214: Chapter 213: The Battle for Qualification 214: Chapter 213: The Battle for Qualification One by one, disciples selected from various states arrived in succession; most of them stayed in the outer courtyard of the Sword Mansion, while others lodged with friends.
However, the outer courtyard did not become any livelier because each person was busy honing their skills, unlike ordinary cultivators who would network and seek connections.
Each person in this group was a standout disciple from their respective states.
This discussion within the Quanzhen Sect was tied to its overall strategy.
It may not truly decide the trend, but it could determine whether a higher level of confrontation would start immediately.
The Quanzhen Sect hoped to delay, to allow the Anhe Daoist Sect to consolidate its resistance; the Wu Sect wanted to strike while the iron was hot, to quickly overcome the Anhe Daoist Sect in one fell swoop.
The contention among these junior cultivators was a reflection of the foundations of the two major powers in the Southwest region, from which one could gauge the approximate level of their strengths.
This was a necessary step before the great cultivation forces of the Jinxiu Continent collided—an act of probing, intimidating, causing the weaker to retreat.
This method might seem unsatisfactory and drawn out, but it was a prerequisite to prevent large-scale chaos; although everyone knew that signs of continental strife were emerging, no one wanted to be the initiator and face universal condemnation.
…The pride of heaven from Yujing finally arrived.
Each sect and power had its own internal ranking, although some valued it highly, while others dealt with it indifferently; strength was always changing.
Today’s so-called weakling might rise unexpectedly in the future.
Cultivation was a grave endeavor, yet it was also a process where miracles could happen, and anything was possible.
Especially in the middle-low stages where the situation fluctuates wildly; it was hard to make an accurate judgment, you could only compare realms, levels, and age groups.
Within the Quanzhen Sect, there was no fixed ranking, but it was commonly believed that the group of disciples from Yujing was the benchmark for all low-rank disciples of the Quanzhen Sect in Shan Country; because Yujing was the true core of the Quanzhen Sect, where most of the cultivators above Golden Core and half of those above Tongxuan gathered.
In such an environment for cultivation, with abundant resources, powerful teaching staff, and a perfect competitive environment, it was only natural for the students trained there to surpass those from other states.
In fact, this was also the case.
In the occasional skill contests, the gap was quite evident, and gradually it became common knowledge that the power ranking in the Yujing Region was the ranking for the Quanzhen Sect in Shan Country, and other regions were just the supporting backdrop.
Therefore, there was an allocation method where Yujing would send out five disciples, and each of the other states would send two.
In fact, to the people of Yujing, there wouldn’t be any problem if all thirty disciples were selected from the Yujing Region and the strength would even be stronger; but as a consideration by the higher-ups of Quanzhen, such an allocation still needed to factor in the face of the other states.
It was also a form of balance.
Hou Niao being selected was not only due to Yu Zhengxing’s strong support but also some off-field reasons: he had once slain a Tongxuan demon beast, he had protected West Mang Mountain by slaughtering countless souls, and he had caused losses to many high-standing persons in Jin City.
Thus, this somewhat risky mission fell upon him.
Luo Linwang was another matter, immensely famous within the Jin City disciples’ circle and acknowledged as the strongest.
The two of them representing Da Feng Plain was more or less in line with reality.
With the Capital Commandant’s residence among the three houses, no one would be there to fill up numbers; they were going to fight for real, not to take shortcuts or seek benefits.
Hou Niao did not bother with these trivial matters, nor did he go to meet these so-called brothers from Yujing; there were plenty of people willing to ingratiate themselves, and by the time it was his turn, there might be nothing left but the residue…
All he had to do was wait for news.
However, even though he kept such a low profile, there were still people who would not let him be.
The day after the Yujing disciples group arrived, a group came specifically to visit him.
To his surprise, the one leading was Daoist Wang, a lackey of Li, the Capital Commandant.
Daoist Wang pulled him aside, “Junior Brother Hou, I apologize for the abruptness of my visit.
Don’t be offended, I was compelled, and I didn’t wish for it to be this way.”
Hou Niao’s expression remained calm, “Senior Brother, please speak your mind.
With the Capital Commandant’s office involved, I believe everything must be within the bounds of reason.”
This matter also vexed Li, the Capital Commandant, but it was an inevitable part of his duties.
Hou Niao had joined the Quanzhen Sect and in just three short years had progressed from the Energy Induction to the Bridge Connection Realm, an advancement that astounded everyone.
He knew this junior brother had some unclear issues with Li, the Capital Commandant, including the selection of personnel for Da Feng Plain—Yu’s recommendation alone was not enough, it was Li’s word that was decisive.
But as fate would have it, just when they were about to set off, this unpleasant incident occurred.
“The situation is this: the two slots for Da Feng Plain were not decided by competition, but were assigned by the three houses, something common among the states because we can’t gather all disciples just to vie for these two places.
In Jin City, most disciples had no objections, but there were a very few who might feel it unfair.
Yet under the authority of the three houses, no one dared speak out.”
Hou Niao understood, “You mean, the arrival of these visitors from Yujing gave some people an opportunity?”
Daoist Wang huffed, “Exactly!
They never dared to speak up before but chose to do so precisely when the people from Yujing arrived, clearly questioning the impartiality of the Capital Commandant’s office and attempting to use the authority of the Yujing upper cultivators to pressure our Da Feng Plain residences.
Luo Linwang holds a reputation among the Jin City disciples; they wouldn’t dare challenge him.
But it’s different for you.
This time, there are three people who want to challenge your place.
My Capital Commandant’s office will mediate, with Senior Brother Rao Zongzhi from Yujing as an observer, to settle the ownership of your qualification.
The Capital Commandant asked me to tell you privately, just make your move, and don’t hold back any concerns.”
Hou Niao took the hint, “Understood, thank you for the heads-up, Senior Brother.
Heh, after all, we’re all exerting effort for Quanzhen; whoever goes, it’s all the same, starting from a good place is what matters.”
The visitors were not few; there were more than a dozen, apparently coming to watch the excitement or to serve as witnesses.
It couldn’t be said that all of them harbored sinister intentions; vying for such a task, whether for bravery or responsibility, was commendable.
It was just that the timing was not right, and it implicitly slapped the face of the Capital Commandant’s office.
Hou Niao did not know the relationship between the subtle rivalry among Jin City’s three houses and Yujing’s higher-ups, but in the eyes of Mu Shuai’s residence and the Central Army’s residence, he, Hou Niao, was a man of the Capital Commandant’s office, a label that he feared was unchangeable.
He had never thought of clinging to the Capital Commandant’s thigh, but since the thigh kept giving him support whenever needed, why not cling to it?
Having support was better than being a target of public censure.
When the cultivation world became entwined with secular affairs, it often led to such complex entanglements.
Having this episode right before the departure, it seemed that clinging to the Capital Commandant’s thigh was not that easy after all, as it attracted too many enemies, who inevitably made their moves in secret.
For example, promoting his own people?