Chapter 506 Taking office
A martial arts conference caused a stir in the city, and various forces were scheming and fighting openly and secretly.

After months of planning and three days of competition, a "leadership dispute" with far-reaching implications gradually died down.

Some are happy and some are sad? For most ambitious people, it is undoubtedly that they come with high hopes but leave with low hopes.

Only Luo Tianjin kept a low profile, knew when to change, endured humiliation, and was careful in his words and deeds. In the end, he won the championship of the martial arts conference and won the position of leader that countless heroes dreamed of.

The conference ended and the storm subsided.

All the major sects and families returned to their own residences, packed their bags, checked their men and horses, and prepared to leave Huashan and go their separate ways.

Before leaving, Luo Tianjin summoned the leaders of various factions to the villa of Prince Xian's mansion, under the pretext of "farewell", but in fact it was a "test".

After all, it is inevitable that some people will be dissatisfied when a new official takes office. This is a good opportunity to win over the hearts of the people and explore the minds of various sects so that they can see the loyalty and treachery, good and evil, so as to act in the future.

At noon, the villa of Prince Xian's mansion was crowded with people coming and going.

Regardless of the size of the sect or force, all those who participated in the martial arts conference and still remain in Huashan today mostly brought generous gifts and rushed to come.

The "generous gifts" in their hands had actually been prepared long before they went up the mountain. No matter who was elected as the leader of the martial arts world, they would offer their own gifts.

First, to congratulate the new leader. Second, to buy peace for yourself.

As the saying goes, "a new official starts with three fires." Although Luo Tianjin keeps saying that fellow martial artists are one family, regardless of closeness or distance, he is, after all, a martial arts hero who knows the survival rule that those who obey will prosper and those who go against will perish. Therefore, those who pretend to obey but actually disobey, those who do not listen to orders, and those who are disloyal will inevitably be trampled under his feet or even turned into ashes.

There is an old saying that goes "Don't hit a smiling person", so everyone took advantage of the fact that the leader of the martial arts world had just taken office to express their gratitude. Even if they had any grudges with Luo Tianjin in the past, they could take this opportunity to show their loyalty today, thus wiping out the past and eliminating their worries.

Everyone knew that Luo Tianjin was neither as magnanimous as a saint nor as narrow-minded as a villain. He did not care about the past, but only cared about the attitude of others towards him from now on.

Therefore, when he first became the leader and his foundation was not yet stable, it was undoubtedly the best opportunity to climb up the ladder by opening up to him and making friends with him sincerely.

After a short while, the villa was already crowded with people. Second- and third-rate sects and forces could only gather in the courtyard, and there were still very few who were truly qualified to sit in the lobby.

At this time, the heads of the six major sects, Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingcheng, and Emei, as well as the heads and general managers of the four major families, Lu Mansion in Jiangnan, Tang Clan in Shuzhong, Teng Clan in Xiangxi, and Qin Clan in Hexi, were all present.

Although many of them had grudges against Luo Tianjin, no matter how unwilling they were, they had to put the overall situation first, and no one dared to openly go against the leader of the martial arts world.

As for Jinjianwu, Jueqing Valley and Longxiang Mountain, the leaders were not present and only sent Leng Yiyi, Chang Wuhui and Tang Xuan as representatives. This move caused many people to imagine.

But no matter what, sending someone is better than refusing the invitation, and it can also be regarded as tacit acknowledgement of Luo Tianjin's status in the world.

In the hall, various sects and schools praised Luo Tianjin highly and presented their own "gifts". Regardless of whether it was true or false, Luo Tianjin always responded with a smile and never refused any gifts, accepting them all.

"Congratulations, Lord Luo..."

As soon as the words came out, Xu Qingnian suddenly felt that it was not appropriate, so he hurriedly changed his words and said: "It should be congratulations to Alliance Leader Luo for becoming the supreme master of the martial arts world and unifying the martial arts world!"

"Mr. Xu, you are too serious."

As his internal injuries had not yet healed, Luo Tianjin's face still looked very pale. He said modestly, "Thanks to the kindness of my friends in the martial arts world, a mediocre person like me, Luo, has been lucky enough to receive this honor. In fact, I am only temporarily taking over the position of leader. When a hero who is truly capable of taking on this responsibility appears, Luo will definitely step down and let the wise man take over, so as not to mislead others and myself, and make a fool of myself."

"Master Luo, there is no need to be modest. The position of the leader of the Wulin Alliance is a heavy responsibility and a long way to go. Looking at the current martial arts world, apart from the famous Northern Sage King, who else is qualified to take on this responsibility?"

As soon as Yin Baimei finished speaking, there was a chorus of agreement from everyone in the hall.

Luo Tianjin said seriously: "In fact, my wish is to have a grandson with my wife as soon as possible, retire to the countryside together, and live a carefree life of 'picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing the southern mountains'."

"Hey! If Alliance Leader Luo retires to the countryside, the Central Plains martial arts world will lose a pillar. How can we agree to this?" Someone in the hall shouted, "However, Alliance Leader Luo's wish of having a grandson is just around the corner. Soon, your daughter and Young Master Liu will be a happy couple. Maybe by this time next year, Alliance Leader Luo will be able to hold a plump grandson in his arms."

"Ha ha……"

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of laughter in the garden. As the saying goes, when a happy event comes, one is in high spirits. Although Luo Tianjin was weak, he couldn't help laughing when he heard the teasing from the hall.

In just a few words, the atmosphere in the villa gradually became relaxed.

Luo Tianjin turned his gaze and looked at Leng Yiyi, who looked serious, with a half-smile, and asked, "How is Master Jinwu's injury? Are the doctors accompanying him enough? Are there any shortages of medicinal materials?"

Leng Yiyi had never expected that Luo Tianjin would actually bring up the topic of herself. She was immediately shocked and answered subconsciously, "The owner of the Wudang...is not seriously injured, but he caught a cold this morning, so it is inconvenient for him to come in person to congratulate the Wulin Alliance Leader. I hope Alliance Leader Luo will forgive me. As for the accompanying doctors and medicinal materials, they are all sufficient. Thank you Alliance Leader Luo for your concern."

"That's good!" Luo Tianjin said with a meaningful smile, "Master Jinwu and I have a deep sympathy for each other. If he gets into trouble because of me, how can I bear it?"

How could Leng Yiyi not hear the hidden meaning in Luo Tianjin's words? However, due to the current situation and their respective identities, there were some things she could only think about but could not say out loud.

"In fact, Alliance Leader Luo invited you all here, firstly to say goodbye to you, and secondly to announce something."

Suddenly, Xie Xuan's expression changed, and he said in a loud voice: "According to ancient rules, the leader of the martial arts world is the master of the Central Plains martial arts world, and has the power to command, call on, and even dispatch major sects and families. If it is a time of crisis in the martial arts world, the leader of the martial arts world can issue orders directly to the heroes of the world without the permission of any sect or force, and no one can disobey, no one can disobey, no one can question, and no one can hesitate. Anyone who contradicts him, no matter what the reason, will be regarded as the enemy of the Central Plains martial arts world, and all heroes in the world can punish him! Therefore, from now on, the Central Plains martial arts world will completely end the chaotic situation of the rise of princes and the division of heroes, and break the barriers between the factions of the past. There can only be one leader in the martial arts world, and that is Luo Tianjin. In addition, no one or any force may form gangs. If there are people who collude secretly and harbor evil intentions, they will be regarded as betraying the righteous path of the Central Plains martial arts world, and all heroes in the world can punish them!"

Xie Xuan's words made the bustling scene become as quiet as death. Everyone pricked up their ears and listened carefully, afraid of missing a single word.

"In order to facilitate the Wulin leader to lead the heroes and prevent foreign heretics from disguising themselves and sneaking into the Central Plains in the future, Luo decided to follow the ancient example and compile a list of the Central Plains Wulin." Xie Xuan continued, "All the martial arts sects, families, gangs, clans, mountain strongholds and even individuals who claim to be from the Central Plains Wulin and want to be protected by the orthodox martial arts must submit a complete and detailed list of people. Luo will send people to verify them one by one, register them, and distribute the Jianghu token. In the future, anyone who holds a Jianghu token will be supported and helped by fellow martial artists at all times and in any place when they encounter a crisis. On the contrary, those who are not on the list are not allowed to claim to be the orthodox martial artists. If there are unqualified people who impersonate others, all heroes in the world will be punished!"

"hiss!"

Xie Xuan said "Anyone can kill him" three times in a row, which immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

Submitting the population roster to Prince Xian's Mansion is tantamount to completely exposing one's own background under Luo Tianjin's nose.

This move is not only a test for the six major sects and four major families in the past, but also an extremely harsh challenge for ordinary second- and third-rate sects.

Seeing the hesitation and whispers on everyone's faces, Luo Tianjin's pupils shrank, and he said faintly: "Everyone might as well recall carefully, what was the real purpose of our decision to reopen the martial arts conference? In the past, the six major sects and the four major families were clearly divided and hostile to each other. Last year, they met in Hexi and almost started a war and blood flowed like a river. Why is it so? It is only because of our different factions and mutual intrigue that the Central Plains martial arts cannot be harmonious, but the Mongols have an opportunity to take advantage of them. They use a little trick and we are easily fooled, so that we turn against each other and almost cause a disaster. In the final analysis, it is because we are self-contained and cling to our shortcomings. The sects cannot be open and honest and trust each other. In the long run, we will be disintegrated and broken by them one by one. Is this the ending you want to see?"

"This……"

"Of course not!" Luo Tianjin did not give everyone a chance to hesitate, and said firmly, "If that were the case, why did you all come all the way to Huashan? Since you all admire the Wulin Conference so much, it is enough to show that you are determined to save the martial arts world from its predicament and the collapsing building. You nominated me as the leader of the Wulin Conference, and I, Luo, will shoulder the responsibility of saving the Central Plains Wulin. The most urgent task is to eliminate the barriers and trust each other. Only in this way can we share weal and woe and live and die together. If we continue to cherish our own things and act on our own, the only result will be death!"

At this moment, everyone had their own thoughts and looked around from time to time, as if observing other people's reactions.

Xie Xuan, Yan Bugui, and Murong Bai stood on Luo Tianjin's left and right, their eyes sharp and silent, staring at every move, every word and even every subtle expression of the people present, as if they were examining their hearts for Luo Tianjin.

"Of course, this list is not exclusive to Luo." Luo Tianjin continued, "According to the rules of the martial arts world, the martial arts conference is held every three years, and the martial arts leader is re-elected at each martial arts conference. The list will also be updated and revised every three years. The revised list will be very different, and it will be kept by the next martial arts leader. No one else is allowed to covet or spy on it, otherwise they will be dug out their eyes at the least, or their lives will be taken at the worst. In other words, Luo compiled the martial arts list only to ensure the stability of the Central Plains martial arts within three years, to deter those with evil intentions, and to prevent them from acting rashly. Other than that, it has no other use!"

Under Luo Tianjin's patient persuasion, everyone gradually began to waver.

"According to what Alliance Leader Luo said, if we insist on refusing, we will inevitably be misunderstood as harboring evil intentions and plotting something bad." Qingfeng was the first to break the silence. "The Wudang Sect is upright and has nothing to fear. Since the Wulin Alliance Leader has spoken, I will follow his orders!"

"Amitabha!" Xuanming clasped his hands together and agreed, "Thinking about it carefully, compiling a martial arts list will ultimately have more benefits than disadvantages. It will not only deter those with ulterior motives, but also maintain the dignity and status of the martial arts leader. If you have a clear conscience and don't want to commit crimes, then you don't have to worry. I think this method is feasible!"

Seeing that Shaolin and Wudang had expressed their opinions one after another, the others did not dare to hesitate, for fear of being accused by Luo Tianjin of having "ulterior motives", so they all agreed.

Suddenly, the garden became extremely lively.

When Luo Tianjin cast a suspicious look at Leng Yiyi, Chang Wuhui and Tang Xuan, they all said that "they dare not make the decision on their own and have to leave it to the leader to decide."

Luo Tianjin knew what was going on and stopped pressing them. However, a hint of secrecy flashed in his eyes, which made the three of them suddenly feel a chill in their hearts and chills on their backs.

Although it was only a short two hours, the "Alliance Master Luo" at this moment, compared with the "Lord Luo" two hours ago, had been completely transformed without anyone noticing, and was even completely different.

……

(End of this chapter)