Chapter 205: The Mindset Of The Strong
Xuantian Stone Wall is a steep cliff below Taoli Mountain, flat as a mirror, with jade-like stone material, reaching a hundred zhang high.
It got its name when the Zuo Qiu ancestors inscribed the words “Xuantian” with their swords.
This stone wall is located in the Eastern City. Below it, a Martial Training Square has been built, with seventy-two coiled dragon stone pillars erected. It is the venue for important ceremonies of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, grand and imposing.
The plaza, large enough for ten thousand people to array and gather, was already overcrowded, with not a drop of water able to get through.
Seven spirit lanterns, the size of sedan chairs, were suspended in mid-air, illuminating the plaza and surrounding streets as if it were daytime.
Li Weiyi couldn’t squeeze in at all. On the street, still a hundred zhang away from Xuantian Square, Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan flashed out and smiled at him, “Brother Weiyi, the First Successor has been waiting for you for a long time!”
Led by Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan, the two headed towards a fifteen-story compact-eaved stone pagoda located in the southeast corner of Xuantian Square. Below the pagoda, a large number of Zuo Qiu Gatehouse Five Seas Realm Martial Cultivators stood guard, with Great Mind Masters protecting the formation.
“Young Master Li has arrived!”
“He is Young Master Li, rumored to be a close friend of the First Successor, a peerless genius who defeated all masters of the same realm in five moves.”
…
The Martial Cultivators of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse looked over with eyes full of curiosity and admiration.
When Li Weiyi looked at them, everyone cupped their hands in a smile and saluted. They held great respect and reverence for this rising star of the Five Seas Realm Fourth Realm.
“Brother Weiyi has truly become famous overnight.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan led him into the pagoda and up the stairs.
Li Weiyi said, “Don’t mention it, a martial arts gathering for friendly competition turned into a joke. The money I worked hard to earn was all taken in one go, and I ended up being a wedding dress for someone else.”
“That thieving woman, I hope I don’t find out who she is.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan’s expression turned ugly, and he let out a heavy snort.
Li Weiyi had instructed him, so Qi Xiao did not leak the news that the five boxes of Spring Coins might have been stolen by the Sui Sect. The lost wealth, of course, had to be retrieved personally to regain face.
If the Successor of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse were to act, even if the wealth was recovered, it might not still belong to the Li family.
As they ascended the tower, they occasionally encountered young martial cultivators from the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, most of whom could call out Li Weiyi’s name. Among them were Zuo Qiu Lanlan and Zuo Qiu Bai Ming, but neither knew he was Sima Tan from Thirty-three Mile Mountain, and they simply nodded as they passed.
The top floor of the stone pagoda was lit by four Magic Tool Bone Lamps, placed in the corridors of the east, south, west, and north.
The four tower rooms had their main gates open. As one walked by, one could see remarkable figures seated on chairs, their auras either as strong as dragons and tigers or subtly undetectable. They were all top masters of the younger generation of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse faction.
The Zuo Qiu Gatehouse controls two and a half states in the Southern Territory, but its influence actually reaches all aspects of the Seven States Land. Many Million-Strong Clans and Sects obey their commands.
It would be impossible for other Major Powers to dispatch all their young masters under the age of thirty to Qiu Zhou Prefecture City to participate in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. They lack the time, the conditions, and fear a complete annihilation.
But the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse can, and has no such concerns.
Precisely because of this, everyone knows that the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s home ground, and they naturally become the target of public criticism.
At this moment, half of the top masters of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse faction were gathered in the west tower room, which offered a view of the grand spectacle at Xuantian Square.
The three successors, Zuo Qiu Ting, Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng, and Zuo Qiu Qing Yin, were naturally seated at the head of the table, whispering and discussing something.
Upon seeing Li Weiyi arrive, Qi Xiao was the first to greet him, transmitting a message with his Magic Energy: “Why are you only here now? I’ve been waiting for you all night! Your Jiu Li tribe people are one after another more patient than the last. Cang Li and Li Jiufu haven’t arrived yet either.”
“I came after having New Year’s Eve Dinner.”
Li Weiyi also transmitted with his Magic Energy, not wanting to disturb the quietness of the place.
Qi Xiao was stunned, then smiled, “You should have said so earlier. We just had our meal cleared too. The First Successor was very generous tonight; ten Dragon Scale Fish caught from Bing Zu Marsh were served, each comparable to a Thousand Year Elixir, capable of enhancing Physical Body strength.”
“Aren’t you deliberately making me crave it?” Li Weiyi said.
“Young Master Li, please come in!”
Zuo Qiu Ting’s voice rang out, his eyes gazing at him through the window lattice with a smile.
Inside the west tower room, many pairs of eyes fell upon Li Weiyi outside the door.
Some were curious, some were confused, some were surprised.
Defeating all enemies in five moves had indeed been astonishing, piquing the interest of many top experts in the Five Seas Realm. However, his cultivation realm was too low; why was he brought to the top tower?
The people gathered on this floor were the core figures of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival.
Li Weiyi was also very puzzled. Why did Zuo Qiu Ting want to see him?
Zuo Qiu Ting’s appearance at this moment had changed again, becoming extremely unfamiliar, as if he were someone else. His Disguise Art had reached an exquisite level. If he hadn’t been sitting between Zuo Qiu Lan Cheng and Zuo Qiu Qing Yin, and his folding fan hadn’t been constantly in his hand, it would have been hard to recognize him at first glance.
Unless one used the Heavenly Eye.
Zuo Qiu Ting stood up, his face beaming with smiles. He did not underestimate Li Weiyi at all due to his low cultivation realm; instead, he very solemnly introduced him to the core experts gathered in the tower room.
“Lan Cheng, you already know our Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s Second Successor. As for this one…”
When it came to Zuo Qiu Qing Yin, before Zuo Qiu Ting could speak.
The woman with the Pure Immortal Body, dressed in a green robe, stepped forward gracefully and said with a silver bell-like laugh, “Are you really Cang Li’s brother-in-law? Many elders in the clan have mentioned you to me, looking to arrange a match.”
Her words were bold, and her personality was straightforward.
Li Weiyi, staring at Zuo Qiu Qing Yin’s very aggressive gaze, felt a terrible headache and looked at Zuo Qiu Ting, “You had Bai Yuan pull me up, not just for this matter, right?”
“The old guys in the clan have given me a mission, so I have to get you two to meet. Whether you hit it off is up to you!” Zuo Qiu Ting chuckled.
“Please don’t, Miss Qing Yin is a Successor of Hundred Veins All Silver, and possesses the enchanting beauty of the moon and flowers. She would absolutely not deign to marry into my Li family’s humble household. Please convey to the elders of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse that they shouldn’t try to force a match!”
After Li Weiyi spoke these words, several gazes in the tower room softened, and hostility greatly decreased.
I don’t know if these people think he is not good enough for Zuo Qiu Qing Yin, or if they are Zuo Qiu Qing Yin’s admirers themselves.
“Sinking fish and falling geese,” she mused with a bright smile, “such a description is quite interesting.” Zuo Qiu Qing Yin smiled sweetly.
Seeing that Li Weiyi only mentioned marriage and completely avoided the word “matrimony,” Zuo Qiu Ting felt the matter was likely ruined and said no more. Instead, his expression turned solemn: “Brother Weiyi, I now regret asking you to write those cloth banners back then! I shouldn’t have helped you obtain the invitation to the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and led you into danger.”
Li Weiyi appeared very calm and said with a smile, “You’re afraid of losing, aren’t you?”
I knew from the start that wanting to participate in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival to vie for the Longevity Pill was a fool’s dream, a sign of overestimating my own strength. I thought about retreating, thought about giving up, but in the end, the fighting spirit in my heart overshadowed everything.
Therefore, he came to Qiu Zhou Prefecture City.
At that time, he knew he had no chance at all, yet he went forward without hesitation. Months of effort, barely fighting for a sliver of an opportunity, how could he give up at this moment?
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “It’s just a Dao Lotus. This Young Master can afford to lose it. If you’re willing to withdraw from the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, I’ll give it to you right now.”
Li Weiyi looked at the Xuantian Stone Wall in the distance through the tower window, “Whether we can get the invitation is still unknown, why should Young Master Zuo Qiu admit defeat so quickly? By the way! I have something important I want to tell you.”
By channeling magic power towards his eyes, he could see the three rows of wooden plaques hanging on the stone wall in the distance.
On the wooden plaque were the names of young martial cultivators.
East, West, South, North, the martial cultivators of the Four Territories, wooden plaques hung separately.
The first row had ten people from each realm, a total of forty people, known as First Rank.
The second row, also forty people, is called Second Rank.
The third row still had forty people and was called the Third Class.
66 The invitation slots for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival are fifty people per realm.
In other words, twenty spots will be announced for each realm tonight, totaling eighty people. These eighty people will obviously not be in the First Rank.
Li Weiyi saw the top fighter of the Southern Territory’s Third Rank, who was Yin Nine’s alias, “Li Jiufu”. The second fighter of the Southern Territory’s Third Rank was Yin Eleven’s alias, “Li Jiao”.
The top ten in each rank of the various realms are indeed strong practitioners. However, the front ranks of the second and third classes are not necessarily weaker than them; it’s very possible for masters like Yin Nine and Yin Eleven to suddenly emerge and be placed within them.
Zuo Qiu Ting temporarily asked everyone in the West Pagoda Room to leave: “Speak, what important matter is it?”
Li Weiyi relayed the news that the Imperial Court might make a move against the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and the Jiu Li clan tonight. Of course, he didn’t mention Jiang Ning, instead attributing the source of the information to a hidden person lurking within the Imperial Court.
After listening, Zuo Qiu Ting was unusually calm: “The Imperial Court believes that the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse has a strong army and horses, has made a fortune from war for ten years, and has hoarded countless resources. Once it participates in the competition for power under heaven, the threat will be greater than that of Snow Sword Tang Court, Zhu Men, Dragon Gate, and Lei Xiao Sect.”
“Holding the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival with Du’e Temple is an open act of defiance against the Imperial Court, truly a great treason.”
“The Zuo Qiu Gatehouse would naturally be targeted by them first. As long as the younger generation of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse is eliminated, this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival will become a joke. The Zuo Qiu Gatehouse being a joke also means Du’e Temple is a joke.”
Li Weiyi said, “It seems it was within your expectations. I was worried for nothing. Isn’t Ge Xian Tong afraid of a mutual destruction, with the Imperial Court’s younger generation being surrounded and attacked by a pack of wolves? If I were him, I would have first allied with the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse in secret to deal with other threats.”
Zuo Qiu Ting paid it no mind: “You, this is typical weakling thinking.”
“Oh!”
Li Weiyi asked, “Then what is strong practitioner thinking?”
“The idea of being number one in the world stems from a strong practitioner’s mindset. Aside from being number one, everyone else thinks about problems with a weakling’s mindset.”
“When you are not afraid of anyone, you will not hesitate or be timid.”
Zuo Qiu Ting continued, “I ask you, when you were invincible in the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm, did you ever think of joining forces with an enemy in the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm to kill another person in the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm? When you are invincible under heaven, the sword in your hand is your best ally. One person, one sword, is enough to kill and subdue all enemies.”
“In Ge Xian Tong’s eyes, what do you think I, Cang Li, and Li Jiufu are?”
Li Weiyi pondered for a moment and uttered two words: “Prey?”
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “About right! In the eyes of the number one under heaven among the younger generation, as long as those in the Dao Seed Realm don’t interfere, all the martial cultivators in Qiu Zhou Prefecture City are his prey. As long as we three are killed, Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and the Jiu Li will naturally collapse, and at that time, we will be torn apart by the wolves.”
“You must know that the strongest person in the world wields a special kind of power. Fear!”
“Yu Yaozi mastered fear, so despite the ten-year war, Lingxiao Palace still stands tall.”
“When powerful forces like the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and the Jiu Li tribe were all killed by Ge Xian Tong overnight. This fear is enough to make the people of the Dragon Gate and Lei Xiao Sect tremble; how would they dare to oppose the Imperial Court?”
“The thinking of a strong practitioner requires one battle to decide the universe.”
Li Weiyi mused, “Isn’t he worried about Luan Sheng Lin You?”
