Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 753 - 752: Shan Sect Annual Meeting 03

The preaching of Master Shi actually propagated a doctrine of moderation, selling books at eighty percent, converting elixir through nine cycles, essentially conveying that: one should always leave margin, never be absolute, not to compete is to compete, to compete is not to compete... In the end, won’t you still honestly return to the front of the Laojun furnace?

Extended to the present, its implication is self-evident, and all the cultivators present are adept at solving riddles, clearly understanding this roundabout reasoning more than ever.

Master Shi eloquently preached for an hour, aiming to express such thoughts, even using demonstrations to prove his Daoist Method, which enraptured the audience.

When he concluded, the next to ascend the pulpit was supposed to be Master Yan from the Situ Mansion, but a figure had already preempted him, and upon looking up, it was the long-unseen Master Quan, one of the Idle Cranes in the Wilds.

Master Quan had a face like a jujube and a voice like a bell, forthright in his manner and unguarded,

"Old not understanding the alarm of autumn, now preemptively managing sorrow. The heroic wind oversees the nation, the waning moon over the tower at four in the morning. The sword beyond the skies, the bamboo-leaf boat among men. A chilly night for a casual encounter, unlike wandering in a dream..."

His words were much more direct, not understanding the chill of autumn in youth, then suffering from cold in old age—speaking of how you young disciples don’t understand competition when young, you’ll regret why you didn’t strive harder later?

The sword, a weapon, yet used as a boat for lake voyages, priorities inverted, and when old gathering to discuss, this life is just like sleepwalking, achieving nothing!

This was the Idle Cranes in the Wilds seeing the disciples’ lack of fighting spirit and being compelled to step up to invigorate them; they indeed had skills, but their power was too meager. Consequently, their opponents had laid out countless schemes, putting them at a disadvantage even before the battle began, and now they could no longer concern themselves with propriety and had to strike back decisively.

Once they disregarded the rules, their opponents certainly wouldn’t indulge them. No sooner had one descended from the pulpit than Master Wu of the Prince Manor swept up, in his feather robe and lofty crown, almost divine,

"Hands in sleeves beside the earthly furnace, a leisurely existence naturally elongating days. The window bright with worm-eaten scripts, the curtain drawn close to carved dish incense. The Taoist passes down the musical scores, the mountain monk delivers medicinal recipes. Naturally distant from worldly matters, no need to cleanse in the silvery waves..."

Master Wu, skilled in alchemy and the top Alchemy Dao expert within the Shan Sect, naturally was an exponent of the Daoist Method of letting nature take its course, proclaiming that disputes arise from excessive talking, worries from struggling to stand out.

Fear of living too short a life? That’s because you’re too busy! A leisurely life naturally prolongs days, the true essence of cultivation.

This was the typical Daoist health doctrine popular within the Quanzhen Sect. After all, not everyone is passionate about combat, illustrating a clash of ideologies.

His extensive grandiloquence lasted another two hours before stepping down, and this time, the three masters from the mansions learned their lesson and didn’t rush to ascend. Indeed, Master Wei immediately leapt up,

"Long sitting breeds laziness, who commands elders to play the devil? Meeting people, talking of rivers and seas, wherever they go is a strategic pass. The signal fire is dim at the base of Long Mountain, the sea gate is bustling with geese. The clouds and waters are white at the west tower, yet how can one resist the wine jar..."

Plainly put, if you sit too long, you become naturally lazy, both in body and spirit!

This was somewhat blunt, but fitting for his position. Whether they were Tongtian disciples or Golden Core Upper Cultivators below, everyone was rendered speechless. But it was exactly this somewhat reckless manner that finally pulled the disciples back from the placid atmosphere of cultivation.

Following this, neither side bothered with maintaining a dignified image of true masters, seemingly ready to confront each other bare-chested.

Sima Mansion’s Master Luo jumped out, "Atop Fuqiu Mountain, I saw the yellow cap, fir and cypress standing tall on the ancient altar. A stem of green bamboo as my staff, several Immortal Peaches yet uneaten. Still casting divinations in Yujing City, by Zhao Ling Creek always burning elixirs. Shrinking the earth as I travel with no fixed abode, to the Flower Source the roads extend far and wide..."

Master Yuan’s sleeves flew as he declared, "I wield the Kunwu Sword, seeking to approach the Master’s court. The white rainbow cuts through jade, the purple aura reaches the stars at night. The lotus stirs upon the blade, frost and snow shine within the sheath. Leaning on heaven, I pledge to serve my country, drawing lines on the earth to claim a mighty name..."

Sima Mansion’s Master Jiang looked up, his glimmering halo wheel-like, "Serenity as rain, the Daoist Method as my vessel, the heart is the lotus and nature is the fragrance. In stillness, I exert little effort, in leisure, I discuss much length. Carrying the energy, I connect to the Golden Realm, inverting three chariots to channel jade essence. Laughing as I play with bright pearls, between my brows shines a brilliant white halo light..."

Master Hai waved his hand, causing storms and giant waves, "To break through the barriers of ignorance, the banner of wisdom must be raised. Wandering through countless lifetimes, within a breath, the whole western river is drained. The springs and stones once supplied my eyes, the clouds and mountains originally filled my window. Awaiting the ancestor’s lantern to be lit again, already seeing the external demons subdued..."

As both parties began to assert their strength, a discomfort spread through the venue; those unaware were still excited, clapping and cheering, but those who were astute felt an unsettling tension.

This was not a mere brawl between minor cultivators of the Situ Mansion and the Sikong Mansion from a few days ago; this was a direct confrontation among masters. If they truly took action, Yujing City would be destroyed in an instant.

Allowing the spectators to jeer was secondary; the internal rifts widening was alarming. The fragile balance that had been maintained for thousands of years was at risk of being overturned. Once internal conflicts emerged, they would quickly spread to the Golden Core and the numerous Tongtian cultivators, not everyone possessing great self-control, and with many prone to temper, what would happen then, and how would it end?

It was no longer permissible to allow these Masters to ascend the podium and cause a commotion.

The two Masters from Sikong Mansion looked at each other and simultaneously let out a long cry, their cry rising like a tide. The pure, overwhelming mana was unabashed, meant to suppress the voices of the other Masters.

This was a cry to halt and also a warning, cautioning every Master to be mindful of their actions and words, to prevent an uncontrollable situation from continuing.

No sooner had the two of them cried out than the two Masters from Situ Mansion, Yan Yang, also immediately joined in the cry, followed shortly by the Master from the Duke’s Mansion.

Sikong, Situ, and the Duke’s Mansions showed their stance in an extremely clear manner, very firmly: if they did not restrain themselves, even at the risk of becoming the laughingstock of the Great Cultivation world of the continent, they would decisively stop the annual meeting from progressing.

The moment they took this stance, the outcome was immediate.

The four Masters from Sima Mansion and the Martial King’s Mansion immediately ceased their aggression and fell silent. They were very satisfied, showing the massive group of disciples the desperate flailing of those four old, unrestrained individuals, resembling street hooligans in unguarded speech, completely lacking the demeanor of a dignified Great Cultivation, extremely disgraceful.

Idle clouds and wild cranes also returned to their positions, eyes on the nose, the nose on the heart, as if they had done nothing; they too were satisfied, with just such a fuss, they had disrupted the opponent’s earlier preparations, making a mess of everything, finally reminding the disciples of the true meaning of this year’s meeting. It wasn’t about coming here to comprehend Dao or learn the sword.

Of course, they would not truly come to blows, just like street hooligans negotiating, needing to roll up their sleeves and show their tattoos, putting on a demeanor ready to fight if not obeyed. Only by showing no fear of a fight, could they avoid an actual one, providing a relatively fair condition for competition and negotiation.

For them, where the bottom line lay was clear to each, and how could they truly let things escalate? They simply took advantage of the cries of the other Masters to gracefully back down.

Just like in gang fights in the streets, there’s always someone who charges forward shirtless, and there’s always someone ready to pull them back, thus moving freely back and forth, showing vigorous spirit while seemingly understanding the greater good...

This was a play, and now, everyone had entered into their roles.