Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

In Liuyun Palace, Shen Mo listened to Su Xiao's summary of the recent reactions from all sides.

"After the Pill Gathering, Elder Zhou of Medicine King Valley softened his attitude and privately asked Elder Li Xiaocao to purchase a batch of rare 'Ice Heart Jade Lotus' petals, seemingly in an attempt to refine high-level pills."

"Regarding the weapon crafting hall, the Blazing Sun Sect's weapon crafting hall has recently increased its purchases of rare materials such as 'Star Sand' and 'Void Crystal,' which is suspected to be imitating the works of 'Craftsman's Pavilion.'"

"Around the array hall, several unknown divine senses were discovered spying on us, but they were all disturbed or blocked by the rudimentary 'Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array' itself, and we were unable to find out the truth."

Su Xiao's cold voice echoed in the hall: "Overall, the technology-sharing strategy has been remarkably effective, enhancing the strength of our allies and strengthening their cohesion. The Blazing Sun Sect, the Heavenly Sword Sect, and others have never let up on their spying, and their covetousness for my core secrets has intensified, but they are also more wary of us."

Shen Mo sat upright at his desk, a jade coin used for offerings slowly spinning between his fingers, reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window. His expression was calm, devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Junior Sister Xiao, do you know why I allowed them to glimpse this corner, yet I firmly locked the core?" he suddenly asked.

Su Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "Show them strength to intimidate them; offer them benefits to bind their hands; conceal your strength to keep them guessing. This is a strategy of open warfare, and also the way of the king."

"Not bad." Shen Mo smiled slightly, put down the jade coin, "What they share is what allows them to survive, or even live better, which is 'technique'. What they control is what determines whether they can go further, or even whether they live or die, which is 'the Way'."

"Once they gain the benefits of 'technique,' they will become dependent on and support it. But if they cannot fathom the depths of 'the Way,' they will be afraid and dare not act rashly."

He stood up, walked to the huge map of the Southern Region, and glanced at the marks of the Blazing Sun Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect: "Now, they've seen what they were supposed to see. They've gotten what they were supposed to get. Now, they'll be losing sleep."

"They will desperately study the 'techniques' we share, trying to catch up, only to find in despair that we are always ahead. They will rack their brains to understand our 'way,' but it's like looking up at the starry sky—they can only see its vastness, not its boundaries."

"What we need to do," Shen Mo turned around, his gaze profound, "is to continue to delve deeper into our 'Dao.' Improve the new Foundation Building Pill, perfect the Zhou Tian Star Array, further refine the Myriad Law Source Pearl, and even... deduce higher-level cultivation techniques. Let them not even be able to catch up with our backs."

"This disciple understands," Su Xiao replied solemnly.

Just then, Han Lin's slightly excited voice came from outside the hall: "Sect Leader! Great news! Elder Li of the Pill Hall has sent word that a new batch of Foundation Establishment Pills has been produced, with a record-breaking success rate, and the efficacy seems to have improved!"

"Elder Zhao of the Array Hall also reports that the third node of the 'Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array' has successfully connected with the power of the stars!"

A glint flashed in Shen Mo's eyes, and he clapped his hands and chuckled, "Look, isn't this 'Dao' right beneath our feet, extending ever forward?"

He gazed at the sea of ​​clouds outside the hall, his tone calm yet imbued with an undeniable confidence: "Let them guess, let them learn, let them catch up. The path my Qingyun Sect chooses to take is one they cannot comprehend, nor can they follow. This is the meaning of being ahead."

......

As alliance affairs have become increasingly complex, the council chamber is no longer what it was when it was first established.

The palace was expanded, with the addition of side halls, a archive, and a council hall. Every day, the disciples in charge came and went, and jade slips flew back and forth, creating the atmosphere of a central government.

Han Lin was in charge, coordinating all parties and handling daily affairs. It seemed that a few more strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.

On this day, the atmosphere in the main hall of the council chamber was somewhat tense. More than ten core members sat on either side of the long jade council table. Shen Mo sat high in the main seat, his expression calm.

Han Lin, Su Xiao, Shi Tie, and others sat on the left.

On the right are, in order, the Fire Cloud Daoist of the Blazing Sun Sect, the Sword Without Trace of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Elder Ling Shuang of the Profound Ice Pavilion, Ghost Hand of the Profound Yin Sect, Chen Hao of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and other bigwigs from various sects.

Further on were representatives of the leaders or elders of more than ten small and medium-sized sects.

There are three important issues to discuss today.

The first item concerns the standardization of weights and measures. This proposal was put forward by Han Lin, aiming to regulate the standards for transactions, task settlements, and resource statistics within the alliance, ending the previous chaos caused by the confusion of units of measurement among different factions, markets, and even individuals, which easily led to disputes.

Han Lin was well-prepared and presented a detailed jade slip plan, outlining the standardization, verification, and distribution procedures for unified instruments such as the "Spirit Ruler," "Square Bucket," and "Jun Stone." His words were sincere and his presentation was clear.

"Gentlemen, nothing can be accomplished without rules. Weights and measures are the foundation of transactions and settlements. Once standardized, they can save countless disputes, facilitate resource allocation, and demonstrate the unity of the alliance. This is truly a long-term solution," Han Lin said slowly, looking around at everyone.

Representatives from the smaller factions nodded in agreement. They had long suffered from the inconsistencies in standards; the larger factions, relying on their power, often manipulated transactions, while the smaller factions dared not speak out. A unified standard was a good thing for them.

"Elder Han is absolutely right!"

"It should have been done a long time ago!"

"This method is excellent!"

Chen Hao clapped his chubby hands, beaming, "My entire Baibao Pavilion wholeheartedly supports this! From now on, all transactions will be clear and transparent—it couldn't be better!"

Elder Ling Shuang nodded slightly, indicating that Xuanbing Pavilion had no objections.

Huoyun Daoist remained expressionless, picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then said, "Elder Han's intentions are commendable. However... the matter of weights and measures concerns the traditions and customs of various sects, and hastily unifying them may cause inconvenience."

Huoyun Daoist remained expressionless, picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then said, "Elder Han's intentions are commendable. However... the matter of weights and measures concerns the traditions and customs of various sects, and hastily unifying them may cause inconvenience."

"Our Lieyang Sect has a thousand-year history, and the 'Crimson Sun Ruler' and 'Fire Blade' have been used for a long time. Our disciples are already used to them. A sudden change might cause chaos, so we need to plan carefully."

His words were gentle, but he brought up the concepts of "inheritance" and "habit," implying that Qingyun Sect's actions were a destruction of tradition.

Jian Wuhen then spoke, his voice cold and hard: "The same applies to the Heavenly Sword Sect. All sect artifacts are made to order; changing one affects the whole. This matter must be reported to the sect leader, and the sect's elders will discuss and decide on it."

He directly passed the buck back to the Heavenly Sword Sect, clearly intending to delay.

The Ghost Hand of the Xuan Yin Sect chuckled, his triangular eyes darting around, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Elder Huo Yun and Elder Wuhen are right. As the old saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. You can't force things."

"Our Xuan Yin Sect is small, so we can use whatever we need, but... we should also listen to everyone's opinions, shouldn't we?"

He appeared neutral, but in reality, he was stirring up trouble and implying that the Qingyun Sect was domineering.

Han Lin frowned slightly, about to speak, but Shen Mo gently raised his hand to stop him.

Shen Mo's gaze swept calmly over Huo Yun Dao Ren and Jian Wuhen, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Elder Huo Yun's concerns about the inheritance are understandable. Elder Wuhen's need to consult the sect is also reasonable. Since this matter is of great importance, let's postpone the vote."

"Elder Han, send a copy of this plan to the Blazing Sun Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect, along with my letter explaining the advantages and disadvantages. Please make your decision. Those who have no objections may proceed with the trial implementation."

"During the trial period, both the old and new metrics can be used concurrently, with the new metrics used to settle alliance contributions. How about a three-year trial period?"

His move was a strategic retreat. By not forcibly pushing it forward, but by linking the "trial implementation" with "alliance contribution settlement," he was effectively promoting a new standard.

Those who are willing to follow will immediately enjoy the convenience brought by unification (especially in contribution settlement), while those who are unwilling to follow will gradually become passive in future alliance transactions and task settlements.

More importantly, the ball is being passed back to the higher-ups of the Lieyang and Tianjian sects to see how they respond. A firm refusal would be tantamount to openly opposing the interests of the majority of the alliance members.