Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"Sect Leader," Zhao Qingyan looked at Shen Mo, her eyes filled with worry, but even more so with determination, "Our advantage lies in our teamwork, in the techniques and battle formations you have taught us, and in the fact that we fought our way up from nothing, so our combat experience may not be lacking."

"But the disadvantages are also obvious. Our cultivation level is generally low, and we have fewer trump cards and resources than others. Moreover... we come from the Southern Region and are considered 'outsiders' and 'nouveau riche' by many people."

Shen Mo listened silently, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. After a long while, he slowly spoke:

"Qingyan's analysis is very insightful. Su Xiao's observation is also very meticulous." He glanced at the two women. "Remember, in the Tianyuan Tournament, the arena competition is only one part, and may not even be the most important part. The real contest is offstage, in people's hearts, and in the overall situation."

"Even the strongest open adversaries leave clues. What we fear are hidden attacks." Shen Mo's voice turned cold. "Ling Wufeng of the Heavenly Sword Sect is someone we must be extremely careful with. He and the forces behind him harbor the deepest hostility towards us. The Blazing Sun Sect's attitude is ambiguous; they can be used, but they cannot be trusted."

"The Netherworld Path is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to bite at any moment. And those seemingly neutral forces may also side with either side due to their own interests."

"Our strategy," Shen Mo stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the small spiritual spring in the courtyard, "is team battles, which are the foundation. We must fight well and show the spirit and teamwork of our Qingyun Sect."

"In individual battles, do your best, accumulate experience, and don't take winning or losing too seriously. But you must never be afraid before the battle even begins, and you must never let someone use dirty tricks to cripple you."

"The specialized competitions are your opportunity, Xiaocao and Qingyan, so seize it. As for the newly added 'Heavenly Secrets,' 'Demon Suppression,' and 'Netherworld Exploration' categories..."

He turned around, his gaze deep: "These projects are inherently strange, probably related to the current 'astronomical anomalies.' We don't necessarily need to compete for first place, but we must demonstrate sufficient 'value' and 'uniqueness' to attract the attention of the Sky Patrol Pavilion and the Holy Land, without being too conspicuous and becoming the target of everyone's criticism. We need to strike the right balance."

Su Xiao and Zhao Qingyan both nodded emphatically. The sect leader saw further and thought more deeply than they did.

"Furthermore," Shen Mo walked back to the table, picked up the purple jade slip "Dark Currents," "you can also take a look at what's inside, but remember, it's meant to be understood intuitively, not explained in words, and certainly not relied upon. The truth and falsehood within it may offer some different perspectives."

He handed the jade slip to Zhao Qingyan: "Qingyan, you are meticulous. Take a look at the parts inside that contain information about the hidden grudges and incriminating evidence against various factions, especially those that might be our adversaries."

"Su Xiao, you should focus on the black market circulation and the movements in those gray areas, especially those that may be related to the 'Netherworld Path'."

"Yes, Sect Leader," the two women replied.

Just then, the sounds of people from the front hall restaurant could be faintly heard outside the courtyard, with words such as "Tianyuan Conference", "Southern Region", "Qingyun Sect" and "Shen Mo" drifting in intermittently.

Shen Mo waved his hand to remove the soundproof barrier, and the sounds became much clearer.

"...If you ask me, the biggest variable in this Tianyuan Tournament is probably the newly emerged Qingyun Sect in the Southern Region!"

"Qingyun Sect? Never heard of it. Besides the Xuanbing Pavilion and Baicao Sect, which are a few old names, are there any other sects worth mentioning in the Southern Region?"

"Brother, your information is outdated. I heard that Shen Mo, the sect leader of Qingyun Sect, cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage in less than thirty years! He's bringing his disciples to this conference; he's clearly aiming to make a name for himself!"

"Thirty years to Nascent Soul? That's ridiculous! He must have used some evil magic or gotten incredibly lucky to receive a heaven-defying inheritance! Someone with such an unstable foundation would probably be reduced to nothing by those geniuses from the holy lands once he takes the stage."

"Hehe, that's hard to say. I heard that in the Hanging Mountain, Lin Yushu, that arrogant Lin family member, was humiliated by Shen Mo and didn't dare to utter a single word."

"The Lin family? The Lin family patriarch was only at the early Nascent Soul stage. This Shen Mo can make Lin Yushu submit, so he must really have some skills. However, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. He's from the Southern Region, without any roots or foundation. This high-profile behavior is probably more of a curse than a blessing..."

"Who cares? At least we're going to have a good show! I'm betting on the three holy lands to take the top three spots. Anyone want to bet?"

"I bet Ling Wufeng of the Heavenly Sword Sect can make it into the top five!"

"I heard a ruthless person has arrived in the East China Sea..."

The discussions were noisy and excited, filled with various speculations, doubts, and expectations. The names of Qingyun Sect and Shen Mo were mentioned repeatedly, but mostly associated with words such as "mysterious," "lucky," "high-profile," and "unpredictable."

Shen Mo remained calm, as if he hadn't heard. Su Xiao's eyes grew even colder. Zhao Qingyan sighed softly.

"Did you hear that?" Shen Mo looked out the window, his voice calm. "This is how we are seen by others now. Mysterious, but with shallow foundations; lucky, but unworthy of our position; high-profile, but lacking restraint; a variable, and also a target."

"Sect Leader, they..." Zhao Qingyan wanted to say something.

Shen Mo raised his hand to stop her from speaking, turned around, and his gaze swept over the two women, and seemed to penetrate the wall to see Shi Tie, Li Xiaocao and others resting in other rooms.

"What others think or say is unimportant." Shen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute force. "We forged our own path, and we cultivated our own strength. The Tianyuan Tournament is a stage for our Qingyun Sect to prove ourselves, not to cater to anyone's opinions or refute anyone's doubts."

"Fight every match well, stand firm on every step. Use the sword in your hand, the wounds on your body, and the respect you've earned to tell everyone—"

He paused, then said, word by word:

"The Qingyun Sect has arrived."

We rested for three days at Zhenyuan Pass.

During these three days, Shen Mo not only secluded himself to cultivate and consolidate his true essence, which had been slightly depleted from traversing the gale-force winds, but also allowed Shi Tie and the others to move around in the markets and restaurants within the pass.

Firstly, it was to let them experience the atmosphere of the Central Region firsthand, and secondly, it was to collect more fragmented and timely information.

Shi Tie and Wang Hu went to the largest "martial arts arena" in the pass and watched several sparring matches between local cultivators. When they returned, their expressions were somewhat solemn.

The cultivators of the Central Region engage in a variety of magical duels, employing exquisite magical artifacts and demonstrating excellent teamwork. Moreover, their ruthlessness is in no way inferior to that of the rogue cultivators of the Southern Region who have fought their way out of the clutches of demonic beasts.

Li Xiaocao and A-Tu spent their time in several herbal medicine shops and mineral stores, broadening their horizons and emptying their already meager wallets in exchange for a bunch of things that they considered "treasures" but others might have seen as "junk".

Su Xiao was nowhere to be found, but every day he would place a concise intelligence summary on Shen Mo's desk, which included information on changes in power within the pass, the movements of suspicious individuals, and the latest rumors about the Tianyuan Conference.

On the morning of the third day, as dawn broke, the Qingyun Sect group left "Ke An Ju," boarded the Mo Yun Shuttle, paid the parking fee, retrieved the shuttle, and slowly ascended into the sky. They passed through the huge city gate of Zhenyuan Pass and officially entered the sky of the Central Region.

Once you step out of the gate, the feeling is completely different.

If the area outside Zhenyuan Pass still retains the desolation and ruggedness of the frontier, then the area inside the pass seems to have suddenly entered another world.

The sky was a clear, almost transparent blue, with fluffy white clouds drifting leisurely by.

The land below was no longer the undulating mountains and dense forests common in the southern region, but rather gentle hills, fertile plains, and great rivers that meandered like jade belts.

The mountains and rivers have gentle and beautiful outlines, lush vegetation, and exude a sense of elegance and charm.

The most obvious change is the spiritual energy.

Without needing to consciously sense it, the rich and pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth, like an invisible tide, envelops you from all directions, seeping into your body through your breath and pores.

Compared to the Southern Region, the concentration of spiritual energy here is at least 30% higher, and it is also more gentle and easier to refine and absorb.

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