Alex, leading a group of Sun Moon Sect elders, strode into the hall, drawing every eye in the room.
"Hmph, you traitors! How dare you show your faces before me?" Ren Woxing's gaze locked onto Tong Baixiong and his former allies, his face twisted with hatred as he roared.
When Dongfang Bubai seized his leadership, these elders had all played a part.
The elders trailing Alex wore complex expressions upon seeing Ren Woxing—shame, fear, and shock mingled on their faces.
"A wise servant picks a worthy master, just as a bird chooses a sturdy tree to nest in. Leader Ren Woxing, your martial skills and character fall short of Leader Dongfang Bubai's. It's your own failing that he took your place. Blaming the elders for turning against you seems a bit petty, don't you think?" Alex glanced at Ren Woxing, showing no trace of deference.
Alex's words sparked gratitude in the eyes of Tong Baixiong and the elders behind him.
"Hmph, so you're Alex? You're saying I'm less than Dongfang Bubai ?" Alex's sharp words set Ren Woxing's hair and beard bristling, his fierce glare like an enraged warrior, commanding and fearsome.
Alex remained unfazed by Ren Woxing's fury. Calmly, he challenged, "Let me ask you this: when you were leader and Dongfang Bubai was your deputy, he toppled you using the Sun Moon Sect's own strength, right under your nose. Doesn't that prove his skill and cunning surpass yours?"
He paused briefly, then pressed on, "Your Star Absorbing Skill made you famous, a top master in the martial world. But could you ever claim to be the world's greatest, as Leader Dongfang Bubai is today?"
"And finally, I, Alex, earned my name as the Ghost Hand Sword Saint. Yet Leader Dongfang Bubai made me deputy leader, entrusting me with the sect's entire affairs without clinging to power. But you? You're still consumed by old grudges, obsessed with reclaiming your throne." After three pointed questions, Alex concluded, "In skill, martial arts, heart, and vision, you fall short of Leader Dongfang Bubai. Am I wrong?"
"Scoundrel! I'll end you right here!" Alex's blunt words, spoken before the masters of both righteous and evil sects, drove Ren Woxing into a rage, his eyes blazing.
In the original tale, Ren Woxing himself admitted to admiring three and a half people, Dongfang Bubai among them, to show his own broad-mindedness.
But when someone else said it, the words cut differently.
"Leader, please, calm yourself! Now's not the time to fight Alex!" Seeing Ren Woxing's fury, Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying rushed to his side, urging restraint.
With the leaders of the four major righteous sects present, even defeating Alex would leave both sides weakened, handing an advantage to the so-called upright factions.
Though Ren Woxing's temper flared hot, he wasn't reckless. With Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying holding him back, he steadied himself, forcibly swallowing his anger.
Master Fang Zheng and the others watched the Sun Moon Sect's internal clash with quiet satisfaction. As neither side seemed ready to fight, Master Fang Zheng turned to Alex and said, "Deputy Leader Alex, you've brought a large force of Sun Moon Sect followers to my Shaolin Temple. May I ask your purpose?"
"I've come to Shaolin for two reasons," Alex replied, his voice steady.
"Ren Yingying is the Saint Aunt of our Sun Moon Sect, after all. Whatever mistakes she's made, the Sun Moon Sect will handle her. By holding her under house arrest, Shaolin Temple shames not only our sect but also Leader Dongfang Bubai."
"Amitabha, since Leader Ren Woxing and Deputy Leader Alex have come in person, Shaolin Temple will, of course, release her," Master Fang Zheng said plainly.
With Ren Woxing having already freed Ren Yingying, Master Fang Zheng saw no need to escalate. Clashing with the Sun Moon Sect's forces over her wasn't worth the cost.
"Master Fang Zheng, no!" Zuo Lengchan's face darkened the moment Master Fang Zheng finished speaking, his voice sharp with urgency.
Yue Buqun shared Zuo Lengchan's stance, nodding firmly. "Exactly. Today, our four great sects gathered here for the Sun Moon Sect's Saint Aunt. If we let them take her, how will we face the righteous martial world? Besides, with the strength of our four sects combined, we've no reason to fear the Sun Moon Sect."
Zuo Lengchan and Yue Buqun's reasoning was straightforward. This was Shaolin Temple—any battle would hit Shaolin hardest.
Weakening Shaolin Temple while dealing a heavy blow to the Sun Moon Sect? It was a win-win.
For years, Shaolin and Wudang, the pillars of the righteous path, had overshadowed the Five Mountains Sword Sect.
Yet Master Fang Zheng, despite his serene demeanor, wasn't one to let the Five Mountains Sword Sect use Shaolin as a shield against the Sun Moon Sect. How could he accept such a loss?
Ignoring the protests of Zuo Lengchan and Yue Buqun, he turned to Alex and asked, "And what, may I ask, is Deputy Leader Alex's second purpose?"
"The second matter is simple," Alex said plainly. "I've heard the Yi Jin Jing of Shaolin Temple is unmatched in the martial world, so I'd like to borrow it for a look."
"Impossible!" Master Fang Zheng's kind expression vanished, his face hardening as he rejected the request without hesitation.
"What if I offer to trade a peerless swordsmanship, no less valuable than the Yi Jin Jing?" Alex pressed, noting Master Fang Zheng's firm stance.
"Deputy Leader Alex, your swordsmanship may be exceptional, but as a Shaolin monk, I struggle to master my own temple's arts. How could I crave another's techniques?" Master Fang Zheng shook his head, subtly jabbing at Alex's desire for Shaolin's secrets.
"So this kid's after the Yi Jin Jing?" Ren Woxing's eyes gleamed with interest at Alex's words.
"Wait a moment," Ren Woxing thought, his mind racing. "This youth excels in hidden weapons and swordsmanship, but he's still young. Even if he's trained since birth, his inner strength can't be deep. That's why he seeks the Yi Jin Jing…"
With this realization, Ren Woxing spoke up. "Alex, the Yi Jin Jing of Shaolin Temple may be unrivaled, but my Star Absorbing Skill, refined over the past decade, is just as formidable. If you swear loyalty to me and help me reclaim my leadership, I'll teach you the Star Absorbing Skill. What do you say?"
Ren Woxing's offer stunned everyone in the hall!
Moments ago, he'd raged to kill Alex, yet now he dangled the Star Absorbing Skill to win him over. Such a swift shift was beyond most men's cunning.
"Star Absorbing Skill?" Even Alex paused, caught off guard.
He recalled the flaw of the Star Absorbing Skill—its chaotic qi backlash, but the offer stirred a flicker of temptation.
As Ren Woxing claimed, a perfected Star Absorbing Skill, free of its flaws, could indeed rival the Yi Jin Jing…