He wouldn't argue for others, not at all!
Yet today, he was actually worrying himself sick over someone else's affairs, even engaging in a verbal duel, and the target was himself!
He almost couldn't believe that the person before him was the Linghu Xiao Xian he knew. If it was, then it was truly terrifying.
Through their descriptions, Linghu Zhong gradually pieced together the general course of the battle at that time.
He suddenly seized upon the part that concerned him the most and asked Linghu Xiao Xian, "How did you get captured by Chen Xuemu?"
Linghu Xiao Xian dodged the crucial point and smiled, "Your daughter is beautiful!"
Linghu Zhong shrugged!
Afterward, he gave Mo Qi a perfunctory compliment. Mo Qi was quite pleased to hear it, while Hong Jianxin was greatly disheartened.
At this moment, a bold idea suddenly struck Linghu Zhong...
Following this, the Sun Moon Sect made some arrangements!
The Demon Extermination Sect was abolished and replaced by the Osmanthus Sect, with Linghu Xiao Xian remaining as its sect leader.
However, the sect was relocated to the Dinghai Sect on Golden Lion Island.
The Sun Moon Sect still did not occupy the Qingxuan Sect, as they still had an Unawakened Daoist who was wandering outside. Who knew when he might return and make a comeback.
It wasn't out of fear, but rather to grant him the right to exist!
The Demon Extermination Sect was originally meant to be disbanded, but they had carved out their own territory with their own hands, and it could be said that heaven rewarded the diligent.
In recognition of their merits, Mo Qi, Linghu Xiao Xian, Hong Jianxin, Chu Xiangling, Jin Xichuan, and others who had distinguished themselves in battle were all rewarded.
Chu Xiangling and Jin Xichuan were both appointed as hall masters of the Osmanthus Sect!
As for Mo Qi, Linghu Zhong conveyed Elder Shen's wishes, appointing him to the Elder Council.
Upon returning to the Sun Moon Sect, Linghu Zhong summoned Mo Qi to his private chamber. As they sat down, Mo Qi felt a bit lost, thinking he was about to discuss some secret, perhaps how to contact the spies sent to Dongsheng Continent.
To his surprise, Linghu Zhong got straight to the point: "What do you think of Xiao Xian?"
Mo Qi casually replied, "She's very good. She's beautiful, has a good temper, doesn't hit people, and doesn't scold people!"
Linghu Zhong gave a dry cough. Why were you only mentioning her shortcomings?
"Do you like her or not?" Linghu Zhong asked, somewhat exasperated.
"I do!" Mo Qi said without hesitation.
The moment they emerged from the barrier, Linghu Xiao Xian's breathtaking beauty had nearly blinded him. To say he wasn't moved would be a lie.
However...
Linghu Zhong's face lit up with joy: "That's perfect! This way, I won't be fighting alone anymore."
"What do you mean?" Mo Qi felt somewhat bewildered.
"It's like this, son, let's be frank with each other," Linghu Zhong said excitedly. "Right now, you might see me as a dignified sect leader, but in reality, this is just a facade. In the Sun Moon Sect, the sect leader is always sidelined, a mere figurehead. All major decisions are made by the Elder Council."
Mo Qi began to understand.
Linghu Zhong continued, "And not everyone in the Elder Council has a say. The final decision-makers are the three people in the absolute core, known as the Cabinet Elders! As a direct disciple of the Ancestor Master and with your distinguished achievements in battle, you have already entered the Elder Council. If you are proactive in the next step, you have a great chance of becoming a Cabinet Elder."
"With our combined strength, I will help you ascend to the position of Cabinet Elder, and you can help me gain more decision-making power."
He wanted to arrange a political marriage!
"Shouldn't we ask Xiao Xian's opinion on this?" Mo Qi said somewhat guiltily.
"No need," Linghu Zhong waved his hand and stood up. "I'll make this decision. My word is final. Trust me, if I can't make decisions in the Sun Moon Sect, can't I make decisions for her?"
The more confident he was, the more Mo Qi felt he lacked confidence.
"How about this? First, tell me how I can become a Cabinet Elder?" Mo Qi said with a smile.
"That's simple," Linghu Zhong said dismissively. "First, I've given you the highest credit for this reinforcement battle on Golden Lion Island, which has laid a good foundation for you. Second, you need to flatter the members of the Elder Council. Then, you should interact more with the younger generation and get to know more core figures. Finally, you must convey your ideas to Ancestor Master Shen. With his support, half the battle is won."
Mo Qi thought for a moment: "Who are the core figures among the younger generation?"
Linghu Zhong stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, saying, "In a while, there will be a Dao discussion meeting organized by the younger generation in the sect. All the heavenly talents of the Sun Moon Sect will be there. You should also bring Xiao Xian to attend and get acquainted."
Mo Qi nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Pang Qing, trapped in the secret realm, began cultivating the Five Absolute Divine Abilities out of boredom.
He saw the prompt on the first page: Determination, Heartlessness, Mindlessness, Despair, Peerlessness!
He let out a long cry to the heavens. Wasn't this a perfect depiction of his current predicament?
It seemed this book was tailor-made for him.
Thus, he began to cultivate without any reservations.
During this time, Mo Qi was not idle. He occasionally took out the books he had "borrowed" from the Qingxuan Sect and read them, finding them very beneficial.
It was a medical book called "The Immortal's Inner Canon," which specifically introduced the difficult and rare illnesses often encountered by cultivators, the injuries and illnesses during the cultivation process, and their treatment methods.
The world truly held wonders beyond imagination!
He used to believe that cultivators never got sick. After reading this book, his eyes were opened, and he learned that cultivators could also encounter many bizarre ways of dying, such as spiritual energy backlash, qi sea reversal, and so on.
The book also provided solutions for these peculiar deaths, but it stated that they were very difficult to achieve. In other words, cultivators either didn't get sick, or when they did, it was a terminal illness!
However, after reading it, Mo Qi felt that with his extraordinary alchemy skills, it should be relatively easy to achieve.
Besides reading, he also did not forget about alchemy and cultivation.
He felt that his Lightning Divine Ability was a weak point and wanted to improve it in the Sun Moon Sect.
The Sun Moon Sect had such profound heritage that learning any divine ability was within easy reach.
So, he went to consult Linghu Zhong.
Linghu Zhong told him that there was indeed a place in the Sun Moon Sect specifically for cultivating Lightning Divine Abilities, called the Thunder Marsh!
However, not everyone could enter. If one lacked a foundation in Lightning Divine Abilities, not only would they gain nothing, but it was also possible they might never return.
Therefore, the Sun Moon Sect had always had a Lightning God Ranking!
There were a total of ten people on the Lightning God Ranking. To enter the Thunder Marsh, one had to break into the top ten.
What was terrifying was that the current tenth-ranked person, Shang Guoxin, the sect leader of the Cherry Blossom Sect, had never entered the Thunder Marsh. The last time he entered, he was immediately struck by immense lightning upon stepping in, making him unable to bear it and forcing him to flee in disgrace.
So, the current situation was that even if one made it into the top ten, they might still not be able to enter, and entering would be akin to seeking death!
Shang Guoxin had not accepted challenges for a long time. He was somewhat surprised to hear that Mo Qi wanted to challenge him.
Mo Qi's name suddenly descended from the heavens, appearing on the Sun Moon Sect's illustrious celebrity list.
Shang Guoxin was naturally aware of this.
Some people were spreading rumors that Mo Qi had entered the Elder Council through special channels.
Others said that Mo Qi had a special background that allowed him to enter the Elder Council.
There were even those who claimed Mo Qi was Ancestor Master Shen's illegitimate son!
All these rumors and speculations had thrust Mo Qi into the spotlight and caused many people to harbor genuine resentment towards him.
Shang Guoxin was no different. Although he had never met Mo Qi, his hatred for him grew day by day.
When he heard that Mo Qi wanted to challenge him this time, he was naturally delighted.
He had wanted to beat him up for a long time, and he never expected him to deliver himself to his doorstep.
Initially, he just wanted to beat him up. Later, Elder Liang had visited him, and then he not only wanted to beat him up but also to kill him.
On this day, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two ascended the stage!
The cheers from below were one-sided!
Everyone hoped Shang Guoxin would win!
At this moment, Mo Qi began to miss Linghu Xiao Xian. If she were here, perhaps she could have been his sole supporter.
But now, she had been "exiled" to Golden Lion Island.
He could only fight alone once again.
Shang Guoxin was one of the older sect leaders, possibly around the same age as Linghu Zhong. Most other sect leaders were younger, even from a younger generation.
Therefore, he was deeply entrenched in the Sun Moon Sect.
If others challenged him, he could accept defeat. Entering the Thunder Marsh to cultivate Lightning Divine Abilities was the right of every Sun Moon Sect disciple with a foundation in Lightning Divine Abilities.
But this person before him, he could not accept defeat to him.
He had to strip him of his right to enter the Thunder Marsh!
If possible, he even wanted to strip him of his right to live!
His cultivation had already reached the fourth level of Human Immortal. He felt that he could easily achieve the above two goals against a cultivator in the middle stage of Tribulation Transcension!
The referee was Elder Zhong, whose role was to witness the victory or defeat. All other matters were left entirely to the two combatants.
The rules of the match were that only Lightning Divine Abilities could be used. The use of any other techniques, except for movement techniques, would be considered cheating.
After hearing these rules, Mo Qi felt completely uncertain.
His previous success in challenging opponents of higher cultivation levels was entirely due to his resilience and versatile techniques. If he were limited to using only Lightning Divine Abilities, his advantages would be completely nullified.
Moreover, Lightning Divine Ability was precisely his weak point. To challenge the opponent's strength with his weakness, and with a lower cultivation level, this was simply courting death!
Better to back down than to court death!
A wise person knows when to retreat!
Mo Qi immediately said to Shang Guoxin opposite him, "Sect Leader Shang, I suddenly have something to attend to. Can we postpone our fight to another day?"
Postpone the fight? What a joke! I've already sharpened my blade!
If I don't deal with you today, will I be worthy of my sharpened blade?
Will I be worthy of these thunderous cheers?
As expected, before Shang Guoxin could speak, the audience below became agitated: "No, once you're on the stage, you have to fight. Surrender is not allowed!"
"Yes, others can surrender, but you can't."
Actually, surrender was allowed!
But Shang Guoxin gave Mo Qi no chance to surrender and immediately launched his attack.
He formed a hand seal, and a lightning bolt with dazzling white light shot towards Mo Qi.