and smiled slightly at Zhou Wuji: "No need for formalities, please sit." "How could a disciple be qualified to sit before the sect leader?"
Zhou Wuji knew what was going on. Zhou Xuan'an was 150 years old and had seen the ways of the world. He might not really care about these formalities, but as a junior, he still had to be careful in his words and actions in this regard.
Zhou Xuan'an didn't press the matter. He asked softly, "What brings you here?"
"This disciple has some entanglements with Palace Master Zhou Zhiyi Yuheng, and therefore challenged him to a duel at Seven Star Platform. This matter concerns the inheritance of Secret Method, and this disciple has come to report to the Sect Master..."
Zhou Wuji recounted his duel with Zhou Zhiyi, without stating who was right or wrong, simply explaining the cause and effect.
He wasn't sure about Zhou Xuan'an's attitude towards the Zhou Household, so there was no need to complain. Distant people shouldn't interfere with family matters.
Even if Zhou Xuan'an was dissatisfied with the Zhou Household, he wouldn't want to hear others say bad things about Zhou Household.
After Zhou Wuji explained the situation, Zhou Xuan'an laughed, " Zhou Zhiyi agreed?"
"Yes," Zhou Wuji replied directly.
Zhou Xuan'an shook his head slightly, seemingly somewhat dismissive of his nephew.
He then turned to Zhou Wuji and asked softly, " The Yuheng Lineage has many experts; are you confident in your abilities?"
"I'm about 70-80% confident," Zhou Wuji replied seriously.
Zhou Xuan'an nodded. "The sect has been too comfortable for decades, and has even lost the will to compete and fight."
"It's excellent that you possess such martial prowess. It also lets the entire sect see that the foundation of us cultivators lies in our cultivation level."
"All those schemes and calculations are just Lower Vehicle tactics."
He then comforted Zhou Wuji, saying, "In this battle, you must give it your all and show everyone in the academy that the essence of cultivation lies in oneself, in the Dao, and in the Dharma, not in those messy and unorthodox methods..."
Zhou Wuji nodded vigorously. "Thank you for your guidance, Sect Leader. I understand." Zhou Xuan'an smiled with satisfaction, "You are a smart child with talent. I have high hopes for you."
"For hundreds of years, the sect has been plagued by too many outdated rules and customs, and its people have been conservative and lack the drive to explore and make progress."
"We need people like you to forge a different path."
"Just focus on your cultivation. As long as you abide by the sect's rules, no one can harm you."
Zhou Wuji bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude for the sect leader's care.
He knew it was time to leave, so he immediately took his leave. As soon as Zhou Wuji returned to Fallen Blossoms Studio, he saw Su Wuyi sitting in the main hall.
Su Wuyi, dressed in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe and with a carefree headscarf tied around her head, looked even more charming and radiant.
"Senior brother, where have you been?" Su Wuyi hurriedly got up to greet Zhou Wuji as he entered, asking with concern, "Senior brother, why are you fighting with the Yuheng Lineage?"
"You've heard about it?" Zhou Wuji asked.
"The news has spread throughout the entire hospital."
Seeing that Zhou Wuji's expression was calm and he didn't seem to care much about the matter, Su Wuyi said with some concern, "Although Yuheng Zhou Zhiyi is stubborn, he is still very shrewd."
"I heard they also transferred a swordsmanship genius from the Yuyang Upper Court, named Ye Wuque." "That name sounds quite imposing," Zhou Wuji laughed.
"I've also heard of Ye Wuque. He's said to be invincible in the Yuyang Upper Court, and very powerful."
Su Wuyi, fearing that Zhou Wuji might be careless, specifically emphasized Ye Wuque's prowess.
She added, " The Yuheng Hall also has Zhou Zhijing, Lu Yifeng, Huang Yitong, and Zhou Yiwei. These four are known as the Four Swords of Yuheng, and they are all highly promising experts who have advanced to the Third Rank. Each of them has experienced countless battles and possesses unparalleled Swordsmanship."
The Four Swords of Yuheng each possess unique skills and are all very famous in Chuyang.
Although Su Wuyi was True Disciple Candidate, she knew that there was still a considerable gap between her and these masters.
Even at the same Fourth Rank, the more one cultivates, the purer and more powerful one's True Qi becomes.
Not to mention, the Four Swords of Yuheng have fought countless battles and have rich combat experience.
Some of them were once True Disciple Candidate, only one step away from becoming the True Disciple.
Su Wuyi had witnessed Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship and knew how formidable this senior brother was; he was no less skilled than any master in Yuheng, and perhaps even surpassed them by a few points.
However, in the Seven Star Consecutive Battles, Zhou Wuji fought against seven opponents single-handedly, highlighting the overwhelming advantage of the Yuheng Lineage.
"Thank you for the reminder, Junior Sister. I will be careful." Zhou Wuji knew, of course, that the Seven Star Consecutive Battles was very difficult. Otherwise, how could he have tricked Zhou Zhiyi into giving him the Army-Breaking Sword?
Although he was quite confident, he didn't want to explain it too clearly to Su Wuyi.
Su Wuyi said, "I have almost finished preparing the medicinal materials. I will start refining the Golden Nectar Pill tomorrow."
"It should be able to form the pill in seven days, which will also be of some benefit to Senior Brother..." "That would be wonderful."
Zhou Wuji cupped his hands in greeting, "Junior Sister, you've worked hard."
Su Wuyi waved her hand, "It's nothing. If you need anything, just ask me."
After exchanging a few words, Su Wuyi left in a hurry.
After Fallen Blossoms Studio, Su Wuyi originally intended to go back to prepare medicinal herbs, but after thinking about it, she went to Cangyan Terrace instead.
Shui Wushang sat cross-legged on the edge of the stone platform, his sword held across his knees, silently watching the sunset.
Su Wuyi jumped down from above and hurriedly told them about the Seven Star Consecutive Battles.
"Senior brother is truly brave and decisive!"
Unlike the worried Su Wuyi, Shui Wushang was quite impressed. Su Wuyi frowned, "It would be terrible if we lost. Senior Brother was taking too much of a risk."
"Senior brother's Swordsmanship has reached an unparalleled level; in terms of Swordsmanship, no one in our academy's Fourth Rank can compare."
Shui Wushang said calmly, "Senior brother is also meticulous. Since he took the initiative to challenge me, he must be confident."
"On the fifteenth of August, let everyone in the academy witness my senior brother's unparalleled Swordsmanship..."
Shui Wushang was highly skilled in swordsmanship and could better understand the power of Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship.
Therefore, she had complete confidence in Zhou Wuji.
Although Su Wuyi felt it was a bit exaggerated, she felt much more relaxed.
She whispered, "If my senior brother is certain to win this battle, I'll find someone to gamble on several important spiritual items and make some money."
She still had some doubts. "Is my senior brother really guaranteed to win?"
Shui Wushang shook his head slightly. "A sure victory is a bit of an exaggeration, but we're at least 70-80% confident."
Su Wuyi clenched her fist and slapped her palm. "I trust my senior brother, I'll take the bet!"
News of the duel Yuheng Lineage and Zhou Wuji quickly spread throughout the academy and even reached Chuyang City, attracting much attention... (Happy National Day everyone! Also, please vote for me! bows)