Chapter 1723: Chapter 878: Drawn Blade Elder Master Xun was just about to say something to Mo Hua when footsteps were heard outside. The Taixu Sect Master with his full head of black hair and a ruddy complexion entered, though his brow was furrowed with concern. Upon seeing Mo Hua in the room, the Taixu Sect Master appeared somewhat surprised. Mo Hua quickly stood up to pay respects, "Greetings, Sect Master." "Mm, greetings." The Taixu Sect Master responded to Mo Hua with a gentle demeanor. "I returned Big Dog earlier, but you weren’t there, so I tied him up in front of the library for you," Mo Hua said. The expression of the Taixu Sect Master became subtle. He couldn’t quite understand. A perfectly unruly exotic beast, yet in front of this child, Mo Hua, it behaved just like a guarding hound... Is it really like the saying: ’Even tofu can be defeated by brine, as one thing overcomes another’? "Very well," the Taixu Sect Master hid his thoughts, only nodding slightly on the surface. Elder Master Xun glanced at the Taixu Sect Master, then patted Mo Hua on the shoulder, "That’s it for today, you may return first." Mo Hua also understood that Elder Master Xun likely had matters to discuss with the Sect Master, so he respectfully bowed, "Elder Master, Sect Master, this disciple takes leave now." Afterwards, Mo Hua departed. Elder Master Xun rose and carefully collected the formation drawings Mo Hua had completed, one by one, meticulously. The Taixu Sect Master silently observed from the side, unable to resist thinking to himself: "Worthy of being called the ancestor, truly is composed, even at such a time, still has the leisure to teach the disciple formations..." The treatment Mo Hua receives could be likened to that of the ancestor’s own child. Once Elder Master Xun tidied the desk, the two began discussing the main matters. "The Qianxue Pavilion conference has been set. The Sword Discussion Conference will be advanced, the quotas expanded, and the sect rankings will begin to shift starting from this conference..." "I knew changes were coming, but I didn’t expect they’d really proceed now..." The Taixu Sect Master placed a Jade Slip on the table, offering it to Elder Master Xun. "For this Qianxue Pavilion meeting’s matters, the Four Great Sects have long been prepared, but for the Tai’a Sect, Rushing Void Sect, and our Taixu Sect, and some sects that do not get along with the Four Great Sects, we all found out at the last minute, caught completely off guard." "Nonetheless, the initiative is inherently in other’s hands, and even if we oppose, it won’t help..." Elder Master Xun picked up the Jade Slip, scanned it briefly, his expression unchanged, seemingly unsurprised. Then, he turned to the Taixu Sect Master: "What do you plan to do?" The Taixu Sect Master immediately felt great pressure, but since Elder Master Xun asked, he could only summon his courage to speak: "I’ve already done my best to make arrangements." "This time, the Debating Sword Conference is crucial, so the merit points for disciples have been increased by 40% compared to before." "Those who can participate in the Debate Sword have been arranged with Elders of Daoist Law, bringing them to Refining Demon Mountain to strategize their tactics." "As for the rest of the Dan Array Talismans, we’ve selected excellent disciples from this session, personally guided by the Sect Elder, to ensure they secure certain ranks in the Debating Conference, stabilizing Taixu Gate’s rank..." "Other trivial matters of the sect have been temporarily halted, everything making way for this Debating Conference..." ... The Taixu Sect Master spoke orderly. Elder Master Xun nodded slightly. After finishing, the Taixu Sect Master sighed, "However, this hurdle might not be so easy to pass." He pointed to the Jade Slip, "These few moves by the Four Great Sects seem like mere procedural changes, but each move hits right at our vital points." "The Taixu Gate is somewhat better off, but for the Tai’a Sect and Rushing Void Sect, it is extremely perilous..." "Bringing the Sword forward means there is less preparation time, and they lose the chance to mediate." "Expanding quotas, for those already short-handed, is even worse." "And this Debating Conference will start determining rankings." "Looking at the current situation, let alone the Tai’a Sect and Rushing Void Sect, even for my Taixu Gate, maintaining our position among the ’Eight Great Gates’ is very challenging..." Mentioning the matter of "rankings", the Taixu Sect Master looked solemn. "If the Eight Great Gates cannot maintain their ranking, typically, it falls to the ’Twelve Streams’..." "But thinking carefully, it’s not that simple." "Although the Eight Great Gates practically rank above the Twelve Streams, nominally, they are equals, with no distinction of high and low." "And joining the Twelve Streams requires having a Tao Cultivation ’specialty’, whether swordsmanship, Taoist skills, or sect inner alchemy array talisman, with deep attainment..." "Our Taixu Gate has a decent foundation, but when it comes to ’specialties’, we may not match these existing Twelve Streams sects." "If falling from the Eight Great Gates, and no vacancy in the Twelve Streams, then...it’s possible to slip right into the Qian Learning Hundred Gates." "Cultivation is like rowing against the current, the cultivator is so, and the sect is no different." "Once fallen, it is a bottomless abyss. Future disciple recruitment, Qianlong quota shares, sect reputation, all would be significantly affected." "Faced with such a vicious cycle, trying to climb back up would be as difficult as ascending to heaven..." The Taixu Sect Master sighed deeply. He had anticipated the worst-case scenario. Should the Taixu Gate fail to maintain its rank under his leadership and fall from the "Eight Great Gates", ultimately merging into obscurity among thousands of Qianxue sects. Then he would truly be the Sect Master who "left a mark in history." Being the "founding figure" of Taixu Gate’s decline. Even if all this actually had little to do with him, he would have to bear the responsibility regardless. The Taixu Sect Master felt bitter inside. His initial thought was to lead a leisurely life in the tranquil Taixu Gate, nurturing body and mind, yet he hadn’t expected to encounter such an affair. The sect’s peril, such a heavy burden, suddenly descended upon him. Indeed, the world’s affairs are unpredictable, fortune and misfortune intertwined...