"Disciple Mo Xiaoliang, please follow me." As Mo Xiaoliang stepped down from the stage, a deacon flew down from the cloud platform and announced in an official tone.
Seeing this, the envy and jealousy among the disciples were palpable. They all understood what this meant—someone must have taken a liking to Mo Xiaoliang's performance and intended to take him as a disciple, hence summoning him for questioning. As long as he seized this opportunity and performed well, he could ascend to the heavens in a single step, becoming a disciple under a high-level cultivator.
Mo Xiaoliang, however, remained expressionless. He followed the deacon and flew up to the cloud platform.
"This disciple pays his respects to the three Grandmasters, and to all Uncles and Aunts." Led before the three Nascent Soul Dao Lords, he showed only slight surprise, not panic. His etiquette was flawless, yet his face did not display excessive reverence.
Dao Lord Lingxi did not take offense at all, still smiling amiably. "Mo Xiaoliang, after watching your Dharma Combat just now, I have a question for you."
Mo Xiaoliang bowed. "Yes, Grandmaster. Please ask."
Dao Lord Lingxi said, "Between mindset and aptitude, which do you think is more important?"
Mo Xiaoliang was taken aback. He thought for a moment before answering, "Mindset."
"Oh?" Dao Lord Lingxi was rather surprised. Many people privately believed aptitude was more important, and before a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, most would ponder and say both were equally important. He hadn't expected Mo Xiaoliang to so decisively say mindset was more important.
"Why?"
Mo Xiaoliang replied, "No particular reason. Just look at the various Grandmasters of our sect. They may not necessarily possess extraordinary aptitude, but they certainly possess exceptional mindset."
Dao Lord Lingxi glanced at Mo Tiange and Qin Xi, smiling. "Our sect has eight Nascent Soul cultivators. Five of them possess Single Spiritual Roots. Of the remaining three, one possesses a Mixed Element Spiritual Root, which is even more outstanding than a Single Spiritual Root... How does this support your view?"
Mo Xiaoliang said, "Grandmaster Shoujing possesses a Dual Spiritual Root, yet he was the earliest genius in the Xuanqing Sect to achieve Core Formation. Moreover, he formed his Nascent Soul at the age of two hundred and eleven. As for you, Dao Lord Lingxi... you possess a Single Spiritual Root, yet whether in Core Formation or Nascent Soul formation, you could not surpass Grandmaster Shoujing. That is point one. Grandmaster Hua Yan's aptitude is even inferior to Grandmaster Shoujing's, yet he still reached the Nascent Soul stage. That is point two. Uncle-Master Zhifei of Chaoyang Peak possesses a Single Spiritual Root, yet to this day has been unable to form his Nascent Soul, his cultivation making no progress. That is point three."
Dao Lord Lingxi chuckled. "You really dare to speak..."
Mo Xiaoliang continued, "From these three instances, it can be seen that those who reach the Nascent Soul stage may not have high aptitude, but without exception, they all possess excellent mindset."
Dao Lord Lingxi said with a smile, "Those with aptitude but lacking mindset were filtered out in the earlier steps, is that it?"
Mo Xiaoliang hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Yes."
"Then have you ever considered that those without aptitude but with mindset were filtered out even earlier?"
Mo Xiaoliang hesitated for a longer time.
Dao Lord Lingxi merely watched him with a smile.
"Grandmaster means..." Mo Xiaoliang said with some difficulty, "that aptitude is actually more important than mindset?"
Dao Lord Lingxi shook his head. "I have said nothing of the sort. This question does not require me to give you the answer."
Mo Xiaoliang fell silent.
"Mo Xiaoliang." After a long quiet moment, Dao Lord Lingxi suddenly asked, "Are you willing to become my disciple and enter my tutelage?"
Although he had known from the start that the deacon summoning him meant someone was interested in him and might even take him as a disciple, hearing Dao Lord Lingxi's direct and straightforward question still surprised Mo Xiaoliang. He hadn't expected it to be a Nascent Soul Grandmaster, nor had he expected the other party to skip repeated tests and, after just a few questions, directly offer to take him as a disciple.
Seeing him remain silent for a while, Dao Lord Lingxi raised an eyebrow. "What, you are unwilling?"
Mo Xiaoliang snapped back to his senses. Suddenly, he lifted his robe and knelt down. "Grandmaster Lingxi, please forgive this disciple. In the past, I once had a wish. Before answering you, I would like to ask Dao Lord Qingwei a question first."
Dao Lord Lingxi found this quite interesting and nodded. "That is permissible."
Mo Xiaoliang raised his head, looking at Mo Tiange. Something flickered in his gaze—admiration, longing. He said, "May I ask Dao Lord Qingwei, do you still remember this disciple?"
The Mo Xiaoliang before them appeared to be in his early twenties, with regular features. The sharpness at the corners of his brows and eyes gave him a stern, not handsome, appearance. Yet the fierce, formidable aura about him was identical to her memory.
Mo Tiange's expression remained calm as she nodded. "I remember. I just didn't expect you to share my surname."
Mo Xiaoliang said, "That day, thanks to Grandmaster's rescue, this disciple was able to escape with his life. When I entered the sect, I asked Uncle-Master Yunyu how I could become Dao Lord Qingwei's disciple. Uncle-Master replied that when I became the most outstanding disciple of the Xuanqing Sect, it would be possible. All these years, I have strived tirelessly for this goal, never slacking. However, the more I learned, the more I realized my own ignorance and overestimation. Over the years, forget about a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, not even a Core Formation Perfected One was willing to take me as a disciple. Now, Grandmaster Lingxi intends to take me as his disciple. I know this is an opportunity to change my fate. But before that, I would like to ask Grandmaster one question: Would you, Grandmaster, be willing to take me as your disciple?"
On the cloud platform, every cultivator who heard this looked at him in astonishment. Since the founding of the Xuanqing Sect, they had only ever heard of Nascent Soul Dao Lords asking disciples if they wished to enter their tutelage. Never had a disciple counter-asked a Nascent Soul Dao Lord if they would be willing to take him. This Mo Xiaoliang was truly too bold, and thought too highly of himself.
Surprise also appeared in Mo Tiange's eyes. She glanced at Dao Lord Lingxi, who remained smiling, and asked, "Do you know that Senior Brother Lingxi's intention to take you as a disciple is not only because your mindset suits him, but also because you are suited to cultivate his techniques? If you become my disciple, at most I could procure the techniques for you, but I could not guide you personally as he would."
"This disciple knows," Mo Xiaoliang said calmly. "It's just... this has been my wish for decades. I must ask this one question before I am willing to turn to another."
Mo Tiange glanced at Dao Lord Lingxi and said, "I have no plans to take on a disciple."
Mo Xiaoliang let out a breath. He kowtowed once to her, then turned to Dao Lord Lingxi. "In reply to Grandmaster Lingxi, this disciple is willing."
Dao Lord Lingxi, however, did not answer immediately. Instead, he said with a beaming smile, "You asked her first before replying to me. Doesn't this tell others that, in your heart, entering my tutelage is not the best choice? In that case, would I still be willing to take you as my disciple?"
Mo Xiaoliang kept his head lowered. "If Grandmaster Lingxi changes his mind, this disciple has nothing to say."
"Even so, you would still have asked just now?"
"Yes." Mo Xiaoliang did not hesitate in the slightest.
Dao Lord Lingxi nodded. "You may go. Someone will notify you later."
"This disciple takes his leave." Mo Xiaoliang kowtowed once again and retreated with perfect etiquette.
After a while, Mo Tiange asked, "Senior Brother Lingxi, does this mean you will take him as a disciple, or not?"
Dao Lord Lingxi replied, "Junior Sister Qingwei, do you truly not wish to take a disciple, or are you yielding him to me?"
The two looked at each other and laughed together.
Dao Lord Lingxi said, "He said without hesitation that mindset is important. This shows he values mindset more in his heart. His aptitude is not bad, passing muster. Valuing mindset will only benefit him. Moreover, what I value more is that he faces his true heart directly. Even under the pressure from the three of us, he could still respond with his true heart. Comparatively speaking, having a somewhat fiery temper is not a major flaw."
These Nascent Soul cultivators all knew that the primary requirement for the Great Dao was to face one's true heart directly. Mo Xiaoliang had already achieved this point, meaning his future potential to tread the Great Dao was far greater than that of ordinary people.
"Also," Qin Xi, who had been observing all along, spoke up, "he is not inflexible. He values his ideals but would not cling to them unto death."
"Indeed," Dao Lord Lingxi said with a smile. "Firm conviction is necessary, but one cannot be rigid and unchanging. Those who do not understand how to assess the situation will also be eliminated by reality."
"In any case, congratulations to Senior Brother Lingxi for acquiring an excellent disciple," Mo Tiange said, cupping her hands. "Congratulations."
The first day of the Grand Competition passed, and Dao Lord Lingxi had taken on a disciple. This news invigorated the many disciples, making them even more enthusiastic about the competition.
When five days passed and all Foundation Establishment disciples had competed, a total of over ten disciples had successfully become disciples under high-level cultivators. Unfortunately, all the others were under Core Formation Perfected Ones. The only one to enter the tutelage of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord was Mo Xiaoliang.
Amid their disappointment, the disciples were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Calculating the time until the next Grand Competition, they worried they would be too old by then to catch the eye of a Nascent Soul Grandmaster...
Next was the Core Formation stage of the Grand Competition.
The Grand Competition was, under ordinary circumstances, the only opportunity to watch Core Formation cultivators engage in Dharma Combat. Therefore, the number of people on the main peak did not decrease but rather increased.
Approximately twenty Core Formation cultivators participated in this competition. The matches for Core Formation cultivators were much more detailed; by estimation, it would take over ten matches to reach the final deciding round. The intensity of Dharma Combat between Core Formation cultivators was also much greater, so at most three matches were scheduled per day. In total, it would take five or six days to conclude.
Once the Grand Competition was completely over, it would be time for the opening of the Ten Thousand Laws Natural Formation. All Foundation Establishment disciples who had entered the sect in the past fifty years were to enter the Ten Thousand Laws Natural Formation. Calculating back and forth, there were still over ten busy days ahead. Mo Tiange simply settled her mind, temporarily halted her cultivation, and prepared to spend this period leisurely.
As the Core Formation cultivator matches began, Mo Tiange was surprised to discover that Wu Feishuang, a disciple under Dao Lord Miaoyi, had already achieved Core Formation. During the journey to the East Sea years ago, she had lost an arm and suffered severe injuries. Kuang Zhu had asserted it would likely take ten to twenty years to fully recover, plus the time needed for Core Formation... Yet only a little over thirty years had passed.
Curious, she inquired and learned the reason lay with her. Back then, she had provided numerous spirit herbs and pills, shortening Wu Feishuang's recovery time. Afterwards, Wu Feishuang had obtained sufficient medicinal pills and, focusing on cultivation, broke through in twenty years, successfully forming her Golden Core.
Hearing this, Mo Tiange sighed. "Even so, she must have accumulated a great deal to enter the Core Formation stage so smoothly."
Qin Xi said indifferently, "We must also thank Zhifei. If not for him, how could she have so easily severed those entanglements?"
Thinking of Bai Yanfei, still struggling in the Core Formation stage, Mo Tiange sighed again.
An even more surprising event followed. Wu Feishuang's opponent happened to be Jiang Min.
Watching the two meet on the combat stage, both wore calm expressions. As in the past, they politely addressed each other as Senior Sister and Junior Sister, their attitudes friendly but not deliberately intimate. It seemed Bai Yanfei had already been let go by both.
Mo Tiange could not help but sigh once more for Bai Yanfei. If he could not let go, he would lose to them both.