Chapter 15: Crisis

"It's hard to say," Wu Qianqian hesitated, uncertainly saying.

"Oh? Hard to say? How is it hard to say?" Kong Jingfeng looked at his niece with interest, smiling as he asked.

"The performance of the three is vastly different from what was rumored," Wu Qianqian frowned, saying, "According to the rumors, Shi Qianshan is mature and steady, capable of handling things independently, meticulous and flawless in his dealings. But this time, he disappointed everyone at first sight."

"As for the second disciple, Chu Yang, he is rumored to be quiet and introverted, but today he showed a hidden sharpness. He seems timid and fearful, but deep down, he is..." Wu Qianqian thought for a moment, unable to find the right words, and said, "In short... this person is very strange, I can't see through him. As for the third disciple, Tan Tan, he is indeed as unpredictable as the rumors suggest."

After she finished speaking, both of them fell silent, their brows tightly furrowed, and they remained silent for a long time. Finally, Wu Yunliang stood up, walked slowly to the wall, and with a flick of his hand, a large mural on the wall slid aside, revealing a white sheet of paper behind it.

On the white paper, there was a list of names from top to bottom on the left side, totaling forty names. Behind each name, a red checkmark was marked with a pen.

More than ten names had two checkmarks; two names, occupying the first and second positions, had three checkmarks. These two names were: Xue Yemeng and Qin Moshang.

Li Jianyin's name was in the nineteenth position, and Shi Qianshan's name was in the thirteenth position. However, there were no names for Chu Yang and Tan Tan.

Wu Yunliang picked up a pen, paused for a moment, and then drew a red line through Li Jianyin's name, erasing it.

Then he carefully considered and wrote two characters at the bottom: Chu Yang.

He added a "?" after Chu Yang's name. He took two steps back, frowned, and thought for a moment, then with a bold stroke, erased Chu Yang's name again, leaving only a "?".

"This matter will likely cause a great upheaval," Kong Jingfeng frowned, "Our Tianwailou is already unstable internally, and now this has happened, involving Brother Meng..."

"Brother Meng won't be involved. With his temper, unless Tianwailou is destroyed, he won't care about anything else," Wu Yunliang shook his head, his tone very certain. Then his expression darkened, "Is Shi Qianshan really so incapable?" His voice carried a hint of disappointment.

"Yes," Wu Qianqian's impression of Shi Qianshan was extremely poor. This Shi Qianshan, who was usually praised as "mature and steady," in her mind, was just a super idiot, and a blind one at that.

Hopeless!

Wu Yunliang sighed deeply.

For this matter, the two did not say much more, clearly not taking it to heart. After all, it was just a squabble among the younger generation, not affecting the overall situation. Now, both of their faces showed signs of worry, indicating they had other concerns.

Wu Yunliang waved his hand, and Wu Qianqian understood, quietly retreating.

The study was left with only the two of them.

"Brother, I have a suggestion..." Kong Jingfeng probed.

"No rush," Wu Yunliang waved his hand, his expression worried.

Kong Jingfeng fell silent for a moment, then said solemnly, "Our Tianwailou, by the time it reached our generation, is only the seventh generation. The first generation founder established the sect, ranking among the seven top sects of the Lower Three Days, enjoying royal patronage! What a glorious honor. But the second generation broke ties with the Great Zhao royal family, and from then on, our reputation plummeted. The sect's experts were hunted and killed, with most of them perishing. It was only by chance that the second generation founder helped the royal family in his later years, and although the old ties were not restored, we managed to regain some strength and return to the Nine Peaks and One Garden."

"The third generation elders were all outstanding, each a remarkable talent. We thought the sect would rise again, but unexpectedly, the abundance of talent triggered internal strife within the Nine Peaks and One Garden. A fierce battle ensued, leading to self-destruction, and Tianwailou suffered a great blow. Only the command to prohibit disciples from killing each other was left."

"But now, the Nine Peaks and One Garden, except for Brother Meng's Purple Bamboo Garden, are already on the verge of conflict, with hidden tensions! The next generation, the eighth, will see a life-and-death struggle for the top ten disciples. The sect's strength will be greatly diminished, as is already foreseeable."

"Our Tianwailou, once a top sect, has now fallen to a second-rate one..." Kong Jingfeng's voice was cautious at first but gradually became more passionate, "Master, the Nine Peaks and One Garden, though grand in scale, each has its own agenda. It would be better to have none at all!"

"Such fragmentation, with traitors constantly emerging. Our Tianwailou is in grave danger... Of the seven major sects, only six remain. The remaining slot is coveted by Hongchen轩 and Xinjian斋, who have long been eyeing it as their strongest competitors! Moreover, Shendao Pavilion and Heixue Alliance have deep-seated enmity with us, harboring a desire to destroy us..."

"Our Tianwailou is now on the brink of disaster!" Kong Jingfeng's expression was sorrowful, "Master, we cannot afford to be complacent!"

"How could I not know what you are saying?" Wu Yunliang sighed deeply, "What you mentioned are only the factors in the martial world and external factors. The true crisis, you have not yet touched upon."

"In recent years, the eighth generation male disciples of Tianwailou number nearly six hundred, but very few are capable. The female disciples, however, have grown from fewer than fifty ten years ago to nearly one hundred and fifty now! And each, though limited in talent, is exceptionally beautiful..." Wu Yunliang exhaled deeply, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and said silently, "This is a sign of the sect's decline!"

"Beauty, a source of trouble," Wu Yunliang said coolly, "In a world where strength is paramount, beauty is a resource, but also a source of disaster. The decline of Tianwailou is imminent. Once the eighth generation disciples enter the martial world, they will inevitably cause endless strife!"

"It is a source of disaster, but it may also be a resource!" Kong Jingfeng countered, "Entering the martial world might bring us many allies for Tianwailou, who knows?"

"Do you really think so?" Wu Yunliang laughed mockingly, "Beauty, to most strong people, is just a tool."

"The current Tianwailou is beset by internal and external troubles. If we follow your suggestion and forcibly merge the Nine Peaks and One Garden, centralizing power, it will immediately fall apart and collapse," Wu Yunliang said solemnly, "At that time, if external enemies take advantage of the situation, Tianwailou will be immediately destroyed."

"Using strong medicine for a serious illness is true, but if the illness is already terminal, rashly using strong medicine will only lead to immediate death! Moreover, our enemies are far more numerous than these..."

Wu Yunliang hesitated, as if there was something he found hard to say.

Kong Jingfeng, unwilling to give up, said, "Should we just let it continue? Let the sect slowly decline?"

"We need external help..."

When Wu Yunliang mentioned "external help," his expression was extremely complex, almost speaking each word with a pause. His eyes showed a determination to make a last stand. Then he fell silent, facing the wall with only thirty-nine names and a "?" remaining on the list, without saying another word.

"But what about those female disciples?" Kong Jingfeng felt a sense of relief, but then became concerned again.

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