Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 510 - 264, Xu Xing is not a good kind!_2

However, the various sects were mindful of the strength of the Higher Teachings and did not want to make an enemy of them; hence, they did not seize upon this matter.

"We are grateful that Teacher Tianhai upholds justice and has taken this matter to heart..."

"This matter involves internal affairs within our Sect. I, Ruan, did not wish to speak too much about it in public, but today's situation was unexpected... Our Sect cannot afford to hide too much, lest it lead to misunderstandings among the various sects."

Ruan Baimei regained his composure. He took a deep breath, bowed to the surrounding cultivators from the various sects, and said solemnly, "Hai An, son of Song Dao, has committed a grave error. Although our Sect wishes to pass judgment, Master Xu left the Sect many years ago and is not present, making a public trial difficult. Thus… the matter has been shelved, without a clear resolution…"

"However, I, Ruan, guarantee that Hai An's crime will not be condoned. Our Sect... will give Master Xu an answer..."

"It was a Dao Lord of the Hai Family who spoke out just now, so earnest in protecting Hai An that it caused Teacher Tianhai's misunderstanding."

He stopped speaking and looked around, his gaze sweeping over the cultivators present before he fell silent.

Forced to prove our innocence? When did it become the role of the Higher Teachings to do what minor Righteous Path sects should be doing? Generally, clarifying the cause of such matters and preventing other sects from finding points to attack is sufficient. There is no need for Higher Teachings like the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to do more. But… today is different...

The pressure Xu Xing exerted on Ruan Baimei was immense.

He had to use the handling of Hai An's case to send a "peace" signal to Xu Xing, thereby alleviating the series of pressures brought upon him by Ren Yuanrui's secret decree.

Making an enemy of Xu Xing... If Xu Xing was well-prepared, he might not win. He already had an answer in his heart regarding the truth of the secret decree. If there were no secret decree, why would Xu Xing have been forced to leave the Sect all those years ago?

As his words fell, the surrounding silence, which Teacher Tianhai had broken moments ago, plunged once more into a deathly stillness.

The cultivators were instantly as quiet as cicadas in winter.

Even though they perceived the hint of weakness in Ruan Baimei's words, the warning within them was also extremely clear. Anyone who dared to speak out of turn at this moment would undoubtedly incur Ruan Baimei's resentment. From then on, whether they lived or died might no longer be their own to decide.

"Just as Master Xu said, Young Sect Leader Ruan is indeed different from the other cultivators of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. He handles matters fairly…"

"Hai An will definitely be sentenced to death by Young Sect Leader Ruan!"

At this moment, a young Daoist Priest from the Butian Sect, with a sword on his back, stepped forward. He glanced at Ruan Baimei, then laughed heartily, clapping his hands in praise.

"Buzhou, step back!"

"This is not your place to speak!"

Hearing the young Daoist Priest's words, Elder Buxu Zi's brow furrowed deeply. He waved his wide sleeve and immediately rebuked him.

It was enough for him alone to risk his life for Xu Xing. If his grand-disciple Yu Buzhou also got involved... wouldn't that mean the Chongzhen Temple was betting everything on Xu Xing? The Sect would have no room to maneuver then.

"So, it is Friend Yu."

A smile touched Ruan Baimei's lips. He gave Yu Buzhou a deep look and then resumed his silence.

Just as Buxu Zi had thought, there was indeed no place for Yu Buzhou to intervene at that moment.

Although both he and Yu Buzhou were Dao Pill Cultivators, their statuses were different. He was the Junior Sect Leader of one of the Higher Teachings, qualified to interact with Dao Lords as an equal.

"Since Fellow Daoist Buxu has stated that three days later, Master Xu will arrive at our Sect bearing Sect Master Ren's true secret decree..."

"Therefore, it is fruitless for us to argue further today. Why not wait for three days until Master Xu arrives!"

Daoist Tao, a House Elder of the Nanhua Sect responsible for receiving cultivators from the various sects at the mountain gate, noticed Ruan Baimei's continued silence. His eyes flickered a few times before he stepped forward to end the discussion on this topic.

As the host, it would be indefensible to ignore a dispute at their mountain gate. Moreover, the purpose of the Nanhua Sect's grand event was to re-establish the marriage alliance between the two great Higher Teachings and restore their long-standing friendly relations. The Nanhua Sect could not allow the Flying Feather Immortal Palace's scandal to escalate further. It was imperative to halt it promptly. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Our mountain gate is modest. Esteemed Daoist friends from the Butian Sect, please follow me inside... After you are settled in the guest courtyard, you can then catch up with Fellow Daoists from other sects…"

Daoist Tao looked at Cui Tong, Buxu Zi, and the others, smiled, and said this.

"Excellent!"

"Many thanks, Daoist friend, for the arrangements."

Cui Tong and the others performed a Daoist salute and expressed their thanks.

After a few more pleasantries were exchanged, Daoist Tao no longer hesitated. He immediately instructed the Nanhua Sect disciples to escort the Butian Sect's high-level members and disciples to the guest courtyard.

After the members of the Butian Sect departed, the cultivators from the various sects outside the mountain gate also scattered like birds and beasts, soon dispersing almost completely.

However, just as Ruan Baimei and his contingent were preparing to leave, Daoist Tao had someone call out to stop them.

"Young Sect Leader Ruan, this is an internal matter of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, and our Nanhua Sect does not wish to interfere. Within these three days… please ensure your esteemed Sect does not start any further disputes with the Butian Sect…" Daoist Tao said, his displeasure evident.

He said this not because he was biased towards Xu Xing's Butian Sect, nor because he believed their one-sided account.

Rather, this three-day period was simply too sensitive.

If anything untoward happened to the Butian Sect during this period, any harm to its members... then the Nanhua Sect, as relatives by marriage to the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, would find it impossible to exonerate themselves.

In short, precautions had to be taken.

"Daoist Tao, I... understand the meaning behind your words. I will certainly not make things difficult for the Nanhua Sect..."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Baimei's expression darkened momentarily, but he regained his composure in an instant and nodded.

With his words finished, the cultivators of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace transformed into several streaks of Escaping Light and vanished from the spot.

Before long, the area before the Nanhua Sect's main gate was empty.

...

...

「One quarter of an hour later.」

Daoist Tao, who had just been at the mountain gate, arrived at the Great Hall within the Nanhua Sect. He took the secondary High Seat on the left side of the hall and used a Shadow Capturing Talisman to project scenes of what had just occurred at the mountain gate using his Magic Power.

The arrival of the three Tower Boats.

The statements made by Cui Tong, Buxu Zi, and the others.

Teacher Tianhai's righteous pronouncements.

And how Ruan Baimei and his group were forced to concede ground, statement by statement...

"Xu Xing is no simple character."

After watching these images, Sect Master Ding Jifeng paused for a moment, then stroked his long beard and shook his head, remarking with feeling.

"Sect Master, what do you mean by that?"

"Since Xu Xing possesses Sect Master Ren's secret decree, the line of succession naturally falls to him. Challenging Ruan Baimei, nominally speaking, is somewhat justifiable…" a House Elder in the hall asked, puzzled.

"Not so."

"I am not disparaging Xu Xing. Rather, I believe Master Xu's methods are exceedingly ruthless. That is why I said he is no simple character."

Ding Jifeng smiled and explained, "Let's not discuss for now whether the secret decree is genuine or false. All of you, just consider this: if Xu Xing had personally confronted Ruan Baimei in the Tower Boat this time, instead of setting a Three-day Deadline, what would have happened?"

Upon hearing this, the cultivators in the hall pondered deeply. After a moment, understanding seemed to dawn on them.

"If Xu Xing had come forward in person, then even if this secret decree were genuine… the Flying Feather Immortal Palace would have immediately declared it a fake…"

"Or perhaps, it's more accurate to say that whichever side emerged victorious would be deemed the 'true' one!" a House Elder mused.

When the Sect's line of succession is involved, the Dao Lords of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace would absolutely not stand idly by. If Xu Xing had personally announced this news, both sides would inevitably have engaged in a fierce battle to determine right from wrong.

"Therefore, Xu Xing had Buxu Zi of the Chongzhen Temple announce the secret decree… Even if the Dao Lords of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace were enraged, attacking Buxu Zi would be futile…"

Ding Jifeng nodded. "This is Xu Xing's brilliance."

Before the House Elders could speak, he paused briefly and continued, "And the Three-day Deadline—that too holds a calculation."

"Three days is enough time for the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to send word back to their Sect and deal with Hai An…"

"If Hai An dies, it signifies that the Flying Feather Immortal Palace has made a compromise to cease the conflict. If he lives… it remains a pretext for the Butian Sect to provoke them…"

"Whether Xu Xing appears or not, the Flying Feather Immortal Palace will be in a disadvantageous position. If he appears, it implies the secret decree is genuine. If he doesn't appear, it implies Xu Xing is being hunted by the Flying Feather Immortal Palace…" he said slowly.

Authenticating the secret decree—who can truly know its veracity? The cultivators of the various sects will only believe what they themselves speculate. In his view, these three days are precisely for Xu Xing to leverage public opinion, to mold the 'false' into 'true.' And even if the secret decree is genuinely real, after this, its truth will be so firmly established that it can never again be doubted as false.

"Sect Master, if our Sect were the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, how could this situation be resolved?" Daoist Tao frowned and asked.

He considered himself experienced in handling affairs, but after pondering this predicament for a long time, he still couldn't devise a clever way to resolve it.

"Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

Ding Jifeng shook his head. "After its internal strife, the Flying Feather Immortal Palace's position is compromised. On the Righteous Path, they must also be mindful of their reputation, so they are vulnerable at every turn… Even without this three-day agreement, given Xu Xing's intellect and strategy, he could devise other schemes to deal with the Flying Feather Immortal Palace…"

"Thus, as the ancient sages said: 'The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without striving; therefore, nothing can contend with it.'"