With even a modest family fortune, could the Clear Abyss Sect have ended up like this

"Wahhhh... my dream of being a blade master..."

"Stop crying now. Victory and defeat are common in battle. I lose to that ice block too... uh, I mean, there are many paths to success. If all else fails, you can learn the hammer from me?"

"Wahhhhhh!!!"

"Alright, alright, how about I compensate you with a good blade?"

"What do you know? This blade was my beloved treasure, a symbol of my elder's expectations for me. It grew up with me since childhood. I see it as..."

"Here, this blade is named 'Cloud Thunder'. Bought at the Donghai Mirage Auction, ranked as a Treasure Weapon, worth sixty..."

"Gasp..."

The dream-shattered youth, Tang Liu, dropped his 'beloved' and clutched the new favorite to his chest, his face overflowing with joy as if admiring a rare treasure.

Li Mo: "..."

If he had taken this blade out earlier, would he have needed to waste so many words and go around in such a big circle?

The many martial artists watching from below fell silent. Having been in the Jianghu for so long, they'd seen all sorts of scenes.

But this scene, they truly hadn't seen before.

"This feels so familiar, reminds me of back in Yunzhou City..."

"Actually, the blade breaking isn't entirely Young Master Li's fault. But him taking out a Treasure Weapon to compensate the guy... isn't that a bit too much? Doesn't he understand its value?"

"No, no, it's you who doesn't understand Young Master Li."

Elder Qian's face had been dark earlier because the Qingyuan Sect disciples still lagged behind the major sects, with dismal results.

Now his face was red, because a Qingyuan Sect disciple had challenged someone above his level, beat them until they cried, and then pacified them like a child. His old face burned with embarrassment.

He never should have presided over this exchange!

What should he say now?

Elder Qian glanced beside him. The one co-commentating with him was Shang Wu. After all, Shang Wu was the fight queen, and this was one of the few times her expertise was useful.

Shang Wu took a sip of wine: "Is this right? This is not right."

Elder Qian was taken aback. Was Shang Wu actually being reasonable today?

Before the thought could settle, he heard her continue:

"Why give a blade? Bullying the weak is the essence of the art. You should provoke before the fight, and after winning, don't you know you're supposed to ruthlessly humiliate your opponent?"

"Later, I'll take action and give Little Mo another lesson!"

Besides the exchanges among the younger generation, there was naturally also an exchange segment where the elders of the sects could meet through martial arts.

"..." Old Qian wiped his sweat, thinking the heavy responsibility of commentary should fall to him after all.

If Shang Wu took charge, he was afraid the guests who came to offer congratulations would turn into guests coming to arrange fights.

"Ahem, what a thrilling contest between dragon and tiger. Both sides displayed sportsmanship, showed their style, highlighted their own strengths, and even witnessed a cross-level challenge."

"In the end, they not only tested their martial arts but also strengthened their friendship. A happy outcome for all, a happy outcome indeed."

Qian Bufan said loudly, steeling himself.

Sparse, scattered applause sounded from below.

Separated by the noisy crowd, Tian Xun, unable to see what was happening even on tiptoe, had to use her little notebook to record Qian Bufan's words as material for "The Legend of Liqun's Sword Hero."

Old Qian's voice was quite loud.

Also hearing these words was the spy from the Huanmo Sect.

That spy thought to himself: "What a pity. That Tang Liu didn't manage to test Li Mo's strength at all..."

He quietly slipped away from the back of the crowd and returned all the way to the Happy Sheep Hotpot Restaurant.

In the private room on the second floor, Yuwen Cuojin was surprised to see him return so quickly. "You've investigated this fast?"

"Reporting to Vice-Sect Master, things have deviated somewhat from our plan. His peers... probably have no ability to test Li Mo at all now."

The spy recounted everything he had just seen.

Including how Tang Liu was beaten until he cried by Li Mo and was only pacified after being given a blade.

The two Vice-Sect Masters fell silent for a moment, their eyes flickering.

Lingxi Sect Master Mo Chaozong snorted coldly. "He's just a Fourth Realm cultivator at most. No matter how talented, can he overturn the heavens? We'd be better off focusing our attention on dealing with the others."

Situ Ding glanced at him and sighed. "This is precisely why your Lingxi Sect suffered heavy losses, while our Divine Sect has been passed down for thousands of years."

"Is what I said wrong?" Mo Chaozong detected the disdain in the other's eyes.

"Let me ask you a question," Situ Ding said. "If a genius who hasn't yet fully grown forms a life-and-death enmity with your Lingxi Sect, how would Sect Master Mo handle it?"

Mo Chaozong snorted. "Naturally, send a few disciples whose realms are a bit higher than his to eradicate him root and stem, along with his entire family, leaving not even a chicken or dog behind."

"How much higher?"

"One or two realms higher should be more than enough."

Being one realm higher was like a chasm; two realms higher was the difference between cloud and mud, like crushing an ant. It seemed perfectly reasonable.

"What if he escapes?"

"Then send an elder one realm higher."

"Congratulations..."

Mo Chaozong thought Situ Ding was praising him for being thorough, but the other slowly continued:

"You let the tiger return to the mountains, with a sea of blood feud. Decades later, the Lingxi Sect is annihilated."

"?" Mo Chaozong's expression froze on his face.

Situ Ding sneered. "Even a lion must use its full strength to catch a rabbit. Geniuses are mostly extraordinary; cross-level battles are common for them. Sending people only one realm higher each time—isn't that just delivering whetstones for him to sharpen himself against?"

"But I said one realm higher and two realms higher."

"Since we're talking about a genius, isn't it normal for him to break through mid-battle? Then it's still just one realm higher."

"You're making it sound too mystical. How could such a thing possibly happen..."

Mo Chaozong was somewhat unconvinced.

Situ Ding's gaze turned profound. "Who says it can't? Back when the Great Yu Martial Emperor was still a refugee..."

Mo Chaozong: "..."

So it's personal experience. No wonder he looks so pained.

"Anyway, we absolutely must not underestimate a genius of Li Mo's caliber."

Yuwen Cuojin steered the conversation back to the main topic:

"Moreover, he carries a great secret on him. We must ensure everything is foolproof."

"A secret..." Mo Chaozong looked curious but held back from asking. He feared knowing too much wasn't a good thing.

Situ Ding, however, waved his hand and smiled. "Since we are cooperating, we should be frank. It's fine to tell you."

"We suspect that Li Mo carries the legacy of the Great Shang Dynasty!"

Yuwen Cuojin also nodded. "If not for this, it's impossible to explain where he got such terrifying wealth, or why his talent is so astonishing yet he chose to worship under the Shang Wu sect. It's a pity the Yin Hua father and son perished; otherwise, we could know in more detail..."

The collapse of a vast empire buried countless secrets.

The Huanmo Sect had long suspected that beneath the Qingyuan Sect lay foundations left by the Great Shang for restoring the nation. It was just that the Qingyuan Sect was powerful in its early years, making it impossible to search. Later, despite their overt and covert investigations, they found nothing.

Eventually, the theory was dropped.

It wasn't until the rise of Li Mo and Ying Bing that they began to pay serious attention to the matter again.