108: Chapter 107 Ghostly Tombs 4 [Pleading for Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions] 108: Chapter 107 Ghostly Tombs 4 [Pleading for Monthly Tickets and Subscriptions] In the field, two fine horses galloped, having left the vicinity of West Mang Mountain for a while.
Dou Gong was still somewhat gloomy and silent.
Glancing at him and knowing his heart was burdened, Xiang Zhiwen, as his superior, still needed to offer guidance,
“What, are you dissatisfied with my decision?”
Dou Gong, after all, was an elder from Yinling, and it was inappropriate to throw a fit in front of a newly arrived junior, but now that they had left, he had no such concerns,
“Brother, you promised to decide by the number of Soul Ghosts slain.
As a superior, isn’t it improper to break your word?
Xiang Zhiwen glared at him, “I broke my word, so what?”
Seeing him act shamelessly, Dou Gong really had no answer, “…”
Xiang Zhiwen smiled slightly, “But I haven’t really broken my word, because throughout the entire process, you only killed minor soul ghosts, while your junior Hou cut down two Wandering Souls and one fierce ghost!
By that count, I judged him to have slain more than you.
Can you accept that?”
Dou Gong was puzzled, “If that’s truly the case, then I concede.
But there are hardly any higher-level Soul Ghosts around the outskirts of West Mang Mountain.
How did these beings come about?
And why do they specifically target Junior Hou while completely avoiding me?”
Xiang Zhiwen huffed, “Who made your Flame Sword so formidable?
The biggest advance Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts have over lower Soul Ghosts is intelligence.
They can perceive the threat from the Fire Element and sense the power of the Qi in my sword.
So, who else would they choose if not Junior Hou?
It’s true that higher-level Soul Ghosts are rare around the outskirts of West Mang Mountain, but it’s not strange for one or two to mix in when so many are attacking.”
Dou Gong was speechless, “Brother, by your logic, is it all my fault?”
Xiang Zhiwen became serious, “In our Quanzhen Sect’s actions, we always start from practicality and never adhere strictly to so-called rules; the key focus of the competition was who among you two is more suitable to stay in West Mang Mountain, and this depends on many factors.
Killing ability is only one part.
Being a man of Yinling, you should be well aware of this.
Whoever is more likely to survive on West Mang Mountain, that’s who I will choose.
I made my decision after one hour into the fight!
To speak frankly, you’re not as good as Junior Hou!”
Dou Gong rolled his eyes, “I’d like to hear why!”
Xiang Zhiwen held up three fingers, “Firstly, being in a perilous place, you knew the Soul Ghosts were endless, yet you exhausted all your strength just to increase your kill count.
What would you do if something unexpected happened?
On the other hand, your Junior Hou was always striking sure kills, keeping his energy consumption at the lowest, not focusing on winning but on surviving; you’ve seen all this.
That’s the gap, his strategic vision is stronger than yours!”
Dou Gong’s chest heaved, and he eventually admitted, “Yes, he always prioritized survival, not victory.
I was impulsive in that aspect.”
Xiang Zhiwen nodded, “Knowing where you went wrong, there’s still hope for you.
Next, you stood your ground for three hours, which might indeed showcase your spirit and the blood of a Sword Cultivator, but who was that display for?
We siblings already know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, there’s no need to show off; to Soul Ghosts, it’s like playing music to a cow.
So what was the real purpose of your consumption of Spiritual Power?
Just to satisfy yourself?
Look at your Junior Hou, always retreating, advancing within the retreat, dodging strengths and exploiting weaknesses; even at the end, he never lost his position, yet because he kept yielding and advancing, he avoided many unnecessary direct clashes.
Despite his Dantian Spiritual Power being far inferior to yours, if this Spiritual Storm continued, you would definitely be the first to fail!
He knew when to retreat; you did not.
How can I believe that you can survive unscathed in West Mang Mountain?”
Dou Gong had no answer.
To retreat was also a strategy; profound courage might mean retreating, an idea accepted in theory but not often realized in practice because it is hard to execute.
Seeing him silent, Xiang Zhiwen finally pointed at him, “One last point, throughout the entire ordeal, your kill count always suppressed that of Junior Hou, you know it, and he knows too.
Yet he never blindly rushed to catch up!
Because he felt it wasn’t worth it!
Such competition is worthless in the face of life and death!
He always treated this place as a land of life and death, you treated it as a place of victory and defeat; tell me, if you were the judge, who would you choose?”
Dou Gong was completely convinced but verbally unyielding, “This guy, so young, where did he learn this calmness?
But doesn’t he consider that not reaching the required kill count might thwart his goals?”
Xiang Zhiwen smiled smugly, “That’s why I say, your biggest problem is that you’re less insightful than he is!
He knew that the eyes of Yinling’s Patrol Envoy are sharp, insightful, extraordinary, and unique, keen as watching a fire, wise as seeming foolish; even if his kill count isn’t enough, I would still choose him!
He is in no rush, do I look like a fool?”
Dou Gong was hit hard, grumbling fiercely, “He doesn’t yet know that his Patrol Envoy is also thick-skinned!”
Then confused, “Why stay in West Mang Mountain for three months?
Isn’t that too long for just one investigation?”
Xiang Zhiwen chuckled, “If there really is a conspiracy, those behind it would most want to see us blundering around in Yinling, tormented by countless clues.
Therefore, we naturally need to give them that illusion, showing that we haven’t given up by keeping people in West Mang Mountain!
The poison of the Thin Waisted Wasps will mostly be resolved after three months, and if anything changes, it will definitely be within these three months.
We must show them some hope, mustn’t we?”
Dou Gong understood somewhat, “You mean, I won’t be returning to Fang Family’s Castle?”
Xiang Zhiwen laughed heartily, “Of course not, going back would scare those plotting, how will we expose them then?
You have a different task, something Junior Hou can’t handle, so what I told you wasn’t deceptive, huh, if you do as I said…”
How could someone who served as a Patrol Envoy in Yinling for the equivalent of six years between two realms possibly be without cunning?
It’s just that others can’t see it beneath his rough exterior.
For Yinling, the Quanzhen Sect simply hasn’t focused here, not enough worth to warrant major efforts.
Cultivation, too, must consider input and output, otherwise why waste so much manpower and resources?
If this place had a vein of Spirit Stone or some other resource-based mineral, no one would need to say anything; they’d respond accordingly.
Unfortunately, what abounds here are endless Soul Ghosts and troublesome, coarse demons; even the local human natives are unruly and disobedient…
However, not focusing here does not mean giving up; these are two different things.
For these Quanzhen disciples, whether or not they achieve feats, if some profound change occurs in Yinling, that would be significant!