Hearing the question, Ji Zhengwo smiled. If anyone else had asked, he might not have answered, but he did not begrudge explaining it to his junior brother Mu Xuan.
Over the years, he had traveled the world, and with the connections of the Great White Sword Sect, his grasp of the world's overall situation was exceptionally profound.
Among the Daoists present, even Fan Qingmeng—the fairy famed throughout the Two Rivers Basin—likely could not compare to him.
Thus, after smiling, Ji Zhengwo said, "Since the Yellow Heaven Rebellion, though the imperial court's grand order still stands, heroes across the realm have all harbored rebellious thoughts. Of the twelve provinces under heaven, apart from Central Province, every other province bears some intent to rebel—merely to varying depths, whether overt or concealed."
"Among these twelve provinces, three powers shine the brightest."
"The Yuan Clan of Ji Province has produced three high ministers across four generations. For a thousand years, their name has spread throughout the realm. Ji Province itself has been managed so seamlessly that not a drop can leak through; the common people under their rule know only the Yuan family, not the imperial court. They have abundant grain and broad ranks of generals. In stillness, they can await chaos under heaven; in motion, they can strike down the heroes of the realm. They may be said to possess every advantage of time. And Yuan Chu of the Yuan family, though still young, already has a reputation for wisdom and virtue spreading far and wide. All under heaven say he bears the air of the ancient sages. There are even rumors: when Yuan Chu emerges, the realm will know peace. The favor of the people is already his."
"Next is the Cao Clan of Qing Province. The Cao family's ancestor once served