My Profession Can Be Infinitely Upgraded

She held a sincere, almost innocent sense of collective honor toward this gathering and everyone in the hall.

She did not want the atmosphere within the hall to grow increasingly cold, nor did she want the bond between them to quietly deteriorate.

"Why... why did it have to be this way... Aren't we companions...?"

This whisper, nearly a murmur, fell upon Shui Yun and Dongfang Xiyue's ears, making both women raise their brows in unspoken accord.

Shui Yun lowered her lashes, and only a soft sigh passed through her heart. Still too young.

Dongfang Xiyue thought one layer deeper. Her noble eyes flickered faintly as thoughts surged within her. The Sea-Heaven Merchant Alliance that Xiangling belongs to is ultimately different from great immortal sects and Aristocratic Clans like ours, which have put down roots in one place. Merchants who span several provinces have always believed that flowing water does not fight to be first. They are not obsessed with taking root in one place and standing alone at the summit. Precisely because they do not contend, their relationships with the various sects do not become overly strained.

But our immortal sects are different. Our foundations, inheritances, and lifelines are all deeply rooted in the land of the Southeastern Province. If we wish to develop, we must inevitably contend with others for spirit veins, resources, and the right to speak. And if we wish to truly rise above all and stand above the great calamity, we must become the leader of the Southeastern Province—our command issuing forth, ten thousand sects following in its wake.

*In the past, it was still manageable. None of the sects had absolute confidence, and external pressure had not yet reached their doorstep, so they could take things slowly. But now, a world-shaking calamity comparable to Twilight