Tianji Daoist was locked in a contest of divination and counter-divination with a young man in hemp robes. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he was nearing his limit.
Even so, he could still answer Jiang Ding's question.
"A victor can be decided."
"Righteous sects have their cold rivalries too, though they don't advocate killing one another."
Tianji Daoist explained, "Take the Azurewood Immortal Sect. If Liu Yue loses a struggle and is about to die, she can surrender her title of Dao Child and submit to the victor. Usually, she'll be allowed to live."
"After she submits, some of the essence in the Azuregreen Divine Tree trunk within her bonded treasure will flow to the victor. Thousands of years spent refining it will have been nothing but making a wedding dress for another woman."
"It's cruel."
"But compared with the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, where entire clans are wiped out at the slightest provocation, it's already much better."
"It's similar in the Heavenly Mechanism Immortal Palace. The difference is that we place great importance on the art of divination. If my divination surpasses his, I'll hold a tremendous advantage in battle. I can often see the enemy's moves before they happen and anticipate most attacks. Defeating the strong while weak becomes quite easy."
"I see."
Understanding dawned on Jiang Ding.
Before long, Ji Liuyue and the Azure Valley Daoist Heir exchanged impeccable courtesies, then withdrew with defeat written across their faces.
Next came contests between the Dao Children of the Myriad Beasts Immortal Sect and the Qiongqi Immortal Sect, between An Tuzi of the Five Elements Heaven Sect and the Dao Child of the Five Qi Immortal Sect, and between the Dao Children of the Pill Cauldron Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Pill Immortal Sect...
For the most part,