"Hahaha, young friend, you are being modest, very modest."
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow laughed heartily.
Facing Xu Lingjun, he seemed particularly fond of smiling... Not surprising, as he had seen many young talents.
But such youths, even when modest in words, often had a trace of arrogance deep in their eyes.
However, youthful vigor is proper, and it's hardly a fault, though to the Sect Leader of Tomorrow, it seems that a small achievement makes it hard for them to remain humble, and they are unlikely to achieve greatness in the future.
But Xu Lingjun is not one of them; he carries not a single ounce of arrogance.
After laughing for a while, he sighed and said to Guo Xu, "Principal Guo, the affairs of Qingzhou City are not for our Sun and Moon Bright Sect to interfere extensively, but Liu Yun nearly became a disciple of our sect. I want to ask, what will your punishment be?"
Guo Xu thought for a moment and answered, "The death of Wei Hua can be argued as unintentional, leading to a punishment for smuggling, plus financial compensation. But concealing an incident after a murder resulting in Wang Jian's death has reached the level of murder. For both crimes, he shall be sentenced to twenty years in Black Prison without parole. Furthermore, an economic compensation of five million to each family is required, as the deaths occurred during a school event, where the school also shares responsibility and will provide partial compensation..."
He paused, looking at the Sect Leader of Tomorrow who specifically inquired about this matter, and asked, "What does the Sect Leader think of this punishment?"
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow said, "After all, it is a matter of Qingzhou City, which our Sun and Moon Bright Sect should not interfere with. I asked out of a wish to inform Principal Guo that, although Liu Yun almost became our sect's disciple, his crimes cannot be tolerated by our sect, and you must handle it fairly, without giving our sect any face. It's just unfortunate..."
He glanced at Xu Lingjun and sighed, "It's unfortunate that the originally agreed upon five disciples now suddenly lack one. Alas... But the number has already been reported, and the mismatch in numbers is a bit troublesome."
Guo Xu's eyes lit up, clearly understanding the implied message.
He knew these high-ranking people's implications all too well.
He smiled and said, "Sect Leader Ming, Lingjun fits perfectly; why not let him fill Liu Yun's vacancy?"
"That might not be reasonable."
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow sighed, "You must know Xu Xiaoyou did not participate in the sect examination. Even if his strength is sufficient... Entering our sect without examination breaks the rules and might invoke criticism from others."
Ji Roufeng, hearing this, became anxious and interjected, "But Xu Tongxue killed that Bone Splitting Lizard, saving many lives. If not for him, the bloodbath at Qingyang High School would have counted against our Sun and Moon Bright Sect. From this perspective, didn't he help us? We should reciprocate."
"Well..."
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow looked at Xu Lingjun with embarrassment.
Xu Lingjun looked at him, blinked, and said seriously, "Sect Leader of Tomorrow, there's no need for difficulty. Originally sixteen people took the examination, just select another appropriate candidate from the remaining ten, and it will comply with the rules without inviting criticism."
"........."
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow stared at Xu Lingjun, shocked, thinking this script was not right...
Didn't you hear my implied message?
Beg me, please. I, a grand sect leader, cannot actively request your admission. If you plead, I can just agree, can't I?
But why is this kid so sincere?
He was momentarily stuck, not knowing what to say.
After a while, he mumbled, "Actually, rules are dead, people are alive. Rules should be kept, but blindly adhering is foolish and inflexible. Tradition values flexibility over rigidity... So I'm quite an enlightened sect leader..."
Xu Lingjun seriously said, "Sect Leader, no need to comfort me. I know my own situation, even if I took part in the examination, I likely wouldn't make the top five, and joining the sect would lack proper grounds. I understand the Sect Leader appreciates my small assistance to Sun and Moon Bright Sect, but help is help, rules and etiquette must not be discarded. The Sect Leader must not force himself, so as not to dishearten the disciples below."
"Actually... it's not forcing..."
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow responded blankly, then realized, his brows slightly furrowed, and asked, "You seem not to want to join the Ming Sect?"
Xu Lingjun sighed, "I'm not qualified. Over twenty people participated in the examination, and I didn't even qualify. Forcing my way in due to petty relationships would only lead to being bullied at the bottom. Better to be a leader than a follower. The sun deserves to hang high in the sky, the nightingale deserves to sing among the willows. I know my own situation; joining the sect, I'm unworthy."
He spoke sincerely.
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow almost believed him.
Meanwhile, Liu Peiyun gave Ji Roufeng an odd look, signaling with her eyes, did you tell him this too?
Ji Roufeng replied with her eyes, I didn't, I just explained to Li Lei while complaining, didn't expect him to relay it to Xu Lingjun verbatim.
Liu Peiyun thought, this is a disaster.
"Alright, the matter isn't urgent now. We will leave Qingzhou City in three days, and we can discuss it later."
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow glanced at his junior sister, faintly aware that there might be some hidden truths unknown to him.
He exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking his leave.
Leaving the Xu Family.
Returning to the hotel arranged in advance by Guo Xu.
When only the sect disciples remained,
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow glanced at Ji Roufeng, then Liu Peiyun, and said, "Tell me, what are you hiding? Something doesn't add up from the start. Such combat abilities at this age, ranking high even in our Sun and Moon Bright Sect, why is it that Qingyang High School has so many experts, with Xu Lingjun not among the contenders?"
Ji Roufeng softly said, "Because he was previously only at Body Tempering Grade 8, not qualified for the sect examination."
Liu Peiyun sighed, "This is my fault. Xiaofeng privately approached me before, asking if I could make an exception for this young man to join the sect, but I refused."
"No, it was reckless of me. I hadn't sought the master's permission and hastily sent Junior Brother Li Lei to ask if Xu Tongxue wanted to join the sect. Before he could respond, I had a sudden change of heart."
Ji Roufeng said, "I originally thought, lack of level doesn't matter, I would just use my examination reward to help Xu Tongxue break through to Body Tempering Ninth Rank... But Master was right, lack of qualification and forcing oneself into an ill-suited place only leads to self-delusion. I couldn't bear seeing Xu Tongxue bullied, so I changed my mind."
"So this sun and nightingale metaphor were your doing? And now, he uses it as a reason to decline us?"
The Sect Leader of Tomorrow was speechless.
After a long pause, he finally said, "In fact, if Junior Sister Liu, you had esteemed him, he might already be part of our sect now?"
"Well..."
Liu Peiyun recalled Xu Lingjun's face and sighed softly, "If I had just seen him once, one glance... I might have agreed with Feng'Er's proposal."
Having one more person at Yunxia Peak,
Who knows how many female disciples would compete for his attention, and after all the squabbling, would their cultivation not advance rapidly?
As for myself... as I am getting older, having an eye-pleasing sight wouldn't be bad either.