Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 747 - 746: Heartfelt Words

Hou Niao’s heart stirred, and he couldn’t help but admire these masters’ audacity and their delicate control over human nature.

Even if among the nine masters, there were those inclined towards change, asking one to step forward and relinquish his spot would be too much of a burden, signifying an overwhelming responsibility; but if all nine were to relinquish, that would be entirely different.

There would be no loss of face, no need to explain to anyone, no risk of becoming a scapegoat—simply merging indistinctly into the crowd.

Therefore, in terms of difficulty, getting these masters to give up one spot is hard, but getting them to give up all nine spots holds much more promise.

Even a junior cultivator of the Tongtian Realm like him could see these things clearly, so how could the Nascent Transformation masters not be aware? Their grasp of the overall situation surely surpassed his own; their inaction was simply because, as beneficiaries, they were tied down by too many constraints.

If all nine were to give up, it would signify an eagerness for reform, a deep understanding of the greater good, a noble and distinguished character.

Among the nine, there were definitely those who were tempted, it was only a question of how many.

He was leveraging the influence of the masters, and the masters were leveraging his ability to stir things up—such was the nature of this world.

"Uncle Master strategizes brilliantly, is exceptionally wise, deeply thoughtful, and has far-reaching vision..."

Yu Zhengxing snorted, "Enough with that! To achieve this goal, we need a catalyst, a spark that ignites the will of the middle and lower-level disciples, an irrefutable event that leaves no room for avoidance or retreat, a righteous reason that aligns with the overall trend of cultivation!

All of this needs to be revealed under everyone’s watchful eyes, without any backdoor dealings, no under-the-table transactions, no give-and-take... Such rightful opportunities are rare, and as it stands, the testimonial moment of you three Tongtian Realm cultivators is the best opportunity!"

His expression grave, "The three Tongtian Realm cultivators, according to tradition, not only represent the three mansions but also three different realms of the Tongtian Realm, thus, there’s Sikong Mansion’s Yu Shangjiang from the Tongxuan Realm, Situ Mansion’s Lan Kecheng from the God Sensing Realm, and you from the Natural Realm of the Sikong Mansion!

In terms of urgency of the realms, the Outer Space Spiritual Green is still dispensable to the Tongxuan and God Sensing realms for now; they definitely can’t catch up with this cycle of Outer Space Spiritual Green, at most benefiting from the next cycle. Therefore, the mood for reform is there but not as urgent as with cultivators of the Natural Realm like you.

What I mean to say is, we will try to persuade those two disciples, but the most critical point of initiation will always be you."

"Who benefits, who puts in the effort, it’s all fair," Hou Niao didn’t particularly care about this issue, he had realized it long ago. That’s why he seemed indifferent when discussing those two people while drinking with friends, relying on others to pull chestnuts out of the fire is simply unrealistic.

Yu Zhengxing became serious, a departure from his usual jesting, "You can probably see too, reaching this step is no longer about satisfying your demands, you don’t have that much influence, nor do I have that much face. If the four idle masters have come forward, it’s not because they thought it was worth it, then nobody could have persuaded them.

A major shift in the world is imminent, they think if the Shan Sect continues in this old-fashioned and unambitious way, it will surely be left behind by the times. Coincidentally, you also had such requirements, being a very competitive presence among the Tongtian Realm disciples, hence the plan came to be that you initiate the discourse, with the follow-up direction managed by the four masters, also could be considered, could be considered...."

"A match made in heaven, birds of a feather..."

Yu Zhengxing looked at this fellow who seemed not to care less, genuinely unclear on how such a personality could have developed. Logically, with his wisdom, he should not be so obscured.

Initially, he said what needed to be said, having fulfilled the expectations of the four masters while also aligning well with this young fellow’s aspirations, a mutually beneficial collaboration...

However, after decades of association, he hadn’t actually helped this young fellow much, on the contrary, the young fellow had helped him multiple times, especially in the Northwestern Kneecap Desert, without the young man, he might have lost his reputation in an instant, and where would the situation in the Northwest be as smooth as it is now?

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to reveal some things as a way to honor their age-old friendship, even though doing so was against the rules.

"Hou Niao, I will say this only once, you need to answer carefully, and you must not act impulsively.

The so-called bird that sticks out gets shot, and the snake at the head of the field gets chopped. When the wind blows the eggshell, wealth departs, and people live in peace.

In this world, nothing is perfect; to gain something, one must lose something else; have you ever considered that between changing the rules for selecting True Disciples and your obtaining the status of a True Disciple, you might not be able to have it both ways?"

Seeing Hou Niao bow his head in silence, Yu Zhengxing intensified his tone, "The smartest way is actually to hide in the crowd, remain inconspicuous, deeply conceal your strength, and wait for the rules to change before you emerge spectacularly!

The advantage of doing this is that it does not attract hatred or opposition. When you finally stand out, various powers will naturally come to woo you, allowing you to securely obtain the position of True Disciple and gain the support of certain forces.

This is not scaremongering, nor is it suspecting a gentleman of sinister motives. From my observations over the years of you Tongtian Realm disciples, there are more than one Sword Cultivator with outstanding talents like you, and even if it came to a showdown, you might not necessarily be the leader.

These are the smart people I’m talking about: lying low, waiting, then striking decisively.

They might just be around you, all noisy, pushing you into the spotlight, calling you ’great elder brother Hou, wonderful elder brother Hou,’ but their true goal is themselves."

Hou Niao raised his head, his voice calm, "Thank you, Uncle Master, for the reminder..."

Yu Zhengxing rudely interrupted him, "I’m not reminding you! I’m telling you about the dangers! Don’t think that just because you can arm-wrestle with the Constellation True Inheritors, the Shan Sect will definitely have a place for you as a True Disciple! That’s two different things!

They need someone who can represent their interests. If you’re not that person, why would they support you?

Tell me, who the hell can you even represent? Sima Mansion is mediocre, Situ Mansion is brave but lacks strategy, Sikong Mansion can’t show their face, the Prince Manors are selfish, the other four Masters are irresponsible... This is your true opinion, isn’t it? Don’t think I haven’t had much contact with you, but I can read people like a book, and there’s nothing in the Shan Sect, including me, that catches your eye!

So tell me, with that attitude, who will truly support you? Just those few incompetent brothers of yours?

Even Li Chuping doesn’t dare to come back. Do you think it’s because he can’t bear to oppose you? Bullshit! He simply can’t bear to see your tragic end!

Now, tell me, will you still babble nonsense at the annual meeting?"

Hou Niao slowly stood up, bowing deeply, "You weren’t supposed to tell me these things, I know this is your care for me...but have you ever thought that there might be a possibility that I am sacrificing my personal interests for the future of the Shan Sect, and I don’t care about the position of True Disciple?"

Yu Zhengxing rose in anger. This man is mad, beyond redemption.

Without another word, he turned and left, then turned back a few steps later to throw a piece of silver on the table.

Clearly, he didn’t want to owe a favor to a man who was going to die.