"That’s right, ranking is everything. As long as we get first place, our Ancestor will give us whatever we want. We’ll be able to do anything we want in the future, and no one will dare to control us."
"In the Cultivation World, power is paramount."
"A genius, a genius, as long as you’re talented enough, whatever you do is right."
"If I can get first place, even if I break into the Taoist Court and kill a Supervisor, the Ancestor would probably cover for me."
"Bullshit, I don’t believe it."
"I’ll kill someone and show you, just bet on whether the Ancestor will protect me. If I get protected, you’ll let me play with your betrothed Dao partner for a night."
"Screw you."
"You don’t believe me?"
"It’s not that I don’t believe the Ancestor will protect you; I don’t believe you can get first place. With your skills, you think you deserve to be first in Debating Sword?"
"Get lost, I don’t even dare touch her."
"It’s just a game, what are you afraid of..."
...
These noble family’s sons are speaking more and more absurdly.
But the two Golden Core cultivators nearby remained silent, even the Elder Feathered Immortal acted like he saw nothing and heard nothing.
For a job like theirs, the most important thing is to neither listen nor speak. That way, they won’t make mistakes.
These noble infants in front of them were truly "little ancestors," and were not to be offended at all.
If they truly offended them and made them hold a grudge, they could go to their parents, elders, or even the Ancestor to lodge a complaint.
Even if they themselves are Golden Core or Feather Transformation cultivators, they can’t afford the consequences.
This is the power of authority.
And this power is based on the enormous strength of these noble families.
A few noble family’s sons quarreled for a while, when suddenly someone asked:
"Mr. Shu, why are we going to Solitary Mountain City? Isn’t that taking a big detour? I’m worried we won’t make it to the family’s ancestor worship."
Shen Linsu didn’t answer.
Someone said, "The gentleman instructed us. Just do as he says. Why do you talk so much?"
"You..."
Shen Linsu ignored their quarrel.
He looked out at the dark night outside the window, with thoughts unknown, and after a moment, that familiar feeling came again, and Shen Linsu involuntarily thought of Mo Hua.
He remembered Mo Hua’s bright eyes and his pure, indifferent face.
"Was it really my first time meeting him? Why does he feel so familiar? Even..."
Feel wary?
Do I feel wary?
Shen Linsu’s gaze turned slightly cold, murmuring in his heart:
"This Mo Hua... who exactly is he?"
...
Taixu Gate.
After returning to the Sect, Mo Hua temporarily settled down.
In the following days, he took time to investigate this "Shen Linsu," but he didn’t gather much information. He vaguely learned that even among noble families, they are truly "high-door children," completely different from ordinary Disciples, especially someone like Mo Hua.
Mo Hua sighed.
Cultivation barriers, the monopoly of inheritance, the isolation of bloodline...
The more he looked into these channels and layers of barriers, the deeper and higher they appeared.
Of course, Mo Hua just sighed; there’s nothing he can do about it.
Afterwards, he continued to diligently attend cultivation classes.
The new year of Sect life began, and everything soon settled into routine.
This was Mo Hua’s eighth year at Taixu Gate, and it was also the penultimate year of the Sect’s nine-year cultivation.
Next year, it would be the Debating Dao Conference.
In the Qianxue state boundary, a Disciple can only participate in the Debating Dao Conference once in a lifetime. Therefore, the opportunity to debate the Dao is extremely precious.
The one last Debating Dao Conference that Mo Hua attended was an exception, courtesy of backdoor access.
By rights, next year’s Debating Dao Conference is his rightful turn.
And for the Debating Dao Conference of his generation, in the blink of an eye, it’s just over a year away.
Mo Hua felt that time flew by quickly, even though he’s been through so much, yet entry day seemed just like yesterday. In the blink of an eye, the nine-year term is nearly over and he’s about to graduate.
Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel a bit of urgency, yet why he felt urgent, he couldn’t quite articulate.
...
Taixu Gate, Sect Leader Residence.
Towers stood towering, cloud-wrapped.
Elder Master Xun and the Taixu Sect Master were drinking tea and discussing matters.
"The next Debating Dao Conference is almost upon us, less than two years away..." the Taixu Sect Master sighed.
Elder Master Xun silently drank tea, without speaking.
The Taixu Sect Master hesitated for a moment, still feeling a bit anxious in his heart, and asked, "Master, do you think our Taixu Gate will get a decent ranking this time?"
Elder Master Xun calmly said, "Asking me is of no use, I don’t tell fortunes."
"Aren’t you capable of deducing Cause and Effect?"
"That’s called deduction, not fortune-telling. Very few in the Cultivation World truly can tell fortunes. Besides, in deducing Cause and Effect, you’re not the only one who can do it, others can too. Trying to take shortcuts in this aspect is futile."
The Taixu Sect Master felt a bit regretful and then frowned, "By rights, after the Three Sects Unification, our Taixu Gate’s strength isn’t what it used to be. With formations and Mo Hua as a safety net, even if we don’t advance further in the next Debating Dao Conference, it shouldn’t be a problem to maintain our ranking, but..."
The Taixu Sect Master sighed, "I always feel uneasy, as if something major will happen at this Debating Dao Conference."
Hearing this, Elder Master Xun’s gaze narrowed. After a moment, he poured himself a cup of tea, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate. When a disaster arises, there’s no avoiding it."
The Taixu Sect Master was silent.
Elder Master Xun took a sip of tea, then looked up at the Taixu Sect Master, "Instead of worrying, wouldn’t it be better to focus on nurturing some good seedlings, so they can achieve a good ranking at the Debating Sword?"
"One must be strong personally; if our Taixu Gate’s Disciples are strong enough, isn’t it only reasonable that we secure our ranking?"
The Taixu Sect Master was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Master is right. I will look for more Disciples and focus on nurturing them."
But he felt a bit helpless in his heart.
It’s one thing to say, but here in the Qianxue state boundary, there’s no shortage of geniuses.
The Taixu Gate is already at a disadvantage in terms of disciple recruitment, and no matter how they select, there’s only so much strength to be had.
Moreover, now that the Three Sects have unified, there are more people, and the requirements are higher.
If it were the former Taixu Gate, maintaining eighth place would be considered lucky.
But now, at the very least, Taixu Gate must maintain a spot in the "top three," otherwise, without a sufficient portion of the Qianlong Spirit Mine, they can’t support this big family.
The Sect needs a large number of Spirit Stones.
Currently, the Three Sects Unification, to a certain extent, is subsisting on their individual reserves.
If they don’t secure a good ranking and claim a bigger share in the Qianlong Spirit Mine to get more Spirit Stones, sooner or later they will "idle away their resources."
At that point, once the Spirit Stone supply is insufficient, and they can’t make ends meet, when times get tough, the Taixu Gate will be nothing more than a "big empty shell," and a decline is only a matter of time.
"Running a Sect really burns through Spirit Stones..."
The Taixu Sect Master sighed in his heart.
So, the ranking in the Debating Sword is of great importance.
He seriously began to consider candidates for the Debating Sword.
"Ling Huxiao from the Rushing Void Sect, a Sword Dao Genius not seen in five hundred years, was originally Rushing Void Sect’s little treasure, but is now a benefit to my Taixu Gate... No, we’re all Taixu Gate now; there’s no benefit to anyone..."
"The Tai’a Sect, the Ouyang family does have a few good ones, who are skilled in the Sword technique..."
"In our Taixu Gate, though there’s no one particularly outstanding, with Mo Hua as the ’Junior Brother’ leading the way, the cohesion within our Sect is strong, and cooperation is more seamless..."
The Taixu Sect Master murmured, suddenly his heart stirred, and he curiously asked, "Master, do you think Mo Hua...is he suitable for the Debating Sword?"
Given it’s about Mo Hua, Elder Master Xun took it seriously.
He frowned and pondered for a moment, slowly shaking his head:
"Not suitable... this child’s abilities, his strengths and weaknesses are too obvious. It’s too hard for him to go to the Debating Sword, and he’s too easily targeted..."