Chapter 39

"Father, how does your current skill compare to that of the Left Alliance Leader?" Yue Fangxing asked.

Yue Buqun's joy faded, his expression turning serious. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "I have always greatly admired Left Alliance Leader's wisdom. He has integrated the seventeen fast and slow sword techniques of Mount Song, achieving great mastery in swordsmanship. Although I have also achieved great mastery in the Nourishing Sword Technique, I can only defend. However, the Heart Method of the Shaolin Sect is far inferior to that of our Huashan Sect. Although Left Alliance Leader is a few years older than me and has recently created a new internal skill, it is difficult to say how powerful it is. Therefore, in terms of internal skills, he is at most on par with me. If we were to truly engage in combat, the outcome would be hard to predict."

Yue Fangxing nodded in agreement. The Nourishing Sword Technique excels in defense, ensuring self-preservation, but it is difficult to use it to defeat an opponent. Although his father, Yue Buqun, had broken through the Purple Mist Divine Skill and gained deeper power with the assistance of the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang, it had been a short time and there had been no further breakthrough. Left Lengshan, who was over ten years older, had created the Ice Cold True Qi, and his power was indeed formidable, making him one of the three major righteous experts in the martial world. Even the old demon Ren Woxing had suffered a great loss at his hands in the original story.

However, even so, the two were now at the same level of expertise, and it would be difficult for Yue Buqun to lose. Seeing his father's martial arts skills improve so much, Yue Fangxing felt even more confident and thought it was time to reveal his long-planned strategy to revive Huashan. He took a step forward and asked, "May I ask, Father, what are your lifelong aspirations?"

Yue Buqun replied, "What aspirations? I just want to preserve the Huashan lineage." He glanced at Yue Fangxing and said, "Just speak your mind, don't beat around the bush! Making a mistake is nothing serious; no one is perfect. You are still young, don't be timid."

Yue Fangxing chuckled and said, "For years, I have been thinking about how to revive Huashan. I now have some shallow insights and hope Father will give me guidance!"

Yue Fangxing cleared his throat and said, "Let's start with the current situation in the martial world. Shaolin has always been the leader of the martial world, recognized by all for centuries; after Shaolin, it is Wudang; followed by Kunlun, Emei, and Kongtong. If we consider the Five Mountains Sword Sects individually, we would rank behind them. However, because the Five Mountains Sword Sects act as an alliance, we are not weak compared to Shaolin and Wudang. Otherwise, we wouldn't have..."

He paused, not continuing, and skipped this part: "Among the Five Mountains Sword Sects, the Songshan Sect and Shaolin Temple are neighbors, one in Taishi Mountain and the other in Shaoshi Mountain. There has always been some friction between the two sects, but since the Songshan Sect is weaker, Shaolin can tolerate it. However, after the Five Sects Alliance eliminated the ten elders of the Cult, although they suffered heavy losses, their reputation in the martial world was greatly enhanced, and the Songshan Sect also benefited. If things had remained this way, it would have been fine, but at the last Five Mountains Alliance meeting, Left Sect Leader became the Alliance Leader, greatly enhancing his reputation. This made the relationship between the two sects more complicated."

"As the saying goes, 'How can one allow others to sleep soundly beside one's bed?' Seeing the rise of the Songshan Sect, Shaolin naturally cannot let it develop unchecked. As for the Songshan Sect, although it has developed rapidly since Left Sect Leader became the Alliance Leader, it is constrained by the massive neighbor, Shaolin. It can be said that the two sects cannot coexist. Left Alliance Leader's current plan to merge the Five Mountains is likely due to the urgent situation, feeling the pressure and wanting to combine the strength of the Five Mountains to compete with Shaolin."

"But how can Shaolin not know Left Alliance Leader's plans? And the Wudang Sect and others certainly do not want a large sect that spans the east, west, south, and north to emerge in the martial world, so they will certainly obstruct it. However, with the Cult now powerful and many evil experts under its control, Shaolin, Wudang, and others do not want to face the Cult directly, so they are unlikely to have a direct conflict with the Songshan Sect. To stop Left Alliance Leader's ambitions, they will certainly support the internal opposition to the merger within the Five Mountains Sword Sects, causing the merger to fail on its own."

"Speaking of the internal situation of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, although the Taishan, Hengshan, and Hengshan Sects are currently stronger than our Huashan, the Taishan Sect's Tianmen Daozhang is constrained by the elders of his sect, making it inconvenient for him; the Hengshan Sect's Master Mo is often away from the sect, unable to fully unite the sect; and the Hengshan Sect's Dingshan Shitai is a woman, making it difficult for her to command respect. There is no one among the three sects who can match Left Lengshan, and because their sects are powerful, who knows if they will not have the idea of merging the Five Mountains once they gain power? This is indeed a concern!"

"However, our Huashan is different. Father's martial arts and wisdom are not inferior to those of Left Alliance Leader, and Huashan has few disciples, making it impossible to merge the Five Mountains, thus not threatening Shaolin and Wudang. Therefore, as long as Father slightly shows his strength and the intention to resist the Songshan Sect, Shaolin, Wudang, and others will likely support our Huashan Sect in resisting the Songshan Sect to prevent the merger of the Five Mountains, and even push Father to become the Alliance Leader of the Five Mountains. This way, our Huashan Sect can seize the opportunity to develop and accumulate strength. Even if we cannot become a large sect like Shaolin and Wudang, it is still very possible to restore Huashan to its former glory."

Yue Buqun listened to Yue Fangxing without interrupting, pacing and thinking for a long time before asking, "Shaolin once plotted against our Huashan. How can they now help Huashan resist the Songshan Sect along with Wudang and others? If our Huashan shows the intention to resist the Songshan Sect, and they sit back and watch us fight with the Songshan Sect, what will we do?"

Yue Fangxing, who had already considered this, replied, "Times have changed. In the past, our Huashan was one of the six major sects in the martial world and the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, so it was not strange for Shaolin to plot against us. But now, Huashan is in decline, and the Songshan Sect is powerful and close by, so it is very possible for Shaolin to support our Huashan. Moreover, Left Alliance Leader's plan to merge the Five Mountains is to make the Songshan Sect the main sect, cutting off the lineage of the other four sects. Our Huashan will eventually oppose him, and now we are just taking the initiative to survive. Furthermore, the Taishan, Hengshan, and Hengshan Sects may not agree to the merger of the Five Mountains. If they see Left Lengshan acting against our Huashan, they will likely help us out of concern for their own survival."

"The only concern is that Left Alliance Leader may act against our Huashan first when he sees our intentions, taking advantage of the other three sects not yet deciding. However, the Songshan Sect will not attack with all its forces. With Father's current strength, plus Mother, Master Brother, and me, even if we cannot win, we should be able to defend ourselves."

Yue Buqun slowly stroked his beard, finding some sense in it but still unable to make a decision. "This plan is good, but the risk is great, and the other sects are unreliable. Even if we join forces, if something happens, it will be too late to rescue us. A slight mistake could destroy our Huashan's efforts of over twenty years. Let's talk about it later!"

Yue Fangxing sighed inwardly. This plan was based on the development of the situation in the original story, a result of years of thought, and he did not expect it to be so difficult to start. Fortunately, the current situation was not urgent, and getting this result was not bad. His main purpose in speaking was to remind his father that the Songshan Sect was about to act and to make him aware of the potential threat. He added, "I fear that if our Huashan does not act, the Songshan Sect will not wait. Although Master Liu has acted improperly, Left Alliance Leader's arbitrary interference in other sects' affairs is very concerning. If he succeeds, who knows if he will not interfere in our Huashan's internal conflicts and plan to merge the Five Mountains?"

"Internal conflicts in Huashan?" Yue Buqun was puzzled, not immediately thinking of any internal conflicts in Huashan.

Yue Fangxing coldly spat out two words: "Sword Sect!"

Yue Buqun was startled, recalling an incident: During the Qi and Sword Sect conflict, the Qi Sect was well-prepared and launched a sudden attack, while the Sword Sect was caught off guard and did not mobilize all its members. After the battle, although the Qi Sect won, it was severely weakened and unable to pursue the Sword Sect members who had fled. Although many years had passed, they had not disappeared without a trace and were likely still in the world. If they had the support of the Five Mountains Alliance Leader, who knows if they did not have the intention to restart the Qi and Sword Sect conflict and reclaim the leadership?

Thinking of this possibility, Yue Buqun's mind was in turmoil. Although he had heard much today, this news was the most important and pressing. His thoughts were a jumble, and he could not focus on anything else. Seeing that it was late and Yue Fangxing was still in front of him, he waved his hand, telling him to rest. As for the *Piyexianpu*, it was inconvenient to study it now, and he would return to Huashan to do so.

Yue Fangxing, seeing his goal achieved and having no other matters, bowed and left, returning to his room.