"So... Palace Master, you played me?"
Lin Bai stared wide-eyed and cried out in surprise, then slowly leaned back against his chair, a relieved smile appearing on his face once more.
He suddenly understood. This was perhaps one of the important reasons why every sect and lineage established positions like "Saint Son" and "Imperial Son."
Externally,
the Saint Son or Imperial Son could represent their sect in making friends, and could also represent their sect at certain meetings.
But likewise, whether the words spoken by these Saint Sons and Imperial Sons carried any weight depended entirely on the interests of their respective sects.
Whenever something benefited the sect or lineage, the words of these Saint Sons or Imperial Sons carried weight.
But whenever something harmed the sect or lineage, the words of these Saint Sons and Imperial Sons were nothing but hot air. The sect or lineage might even directly suspend a Saint Son or Imperial Son for the time being, in order to quell the disputes outside.
Internally,
the Sect Master or family head was the highest authority within a sect or lineage.
But the relationships within every sect and lineage were intricate and complex.
Within a sect, there were not only ordinary martial artists who had earned their status through cultivation, but also various affiliated families and sects. Together, they formed an enormous web of relationships.
Within a lineage, there were also branches, collateral branches, subsidiary families, and other clansmen of the main and collateral lines. Their relationships were even more complicated than those within a sect.
As the people in power, the Sect Master and family head naturally could not personally step forward in certain matters.
The duties of the Sect Master and family head lay more in "reconciling the interests and conflicts of multiple factions." If