Chapter 197: This Path Has Truly Been Widened.

"Tomorrow?"

Xu Ming was a bit puzzled by Yue Lou's suggestion.

Logically, to avoid trouble, Yue Lou should have waited for Qing Wan to finish her seclusion and let Qing Wan bring him into the Tianxuan Sect herself. But now, Yue Lou was suggesting letting him enter directly?

Xu Ming found this hard to understand.

Seeing Xu Ming's confused expression, Yue Lou sighed and decided not to hide it anymore.

"Young Master Xu, here's the situation. This time, the Zixia Grand Ceremony will greatly influence the selection of the Saint Son or Saint Daughter of Tianxuan Sect.

Among the Four Great Sacred Grounds, one pair of Saint Son and Saint Daughter is usually selected. But Tianxuan Sect is different—or rather, most sects in the world don't have the abundance of resources like the Four Great Sacred Grounds.

In Tianxuan Sect, if there's a Saint Daughter, there won't be a Saint Son, and vice versa. The main purpose of this is to focus resources on one individual, be it the Saint Son or Saint Daughter, and to prevent factionalism within the sect, which could lead to internal strife."

Xu Ming nodded in understanding. "I see. It's like how a dynasty chooses a crown prince. The only difference is that in the mortal world, the heir must be male, but in the cultivation world, it's based on ability, regardless of gender."

"Exactly, that's a good analogy!" Yue Lou felt enlightened by Xu Ming's example and appreciated how much simpler it made things. She thought to herself that scholars really were brilliant.

Yue Lou then got to the point. "If nothing unexpected happens, this Zixia Grand Ceremony will determine the next Saint Son or Saint Daughter. Among the personal disciples of each peak in Tianxuan Sect, six have the best chances, including Uncle (Shishu) Qin, Senior Brother Xia, and Senior Brother Feng."

Xu Ming felt he understood what Yue Lou was getting at and responded, "I think I know what you're trying to say.

To become the Saint Daughter, one must have a solid reputation. I'm a guest personally invited by Qing Wan, but if I were to be turned away at the gate, it would damage her reputation.

People might start thinking—'Qin Qing Wan is so weak that she can't even protect her own guest. How could she lead Tianxuan Sect in the future?'

Moreover, my reputation isn't great. Qing Wan associating with me might lead some cultivators to criticize her, saying she lacks judgment in choosing her friends.

So, you want me to show some strength, to prove to others that I'm not some opportunist or freeloader. Instead, my abilities justify my possession of the Baiwa Secret Realm.

After all, in the cultivation world, strength is everything. Without it, unless one has a strong backing, they usually end up reincarnating. But with enough strength, even great Confucian scholars will defend you."

Yue Lou stared at Xu Ming, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Xu Ming asked.

"Not at all." Yue Lou shook her head. "What you said is exactly what I was thinking. I just didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly. Are you sure you don't know mind-reading?"

Xu Ming chuckled. "I don't know any mind-reading techniques. It wasn't that hard to guess. But even though I can accompany you to Tianxuan Sect tomorrow, I don't want to harm Qing Wan's reputation. Won't this cause trouble for you, Yue Lou? Aren't you worried about being targeted by other disciples in the sect?"

"Not at all." Yue Lou smiled as well. "Uncle Qin once saved my life during an expedition. My life already belongs to her. Besides, once Uncle Qin becomes the Saint Daughter in the future, wouldn't she naturally look after me?"

"Haha, Miss Yue Lou, you really have thought this through. You've paved your path wide." Xu Ming praised.

"Of course!" Yue Lou laughed, understanding that Xu Ming was teasing her.

In Xu Ming's view, Qin Qingwan had a high chance of becoming the Saint Daughter, and Yue Lou had clearly invested in the right person.

But in Yue Lou's heart, while she supported Qin Qingwan unconditionally, she felt that her Shishu (Uncle) still faced considerable challenges in securing the position.

"Then I'll trouble Miss Yue to take me there tomorrow," Xu Ming said.

"Please don't worry, Young Master. I will make all the arrangements for you. I'll do my best to avoid any conflicts, and it certainly won't affect your injuries," Yue Lou assured him.

"Alright." Xu Ming nodded.

In truth, whether or not there would be a fight was not something an inner disciple like Yue Lou could control.

But Xu Ming didn't mind.

What could Tianxuan Sect possibly do? Would they really dare to fatally harm the top scholar of the Wu Kingdom?

As a gesture of gratitude, Yue Lou went to prepare medicinal herbs for Xu Ming and promised to brew the medicine and personally deliver it to him.

Xu Ming didn't refuse.

Accepting goodwill at the right time often puts the other party at ease.

"You go ahead and play. I'll focus on my recovery," Xu Ming said as he patted Shen Shengsheng's head, who was lying on his lap.

"Okay," Shen Shengsheng replied softly. She straightened up and went to the garden to watch the ants.

After spending so much time with Shen Shengsheng, Xu Ming had noticed her peculiar little hobby—watching ants.

Closing his eyes, Xu Ming began to rest, adjusting the martial energy and spiritual power within his body.

But as soon as he shut his eyes and was about to enter a meditative state, images of him and Mo Zhuer intertwined in the Yuanyang Cauldron suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Xu Ming sighed softly.

Once you've tasted something, it's hard to forget.

For someone like him, brimming with vitality, such memories were especially vivid.

And with a woman of Mo Zhuer's caliber, that initial ecstasy could ruin a man for any other woman.

This was why most martial artists were forbidden from losing their virginity before reaching the third stage of martial cultivation.

It wasn't just about the loss of yang energy damaging their foundation—it was because the further one progressed, the more vigorous their vitality became. Once they tasted such pleasures, the longing would only grow stronger.

And with one experience, there would be a second. If a martial artist couldn't control their desires, their yang energy would continuously leak, weakening their foundation. Eventually, they might never step into the Heroic Soul Realm.

Fortunately for Xu Ming, he had already entered the Heroic Soul Realm and was no longer bound by such restrictions.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Ming cleared his mind of distractions.

But just as he was about to meditate again, the system's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Looking at the reward the system had provided, Xu Ming froze.

What is this?