Situ Xing sat at the head seat, lowered his head and eyebrows, immersed in deep thought.
Yan Linglong’s words had touched the deepest part of his heart.
Ever since Ning Zhuo acted high-profile, obtained the Stone Token, and rapidly gained fame through the Three Questions of the Heart at the Evil Slaying Hall, Situ Xing felt like there was a thorn in his back, a fishbone stuck in his throat.
He was a privileged offspring of the Situ Family, detected to have innate talent and received strong support from the family to cultivate him as a successor.
Therefore, he possessed not only combat power and cultivation level but also notable political acumen.
Ning Zhuo’s high-profile behavior immediately made Situ Xing feel that his power and status were under great threat.
Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong were both without innate talent, and had interactions early on, so they were well understood. To Situ Xing, choosing to partner with these two was relatively safe.
Ning Zhuo was not like this.
He was a complete stranger, and even now, Situ Xing has never had a deep conversation with Ning Zhuo.
Situ Xing recalled the process of "getting to know" Ning Zhuo. In the beginning, he learned about him from Shen Xi’s words.
"This person initially lay low, clearly exercising patience."
"To endure so long, his ambitions must be exceedingly large!"
"Once he deemed everything appropriate and saw the opportunity, he seized it fiercely, stunned the world, and showed his talents."
"Such a highly ambitious person must not be underestimated or overlooked!"
"Perhaps he joined our small group initially merely to probe. But now, knowing the details and rules of the Xingyun Trial and Feiyun Conference, could he have thoughts of seizing my seat of power?"
Situ Xing felt a huge threat emanating from Ning Zhuo.
He was very concerned that Ning Zhuo’s burgeoning ambitions might lead him to act against him secretly, eventually usurping his position and forcing him out. That would be highly embarrassing.
In the Righteous Path, losing face is a big issue!
Reputation holds extreme importance.
Being cultivated as one of the heirs, Situ Xing was acutely aware of the significance of reputation. Since his cultivation began, every major action he took had a deeper purpose, aiding him in building his reputation!
Even if he fails to compete for Clan Leader’s position in the future, he can use this reputation to secure other important positions within the family.
But if in this scenario, he is pulled from the top spot by Ning Zhuo, such a defeat would undeniably add a huge weakness in his future competition for the family head’s position.
His opponents will surely seize this point, delivering harsh blows — "Situ Xing, you couldn’t even maintain leadership in a small group, how would you lead the entire Situ Family?"
At that time, how would Situ Xing refute?
"Power, oh power..." Situ Xing let out a sigh in his heart.
He longed for power and pursued it.
Because, with power, he could leverage the entire Situ family to help him seize various cultivation resources.
This is a flourishing era for cultivation, with abundant spiritual energy and ample resources. But when it comes to competition between cultivators, resource allocation becomes critical.
A cultivator with superior innate talent only deserves low-class resources, naturally hindering his cultivation achievements.
Situ Xing was prideful and ambitious; for him, he pursued more resources and better resources.
Thus, establishing a small faction and smoothly passing the Feiyun Conference was his most important plan at present. To showcase step by step, leading the elite as a leader, succeeding and proving his personal combat strength, exhibiting his leadership abilities. These were Situ Xing’s true objectives.
Joining the Myriad Images Sect, for a talented cultivator like him, was entirely within his grasp.
Based solely on his innate talent, it was enough for the Myriad Images Sect to voluntarily absorb him.
Situ Xing wanted more!
Yet Ning Zhuo became a threat, even though he had never been active within this small faction. Just his presence was enough to make Situ Xing fully alert.
"Ning Zhuo’s inactivity now doesn’t mean he won’t be active in the future. Perhaps now he has no designs on my position, but what about later?"
Furthermore, Ning Zhuo’s laid-back demeanor greatly interfered with Situ Xing’s control over this small faction.
As long as Ning Zhuo exists for a moment, people can clearly see: in this small group, there is someone who can rival Situ Xing and doesn’t have to abide by Situ Xing’s rules.
There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two leaders for mankind.
While Ning Zhuo exists, he is weakening Situ Xing’s power!
This is the rule of the power arena! Cruel, suspicious, never allowing any compromise.
"Should I make even a slight mistake in the future, Ning Zhuo might rise with a call, and someone might rally to him, forming a wave to overthrow me."
Situ Xing was already clear that the problem before him had never left him with a second path to choose.
He must "handle" Ning Zhuo!
Yan Linglong’s persuasion merely spoke to his heart. It also made him contemplate a question: is it appropriate to handle this issue now?
After careful consideration, Situ Xing felt it was very appropriate.
Accurately speaking, he was more worried about the future.
"Ning Zhuo is a foreigner; even with several followers, he is essentially alone."
"If I don’t act while his footing is unstable, when his foundation is solidified later, wouldn’t it be even more problematic?"
If it were other top-tier geniuses on par with Situ Xing, he wouldn’t be nearly as concerned. The problem is, Ning Zhuo’s rise is quite unusual.
The two first-place finishes in the Confucian Cultivator’s trials are one thing, but the key is Ning Zhuo’s performance during the Three Questions of the Heart at the Evil Slaying Hall — it was exceedingly remarkable!