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..."