Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 310 - 310 309 Mirage Style

310: Chapter 309: Mirage Style 310: Chapter 309: Mirage Style The official named Zhu Changwen, who had not been in his position long, was in a period when desire for profit clouded his judgment; their posts were rotated, not allowing one person to incessantly capitalize on the position — it was expected for the benefits to be shared.

“Hou Niao, Junior Brother Hou?

I won’t beat around the bush; you basically have two directions to consider; make up your own mind.”

He took out a map and started sketching, “One direction is to be stationed at a fixed resource island, which belongs to the Quanzhen Sect, totaling twenty-three.

If Junior Brother seeks tranquil cultivation, those islands are slightly less troublesome as everyone knows they are claimed.

Every year, cultivators apply to be transferred between islands, some wishing to venture out, others desiring peaceful cultivation.

There’s room for maneuvering within these requests.”

Hou Niao did not rush to respond, “Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother.

What about the other direction?”

Zhu Changwen twirled his beard, “The other direction involves random assignments.

Every year, the Lihai Jiedu Mansion reevaluates the distribution of maritime forces based on specific conditions at sea, such as the Sea Demons’ main incursion points, pirate disturbances, losses among different sects, temporary routing adjustments, and so on.

These islands do not belong to any particular country’s power but are shared by the countries in the Southwest; their locations are also quite distant, mostly situated beyond a thousand li from the coastline, making it difficult to guarantee where you will be assigned, Junior Brother.

This direction involves greater risk, but also offers a high degree of freedom, suitable for cultivators with ambition.

In one more month, the Jiedu Mansion will begin this year’s reassignment.

If Junior Brother is keen on this direction, you must be patient and wait another month.”

Hou Niao made up his mind.

He could not pursue safety on islands not far from the coastline; that would defeat the purpose of coming to Linhai.

The so-called freedom, being able to come and go as he pleased, unbound, was what he valued most.

“Then, I will wait another month.

I will need your guidance again when the time comes, Senior Brother.”

His response was expected by Zhu Changwen.

Most Quanzhen Sword Cultivators would make such a choice, and in fact, the majority of cultivators from various families who came here chose this path.

They sought wealth amid dangers, and this was even more true in cultivation.

Only after experiencing the chaos of the Lizhi Sea would they start to adopt a more conservative approach and get down to brass tacks.

Consequently, a strange phenomenon occurred: older cultivators were more numerous on the islands near the shallower coastal waters, while newcomers tended to occupy the majority in the deeper Outer Sea, thousands of li away.

This mindset was to blame.

“In that case, Junior Brother, just wait for my message.

These days are perfect for familiarizing yourself with the Mirage City environment, especially concerning the overseas islands.

Pay attention to their special features so that when it comes time to choose, you’ll have a well-informed preference and pick the place that suits you best.”

Hou Niao left with a smile, feeling that what he had gifted was worth it.

The items from the Wu Sect are among the finest in the Southwest region.

Though Linhai was prosperous, their wealth was grounded in basic resources, and they had limited capability for further processing.

Thus, they appreciated what Hou Niao had brought.

He found an inn and rented a private yard.

It was time to get to know the city.

For mortals, getting to know a city typically involves exploring food, housing, travel, entertainment, and commerce.

But for cultivators, the city’s markets were their only destination.

The Wo Sect of Linhai was not adept at providing cultivation support.

In fact, among the thirteen countries in the Southwest, their strength ranked near the bottom, a limitation of their legacy that could not be easily changed.

If talking about the development level of the cultivation industry, Wu Sect was undoubtedly the leader in the Southwest, as they were an amalgamation of several Daoist Sects, with unparalleled advantages in this area.

Following them was the Anhe Daoist of Wei Country and Taihao; then, the Buddhist Sect from Gaochang and Xinye, and the Quanzhen Sect; and finally, the smaller Demon Sects and Body Cultivation powers such as Hu Xia Hun Cheng, Yun Zhang Blood Transformation, Shang Qiu Worship, and Linhai Wo Sect.

However, the Wo Sect of Linhai and its challenging brethren were somewhat different.

Due to its location next to the Lizhi Sea, it had a unique advantage in marine cultivation resources that other countries in the Southwest lacked, naturally becoming the largest distribution center for maritime resources in the region.

This gave it a significant edge over the smaller inland Demon Sect powers.

Especially in Mirage City, with the presence of the Lihai Jiedu Mansion, the largest cultivation semi-finished resource market in the Southwest was established, with important branches of various countries and businesses.

As the overcompetition for land resources increased, the proportion of maritime resources in the total composition of Jinxiu’s resources also grew.

Hence, “He who controls the ocean controls the world” gradually became the consensus of all cultivation forces.

It’s for this reason, despite controlling vast seas, Wo Sect still had to share profits with other nations.

An agreement among the Southwest countries determined that all resources within fifty li of the coastline belonged to Linhai Wo Sect, while those beyond fell under the joint ownership of the region.

This arrangement had persisted for a thousand years, and the current Wo Sect had long since given up on reclaiming sovereignty.

Without sufficient strength, they could not withstand the pressure from the larger countries on the Continent, nor could they resist provocations from the Sea Clan.

They had no choice but to compromise.

But it was still profitable.

Just the commercial taxes alone made Wo Sect stand out among the strained sects, making it the wealthiest in the Demon Sect Alliance, even surpassing the supposed leader of the Southwest Demon Sects, Quanzhen Sect.

The situation of Wo Sect was enviable: wealthy but limited in power.

The fact that it had persisted wasn’t due to a lack of ambition from major powers, but because many coveted it.

This resulted in a mutual restraint, with one move affecting Linhai leading to a ripple effect throughout the Southwest.

This was why they followed the Quanzhen Sect’s lead in the Southwest discussions, knowing that once Wu Sect unified the Southwest Daoist Sects, the next target would certainly not be the stinky, tough, and poor Quanzhen Sect, nor the strong Buddhist Sects, but the juicy piece of meat that was Wo Sect.

In this city under watchful eyes, the cultivation markets were everywhere, no longer limited to just one area.

This resulted in the prosperity of other business chains, leading the city to grow into one with a population over a million and one of the largest in the Southwest.

Hou Niao blended into such an environment, a bit dazed by the countless business markets, looking merely to dispose of the illicit goods from Wu Sect.

After a few days, he realized the waters ran deep here, with entangled factional interests and pervasive commercial deceit everywhere.

To him, a commercial novice, traps lay at every turn; and his power was not enough to make these shady characters submit, so he dared not sell the items in fear of two things.

One was the risk of being cheated; the other, the possibility of Wu Sect coming after him.

Isolated overseas, with the Emperor far away, if they chose to retaliate, a few assassins sent directly would mean cries for help would go unheard.

It was rather troubling.