Chapter 204: Strong Mindset

The Xuan Tian Stone Wall, a steep cliff at the foot of Mount Taoli, is as smooth as a mirror, its stone resembling jade, and it rises a hundred zhang high. It was named after the two characters "Xuan Tian" inscribed by the Zuo Qiu Ancestor with his sword.

This stone wall is located in the East City. Below it, a grand martial arts plaza was constructed, adorned with seventy-two coiled dragon stone pillars. It serves as the magnificent and imposing ceremonial venue for important events of the Zuo Qiu Clan.

The plaza, large enough for ten thousand people to gather in formation, was already overflowing with people, so packed that not even a drop of water could get through. Seven large spiritual lamps floated in mid-air, illuminating the plaza and the surrounding streets as if it were daytime.

Li Weiyi couldn't squeeze in at all. On a street about a hundred zhang from Xuan Tian Plaza, Zuo Qiu Baiyuan flashed out and smiled at him: "Brother Weiyi, the First Successor has been waiting for you for a long time!"

Led by Zuo Qiu Baiyuan, the two headed towards a fifteen-story dense-eaved stone pagoda located at the southeast corner of Xuan Tian Plaza. Beneath the pagoda, a large number of Five Seas Realm cultivators from the Zuo Qiu Clan stood guard, protected by a grand thought-master's formation.

"Young Master Li has arrived!""He is Young Master Li, said to be the First Successor's closest friend, an unparalleled genius who defeated all experts of the same realm in five moves."

The cultivators of the Zuo Qiu Clan looked on with curiosity and admiration. When Li Weiyi looked at them, they all simultaneously smiled, cupped their hands, and bowed in greeting, showing immense respect and reverence for this future rising star of the Five Seas Realm, Fourth Stage.

"Brother Weiyi truly became famous throughout the land after just one battle."

Zuo Qiu Baiyuan led him inside the pagoda, ascending the stairs. Li Weiyi said, "Don't even mention it. A martial arts exchange arena ended up becoming a complete joke. The money I worked so hard to earn was completely taken, making me do all the work for nothing."

"That thieving woman, I hope I don't find out who she is."

Zuo Qiu Baiyuan's expression darkened, and he let out a heavy snort. Li Weiyi had instructed him, so Qi Xiao did not leak the news that the five chests of Spring Coins might have been stolen by the Suizong Sect. Naturally, he had to retrieve the lost wealth himself to regain his dignity. If the Zuo Qiu Clan's Successors were to intervene, even if the wealth were recovered, it might no longer belong to Li.

During the ascent, they occasionally encountered young cultivators from the Zuo Qiu Clan, most of whom could call out Li Weiyi's name. Among them were Zuo Qiu Lanlan and Zuo Qiu Baiming, but neither of them knew that he was Sima Tan from Thirty-Three Li Mountain; they simply nodded as they passed.

On the top floor of the stone pagoda, four artifact bone lamps were lit, placed respectively in the four cardinal corridors. The doors to the four tower chambers were open, and as they walked past, they could see extraordinary figures seated in chairs, their auras either as strong as dragons and tigers, or subtly undetectable, all of them top-tier experts from the Zuo Qiu Clan's younger generation.

The Zuo Qiu Clan, though based in the Southern Region, truly controlled two and a half provinces. However, its influence actually extended to all aspects of seven provinces, with many million-strong clans and sects obeying its commands. Other major powers could not possibly dispatch all their young experts under thirty years old to Qiu Province City to participate in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. They lacked the time, the conditions, and, more importantly, feared total annihilation. But the Zuo Qiu Clan could, and had no such concerns.

Therefore, everyone knew that the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival was the Zuo Qiu Clan's home ground, and the Zuo Qiu Clan naturally became the target of all. At this moment, half of the Zuo Qiu Clan's top experts were gathered in the West Tower Chamber, from where they could witness the grand spectacle of Xuan Tian Plaza.

The three Successors, Zuo Qiu Ting, Zuo Qiu Lancheng, and Zuo Qiu Qingyin, naturally sat at the head of the room, whispering and discussing something. Seeing Li Weiyi arrive, Qi Xiao was the first to step forward to greet him, transmitting his voice with spiritual energy: "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you all night! Your Jiuli Clan members are all incredibly composed; Cangli and Liujiufu haven't arrived yet either."

"I came after a big meal," Li Weiyi also transmitted his voice with spiritual energy, not wishing to disturb the quiet of the place.

Qi Xiao paused, then chuckled, "You should have said so earlier! We just cleared away our dishes. The First Successor was quite generous tonight; we had ten Dragon-Scale Fish, salvaged from Bingzu Ze, each comparable to a millennium-old spirit medicine, capable of enhancing physical strength."

"Aren't you just trying to tempt me?" Li Weiyi said.

"Young Master Li has arrived, please come in!" Zuo Qiu Ting's voice sounded, his gaze, full of smiles, passing through the window lattice as he looked at Li Weiyi.

Inside the West Tower Chamber, many pairs of eyes fell upon Li Weiyi, who was standing outside the door. There was curiosity, doubt, and surprise. Defeating all enemies in five moves was indeed astounding, piquing the interest of many top experts in the Five Seas Realm. But his cultivation realm was too low; why was he brought to the top floor of the pagoda? Only the most central figures of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival were gathered on this floor.

Li Weiyi was actually also puzzled; why did Zuo Qiu Ting want to see him? Zuo Qiu Ting's appearance at this moment had changed again, making him extremely unfamiliar; it was impossible to tell who he was. His disguise technique was truly masterful. If he weren't sitting between Zuo Qiu Lancheng and Zuo Qiu Qingyin, with his folding fan always in hand, it would have been very difficult to recognize him at first glance, unless one used the Heaven-Penetrating Eye.

Zuo Qiu Ting rose, his face wreathed in smiles, showing no disdain despite Li Weiyi's lower cultivation realm. Instead, with great solemnity, he introduced Li Weiyi to the core experts gathered in the tower chamber.

"Lancheng, our Zuo Qiu Clan's Second Successor, you already know. As for this gentleman..."

When it came to Zuo Qiu Qingyin, before Zuo Qiu Ting could speak, the pure immortal body woman in a green robe stepped forward with graceful lotus steps. She laughed like a silver bell, "Are you truly Cangli's brother-in-law? Many elders in the clan are mentioning you to me now, as if they want to set us up."

Her words were bold, and her personality was straightforward. Li Weiyi, feeling an immense headache from Zuo Qiu Qingyin's highly aggressive gaze, looked at Zuo Qiu Ting: "You had Baiyuan bring me up here; it wasn't just for this matter, was it?"

"The old folks in the clan assigned me this task; I had to arrange a meeting for you two. Whether you get along or not is your own business!" Zuo Qiu Ting chuckled.

"Oh, please don't! Miss Qingyin is a Successor with the Hundred Meridians of Pure Silver, possessing a celestial beauty that could make fish sink and wild geese fall. It's utterly impossible for her to marry down into my humble Li family. Please tell the elders of the Zuo Qiu Clan not to randomly matchmake!"

After Li Weiyi said this, several gazes in the tower chamber softened, and their hostility greatly diminished. It was unclear whether these people thought he was unworthy of Zuo Qiu Qingyin or if they were admirers of Zuo Qiu Qingyin themselves.

"Making fish sink and wild geese fall... that's quite an interesting description," Zuo Qiu Qingyin smiled sweetly.

Seeing that Li Weiyi only mentioned marrying down and completely avoided mentioning becoming a live-in son-in-law, Zuo Qiu Ting figured the matter was likely off the table. He said no more, his expression turning serious: "Brother Weiyi, I now regret having helped you write those few banners to obtain an invitation to the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, bringing you into danger."

Li Weiyi appeared nonchalant and chuckled, "Are you afraid of losing?"

He had known from the beginning that trying to participate in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival to compete for the Longevity Pill was a pipe dream, an overestimation of his own abilities. He had considered retreating, considered giving up, but ultimately, his fighting spirit and desire to contend had triumphed over everything. That's why he came to Qiu Province City. At that time, he knew he had no chance at all, yet he had gone ahead without hesitation. After months of hard work, he had finally managed to secure a sliver of opportunity; how could he give up now?

Zuo Qiu Ting said, "It's just a Dao Lotus; I can afford to lose that. If you're willing to withdraw from the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, I'll give it to you right now."

Li Weiyi looked through the pagoda window towards the distant Xuan Tian Stone Wall: "Whether I can get an invitation is still unknown, Young Master Zuo Qiu, why surrender so quickly? Oh, by the way! I have something important I want to tell you."

He channeled his spiritual power to his eyes, allowing him to see three rows of wooden plaques hanging on the distant stone wall. On the plaques were the names of young cultivators. Cultivators from the four regions — East, South, West, and North — had their plaques hung separately. The first row had ten people from each region, totaling forty, designated as Grade A. The second row also had forty people, designated as Grade B. The third row still had forty people, designated as Grade C.

The invitation quota for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival was fifty people per region. In other words, another twenty spots per region, totaling eighty people, would be announced tonight. These eighty people would clearly not be ranked in Grade A, B, or C. Li Weiyi saw that the top spot in the Southern Region's Grade C was the alias "Liujiufu" of Yin Jiu. The second spot in the Southern Region's Grade C was the alias "Lijiao" of Yin Shi. The ten people in Grade A from each region were indeed strong, no doubt. However, the top contenders in Grade B and Grade C were not necessarily weaker than them. It was highly possible that emergent experts like Yin Jiu and Yin Shi could appear and be placed among them.

Zuo Qiu Ting temporarily excused everyone from the West Tower Chamber: "Speak, what important matter is it?"

Li Weiyi then revealed the news that the Imperial Court might make a move against the Zuo Qiu Clan and the Jiuli Clan tonight. Naturally, he did not mention Jiangning, instead attributing the source of the information to a hidden individual who had infiltrated the Imperial Court.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Qiu Ting remained unusually calm: "The Imperial Court believes that the Zuo Qiu Clan, being well-armed and prosperous, has amassed immense wealth from wars over the past decade, hoarding countless resources. Once we participate in the competition for the world, our threat will be greater than that of the Snow Sword Tang Court, Vermillion Gate, Dragon Gate, or Thundercloud Sect. And holding the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival with the Crossing Calamity Monastery is an open act of defiance against the Imperial Court, an act of great rebellion. Of course, the Zuo Qiu Clan will be their first target. As long as they eliminate the younger generation of the Zuo Qiu Clan, this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival will become a joke. The Zuo Qiu Clan will be a joke, and the Crossing Calamity Monastery will also be a joke."

Li Weiyi said, "It seems this was within your expectations; I worried for nothing. Is Ge Xiantong not afraid of both sides suffering heavy losses, with the Imperial Court's younger generation being besieged by a pack of wolves? If I were him, I would first openly contend but secretly ally with the Zuo Qiu Clan to eliminate other threats before making my move."

Zuo Qiu Ting dismissed the idea: "Ah, yours is a typical mindset of the weak."

"Oh!" Li Weiyi asked, "Then what is the mindset of the strong?"

"The mindset of the strongest in the world is the mindset of the strong. Everyone else's way of thinking, besides the strongest, is the mindset of the weak. When you fear no one, you won't hesitate or be timid." Zuo Qiu Ting continued, "I ask you, when you are invincible in the Five Seas Realm, Fourth Stage, would you ever think of allying with an enemy of the Five Seas Realm, Fourth Stage, to kill another Five Seas Realm, Fourth Stage opponent? When you are invincible, the sword in your hand is your best ally. One person, one sword, is enough to cut through everything and subdue all enemies. What do you think I, Cangli, and Liujiufu are in Ge Xiantong's eyes?"

Li Weiyi thought for a moment and uttered two words: "Prey?"

Zuo Qiu Ting said, "More or less! In the eyes of the young generation's strongest, as long as cultivators of the Dao Seed Realm don't intervene, all cultivators in Qiu Province City are his prey. As long as he kills the three of us, the Zuo Qiu Clan and the Jiuli Clan will naturally collapse. At that point, it will be us who are torn apart by a pack of wolves. You must understand, the strongest in the world wield a special power: Fear! Yu Yaozi wields fear, which is why after ten years of war, the Lingxiao Palace still stands firm. When powerful forces like the Zuo Qiu Clan and the Jiuli Clan are completely wiped out by Ge Xiantong in a single night, this kind of fear will be enough to make the people of Dragon Gate and Thundercloud Sect tremble. How would they dare to oppose the Imperial Court then? The mindset of the strong seeks to decide the fate of the world in one decisive battle."

Li Weiyi mused, "Isn't he worried about the young talents of the opposing forces?"