“This competition is for the younger generation, requiring participants to be under twenty years old. Star Maiden comprehended Level Three Sword Intent before she was twenty?” Qin Chu’s face was filled with shock, as this news was truly astonishing.
“Qin Chu, you are a Cultivating Genius, but there are other Cultivating Geniuses too. You absolutely cannot underestimate others just because you are good,” Qian Lingwu said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu nodded, “I have never underestimated anyone; I just find it quite unbelievable.”
“Then others also find the things about you unbelievable! Spirit Realm is a rare occurrence, appearing only once in hundreds or thousands of years. In the history of our region, only two individuals in your Qingyun Sect possessed Spirit Realm. The Qingyun Sect’s Ancestral Master had Spirit Realm, which allowed him to establish the Qingyun Sect’s Foundation. As for Elder Mo, his situation is a tragedy; he couldn't comprehend Sword Intent, which limited his achievements in the Dao of the Sword. Of course, no one dares to underestimate him; he can deduce heavenly secrets, and this ability is Heaven-Defying,” Qian Lingwu said to Qin Chu. Elder Mo Daozi’s tragedy was almost universally known in this region.
“With Level Three Sword Intent, her Cultivation base won’t be low. We indeed need to be careful and cautious,” Qin Chu said.
“Star Maiden doesn’t seem to be from our region. She should have been brought in by the Star Pavilion’s backing. Our region’s Star Pavilion is a branch of the Star Pavilion within the Cold Star Imperial Dynasty’s territory, and the Star Pavilion’s backing is the Cold Star Imperial Dynasty. It’s not very difficult for them to produce a Genius because their territory is vast, the number of Cultivators is large, and the probability of a Genius appearing is also high,” Qian Lingwu explained the situation to Qin Chu.
“Sister Lingwu, please tell me about the outside world. I’m not very familiar with it,” Qin Chu asked. He was planning to go out later, so he wanted to understand some things first.
“Then I’ll tell you. The continent we are on is called Saint Martial Continent, which is divided into thirteen states according to its geography. There are three states near the southern region! Our region is called Southern Flame State, and there are also Southern Barren State and Southern Departure State. The Blood Saber Sect and Wolf King Hall are forces from Southern Barren State, while the Cold Star Imperial Dynasty and Star Pavilion are forces from Southern Departure State,” Qian Lingwu said.
“So that’s how it is. They have their own territories, yet they still want to attack our Southern Flame State. This is pure wolfish ambition!” Qin Chu’s face was filled with dissatisfaction. He felt that this was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—always insatiable.
Qian Lingwu shook her head, “How should I put it? The Blood Saber Sect and Wolf King Hall are not Dominator-level forces in Southern Barren State, and the Cold Star Imperial Dynasty is the same. They find it difficult to develop in their own territories, so they have set their sights on our Southern Flame State. After all, our Southern Flame State is the weakest of the three southern states on the Saint Martial Continent.”
“This is bullying,” Qin Chu waved his arm.
“The world operates on the principle of the strong preying on the weak. Southern Barren State and Southern Departure State have several Cultivators at the Sixth-stage King Realm, so they feel stronger than our Southern Flame State and don’t put us in their eyes. In fact, it’s true; most of the Cultivators in the three major Sects of Southern Flame State are now their people. Fortunately, our Qian Dynasty has also infiltrated some individuals among them,” Qian Lingwu said.
“Most of the people within the three major Sects are their people? What do you mean by that? Aren’t they all their Disciples?” Qin Chu was a little confused.
“It’s not a one or two-day affair for these three forces to arrange people to develop in Southern Flame State. So, the three major Sects have grown, but there’s a crucial point: many of these Disciples are native to our Southern Flame State. They can contribute to the Sect, but do they not have a sense of loyalty to their own territory? They certainly do. They might be willing to attack other Sects, but would they be willing to destabilize this region and allow outside forces to take over Southern Flame State? They wouldn’t. This is also why the three major Sects have developed for a long time but haven’t dared to make a move. If they mishandle it, the entire situation could collapse,” Qian Lingwu explained to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu felt that what Qian Lingwu said made a lot of sense. It was just like him; if the Qingyun Sect attacked the Blood Saber Sect or Wolf King Hall, he would have no problem and would fight to the death! But if it were for other forces, fighting as a vanguard for other forces to enter Southern Flame State, allowing outside forces to invade his homeland, then he would be unwilling.
“Our Qian Dynasty’s infiltrated personnel within the three major Sects also find it difficult to reach the core, because of some unwritten rules of the Blood Saber Sect, Wolf King Hall, and Star Pavilion. The absolute high-level positions are all held by people brought from their own territories. Local Cultivators from our Southern Flame State who join these three forces can at most become ordinary Elders and are not involved in decision-making,” Qian Lingwu said.
“So, the four major Sects’ bloody battle that you orchestrated failed some time ago,” Qin Chu chuckled.
“The failure of the four major Sects’ bloody battle was mainly because you brought out the Azure King Token, strengthening the Qingyun Sect’s defensive array. If there hadn’t been a powerful defensive array, after the three major Sects had invaded the Qingyun Sect, there would certainly have been conflicts of interest. At that time, our Qian Dynasty would have arranged for our people among them to make some subtle moves and stir up trouble, and then there would have been a result. The result would have been the three major Sects destroying the Qingyun Sect, and then continuing to fight each other,” Qian Lingwu said.
“Uh… your plan was already very thorough.” After listening to Qian Lingwu, Qin Chu felt that if it weren’t for the Qingyun Sect’s defensive array becoming incredibly powerful after being enhanced by the Azure King Token, the situation would have unfolded exactly as the Qian Dynasty had planned.
“But it was still disrupted by your interference! However, it’s also good, because the Qingyun Sect is innocent. Furthermore, if we had fought according to the previous plan, the problems of the four major Sects might have been resolved, but the strength of our Southern Flame State Cultivators would have plummeted to an all-time low. When facing external enemies again, we would have had no strength to resist, and the Qian Dynasty would have only been able to fight to the death,” Qian Lingwu said.
During their conversation, Qian Lingwu told Qin Chu about the plans of the Qian Dynasty and the Qingyun Sect. After Qian Lingtian and Luo Zhen met and discussed, they decided to seize the opportunity to eliminate the high-level members of the Blood Saber Sect, Wolf King Hall, and Star Pavilion, and then announce the situation to the world. At that point, the Foundation of the external forces would be destroyed.
“The strength gap is a bit large,” Qin Chu said after thinking for a moment.
“My Imperial Brother considered this point. So, during this time, the high-end personnel of the Star Pavilion will successively fall. If the Star Pavilion deduces and speculates, the conclusion will be that only the Southern Barren State, where the Blood Saber Sect and Wolf King Hall are located, has this capability,” Qian Lingwu said with a smile.
“Damn it… Emperor Qian looks very rough and upright, but how can he do anything? A genuine schemer!” Qin Chu blurted out a curse, because he understood what Qian Lingwu’s words implied: Qian Lingtian would make a move soon, targeting the high-level members of the Star Pavilion, and this blame would be shifted onto the Blood Saber Sect and Wolf King Hall. This was truly too ruthless.
“In the past, I underestimated Imperial Brother’s strategy. This time, the three major Sects are bound to fall into the trap,” Qian Lingwu said with a smile.