Ch. 161Power Structure
Chapter Summary: “Power Structure”
Key Plot Points and Events
- The Shrek Auction draws nearly every major power in Shrek City, including representatives of Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect, the Spirit Pagoda, the Body Sect, the Yuanen Family, and other influential clans and sects.
- Li Moxun and Gu Yue enter separately through the ordinary entrance to avoid attracting attention, then quietly sit together once inside.
- The auction hall darkens as spectators discuss the rare Supreme Treasure Pills being offered. These pills are valuable because even Super Douluo-level experts can use them to greatly improve their cultivation, overcoming the poor absorption efficiency of ordinary spirit herbs.
- Gu Yue privately reflects on the fact that Li Moxun created the pills and can provide them to her freely, deepening her affectionate feelings toward him.
- Li Moxun surveys the attendees and assesses the strength and political status of the various factions. He is not merely looking for buyers: he plans to include Spirit-Shedding Pills in a later batch and ensure that one reaches Cai Yue’er, and ultimately Long Yeyue.
- He reasons that the ideal intermediary must be weaker than Shrek Academy but influential enough that Shrek cannot simply seize the pills. He rejects factions that are either too weak, too closely controlled by Shrek, or powerful enough to create dangerous complications.
- After examining the families and sects present, Li Moxun focuses on a private room radiating immense blood and vitality rather than conventional Soul Power, suggesting the presence of a particularly formidable organization or powerhouse—likely connected to the Body Sect.
Character Developments
- Li Moxun is portrayed as calculating, cautious, and politically perceptive. He understands the balance of power in Shrek City and carefully designs a distribution plan for the pills to manipulate events without exposing himself.
- Gu Yue shows growing warmth and affection toward Li Moxun. Her awareness of his extraordinary ability to produce Supreme Treasure Pills makes her view him with even greater tenderness.
- Long Yeyue and Cai Yue’er do not appear directly, but they are central to Li Moxun’s hidden plan. His goal is to influence Long Yeyue indirectly while avoiding suspicion.
- The major factions of Shrek City are characterized as powerful but interdependent, with Shrek Academy maintaining dominance while still needing to respect certain organizations.
Significant Themes
- Power and political balance: Shrek City is held together not by absolute control, but by a fragile equilibrium among powerful factions.
- Strategic manipulation: Li Moxun treats the auction as a political battlefield, planning not only sales but also the movement of people and resources.
- Secrecy and indirect influence: His plan depends on concealing his intentions and using a third party to affect Shrek’s leadership.
- The value of cultivation resources: The Supreme Treasure Pills represent an enormous advantage for high-level cultivators, making them capable of shifting the balance of power.
- Hidden strength: True power is not always reflected by visible Soul Power; the mysterious aura in the private room suggests that some of the most dangerous figures conceal their abilities.
Character Interactions
- Li Moxun and Gu Yue enter through separate routes but deliberately sit together, showing both caution and mutual trust.
- Gu Yue quietly observes Li Moxun with affection, while he remains focused on the surrounding factions and does not notice her gaze.
- The auction crowd exchanges rumors and explanations about the Supreme Treasure Pills, revealing their rarity and importance to the wider cultivation world.
- Li Moxun mentally evaluates the relationships between Shrek Academy, its affiliated sects, the Yuanen Family, and independent organizations as he searches for a suitable intermediary.