Chapter 167: It's Hard to Win People's Hearts
"Clap! Clap!"

The sudden applause instantly woke up everyone who seemed to be in a trance.

Di Mo looked at Liu Xunyi with admiration and said with a smile, "Master Liu defeated the three great masters of Jing Sect in a row with ease, which is really admirable. Since Tang Cong, Liao Chuan, and Liao Hai have all been defeated by you, I'm sure there will be no one in Jing Sect who will not be convinced."

After that, Di Mo turned his gaze to the disciples and said loudly: "The mansion master has a keen eye for talent. He has appointed Liu Xunyi as the leader of Jingmen. Now do you know why? Liu is not a vain name, and you should not underestimate him because he is young. In terms of means and skills, he is far better than all of you. From today on, he will be the leader of Jingmen. He deserves the title. After you become the disciples, you must understand the rules and abide by the family rules. Don't act rashly in front of Liu, otherwise I will not let you off easily!"

Although Di Mo has deep feelings for Xu Heng, he is a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. He knows how to weigh the pros and cons and what is more important. Since Liu Xunyi is regarded as the leader of Jingmen by Luo Tianjin, he should give his full support.

As for such dirty things as abusing power for personal gain, winning over cronies, and excluding newcomers, the upright Di Mo would never do such a thing.

In Di Mo's eyes, he only cares about whether you have real ability, and nothing else matters. If Di Mo was not such a righteous and strict person, how could Luo Tianjin let him take charge of the lower three sects for so many years?
The reason why Di Mo did not speak up for Liu Xunyi just now was, firstly, because he wanted Liu Xunyi to establish his authority in front of his subordinates, and secondly, he wanted to see with his own eyes whether Liu Xunyi was qualified to be the master of Jingmen.

Now that Liu Xunyi has proved himself in front of all the disciples, Di Mo is very satisfied. Therefore, not only will he not deliberately make things difficult for him anymore, on the contrary, he will now help Liu Xunyi secure the throne of the Lord of Jingmen.

In Di Mo's eyes, Liu Xunyi is now his own brother from the lower three sects, just like Xu Heng, Ling Qing, and Chen Yong, with no difference in closeness or distance.

"Yes!" After hearing Di Mo's words, thousands of disciples responded in unison, and then bowed to Liu Xunyi and said, "Greetings, Sect Master Liu!"

"Wait a moment!"

Seeing Liu Xunyi recognized by Di Mo, Xu Heng's heart sank. He suddenly shouted loudly, drew his sword, and leaped in front of Liu Xunyi, saying fiercely: "What we just competed with were just some punches and kicks. If we really fight with others, we will mostly rely on weapons. Now I am also a disciple of Jingmen, and I should be qualified to challenge Master Liu. I wonder if Master Liu is willing to spar with me in weapons?"

"Xu Heng, don't be so presumptuous..."

Before Di Mo could say anything, Liu Xunyi interrupted him with a wave of his hand. He looked at the indignant Xu Heng calmly and said sternly, "I took your seat, it's normal for you to feel dissatisfied. I'm willing to learn from you."

"Okay!" Xu Heng sneered, "You have some courage to accept my challenge."

"But I just came in a hurry and didn't bring any weapons." Liu Xunyi said with a wry smile. After that, he looked around at the disciples in the hall and said loudly: "I wonder if anyone is willing to lend me a weapon?"

"Use mine!" Ling Qing was the first to agree, and at the same time threw the Tang sword in his hand to Liu Xunyi.

Liu Xunyi drew his sword from its sheath, and suddenly a cold light flashed through the air, causing Xu Heng's eyes to narrow slightly.

"Thank you!"

Xu Heng stared at Liu Xunyi suspiciously, and said hesitantly: "Master Liu, I heard that you are good at using swords. Now you borrow a knife, isn't that a loss of level?"

Liu Xunyi raised his eyebrows and replied calmly: "Have you forgotten what I just said? I am proficient in swords, spears, swords and halberds."

Liu Xunyi's words made Xu Heng's face change. A hint of cruelty suddenly flashed in his eyes. He shouted angrily: "I want to see how long you can keep bragging. Watch this!"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Heng had already swung his sword and immediately exerted 100% of his strength, rushing towards Liu Xunyi mercilessly.

In an instant, the East Hall was filled with sword energy and a strong wind. Xu Heng, with his ferocious features, had long forgotten the meaning of "sparring" and repeatedly used killing moves on Liu Xunyi. Each move was vicious and each sword move was fatal, which was very horrifying.

"Wind-cutting sword technique?"

Liu Xunyi saw that the moves Xu Heng performed were quite familiar, it was exactly the same wind-cutting sword technique as Lin Fangda's. However, in terms of power, Xu Heng's sword was much more domineering and fierce than Lin Fangda's.

Liu Xunyi acted on the spot, his sword coming out as fast as a tiger. He was not in a hurry to repel Xu Heng, but countered his moves and responded to them one by one, fighting back and forth with Xu Heng's swords, and the fight was quite lively.

"Clang clang clang!"

Accompanied by the endless sound of golden swords, in the blink of an eye, Liu Xunyi had fought with Xu Heng for more than fifty rounds.

During this time, Xu Heng wanted to kill Liu Xunyi, so he kept attacking without any defense. On the other hand, Liu Xunyi remained calm in the face of danger. Facing Xu Heng's attack like a storm, he remained calm and composed. The Tang sword in his hand flew all over the sky, flowing like clouds and water, and he was either defending or dodging, without any offensive moves.

During the battle, Xu Heng was eager to win, so he revealed his flaws more than once, but Liu Xunyi turned a blind eye to it and continued to defend without attacking.

Even so, after more than fifty rounds of fierce attacks, Xu Heng failed to break Liu Xunyi's defense. Instead, he was exhausted and became restless.

"Why does Xu Heng hate Liu Xunyi so much?" Chen Yong asked suspiciously, "Could it be that they had some deep hatred before?"

"That's not the case." Ling Qing stared at the battle situation and said quietly, "Xu Heng doesn't hate Liu Xunyi, but he hates himself. He is sad that Liu Xunyi is stronger than him. But if Liu Xunyi is not as good as him, he will be even sadder. After all, he is being replaced by someone else. Xu Heng hates his own incompetence the most. You can imagine the torment in his heart."

"Why did Liu Xunyi only defend and not attack?" Chen Yong asked again, "Is his martial arts not as good as Xu Heng's?"

"Liu Xunyi's martial arts are ten times, or even dozens of times better than Xu Heng's!" Before Ling Qing could speak, Di Mo suddenly interrupted, "For Liu Xunyi, defeating Xu Heng is easy, but winning his heart is the key. Among the three of you, Xu Heng's martial arts are the worst, and he has made little progress over the years. The reason is that he is too arrogant and too lonely. Therefore, he always thinks of himself first in everything, which is why he made a big mistake in Broken Halberd Valley and was dismissed from his position as sect leader by the mansion lord. Alas! I was too indulgent to him before. The mansion lord is right. Indulgence is not care, but murder."

Di Mo's words made Chen Yong and Ling Qing look at each other in surprise. There was a deeper meaning to his words. Perhaps it was not just Xu Heng that Di Mo had indulged over the years.

"Liu Xunyi, it's been a hundred rounds, why don't you fight back?" Xu Heng was furious at Liu Xunyi's impeccable fighting style, so he brandished his knife and shouted, "Do you look down on me? Do you disdain to attack me?" "No!" Liu Xun shook his head, "I just want to see how capable Xu Heng, who has been in charge of Jingmen for many years, is."

"I admit that I can't do anything to you, so what?" Xu Heng refuted with gritted teeth, "What can you do to me? You can defend against my attack, and I can also defend against your attack."

"is it?"

Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, the Tang sword in his hand suddenly turned, and his figure was as fast as the wind. In the blink of an eye, he had flashed in front of Xu Heng. Before Xu Heng, who was shocked, could make a move to resist, Liu Xunyi's blade had already arrived like lightning, as fast as a tiger and as powerful as thunder. With a few loud "bangs", Xu Heng only felt an unmatched force coming from the blade. He was not careful, and the steel sword flew out of his hand, "whoosh", and pierced straight into the wall. The disciples standing by the wall were so scared that their legs became weak and they almost collapsed to the ground.

"what……"

"call!"

Everything happened in a flash of lightning, so dazzled Xu Heng was still in shock when the cold and sharp Tang sword was gently placed on his neck.

Xu Heng stared at the Tang sword on his shoulder with trembling eyes, then turned to look at Liu Xunyi in front of him, his eyes full of complexity.

On the other hand, Liu Xunyi still had a blank expression on his face, and no trace of joy or anger could be seen between his brows.

"You..." Xu Heng swallowed hard, and said stubbornly with a trembling voice: "Kill me if you want. I would rather die than surrender!"

Facing the unruly Xu Heng, Liu Xunyi suddenly took back the Tang sword and said calmly: "We are brothers from the same sect. I will not kill you."

This statement surprised Xu Heng greatly. Just now, his moves were aimed directly at Liu Xunyi's vital points. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Xu Heng had the intention to kill Liu Xunyi. Xu Heng thought that even if Liu Xunyi didn't kill him, she would humiliate him, but he never expected that Liu Xunyi would just give up.

Liu Xunyi ignored Xu Heng and sheathed the Tang sword. He then walked to Ling Qing and returned it with both hands. Seeing this, Ling Qing quickly stood up and took the sword with both hands, saying sincerely, "Master Liu, you have great martial arts skills. I admire you!"

At this moment, the scene was a little awkward. While everyone was amazed at Liu Xunyi's superb martial arts, they were also secretly worried about Xu Heng.

Di Mo coughed twice and said in a deep voice: "Xu Heng, you have been defeated by Liu Xunyi, do you have anything else to say?"

"I..." Xu Heng hesitated and said hesitantly, "I have brought trouble upon myself tonight. Not only have I lost face, but I have also shown myself to be a mean person... Hei Zhishan, I am too embarrassed to stay in the Xianwang Mansion any longer. I... I will go back and pack my things and leave..."

"Master..." Upon seeing this, Liao Chuan, Liao Hai, Tang Cong and other disciples of the Jing Sect stepped forward with embarrassment to dissuade him.

"Don't call me Sect Master anymore." Xu Heng lowered his head and waved his hand, saying, "From today on, Liu Xunyi is your Sect Master, and...his martial arts skills are far better than mine, and he is indeed qualified to be the Master of Jing Sect..."

Seeing this, Tang Cong quickly turned his gaze to Liu Xunyi, and pleaded with a complicated expression: "Master, please forgive his rudeness just now for the sake of Brother Xu's hard work for the Jing Sect."

"Master, please have mercy!" Led by the brothers Liao Chuan and Liao Hai, all the disciples of Jing Sect knelt down in front of Liu Xunyi and pleaded for Xu Heng.

"What are you doing?" Xu Heng said angrily, "What did I teach you before? A man has a lot of gold under his knees, how can he be so useless? Now I want to leave on my own, why are you begging him for help?"

Xu Heng snorted angrily, then turned to Liu Xunyi and casually bowed. Without raising his head, he quickly said, "Liu... Sect Master Liu, I leave my brothers to you. They have no ill will towards you. They are all under my orders. So if you want to blame someone, blame me alone, don't implicate them. I know that I have offended you and can no longer gain a foothold in Jingmen, so I will not stay here to annoy you. I am leaving now!"

After saying this, Xu Heng ignored the pleadings of the Jingmen disciples and turned around without hesitation to walk out of the hall.

"Brother Xu, please stay!"

Liu Xunyi suddenly spoke, and the noisy East Hall suddenly fell into silence.

Seeing Xu Heng standing in front of the door, Liu Xunyi walked forward slowly and said loudly: "Brother Xu, if you leave like this, what will happen to the disciples of Jingmen? I am new here, who can I ask for advice in the future? You said that you would rather die than obey me, so what? You were the leader of Jingmen yesterday, and you are a disciple of Jingmen today. I was just drinking and chatting with my brother in Xiumen, and now I am standing here, suffering from your challenges? You only know that you have been demoted and lost face, but have you ever thought about my feelings? I Do you want to be the master of Jingmen? I also want to stay in Xiumen and spend time with my brothers. But the Xianwang Mansion is a place with rules after all. You can't change the order of the mansion master, and neither can I. I know that I will be humiliated by you if I come here tonight, but I still want to come, because this is my fate, I accept it! As for you, if you make a mistake, you will be demoted, and if you can't win, you have to admit defeat. This is also fate, and you have to accept it! If you don't accept it, just go back and practice martial arts diligently. I'm always waiting for you to challenge me again!"

Liu Xunyi stared at Xu Heng's trembling back with a serious look, and said word by word: "I dared to come here tonight. I can't say how brave I am, but at least I didn't run away. But if you just leave now, you will be a complete coward. And for the coward who only knows to run away when he is not satisfied, it is better not to stay!"

Not only Xu Heng felt mixed emotions after hearing Liu Xunyi's heartfelt words, but even Di Mo, Ling Qing, Chen Yong and nearly a thousand disciples were deeply lost in thought and could not calm down for a long time.

"What are the upper three gates, the lower three gates... What are the gates of shock and the gate of death... In the final analysis, after we step out of the palace gate, we are all disciples of the Xianwang Palace." Liu Xunyi said righteously, "If we still divide ourselves into relatives and strangers, direct descendants and collateral descendants, the Xianwang Palace will be destroyed sooner or later, and when the nest is overturned, no eggs will be left intact. Sooner or later, we will become the laughing stock of the world. Brother Xu, I am not just saying this to you, but to everyone present. If you want to leave, then leave!"

After that, Liu Xunyi turned his resolute gaze to the disciples of Jingmen and said in a deep voice: "If any of you want to leave with him, then go now, I will never stop you!"

"Master, please calm down!" Tang Cong, Liao Chuan, and Liao Hai looked at each other, and after a little hesitation, they all bowed to Liu Xunyi and apologized, "We are willing to follow you, Master, and stay in Jingmen until we die!"

"Xu Heng, what about you?" Di Mo always hated the factions among the three lower sects, so he was very angry and asked coldly, "If I had known that you were hopeless, why would I have pleaded for you in front of the Palace Master? Humph! You disappoint me so much!"

After a long time, Xu Heng slowly turned around. He didn't know when he was in tears and sobbing.

Xu Heng fell to his knees with a plop and kowtowed to Di Mo, saying, "Xu Heng is incompetent and has failed the kindness of Hei Zhi Shan. From today on, I will do my best to assist Master Liu and will never again belittle myself or have distracting thoughts. I hope to atone for my sins and repay... the great kindness of the Palace Master and Hei Zhi Shan!"

……

(End of this chapter)