The entire venue fell silent.
The sect leaders were deep in thought, and the disciples dared not speak.
Luo Chaotian spoke loudly, "Lord Ji has asked you a question. You should respond."
Suddenly, one sect leader shouted, "Thank you, Lord Ji! We will do our best to elevate our sect's level!"
As soon as he spoke, it was like a signal.
"Yes, yes, with such generous rewards, we will certainly strive for them!"
"Thank you, Lord Ji, thank you, government!"
More and more sect leaders began to speak passionately.
In the Qingxuan Sect's group, Xiao Fan exclaimed in surprise, "Is the government really so generous? They're giving us such big gifts?"
"It does sound quite good," Luo Shengnan nodded in rare agreement.
Shen Mo, however, felt a chill in his heart.
Gifts? Rewards? Big gifts?
No, this was a terrifying open conspiracy!
Aside from the Five Top Sects of Xuanjing, the standards for first-tier and second-tier sects were just a bit higher than the current accepted standards.
The required number of Core Formation stage cultivators increased, the number of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators increased, and the total number of disciples increased as well.
Increasing the number of disciples was relatively easy.
The number of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators could be increased even if it meant some forced growth.
But the number of Core Formation stage cultivators was extremely difficult to increase.
Gaining even one more was very challenging.
For example, the Qingxuan Sect currently had twelve Core Formation stage cultivators. How could they easily increase that to fifteen?
Their Foundation Establishment stage disciples couldn't break through to Core Formation stage that quickly.
The only way was to recruit Core Formation stage cultivators from elsewhere.
But there weren't many roaming Core Formation stage cultivators.
Once these independent cultivators were recruited by various sects, the sects would naturally turn their attention to weaker sects.
Second-tier sects would target weaker sects, either swallowing them whole, forcing mergers, or coercing them to join.
This would be the only way to increase the number of Core Formation stage cultivators in a sect.
First-tier sects would attack second-tier sects and weaker first-tier sects.
Once this cycle began, it would never stop!
Even if some sects wanted to remain neutral and give up on the government's rewards, other sects would covet those rewards and attack them.
That was why Shen Mo immediately saw through this as a forthright yet incredibly terrifying open conspiracy.
This Ji Shilong was not only an excellent military commander but also deeply understood human nature and how to exploit its weaknesses!
"I know you may not trust me, thinking I won't distribute the rewards."
"So, I came to this Hundred Sects Ceremony with everything you want."
"This time, I will distribute the rewards based on the current accepted levels of each sect."
Ji Shilong laughed loudly, "First, the rewards for the second-tier sects."
He made a gesture, and over thirty storage rings flew out from his sleeve, floating in mid-air.
"These storage rings each contain ten thousand low-grade spirit stones and one thousand yellow-grade pills."
"Simply reach out, and they will be yours."
The sect leaders looked at each other, bewildered.
The leader of the Lingxi Sect suddenly said, "Thank you, Lord Ji!"
He reached out and took a storage ring.
With someone taking the lead, others quickly followed.
In the blink of an eye, all the storage rings were taken.
Murong Yue also took one.
This was the time to accept benefits. There was no hidden danger yet, so they might as well take the offered rewards.
Ji Shilong laughed heartily and then threw a dozen more storage rings into the air, "These are the rewards for the first-tier sects."
He then threw out five particularly eye-catching storage rings, "These are the rewards for the Five Top Sects of Xuanjing."
Soon, these storage rings were also taken by the sect leaders.
When they opened the storage rings, they indeed found the promised rewards, no more, no less.
For a moment, many were overjoyed.
It was real?
Not empty promises?
Ji Shilong smiled, "The next evaluation will be in six months. All sect leaders, remember the time!"
"I have other matters to attend to, so I will not stay here any longer."
"Everyone, farewell!"
He stomped the ground, and in a flash of golden light, disappeared into the horizon.
"The Hundred Sects Ceremony is officially over. You may all leave," Luo Chaotian said with a faint smile.
His expression revealed no emotions.
...
The residence of the Qingxuan Sect, Hidden Dragon Pavillion
"Sect Leader, this is great news! We can't miss such an opportunity!" Xiao Fan exclaimed with joy.
Shen Mo shook his head, "Haven't you realized it yet?"
Xiao Fan was puzzled, "Realized what?"
Shen Mo sighed, "This is Ji Shilong's open conspiracy. If you're not sharp enough, you'll easily fall into his trap."
He then casually explained his analysis.
After he finished, everyone was shocked.
Zhao Ting and others had sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.
After hearing Shen Mo, they immediately understood.
It was indeed a sinister and ruthless trap, yet one that was impossible to refuse.
Luo Shengnan scratched her head, "So... should we play it safe and not attack other sects, and advise them to maintain the status quo?"
Zhao Ting shook his head, "With such huge benefits in front of them, some sects will definitely become greedy, especially since they've already had a taste of the rewards."
Shen Mo nodded.
Yes, the temptation was simply too great!
Shen Mo said gravely, "Moreover, I bet that initially, everyone will be more restrained. But some sects will make the first move, likely already bought by Ji Shilong."
"There are always those willing to be the government's lapdogs."
After he spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.
Murong Yue looked at him with a pleased expression.
Shen Mo's insights were even beyond what she had considered.
Her disciple not only had extraordinary talent but also a meticulous mind!
Murong Yue lightly tapped the table, "Let's not dwell on this now. We'll discuss it in detail once we return to the sect."
"Today is a day of celebration. I have decided to hold a banquet for Shen Mo tonight at the Sleeping Phoenix Pavilion!"
Luo Shengnan, Zhao Rou, and others cheered excitedly.
In stark contrast to their joy were Liu Yunxuan and Xiao Fan.
Although Liu Yunxuan made it to the second round, he faced a formidable opponent and didn't advance to the third round.
Xiao Fan fared even worse, not even making it past the first round.
Now, they could only watch as Shen Mo was celebrated like a star.
"Senior Brother, should we go to the banquet?" Xiao Fan sighed, his expression complicated.
Unbeknownst to him, Shen Mo had surpassed him by such a large margin.
"Yes, we should go and enjoy ourselves. Don't give anyone a reason to criticize us," Liu Yunxuan said with a faint smile.
"Understood," Xiao Fan nodded.
That night, the Qingxuan Sect held a celebration banquet at the Sleeping Phoenix Pavilion.
News of Shen Mo's victory over Zhou Qingcang and his first-place finish in the Hundred Sects Ceremony had spread throughout the entire Divine Sword City.
Everywhere in the city, people were fervently discussing his name.
The title "Flame Supreme" also began to spread.
The name Flame Supreme Shen Mo was now mentioned alongside Sword Supreme Zhou Qingcang, Enchantress Mo Yuheng, and Blazing Supreme Hong Chilong.
In contrast, Yin Supreme Yin Xuege and Thunder Supreme Wan Renjie were rarely mentioned anymore.
The Five Supremes of Xuanjiang seemed to be gradually turning into the Four Supremes of Xuanjiang.
After a night of celebration, everyone, led by Murong Yue, boarded the Qingyu Sculptures and headed back to the Qingxuan Sect.
"Qingxuan Sect, we are home!" Shen Mo smiled as he looked southward.
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