Mo Hua moved a little closer and heard the argument in the main tent intensify, filled with strong anger, with people mutually accusing and insulting each other.

“Useless! A bunch of people with undeserved reputations…”

“…A few days ago, if you hadn’t held us back, we would have captured that Bai Zisheng long ago!”

“Incapable of success, only good at making mistakes!”

Interspersed were sounds of tables being slammed, insults, and refutations:

“What are you talking about?”

“Who’s incapable of success and only good at making mistakes? I think you’re the useless ones…”

Someone sneered, “…Can’t even catch a mere Bai Zisheng, isn’t that being incapable of success?”

“Didn’t you say that your Qianxue Zhoujie is a prosperous land for cultivation, gathering elites and prodigies from all nine prefectures? Where are the prodigies? So many people besieged one Bai Zisheng, and you still couldn’t capture him.”

“I think Qianxue Zhoujie is nothing special, after all.”

“Deceiving the world and stealing fame…”

This sentence provoked another round of reprimands, “Nonsense!”

“What rubbish!”

“You didn’t catch him, did you? And you caught him?”

“Weren’t your Daozhou’s geniuses beaten to a pulp by that Bai Zisheng?”

There was the sound of a table shattering, and wine cups being smashed, “You’re full of shit! Who was beaten to a pulp?!”

Someone said coldly, “That Bai Zisheng was just my defeated opponent. I suppressed him in less than ten moves; he couldn’t defeat me and could only turn around and flee.”

“If it weren’t for Bai Zisheng’s excellent movement technique and his constant fleeing for his life, I would have captured him long ago.”

“…Boasting shamelessly!”

“Do all the geniuses from your Daozhou have their spiritual roots grown on their mouths?”

“Presumptuous! How dare you tarnish the reputation of Daozhou?”

“What big talk are you spouting? Do you think I haven’t been to Daozhou?”

“You wouldn’t think I’m studying in Qianzhou because I can only study in Qianzhou, would you? I look down on Daozhou; I find you pedantic…”

“What big words!”

“If you don’t like it, let’s fight?”

“Fight then, who’s afraid of whom?”

Someone frowned and said, “Alright, if you have this much energy, you should use it to catch him. It’s better to capture that kid Bai Zisheng sooner…”

“Exactly,” someone echoed, “we’ve suffered so much at his hands these past few days. If we still can’t catch him, where will the prestige of our noble families and sects be?”

“That’s your Xiaoyao Men’s problem. You claim your movement technique is ranked first in Qianxue Zhoujie, yet you still let that Bai Zisheng escape right under your noses?”

“You pushed your movement techniques to the limit, but still couldn’t catch him?”

“You!”

“Nonsense! You couldn’t defeat him or capture him; what good would it do if we caught up?”

“Ultimately, it’s still because you people from Daozhou are too weak.”

“You talk about Daozhou’s prodigies being unmatched in the Nine Prefectures, yet you were still made to look worthless by Bai Zisheng, who is from Qianzhou?”

“You’re full of shit!”

“He’s from Qianzhou, but that’s not the same as being from Qianxue…”

A Daozhou genius sneered, “The Bai family is in Zulong Zhoujie. Is the Bai family’s Qianzhou the same as your Qianzhou?”

“Don’t flatter yourselves…”

The genius from Qianxue also sneered, “So you’re saying the Bai family is even superior to your noble families from Daozhou?”

“Absurd! How can the Bai family compare to my Daozhou noble families?”

“Then how is it that all of you combined can’t even defeat one Bai Zisheng?”

“It’s not that we can’t defeat him… it’s that Bai Zisheng kept fleeing; he’s not our match and doesn’t dare to fight us head-on…”

“Then where did that hole in your body come from? Wasn’t it from Bai Zisheng’s spear?”

“I was careless; I didn’t dodge…”

“If he’s not your opponent, then he’s not your opponent. Careless? The strength of your Yuwen family is nothing special…”

“At least my Yuwen family is a hundred times stronger than your Jingang Men!”

“What did you say?”

“The Jingang Buhuai Gong should be renamed Jingang Feiwu Gong. Only one disciple from my Yuwen family suffered at the hands of Bai Zisheng. Your Jingang Men probably has ten or so injured disciples.”

A burly man with a golden body roared, “What do you know? Jingang Buhuai is a body-refining cultivation technique, and since it’s body-refining, it’s natural to get injured.”

“If you lost, you lost. Why argue illogically? If the body-refining techniques in Qianxue Zhoujie are only as good as your Jingang Men’s, then I think they’re doomed sooner or later…”

“You…” The Jingang Men disciples, who practiced body refining, were not good with words and didn’t know what to retort.

At this point, someone else became displeased:

“You can talk about Jingang Men, but don’t drag Qianxue Zhoujie into it. Among the body-refining schools of Qianxue’s various sects, Jingang Men isn’t even considered top-tier. My Longding Zong is number one…”

A Jingang Men disciple said, “Who the hell… are you on whose side?”

“Just stating the facts…”

“Indeed, the Four Great Sects are the Four Great Sects, and the Eight Great Families are the Eight Great Families…”

“If your Eight Great Families are inferior, what does that have to do with my Four Great Sects?”

“Still the Four Great Sects? In the current Qianxue Zhoujie, the top one is only Taixu Men. Your Four Great Sects are merely defeated opponents of Taixu Men.”

A Longding Zong disciple trembled with anger, “Nonsense!”

“Taixu Men, with its one sect and three mountains, is truly shameless. Can three sects combined to claim first place even count?”

“Shameless!”

Someone said, “Anyway, now in Qianxue, the Four Great Sects are no longer first-tier.”

A Longding Zong disciple said, “At least in body-refining techniques, my Longding Zong is still number one.”

“Enough. After all that talk, your Longding Zong didn’t win against Bai Zisheng either, did you?”

“At least the people from my Longding Zong, with their refined dragon blood, weren’t pierced through by him…”

“That’s enough. Is that something to brag about? Then what about my Daozhou Xuanyuan family’s Xuanyuan Sword Technique, which almost severed Bai Zisheng’s neck with one strike? How should that be judged?”

“What Xuanyuan Sword Technique? It was clearly my Tianjian Zong’s sword technique that almost killed Bai Zisheng.”

Someone sneered, “How can your Tianjian Zong’s sword technique compare with my Xuanyuan family’s sword technique?”

“Ultimately, how can the inheritance of your mere fifth-grade Qianxue Zhoujie compare to the profound heritage of my Great Daozhou?”

“A small place is just a small place…”

Someone coldly snorted, “No matter how big the place or how good the inheritance, if the people are useless, it’s all for naught.”

“What did you say?!”

“Your strength is lacking, and your ears are deaf? Do you want me to repeat it, you useless person?”

“Dare to underestimate the disciples of my Daozhou, one day I will make you see what happens…”

“Come on, do you think I’m really afraid of you?”

“I have an Old Ancestor…”

“Do you think only you have an Old Ancestor, do you think I don’t?”

Prodigies are generally arrogant and disdain to argue with ordinary disciples; many are inherently aloof.

But the problem is, once prodigies of the same level gather and compete, they can’t help but curse.

Not to mention, this also involves extremely complex grievances and conflicts between Daozhou and the Nine Prefectures, between noble families and sects, among various noble families, among various sects, among various inherited schools, and even privately among disciples.

Once tempers flare, no amount of cultivation matters.

When Mo Hua entered the main tent, the vast tent was filled with a dense crowd of sect disciples, dressed in different Daoist robes, gathered together, clamoring incessantly, and constantly accusing and cursing each other.

The tent was very large, and there were many people.

They were all enjoying their arguments and didn’t notice who had walked in.

Zhuge Zhenren didn’t speak; he was naturally calm and didn’t bother with meddling.

Mo Hua had always been low-key, quietly following behind Zhuge Zhenren, dressed simply, like a small attendant.

Hua Zhenren, however, had to speak up.

The Dao Ting had entrusted him with the task of apprehending Bai Zisheng, and he was the only one who could control the current situation.

Seeing that the noble family disciples in the main tent were still making a ruckus.

Hua Zhenren released a wisp of spiritual pressure and said in a deep voice:

“Silence!”

Because this was in a Second-Grade Mountain Realm, it was forbidden to use the power of Yuhua, or even Jindan, so this spiritual pressure was not strong.

But Hua Zhenren’s voice, accustomed to authority, carried deep solemnity.

The entire main tent gradually quieted down.

Many people turned to look at Hua Zhenren, but seeing his subtle aura, they initially didn’t pay much attention.

However, some well-informed, perceptive, and pre-aware prodigy disciples immediately looked stern and bowed in salute:

“Greetings, Zhenren.”

“Zhenren?!”

Everyone was startled and bowed to Hua Zhenren:

“Zhenren.”

Hua Zhenren nodded slightly, then asked faintly:

“How is the situation?”

There was a moment of silence in the tent. A young man wearing a golden-yellow Daoist robe, with an imposing demeanor and profound cultivation, who looked like a son of the Xuanyuan family, said:

“Reporting to Zhenren. Approximately seven days ago, we set up a vast net from the outskirts of the Great Wilderness King’s Domain and began to close in, digging three feet deep to capture Bai Zisheng.”

“Two days ago, we found traces of Bai Zisheng.”

“Disciples from various families launched a pursuit, but alas… after a fierce battle, that fellow still escaped…”

Hua Zhenren glanced at the crowd, seeming somewhat surprised, and said:

“So many of you prodigy disciples, of noble birth and superior inheritance, couldn’t even capture that Bai Zisheng? Is this child’s strength… so formidable?”

The Xuanyuan young master’s face flushed with anger.

The others, while ashamed, also showed anger.

“It’s not that we’re incapable; it’s just that Bai Zisheng is too cunning and only cares about fleeing for his life, not daring to fight us head-on.”

“If it were a test of true strength, we definitely wouldn’t be afraid of him.”

“Also, there were too many people. Too many people lead to chaos, and chaos is unhelpful.”

“Exactly. If it weren’t for so many people mixed in here, each with their own intentions, bickering and getting in each other’s way, that Bai Zisheng would have been captured long ago.”

“If no one else interfered, my Yuwen family alone would be enough to catch that kid.”

“My Longding Zong could also easily subdue him.”

“Oh, please. A defeated opponent of Bai Zisheng, and you still have the nerve to speak?”

“You’re full of… you’re talking nonsense. How is my Longding Zong a defeated opponent? That Bai Zisheng is not our match at all…”

“Boasting shamelessly…”

And just like that, they hadn’t even exchanged a few sentences before they started arguing again.

Hua Zhenren merely watched silently, saying nothing.

Mo Hua was initially puzzled, but after listening to these disciples argue, he gradually understood.

All the prodigies in the hall were either direct descendants of noble families or true disciples of sects.

This included not only Daozhou but also direct descendants of noble families from other Nine Prefectures, and not just sects from Qianxue Zhoujie but also true disciples from major sects in other great Zhoujie.

There were many forces, many geniuses, complex family ties, and many powerful backers.

If you really counted, who didn’t have a few Yuhua realm “uncles and aunts,” “parents,” “grandparents”…

And further back, whose bloodline, traced upwards, didn’t lead to one or two Dongxu Old Ancestors?

Those dazzling and exceptionally talented noble family geniuses, who stood out at first glance, likely had extraordinary backgrounds.

These days, “geniuses” were not something ordinary cultivator families could afford to raise.

But some disciples, seemingly mediocre and unremarkable, usually very low-key, might have terrifyingly deep backgrounds.

It was just that their family education was strict, and they didn’t show it.

Moreover, these disciples were all still in the Foundation Establishment realm, aged twenty or thirty. To Hua Zhenren, whose lifespan spanned hundreds of years, they were still just “children.”

He couldn’t really discipline them, and it wasn’t his place to do so anyway.

If these “young masters” wanted to argue, Hua Zhenren could only let them.

But arguing like this was ultimately not a solution.

If these “young masters” got too heated and started fighting, that would be trouble.

Hua Zhenren sighed inwardly and said again:

“Silence.”

The main tent was quiet for a short while, but soon, people began to whisper complaints to each other again.

Complaining led to arguments, and arguments once again flared tempers.

If it were about personal grievances or gains and losses, sometimes one could tolerate it.

But if one’s cultivation school, one’s sect, or one’s family was ridiculed, that was intolerable.

You can curse me, but you cannot curse my cultivation technique, nor my lineage.

Otherwise, you are just looking for trouble.

And so, within the main tent, everyone was talking over each other, creating utter chaos.

Amidst the uproar, someone suddenly rubbed their eyes and said with disbelief, “Am I… seeing things? Am I hallucinating?”

“What’s wrong?”

“How come I feel like I… seem to have seen Mo Hua?”

The two characters “Mo Hua” seemed to possess a strange magic, instantly touching many people’s nerves.

The main tent gradually quieted down.

All the geniuses from Qianxue Zhoujie fell silent.

The prodigies from Daozhou were still somewhat bewildered.

“Just now… did someone say… ‘Mo Hua’?”

“I think I heard it too…”

“Must have misheard… How could it be?”

“Those two characters, even if they were thrown into the eighteenth layer of hell, refined into dregs, turned into ashes, I would never forget them; there’s no mistake…”

“Who said it?”

“Who!”

“Me…” one person weakly raised a hand.

“Where’s Mo Hua? Where is Mo Hua?” someone asked him.

The person pointed in a direction, “That… that inconspicuous kid in the ordinary Daoist robe, his face… doesn’t it resemble Mo Hua a bit?”

Everyone followed his gaze and looked behind Zhuge Zhenren.

“You know, he really does resemble him a bit…”

“Red lips and white teeth, he looks so hateful at first glance…”

“It’s not a resemblance…” a burly man gritted his teeth, “That’s clearly… isn’t that Mo Hua?!”

“It’s Mo Hua!!”

“Taixu Men… Mo Hua!!”

“The Mo Hua who disappeared ten years ago!”

At that instant, the entire hall erupted in an uproar; all the prodigies’ faces changed, and thousands of gazes, like sharp swords, all turned towards Mo Hua.

Zhuge Zhenren and Hua Zhenren were also startled, unable to resist turning to look at Mo Hua.

The beautiful Hua Ping also stared at Mo Hua, her eyes full of surprise and curiosity.

Mo Hua sighed, looking helpless.

People fear fame just as pigs fear getting fat. Was he really that “famous”?

Why were all these people, bored out of their minds, looking at him?

He had clearly been very low-key…