Chi Xuntian knelt on one knee. "Master, your disciple has traveled throughout the Three Archipelagos these past days. Only then did I understand that Hall Lord Qing's plans truly hold the key to the sect's prosperity!"
At this, Xuanji True Lord's brows stirred slightly, but he did not turn around. He merely asked calmly, "Oh? Tell me in detail."
Chi Xuntian drew a deep breath and said, "When your disciple first ventured out of the sect back then, all I saw were the affiliated forces of the Azure Wave Archipelago, scattered like loose sand, each ruling its own domain.
"Take the Pseudo-Core Li Household of Withered Earth Island. Relying on a rare artifact like Blood River Grass, they wantonly enslaved rogue cultivators, driving them like livestock;
"Then there was Yi Wood Fort on Yi Wood Island. They devised a Yi Wood Assessment, which was really just a roundabout way to seize the treasures cultivators had worked so hard to obtain..."
He paused, then continued, "The sect had just taken over an enormous territory. Its institutions were bloated, factions abounded, and the Council of Elders and Tianshu Hall hamstrung one another. Authority was a complete mess.
"As long as those below stuffed those above full of spirit stones, those above would keep one eye shut and pretend not to see.
"Those minor forces and rogue cultivators faced such hardship that they could scarcely produce or cultivate in peace. There was even a saying: better to encounter the demons of Three Corpses than cross the shores of Canglang.
"Our sect looked like a profusion of blossoms on the surface, but inside, it was already rotten through.
"Whether cultivators within the sect or those affiliated Foundation Establishment forces, they treated minor forces, rogue cultivators, and commoners like fish and meat on a chopping