It seemed like an ordinary old man, worn out from age, often drowsy and listless.
A disciple quietly entered the room, not daring to disturb the Pavilion Elder, and respectfully placed a jade slip on the table, then bowed and retreated silently.
The jade slip lay on the table.
All around was silent.
Amidst the lingering fragrance, the Pavilion Elder continued to doze.
It is unclear how long had passed, but the Pavilion Elder slowly opened his eyes, seemingly awakened, glanced sideways, and saw the jade slip on the table, picking it up to take a look.
With just a glance, the Pavilion Elder paused.
"Qian Learning State Boundary, Array Competition Leader, Taixu Gate Mo Hua, Foundation Building Middle Stage, Divine Sense Nineteen Patterns..."
The Pavilion Elder’s drowsiness vanished instantly, his spirit lifted, and he pondered slowly:
"Foundation Building Middle Stage, Nineteen Patterns, this is quite peculiar..."
"Did he cultivate it himself? Or did he borrow it from some ’thing’?"
"If self-cultivated, how did he do it? If borrowed, from where did he borrow it?"
The Pavilion Elder suddenly became interested.
Qianxue’s Array Competition, held once every three years, had a "leader" every time.
Such a leader might be held in high regard by ordinary cultivators.
But in the Taoist State, in the Heaven Shu Pavilion, and especially in the eyes of a Pavilion Elder who had lived for an unknown number of years, it seemed somewhat "tasteless."
Though considered a genius, such geniuses appeared year after year.
Their talents were truly one in a million, but their self-serving nature was no different from ordinary people.
Having seen too many, it became boring.
Even so, a divine sense exceeding three levels was indeed extraordinary.
He, as the Pavilion Elder, seemed to have never seen anything before.
"Let me calculate..."
The Pavilion Elder eagerly extended his hand, just as his fingers moved to form a gesture, he paused, then frowned in displeasure and said:
"Tai Xu Yin Yang Lock? Since when have they been so generous..."
"They were reluctant to lend it to me for even a glance..."
The Pavilion Elder felt a tinge of jealousy.
Soon his curiosity increased.
"To be willing to part with the Yin Yang Lock, there must be no small reason behind it."
Without probing into the details, just sensing the Heavenly Mechanism Lock a bit, Taixu Gate wouldn’t know.
The Pavilion Elder then formed a more formal hand gesture, but after a moment of computation, he paused again, with a look of astonishment on his weathered face:
"Just how many layers of ’disguise’ are there?"
Why is the heavenly secret component so complex?
Moreover, there were hints of cause and effect within that felt familiar to him?
Some causes and effects even made him, as the Pavilion Elder, somewhat apprehensive...
The Pavilion Elder’s expression was one of surprise, finding it hard to believe.
After a moment, he slowly set down the half-completed hand gesture, stopping his calculations, and instead looked at the name on the jade slip, his eyes growing brighter.
"However, Array Leader... in this case..."
The Pavilion Elder’s aged gaze turned again toward the chessboard before him.
On the chessboard, a large area of intertwined pieces, black and white, were in a deadlock.
"...Has the situation changed again?"
The Pavilion Elder gazed at the chessboard, and as he looked, he suddenly saw three fragile great dragons on the board, vaguely showing signs of merging, causing him to pause and sit up straight, murmuring:
Inside the Taixu Gate.
In the Elder’s Residence, the Taixu Sect Master said to Elder Master Xun, "Tai’a Sect and Rushing Void Sect have already been confirmed to fall from the Eight Great Gates."
"Our previous concerns were correct; Tai’a Sect’s ’Sword Casting’ and Rushing Void Sect’s ’Sword Qi’ are not pure enough and do not meet the standards of the Twelve Streams, plus interference from the Four Great Sects, hence there is no place for them in the Twelve Streams either."
"The Tai’a Sect and Rushing Void Sect are likely to fall into the Qian Learning Hundred Gates..."
The Taixu Sect Master sighed inwardly, then felt a bit fortunate.
If not for Mo Hua’s sudden emergence, achieving first in the Array Competition like an evil monster, Taixu Gate’s situation might not be much better. The rıghtful source is novｅlfire.net
Moreover, it was not just that.
The Taixu Sect Master sighed and said, "Already, quite a few noble family’s sons who joined Tai’a and Chongxu Sects are preparing to withdraw."
Elder Master Xun frowned, "Withdraw?"
"Yes," the Taixu Sect Master replied, "Noble family’s sons joined Tai’a and Chongxu sects aiming for the ’Eight Great Gates’ reputation. Now that these two sects’ rankings have fallen and they are about to fade into the Qian Learning Hundred Gates, these descendants from notable backgrounds naturally look for a higher status..."
Such is the way of noble families, cold and calculating.
Even if these descendants are unwilling to leave, their family elders will force them to leave the sect.
Elder Master Xun nodded, then asked, "What about the elders? None want to withdraw?"
The Taixu Sect Master said, "At the elder level, things are still stable for now, as they rely on the sect for their livelihood and salary. Moreover, some are so tightly bound to the sect’s interests that jumping ship is not easy."
"But that’s just for now, things might change later."
"At least among the Guest Elders, there will be a significant number resigning. Some neutral elders are probably already looking for alternatives in secret..."
The Taixu Sect Master shook his head, "The sect’s restructuring is like rowing upstream; if we don’t advance, we will retreat. Taking a step back now, trying to climb back up amidst these turbulent waves will be as hard as ascending to the heavens."
"Moreover, with a batch of core disciples leaving, and a batch of elders leaving, without the title of the Eight Great Gates, the quality of recruited disciples will also decline, creating a nearly unsolvable deadlock. Tai’a Sect and Chongxu Sect may never rise again in the future..."
The Taixu Sect Master’s tone was one of sentiment, mixed with some sympathy.
Elder Master Xun nodded and said, "Good."
The Taixu Sect Master almost thought he had heard wrong, "Good?"
Elder Master Xun nodded, "Very good."
The Taixu Sect Master was stunned.
Weren’t the three sects the same origin, in the same alliance?