I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1921 - 350: Reconstruction

Chapter 1921: Chapter 350: Reconstruction

Events at Qiyao Palace Residence were also taking place throughout Xiling.

And the sect representatives who listened thoroughly to the entire second lesson couldn’t sit still.

When one’s position differs, their perspective on things varies greatly.

In the eyes of the young sect disciples, the second lesson was merely a way for the dean of Unparalleled Institute to showcase strength and tactics through them, intending to inform the powers from the back door that although Unparalleled Academy had just been established, it was not without foundation.

But this understanding is ultimately a bit shallow, because today’s Unparalleled Academy has already gained recognition from Longzhou and the entire martial arts circle of Xiling, so why would the dean take such measures?

Yet, shallow as it may be, this isn’t wholly wrong. One thing is certain: the dean indeed wanted to use the children’s mouths to deliver some message to these sect representatives, possibly a probe of sorts.

However, regarding such major issues, even a grandmaster wouldn’t make indiscriminate guesses, so the representatives from Xiling selected messengers to relay the information back to their sects.

Simultaneously, some sect representatives with old acquaintances moved around and sought mutual hints to verify their own suspicions.

Thus, after the second lesson, Xiling suddenly became somewhat chaotic, causing the aristocratic families to think it was about to change, like facing a formidable enemy.

Especially the Tang Group, which was rebuilding, felt more sensitive to such an atmosphere.

After all, ninety percent of Tang Clan’s promising disciples were currently in Xiling City. If they faced another massacre, it would take hundreds of years to recover.

Under such circumstances, they couldn’t take even a tiny risk.

Who would care about being subtle or high profile now?

Thus, without any reports, Tang Bin directly drew numerous warriors from the sect headquarters, making North City’s guard force the largest among the four major guard forces.

Tang Zuo even retracted Dark Thunder Hall’s external operations, fully guarding against movements within Xiling City, while Tang Sen directly assumed control of the sect, serving as the clan’s last barrier.

Such an intense response was naturally felt by the civilians as merely stricter rules in North City and increased patrolling soldiers on the streets, with no distinctive differences.

But for the forces within North City, especially those recruitment offices, the sensation was unmistakably evident, suddenly feeling many eyes watching day and night.

After discovering this situation, the city council quickly dispatched envoys to persuade, and after much cajoling, Tang Clan’s vigilance slightly relaxed.

Although it was merely an overreaction due to misunderstanding and sensitivity, the power displayed by Tang Clan astonished various parties in Xiling greatly.

After all, after Longzhou’s war against Tang Clan, the world thought Tang Clan had entirely faded. If it weren’t for the unexpected rise of the Void Grandmaster, the clan’s complete destruction wasn’t impossible. Yet, now, merely a few years later.

The strength displayed by Tang Clan in Xiling, while not at its peak, is unmatched by ordinary prominent families or aristocrats.

Once Tang Clan disciples within the inner academy mature...

Their revival seems unstoppable.

...

The upheavals in Xiling couldn’t affect Red Cloud Mountain, especially for the disciples at the back mountain, who lacked the energy to concern themselves with other distractions.

Indeed, the second lesson was overwhelming, and just to digest it, one couldn’t tell how much mental effort it would take, not to mention completing assignments set by the masters.

To be honest, although they had completed the cultivation of two lessons and felt transformed, the topic of seeking life’s meaning was still too vast for them now.

So nowadays, it’s common to see disciples in a daze on the back mountain.

Expressions of disorientation were widespread, similar to how young people set their goal to become rulers of the world and continuously cultivated towards this goal, only to suddenly realize that even reaching the highest level, achieving the strongest power, would still be insignificant compared to the eternally existing yet dead-silent stars as dust and ash.

After all, the mental disparity from "I want to become the king of the world" to "you are nothing to the world" is genuinely daunting, so great that these children didn’t know whether they should believe that cultivation was the only path to transcendence.

Such unspeakable insignificance and disappointment deeply troubled them, rendering the pursuit of life’s meaning impossible and making even cultivation uninspiring.

The behavior of the disciples on the back mountain reflected this situation more or less.

As a result, the children began to worry, while alcohol culture gained momentum, especially in Unparalleled City, a place gathering fine wines from everywhere.

When the first disciple from the back mountain brought alcohol in, the trend couldn’t be stopped.

Some disciples who couldn’t bear it drank to oblivion that very night, running all over the back mountain, crying and wailing.

"The world is vast, humans are mere ants, what is the meaning of cultivation, the meaning of struggling, better to just get drunk, better to just get drunk!"

Where there is setback, there is abandonment.

A disciple originally determined to catch up with Tang Clan, Mu Man, underwent a dramatic change in personality after completing the second lesson. No longer did he show up during rigorous cultivation or additional training, but wandered around aimlessly instead.

An angry senior brother, Pei Mu, went to persuade him, but Mu Man retorted, "Rigorous cultivation? Transcendence? What meaning does it have? Life is like a fleeting moment, why waste it all on martial arts."

"Are you going to give up? Have you forgotten why you cultivated and all the effort over these years?"

Pei Mu asked insistently in shock.

"Initially learning martial arts... Initially learning martial arts was merely due to family vendetta and not wanting to be bullied. Now that the great vendetta is avenged, and I have joined the inner academy, I am no longer that rootless grass with a life as thin as paper. Even if expelled from the inner academy, under the protection of the code, I can live well in Xiling. So, what is the meaning of martial cultivation to me now?"

Mu Man, being advised, first looked distant, as if recalling the hardships of early cultivation, but as he spoke, his tone gradually became calm because he had thoroughly analyzed everything clearly and felt increasingly determined: "From now on, I want to find what truly interests me. When drinking, just drink, and when singing high, just sing high. No need to persuade anymore, Brother Pei!"

The conversation between Mu Man and Pei Mu quickly spread throughout the back mountain. Some felt Mu Man was a coward for retreating in the face of difficulty, but others thought Mu Man made a sensible point.

Some even believed they should follow Mu Man’s example, set martial arts aside for a while, to better seek life’s meaning and complete assignments set by the masters.

Human behavior always originates from the heart. Once exposed to different worlds, even without uttering a word, change can be dramatic.

In this vast transformation, there were still notable peculiarities.

After the second lesson, disciples within the inner academy of the back mountain were influenced in varying degrees, whether manifested outwardly or not; some became more indulgent, others more diligent.

Changes in conduct also emerged, and interactions with them felt deeper.

But there was one person who remained unchanged, spending each day practicing swordsmanship in the back mountain with "haha heehee," as if the second lesson had never happened.