Xuantian 1: Ancient Xuandongtian

Chapter 288 Oppression from Multiple Sects in Central China

"I need you to tell me information about your disciples."

Lu Yuan said slowly.

"Oh, okay."

I have a total of nine disciples.

Which one do you want to know?

Mo Qian replied.

"All."

"What…?"

Mo Qian thought he had misheard.

"Every single one."

Lu Yuan repeated.

"My eldest disciple is named Wan Cheng, my second disciple is named Lan Lan, my third disciple is named Xu Xiu, and my fourth disciple is the one standing before you..."

Mo Qian said briefly.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, speak slowly."

Lu Yuan said.

So the cultivator surnamed Gu, who was at the third level of the Hunyuan realm, began to take notes.

"What is the eldest disciple's age, height, and place of origin?"

Lu Yuan asked.

"Are you kidding me? Don't you think you're being far too arrogant? Who are you people, coming to our mountain gate to conduct a population census?"

Mo Qian said unhappily.

He had already backed down once, but he didn't expect the other party to escalate their actions, which he found unbearable.

"Of course I know this is an overreach of authority, so we obtained permission in advance. This is the permission order issued by your sect leader."

Fellow Daoist Mo can verify the truth for himself.

After saying that, he tossed a jade slip to Mo Qian.

Mo Qian took it and saw that it indeed had the current sect leader's seal on it.

His brows were furrowed, and he seemed to be in a difficult position.

After thinking for a while, he said, "The jade slip is genuine, but we are a united sect, and each mountain has its own independent sect authority. Even if there is a permission order issued by the sect leader, it is not very effective in practice."

Mo Qian's meaning was simple: the sect leader was indeed the highest leader in the sect's legal system, but each mountain also had its own actual leader, the mountain lord.

To put it bluntly: I listen to the mountain lord > I listen to the sect leader.

"Of course, of course!"

Lu Yuan did not deny Mo Qian's statement at all. On the contrary, he affirmed, "We respect your sect's system and did our homework thoroughly when the investigation team was first established."
Therefore, Fellow Daoist Mo, there is a second jade slip.

After saying that, he tossed another jade slip to Mo Qian.

Mo Qian took a look and his expression changed instantly.

Seeing his master's pale face, Ji Mo stepped forward to check on him and asked, "Master, what's wrong...?"

But he stopped halfway through his sentence.

He discovered a quiet swallow symbol on the jade slip.

That is the unique mark of the owner of Yanmo Mountain.

"this…?"

Mo Qian closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and slowly exhaled.

"Then you can continue asking questions."

With two jade slips from the sect leader and the mountain lord, he had no legal grounds to obstruct the investigation.

"Thank you for your cooperation, fellow Daoist."

Lu Yuan bowed again.

"It's still the same question: the eldest disciple, name, age, cultivation level, place of origin, and the main cultivation techniques and spiritual arts he practices."

Of course, the last item is supplementary.
If Fellow Daoist Mo doesn't want to talk about it, he/she doesn't have to.

"The eldest disciple is named Wan Cheng, 120 years old, a half-step Spirit Pill cultivator, and a native of Nanfu."

"Oh, and what about your height?"

Lu Yuan asked again.

"Do I really need to ask that?"

"Yes."

"Seven feet five inches." (173cm)

The monk surnamed Gu, who was standing nearby, took notes.

"Where is the second disciple?"

"Lan Yan, 97 years old, sixth level of Spirit Condensation, exchange cultivator of the Ice Profound Sect, seven feet one inch (163cm)"
"Third disciple."

"Xu Xiu, 75 years old, third level of Spirit Condensation, a Cloud Mist Man, seven feet four inches (178cm)"

"Fourth disciple."

"This is the man in front of you, named Ji Mo, 53 years old. As for his cultivation level and height, I don't need to tell you, do I?"

Lu Yuan glanced at it and did not deny it.

The cultivator surnamed Gu next to him noted: "Great Perfection of the Spirit Origin Realm, height seven feet four inches" (170cm).

"Fifth disciple."

"Hua Murong, age 41, from Wuxi, cultivation level early stage (peak) of the Spirit Origin Realm, height 7 feet 2 inches (167cm)."

"Sixth disciple."

"Chang Quan, mid-stage of the Spirit Origin Realm."

When it came to Chang Quan, Mo Qian automatically omitted all other information.

"Chang Quan?"

"correct."

Strangely, Lu Yuan didn't ask any further questions.

He then asked, "Where is the seventh disciple?"

"Mu Hanchan, a native of Sleeping Dragon Mountain, is about eight feet tall. His cultivation level is either at the peak of the Condensation Realm or the early stage of the Spirit Realm."

Lu Yuan frowned and asked, "What do you mean by 'or'? You, as the master, aren't even sure about your own disciple's exact cultivation level?"

Mo Qian shrugged.

He said nonchalantly, "My disciples are all left to their own devices, and we don't see each other often. Of course I remember those who have been with me for a long time."

He has only been a disciple for less than ten years, and his cultivation is close to a breakthrough. How do I know if he had truly broken through before he saw me?

If I say there was a breakthrough or there wasn't...

If the facts don't match up later, you'll accuse me of concealing something.

"Alright, alright. Next one."

Lu Yuan seemed to have exhausted too much patience in the endless series of statistics.

"The eighth disciple, Yao Fei, is at the twelfth level of the Qi Condensation Realm and is from the capital of Daxi. His height is approximately seven feet six inches (177cm)."

"Ninth disciple, my newly recruited pure Yin physique, seventh level of Qi Condensation. Height seven feet one inch." (163cm)

Call ~
Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief; the statistics were finally finished.

He bowed and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, fellow Daoist. I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, he left with his group.

On the road.

"Senior Lu, there are only four people who meet the cultivation level requirements. How do we conduct a second selection?"

"I am asking the question," asked the deputy, a cultivator surnamed Gu.

"First, let's rule out Ji Mo. Although he has the highest cultivation level, he absolutely doesn't have the ability to kill eleven Spirit Realm cultivators equipped with fully-level high-grade magic weapons within three breaths." "What about Chang Quan?"

"Contact the Chang family and verify if they are disciples of the Demon Life Sect."

"Ok."

"Where is the fifth disciple, Murong?"

“Cultivation level is within a certain range, but do you think someone at the initial stage can kill a direct disciple of the Central Sect who is armed to the teeth with magic weapons in three breaths?”

Besides, she was a female cultivator.

The cultivator surnamed Gu shook his head.

"Let's just use a regular label."

"Where is the seventh disciple?"

"Regular label".

Lu Yuan then couldn't help but complain, "Are the people above out of their minds? They're doing something as simple as looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Perhaps they're not just looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Who cares? I just need to complete the mission."

Yanmo Mountain, Demon Gate.

Mo Qian's face was unusually gloomy.

"Master..."

Ji Mo stood by.

"How could the sect and the mountain gate allow such a thing? What are the sect leader and the mountain lord thinking?"

Mo Qian remained silent.

After a long pause, he said, "Unless they have encountered joint pressure from multiple factions in the central region, it is absolutely impossible."

He further instructed, "From now on, cultivate diligently. The storm is coming, and only with sufficient strength can you withstand it."

"Thank you for your teachings, Master! Your disciple will remember them."

Ji Mo bowed and said.

"Hmm, it was worth it for me to promote you as my true disciple. You are intelligent, self-reflective, and very good."

Mo Qian said with satisfaction.

"It's all thanks to Master's teachings."

"Ha ha…"

Even the usually aloof Mo Qian smiled, seemingly quite pleased with the praise from his apprentice.

"By the way, haven't you seen your sixth junior brother in a long time?"

"Yes, Sixth Junior Brother is elusive and often disappears without a trace."

"Fellow students should communicate more when they have time to foster their relationship."

Mo Qian glanced at Ji Mo and said meaningfully.

"Yes, Master!"

Ji Mo understood immediately and responded right away.

……

Kuling Mine.

The Kuling Courtyard, the shared residence of Mu Hanchan and Qin Xi.

"Why would someone like you take a position in this place?" Qin Xi asked.

Mu Hanchan replied, "I was a referee for a magic duel for a while before, but I got a little tired of it, so I changed jobs."

"Oh... do you have a cultivation partner?"

Qin Xi looked at Mu Hanchan and asked.

"When I was very young, I had a childhood sweetheart, but later she abandoned me to pursue immortality..."

"I see?...And then what?"

"Later, I also found a place to train and slowly caught up with her pace..."

Mu Hanchan replied.

"Then why shouldn't you follow her rhythm instead of hers?"

"That's a good question. It's because I...love her...ah! That's why I'm willing to do that."

"And then...?"

Qin Xi asked again.

"Later, we got together as I wished, and I was very happy. It seemed that all my efforts and waiting had not been in vain."

"And then what?"

"And then, conflicts gradually arose..."

"And then they broke up?"

Qin Xi asked in advance.

"It's not that simple. There are conflicts, but having conflicts doesn't mean we have to separate. I think we need to work hard to resolve them."

However… I found it increasingly difficult to resolve, and I even felt that she was completely uncooperative… and didn’t understand…”

"That's possible: she doesn't want to resolve the conflict together at all, but instead wants you to unilaterally comply and solve the conflict yourself, including her own..."

Qin Xi said.

How did you know...?

“I’ve seen a lot of girls like this before, so it’s become a habitual way of thinking.”

"Aren't you a girl? Are you like this too?"

"Mu Hanchan asked."

"Of course not. My view has always been that gender equality, working together, and mutual understanding are essential."

Qin Xi said.

"Your thinking is quite excellent and rare. Why haven't you had a Daoist partner before?"

Mu Hanchan asked in confusion.

"It's for a reason, but I can't tell you."

"Okay, it's okay."

Mu Hanchan then asked, "If you met someone on the same wavelength, would you choose them?"

"meeting."

"What if it's not suitable?"

"Even if there are some minor incompatibilities, as long as we are on the same wavelength, I will choose it 100% without any hesitation."

"Huh? Why?"

Mu Hanchan asked, assuming that women would hesitate, be shy, and be cautious when confirming a relationship.

"Because the more outstanding a person is, the fewer choices they actually have."

The more outstanding you are, the fewer there are.

The number of people is already very small, making matching even more difficult.

So if they want a happy relationship

You must proactively lower your expectations, especially those trivial and harsh standards.

Otherwise, matching is already extremely difficult, and adding other requirements would increase the difficulty several times over.

"So what exactly affects your matchmaking difficulty?"

Mu Hanchan then naturally asked the key question.

After a moment of silence, seemingly realizing there was no way to avoid it, Qin Xi finally spoke up: "Alright, I'll tell you."

Actually, I…