Xie Zhiyan said,"It's all because of the trouble caused by Di Yunfei and his group.They want to use the conflict in the Southern Xiang region to train their own disciples,but they have implicated Yi Jianmen."
Su Xinqi asked,"Why would Yi Jianmen be involved?It seems like the five sword factions,including yours,don't have such a custom."
In the martial world,there are dozens of top forces,each with different ways of cultivating disciples.The Zhenjian Alliance and Nian Bang focus on quantity,with tens of thousands of warriors under their command,spread across the entire Da Zhou.On the other hand,the Su family in Ru Nan,despite having fewer direct descendants,maintains a long-standing tradition of recruiting talents,including thousands of freelance martial artists and small clans affiliated with them.
The common feature of these factions is that they have many subordinates.Their successors not only need strength but also must be adept at managing their followers.This tradition leads them to send their most outstanding disciples into fair competitions with the elite disciples of other factions.
However,this is a tradition of alliances like the Zhenjian Alliance,where quantity matters.Su Xinqi finds it puzzling how Yi Jianmen,with a relatively small number of disciples,got involved.
Xie Zhiyan clarified,"You misunderstood.It's not that Yi Jianmen wants to participate in their struggles,but one of our spokespersons in the Southern Xiang has been implicated.Di Yunfei has spread the word that they will either join him or die.The spokesperson had no choice but to seek our help,so the sect sent me."
Su Xinqi nodded.Supporting a spokesperson in other regions is common among major forces,whether for acquiring local specialties,facilitating trade,or gathering information.However,these actions are usually discreet.Yet,in the case of Southern Xiang,the weakened martial world and lack of attention from others allowed Yi Jianmen to openly send Xie Zhiyan to deal with the situation.
Xie Zhiyan chuckled,"However,it seems like I made this trip in vain.You defeated Di Yunfei and practically wiped out his forces.The little influence we supported probably doesn't need to worry about being absorbed."
Su Xinqi raised an eyebrow,"So,Di Yunfei is thoroughly defeated?He will withdraw from Southern Xiang after losing to me once?"
Xie Zhiyan nodded,"Yes,more or less.He was defeated by you,injured,and his forces suffered heavy losses.His reputation in Southern Xiang has plummeted.The local freelance martial artists who used to support him won't continue to do so.Xiao Moyun and Shangguan Yanqing's strength will undoubtedly rise,sealing Di Yunfei's fate in this conflict."
Su Xinqi shook his head with some disdain,"Honestly,this so-called conflict seems like child's play to me.They send their subordinates to die while rarely personally engaging in the fights.What's the point?"
Xie Zhiyan took a sip of tea,"If they fought seriously,no one would be able to bear it.After all,they are carefully cultivated direct disciples of each faction,the future successors of their sects.Losing their lives in a trial would not be worth it and could even lead to a major conflict between the two factions.They just need to refine their methods of controlling their followers a bit;that's sufficient."
Su Xinqi still shook his head,finding the methods of these factions too conservative.
At that moment,the door of their private room suddenly opened,and a young man in luxurious clothing strode in,saying with a big smile,"Yi Jianmen's'Nine Tribulations Fairy,'Miss Xie Zhiyan,has actually come to Southern Xiang.This is truly surprising."
He then turned his gaze to Su Xinqi,his eyes flashing with a dangerous light,"And this must be Su Xin,the brother who defeated Di Yunfei?Heh,quite unexpected indeed."
Xie Zhiyan said indifferently,"Xiao Moyun,it seems I don't need you to intervene in wherever I go."
Su Xinqi suddenly realized that the young man in question was Xia Tantan,the master of the Xia Clan in Nian Bang,and the disciple of'No Second Blade'Jin Kexin.He was also one of the most outstanding figures among the younger generation in Nian Bang.
Honestly,in terms of strength alone,Xiao Moyun surpassed Di Yunfei;he had already reached the complete Spiritual Aperture Realm.However,due to Xiao Moyun's early years spent in seclusion,his achievements in battles were much inferior to Di Yunfei's.Consequently,his ranking on the martial ranking list was lower,specifically at the sixty-third position.
Previously,he had wanted to challenge Di Yunfei,aiming to seize his ranking.However,Di Yunfei didn't personally engage;instead,he had his subordinate,Pang Feiyun of the'Misty Concealed Jiao Dragon,'handle it.Pang Feiyun single-handedly dealt with all the experts under Xiao Moyun.
Di Yunfei could engage Su Xinqi one-on-one because,in Di Yunfei's eyes,Su Xinqi was weaker.If Di Yunfei fought Su Xinqi while using a group,it would be considered unbecoming,and even if he won,it would be ridiculed as an unfair victory.
However,if Xiao Moyun were to fight Su Xinqi,there wouldn't be such restrictions.Even if Su Xinqi faced a group attack,Xiao Moyun could still suffer some losses.After the last encounter,Xiao Moyun had left with the intention of recruiting stronger experts before seeking revenge.Unexpectedly,as soon as he returned to Donglin Mansion today,he heard about Su Xinqi defeating Di Yunfei and nearly wiping out his forces.
Upon hearing this news,Xiao Moyun immediately came to find Su Xinqi.His goal was not to express gratitude but to defeat Su Xinqi.
Su Xinqi had defeated Di Yunfei,and after the next monthly ranking list was released,Su Xinqi would undoubtedly replace Di Yunfei's position.If Xiao Moyun could defeat Su Xinqi now,he would secure the fifty-seventh spot on the ranking list.
With this plan in mind,Xiao Moyun smiled and said to Xie Zhiyan,"Miss Xie can indeed come to Southern Xiang,but I'm afraid you might not be interested in participating in our little competition,right?"
Honestly,Xiao Moyun had some apprehensions about Xie Zhiyan.Although she was currently in the Spiritual Aperture Realm and had not broken through to the Divine Palace Realm,her strength,ranking twenty-first on the ranking list,far exceeded Xiao Moyun's.
Yi Jianmen's four major sword scriptures,'Life,''Death,''Illusion,'and'Annihilation,'were all formidable,but the'Annihilation'scripture's Supreme Nine Tribulations Sword was renowned for its power and danger.The Supreme Nine Tribulations Sword not only dealt with the opponent's tribulations but also inflicted tribulations upon the user.
Very few practitioners had achieved mastery in this sword technique throughout Yi Jianmen's history,as most were consumed by the backlash,falling midway.In Xiao Moyun's view,someone who dared to cultivate such a self-destructive sword technique was akin to a madman.
While it was straightforward to deal with Su Xinqi,who was alone,Xiao Moyun did not underestimate him.Su Xinqi's victory over Di Yunfei proved his strength,placing him among the top sixty on the ranking list.
Unlike Di Yunfei,who was already designated as the successor of the Zhenjian Alliance,Xiao Moyun faced fierce competition within Nian Bang.If he were defeated within Nian Bang,his prospects for cultivation would decline.So,this time,he wanted to test Su Xinqi's strength.He wasn't as foolish as Di Yunfei to openly challenge Su Xinqi in front of many martial artists,only to be defeated.
