The New Talent Register

"Enough. Let's leave the distant future aside for now." Xue Mu smiled. "Besides working together on the main matter, we can also collaborate on a few smaller things."

Xiahou Di's attitude couldn't have been better. She smiled warmly. "Any suggestion from Young Master Xue is bound to be interesting. We're all ears."

Xue Mu smiled. "The Six Fan Gates can take a stake in our Hundred Flowers Garden and share in the annual profits, so the brothers can buy themselves drinks. And if Hundred Flowers Garden happens to be in one of the brothers' districts, they can come and enjoy themselves whenever they like."

For once, the usually solemn Xuan Zhe's expression changed. Pointing at Xue Mu, he shook his head with a laugh. "If you make that offer, the brothers will fight tooth and nail to get assigned to the Hundred Flowers Garden district. I can't handle that."

Xue Mu feigned ignorance. "What do you mean?"

Xiahou Di smiled. "You men are always thinking about this sort of thing. Even Marquis of Might and Solemnity is itching to get in on it... Don't rush to deny it. Who couldn't read it on your face? If the men in charge of the district get to enjoy themselves, then you, the mighty marquis, must get an even better deal, right?"

Xuan Zhe coughed dryly, then sat up ramrod straight, his face once more solemn and righteous. "This marquis has his own places to go..."

At last, Xiahou Di and Xue Qingqiu had found common ground. The two women looked at the men with undisguised mockery. Xue Qingqiu spoke up for the first time. "Is this petty nonsense really worth discussing at such length? Get to the point."

Xue Mu complained, "I'm only trying to let the brothers have a little fun. How can our own people get nothing out of it?"

"Fine, fine." Xue Qingqiu couldn't be bothered with him. "Have you had your fun? Now get to the point."

Xue Mu thought to himself, You martial artists put the pursuit of the Dao above all else. When it comes to this sort of thing, you really can't see the bigger picture. You haven't yet grasped the true benefits of building ties like this. You'll understand in time. This is no petty matter.

Nobody lived on air alone. The Six Fan Gates was clearly short on money. Xiahou Di had admitted that they needed to bring in revenue, and that the people under her needed a share of the spoils, too. Once the Six Fan Gates held a stake in the Hundred Flowers Garden, they'd be closer to one another. The more the garden earned, the more they'd earn. The Six Fan Gates, top to bottom, would see the garden as one of their own and do their utmost to look after it. That was a steady stream of wealth. At the very least, the garden would have their protection. Later, when Xue Qingqiu left the Capital City without anyone to watch over things, the Hundred Flowers Garden wouldn't have to worry about trouble.

And if he looked further ahead, should he and Xiahou Di ever fall out over some other matter, some of her trusted subordinates might still lean toward the Star Moon Sect because of this connection. Xuan Zhe, for instance, could perhaps be won over. Eunuch Li was a eunuch, so women were out of the question, but eunuchs were generally fond of money...

There was no need to spell all that out now, so he finally moved on to the main topic. "Will the Six Fan Gates give our collaboration its full support?"

At those words, a killing chill settled over the room. Xue Mu's meaning was plain: this joint publication mattered. The Six Fan Gates needed to mobilize everyone, clear out internal opposition, unite their thinking, and work together. Anyone dragging their feet could make the whole endeavor fail. It would only take one person sabotaging the printing and burning the pages. How many such losses could the Six Fan Gates endure? Even someone who only pretended to work while dragging things out would badly harm the launch of the publication.

"See the flagpoles outside?" Xiahou Di said coolly. "There were a few loudmouths who kept spouting the same half-baked arguments. I cut them down. At least on the surface, all is peaceful under heaven, and everyone is of one mind."

Xue Qingqiu nodded. "Well done."

Those two women, who had once been at each other's throats, seemed to be growing ever more appreciative of one another. Xue Mu rolled his eyes. Xiahou Di might be a madwoman, but how normal was Xue Qingqiu herself?

He'd assumed the heads on the flagpoles outside belonged to bandits or some such. He hadn't expected this... Xiahou Di really was ruthless. The moment she decided Xue Mu's plan would greatly benefit the Six Fan Gates, she had adopted the attitude of, Even if orchids and irises stand in my way, I'll root them out. Xue Mu believed some of the opposition had selfish motives, resisting because they saw the plan as bad for the Righteous Path. But most were simply hidebound and unwilling to change. That wasn't so unusual. It didn't mean they were disloyal. In modern terms, you could just rally everyone and get them on board. And she'd gone and killed them...

He hadn't realized from their earlier encounters that she was so ruthless and decisive, so merciless in her methods. For a woman to possess such qualities... Xue Mu could now understand why, despite being stuck at the peak of the Hua Yun Realm and unable to break through, Xiahou Di had been appointed by the emperor to lead the Six Fan Gates, with even Void-Piercing Realm experts serving under her. Calling her a madwoman was no exaggeration.

While his mind wandered over these idle thoughts, Xue Mu pulled a stack of papers from his robes. "Here's my proposal."

Xue Qingqiu was taken aback. She sent him a message by voice transmission. "When did you put this proposal together?"

Xue Mu mouthed, "Qianqian."

Xue Qingqiu fell silent. Before Qianqian had gone to serve Xue Mu at the Bamboo Pavilion, she and Xiao Chan hadn't yet gone to watch the livestream. In that short window, Xue Mu had been working on this proposal. He really had been doing his best to help the Star Moon Sect grow, while she hadn't fully trusted him. Even his fooling around with Qianqian in front of her had been meant to put her at ease. He knew that if he refused, she would grow suspicious.

Xue Qingqiu sighed and lowered her gaze to the manuscript.

The first page seemed to be a cover. It bore the title: Jianghu New Talent Register.

Everyone nodded. It was a fitting name. There was no ranking, just a register of people, making it suitable for a periodical. Xue Mu explained, "I think we can put out many other publications later, such as rankings, but the time isn't right yet. For now, we'll test the waters with the New Talent Register and see how people respond. We should commission an illustration for the cover, something that catches the eye at a glance when it's displayed in a bookstore. No generic blue cover with black characters."

Xiahou Di listened carefully and asked humbly, "What should we put in this trial issue?"

"A lifelike portrait, with their hometown, age, sect, main cultivation method, and current realm listed beneath it. Then we introduce their life story, including as many details and notable deeds as possible. Finally, the Six Fan Gates' jade-token constables jointly assess them, commenting on their record, potential, methods, and intelligence. The reviewers can even disagree with one another—that'll be a selling point, too. But be careful not to mention anyone's weaknesses or flaws. Otherwise, the publication will only alarm people, which would defeat the purpose."

It was a fairly simple framework, but a first in this world. Even though Xiahou Di had spent a long time discussing ideas with Xuan Zhe and Eunuch Li, there was no way they could have come up with anything so clear and well organized. It was as if Xue Mu had seen it done before. His words made everything click into place. The three influential figures felt that their own ideas could be thrown straight onto the rubbish heap. They praised him in unison. "Young Master has thought it all through."

Xue Qingqiu no longer looked down at the proposal. Her beautiful eyes stayed fixed on Xue Mu's face, her thoughts unreadable.

Xue Mu continued, "We shouldn't feature too many people in the first issue. Four or five would be best. And we need at least one whose name is famous enough to draw attention. If we introduce a few people whom no one in the entire jianghu has heard of, the first issue will be far less appealing."

Everyone fell silent, considering who should be featured first.

"I recommend Mu Jianli as the first," Xue Mu said. "She's famous enough, and many people consider her a sword immortal and secretly admire her. Plenty will want to read about her deeds. She'll certainly make our publication more appealing."

Xiahou Di nodded. "Mu Jianli is a good choice. She's already famous throughout the land. We'd only be adding to her reputation, not wasting our money on promoting an unknown talent."

"Exactly. With Mu Jianli's drawing power, we won't have to worry about attracting readers. That leaves us free to slip in a few favorites of our own. We can scatter them here and there, pick people from the Demon Sect and unaffiliated fighters, and leave out the other members of the Ten Hidden Dragon Prodigies. After a few issues, the names we've promoted will be better known than the so-called Ten Hidden Dragon Prodigies, and their sects won't be able to sit still."

That was the kind of influence the Six Fan Gates needed, and it could be put to use in other ways, too. If handled well, it could even drive wedges between the sects... Xiahou Di understood perfectly. With a faint smile, she returned the favor. "Then how about Yue Xiaochan as the second? We can help her make a name for herself."

Xue Qingqiu shook her head. "Chan'er doesn't have many notable achievements yet, and I don't want people becoming more wary of her. It's not the right time to make her famous. Pick someone else."

Xiahou Di thought for a moment. "Then how about Feng Lieyang of the Blazing Sun Sect? His record is remarkable, nearly as impressive as Mu Jianli's, but he isn't well known. And since he comes from the Demon Sect, featuring him will show that the Six Fan Gates judges talents from every faction impartially."

"That works. Feng Lieyang can't stand being overlooked, which is why he's always stirring up trouble. If this succeeds and he becomes famous throughout the land, he'll owe our sect a huge favor. It'll be worth as much as saving his life when Yin Ye rescued him last time." This choice gave Xue Qingqiu a taste of the benefits, and she grew all the more convinced of Xue Mu's plan. Smiling, she added, "I suggest including someone from a neutral sect, like Medicine King Manor or Sword Casting Valley. Zheng Haoran and Zheng Yichen would both be good choices."

It was a way of returning the favor. A "neutral" sect was simply one close to the Imperial Court; everyone knew that. Xuan Zhe nodded solemnly. "I think we should include both. Two promising brothers from the same Sword Casting Valley would make a fine selling point."

Eunuch Li stroked his chin. "Then we can add some random unaffiliated fighter, and the issue will be settled."

Unaffiliated fighters were important. If the New Talent Register featured them, it would naturally feature countless small sects as well. They were the foundation of the vast jianghu, and including them would make countless other martial artists look forward to the day their own names appeared in the register. But any one fighter would do. Unlike candidates from major sects, whose selection involved political considerations, there was no need to scrutinize the choice. Readers would instead think, Damn, if that guy counts as a rising talent, then I'm even more qualified. I'll definitely be in the next issue. And just like that, anticipation would take root.

A few words were all it took to set the room abuzz. They exchanged smiles, excitement gleaming in their eyes.

Who knew what kind of turmoil this publication would stir up in the jianghu once it came out? Perhaps the transformation of the world's order would begin right here.