Chapter 752: Martial Alliance Leader

"Can a single word determine the affairs of the pugilistic world?"

Li Fei was stunned for a moment, not expecting Ye Ze'an to say this to him.

He lowered his head to help the other party clear the chessboard, and said:

"Actually, I don't care that much about whether I can control the fate of others."

"Oh?"

Ye Ze'an looked up at Li Fei, "Then it seems I have underestimated the Marquis of Jing'an."

Li Fei's hand paused for a moment, and he smiled.

His meaning was very clear: he did not care about controlling the fate of others because what he cared about was controlling his own fate.

This had always been what he pursued in this life, and it had never changed!

And Ye Ze'an said he had underestimated Li Fei because, in his view:

Compared to controlling the fate of thousands, wanting to fully control one's own fate was actually much harder!

The two of them quickly returned all the pieces on the board to the chess boxes.

Ye Ze'an swapped the chess box at his side with Li Fei's, then picked up a black piece and placed it on the board, signaling for Li Fei to continue the second game with him.

Li Fei followed the host's lead and also took out a white piece to place on the board.

"Do you know which of the world's Martial Sages and True Lords are rogue cultivators?"

Ye Ze'an began to chat with Li Fei while placing his pieces.

Li Fei thought for a moment: "Apart from those three demons, it seems only 'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman is a rogue cultivator?"

'One Supreme, three demons, five True Lords, seven Martial Sages'—after the death of True Lord Qingxu, only fifteen of these sixteen peak powerhouses remained.

Among them, the 'three True Lords and one Buddha' belonged respectively to the Buddhist and Daoist schools, as well as the imperial court.

Of the seven Martial Sages, one was a Prince, and one was a Grand Marshal of the Military.

Of the rest, the Great Luo Sect had one, Pudu Temple had two, and the Red Dust Pavilion had one.

These people either had the backing of major sects or the imperial court; they had resources when they needed them and also possessed top-tier inheritances.

Only the last Martial Sage, Ning Qingman, known as the 'Sword Immortal', had no sect or faction.

She was neither a person of the pugilistic sects nor a person of the imperial court.

Ye Ze'an placed his pieces faster than in the previous game:

"More than a hundred years ago, there were not just the 'Seven Great Families' in the pugilistic world, but the 'Eight Great Families', and among them was the Ning family. Ning Qingman was a member of the Ning family, but later the Ning family violated the imperial court's taboos and was almost completely wiped out. If not for the emergence of 'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman, the Ning family would have had no descendants left."

Li Fei was shocked; this was the first time he had heard such a secret!

A hundred years ago, there was still a Ning family that could rival the 'Seven Great Families'?

'Sword Immortal' Ning Qingman was actually not a rogue cultivator, but a descendant of the Ning family?

The Ning family was exterminated by the imperial court?

Not only had Li Fei never heard of these things, but today, almost ninety percent of the people in the pugilistic world probably hadn't heard of them either.

Clearly, this was the imperial court deliberately covering up the news and erasing traces of the past.

"Then what is the relationship between Ning Qingman and the imperial court?"

Li Fei couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

If it were his family that had been exterminated by the imperial court, once his martial arts reached perfection, he would definitely have to cause trouble for the court!

"A muddled account."

Ye Ze'an said dismissively, clearly not intending to say anything more.

Li Fei curled his lip very subtly.

He hated it most when people hooked his curiosity and then refused to continue.

Ye Ze'an seemed to have guessed the silent criticism in Li Fei's heart, looked up at him, and smiled:

"Ning Qingman came from the Ning family and had top-tier martial arts inheritance from a young age. Even after the Ning family was destroyed, there were still people providing her with cultivation resources, so she cannot be counted as a rogue cultivator."

Li Fei roughly guessed what Ye Ze'an wanted to say, and he continued to ask:

"Then what about Lin Tianyi?"

The battle records of the 'Supreme' Lin Tianyi were known to all under heaven.

But his specific growth trajectory and his masters were not known to many.

No one had ever successfully walked the path of dual cultivation of Dharma and Martial Arts before, but Lin Tianyi had succeeded.

Afterward, he established the Tianyi Tower on the peak of Mount Yu and founded his own sect.

It seemed that this 'Supreme' had no background.

He himself was the background!

Ye Ze'an said while placing pieces rapidly:

"Lin Tianyi was taught by two people in succession: one was the Supreme Elder Jinghai of Pudu Temple, and the other was the previous Sect Master Yuxing of the Feathering Sect."

The Supreme Elder Jinghai of Pudu Temple was a Martial Sage, and the previous Sect Master Yuxing of the Feathering Sect was a True Lord!

It was just that both of these people were figures from over a hundred years ago; now their lifespans were exhausted—one had passed away, and the other had ascended.

"Both Pudu Temple and the Feathering Sect once placed high hopes on Lin Tianyi, but he did not join either side. The Wenchang Li family also once placed a heavy bet on Lin Tianyi; it was precisely because of him that the Li family acted more and more unscrupulously at the time, eventually committing public outrage. But because Lin Tianyi was still around, the Li family was not liquidated, only slowly declining."

Ye Ze'an recounted Lin Tianyi's past.

"The Wenchang Li family?"

Li Fei seemed to have some impression of this family; it was one of the former 'Ten Great Clans', but it had declined later and was replaced by new clans, falling out of the ranking of the 'Ten Great Clans'.

Not many people had heard of the Wenchang Li family today, but perhaps not many knew that behind this declining family stood the number one person in the world!

As long as Lin Tianyi was alive for one day, the Wenchang Li family would certainly be able to continue its legacy.

"Both the Buddhist and Daoist schools valued him, he had the guidance of Martial Sages and True Lords, and a great clan placed a heavy bet on him; of course, Lin Tianyi does not count as a rogue cultivator."

Ye Ze'an said.

Li Fei nodded.

By this count, apart from those three demons, not a single one of the other peak powerhouses had reached the summit by fighting alone.

As for the three demons, two were demonic martial artists who had stepped into the Martial Sage realm, and one was the Nether River Ancestor who had stepped into the 'True One' realm.

Although these three also had the cultivation of Martial Sages and True Lords, they could not receive the respect of the world and could only be called 'demons'.

They were wanted by the imperial court, besieged by the pugilistic world, and had no way to live in the light of day.

Because the way the three of them obtained power was intolerable to the world.

For example, in order to break through his realm, the Nether River Ancestor once used a blood sacrifice on a city of over two hundred thousand people with his natal magic treasure!

For this reason, the Abbot of Pudu Temple, the contemporary Buddha, swore to kill this person!

Ye Ze'an took Li Fei through the world's dozen or so peak powerhouses, making Li Fei clearly realize one point:

Whether it was the path of martial arts or the path of techniques, if one wanted to step onto the mountain peak, one either had to take evil paths and be intolerable to the world.

Or one could only rely on major forces.

Otherwise, without resources and without cultivation methods, what could one use to become a powerhouse?

"The talent of the Marquis of Jing'an is indeed unparalleled in the world, but you are likewise not a rogue cultivator."

Ye Ze'an placed another piece.

With this piece placed, a large dragon of white pieces on the board was slaughtered!

At this point, the outcome was decided.

Compared to the previous game, in this one, Ye Ze'an showed absolutely no 'mercy' to Li Fei, almost 'forcing a kill' at every step, completing the 'slaughter' in just over fifty moves.

Li Fei conceded the game:

"The Grand Secretary is right; I am also not a rogue cultivator."

He was able to reach today first because of Hao Yi's unreserved teaching and dedication, and later because of the support of the Wu'an University and the protection of Shi Caiming.

Now that he could achieve dual cultivation of Dharma and Martial Arts, what he relied on was not just his own strength; the books in the Imperial Library and the resources of the imperial court were also very important.

In the Imperial Library, even if a Martial Arts Master performed meritorious service, at most they could only exchange for a few secret manuals without restriction.

Yet Li Fei had stayed inside for a full three months!

He had exchanged for resources worth tens of millions, but in reality, if placed in the pugilistic world, one couldn't get those resources even by spending ten times the price.

If not for the backing of the imperial court, Li Fei would likewise not have been able to reach this step.

So, of course, he did not count as a rogue cultivator.

Ye Ze'an looked up at him:

"The Buddhists say: to save oneself, one must first save others. Does the Marquis of Jing'an agree?"

Li Fei nodded: "I agree."

He did not believe in Buddhist teachings, but he was very clear that there was no love or hate without cause in this world.

He needed to provide value to others first before he could obtain the value he wanted.

A smile appeared on Ye Ze'an's face:

"Shall we play one last game?"

"Very well."

Li Fei remained calm and cleared the chessboard with Ye Ze'an.

For the third game, it was his turn to hold the black pieces and go first again.

This time, the speed at which the two played slowed down, and Ye Ze'an was no longer 'murderous', but instead became very patient, slowly accompanying Li Fei in the game.

"If the Blue Patrol Pavilion were to be established, which pugilistic sects and great clans do you think should be invited to participate?"

Ye Ze'an asked while playing chess.

Li Fei replied without hesitation: "Naturally, those top-tier great sects and martial arts clans."

"Then should all of them be invited? Or only a portion?"

Ye Ze continued to ask.

Li Fei was taken aback, falling into thought.

The three Daoist sects, Pudu Temple.

One building, one pavilion, three mountains, four factions, and seven great families.

With a total of twenty major powers, should all of them be invited?

Li Fei found this question difficult to answer.

For instance, the Great Luo Sect; its reputation is currently almost rotten to the core, and it is in a state of semi-seclusion.

If one were to invite people from the Great Luo Sect to join the Blue Patrol Pavilion, would it be good or bad?

Or, for example, if the imperial court wanted to deliberately incite conflict in the pugilistic world, it should only provide a portion of the quotas, letting the remaining uninvited major powers fight over them.

But which powers should specifically be invited and which should not? How to choose to maximize benefits while smoothly promoting the Blue Patrol Pavilion's control over the pugilistic world?

These questions were all too difficult to answer.

Seeing Li Fei silent, Ye Ze did not make things difficult for him:

"Then which powers do you think should definitely be invited?"

This time, Li Fei did not hesitate:

"Pudu Temple, Feathering Sect, Upper Clarity Sect, Heavenly One Pavilion, and Red Dust Pavilion."

These few powers all possess True Monarchs and Martial Sages; if these powers did not join the Blue Patrol Pavilion,

then the Blue Patrol Pavilion's so-called control over the pugilistic world would be nothing but a joke!

Ye Ze was noncommittal and continued to ask:

"If you were to enter the Blue Patrol Pavilion in the future, which place would you most want to control?"

Li Fei looked up and met Ye Ze's gaze calmly:

"Feng Province."

Ye Ze's expression remained as usual, and he said nonchalantly:

"I intend to set up twenty-three pavilion members in the Blue Patrol Pavilion, corresponding to the twenty-three provinces."

"Ah?"

Li Fei was stunned.

He immediately reacted and could not help but want to applaud the idea.

This idea was truly... too wicked!

The imperial court established the Blue Patrol Pavilion precisely to add a shackle to the pugilistic world, further controlling the pugilistic world and various powers.

Under these circumstances, to make the major powers cooperate, one must "cut off a piece of flesh."

However, cutting off too much flesh makes it easy for the tail to become too big to wag, and the Blue Patrol Pavilion might become a greater hidden danger in the future.

Cutting off too little flesh would easily leave the Blue Patrol Pavilion without sufficient prestige and control.

Ye Ze chose to set up one Blue Patrol Pavilion member for each province, directly handing the difficult problem of selection to the major powers and letting them solve it themselves.

One member per province is fair to everyone; no one gets special treatment, and it can be justified both reasonably and sentimentally.

But the problem is, some provinces do not even have a single top-tier major power, such as Feng Province.

And some provinces have several, such as Baisha Province, which has three!

In this situation, it is impossible for all twenty top-tier major powers to join the Blue Patrol Pavilion.

And the major powers with Martial Sages and True Monarchs that Li Fei just mentioned all "dominate" a province; their selection would certainly be indisputable.

Twenty-three provinces, each corresponding to one pavilion member—this is equivalent to selecting twenty-three "Martial Arts Alliance Leaders"!

This will certainly cause infighting among local powers, but it also disguisedly completes "centralization of power" without having to worry about this power "overflowing."

In this way, if the imperial court wants to better control the localities, it only needs to manage these twenty-three "Martial Arts Alliance Leaders" to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"No wonder he can be the Chief Grand Secretary."

Li Fei only felt admiration.

"So, I have a chance to control the pugilistic world and various powers of Feng Province?"

He suddenly thought of this and could not help but feel a surge of heat in his heart.

There are only a few great sects and wealthy clans in the pugilistic world of Feng Province, and the highest cultivation base is only that of a Martial Arts Master.

The only two Grandmasters are both university presidents, and it is unlikely they would enter the Blue Patrol Pavilion as members.

"The twenty-three Blue Patrol Pavilion members are required to be at least Martial Arts Masters, or possess combat power of an equivalent level."

Ye Ze placed a piece and continued:

"The specific selection method will adopt a referendum. In each province, any pugilistic sect, clan, or gang possessing combat power at the Dao Foundation stage or Possession stage can join the Blue Patrol Pavilion.

Each Dao Foundation stage martial artist or Possession stage Great Mage can have one vote. Finally, each province will hold a referendum, and the Martial Arts Master with the most votes will become the Blue Patrol Pavilion member responsible for that province."

Li Fei frowned.

He had originally thought that competing for a member position would be based on martial strength or direct appointment by the imperial court, but it turned out Ye Ze wanted to adopt this form of referendum.

In this way, what is being compared is connections, influence, and one's own power.

The Lu family has already operated in Feng Province for hundreds of years; when it comes to comparing votes, Li Fei has absolutely no confidence that he can surpass them.

He opened his mouth, wanting to raise an objection, but he really could not find a better selection method than this.

If the referendum method Ye Ze mentioned is adopted, in some provinces without top-tier major powers, the person elected will certainly be someone from the imperial court.

For example, the Lu family in Feng Province; whoever they elect will certainly be someone the Lu family can control, and since the Lu family's foundation is in the imperial court, this is disguisedly equivalent to a "Martial Arts Alliance Leader" belonging to the imperial court.

Besides this, Li Fei also thought of one point:

Some powers are deliberately hiding their own Dao Foundation stage combat power; for instance, the ancestor of the Chen family in Xingcheng—the outside world has never been able to determine whether he is dead or has already broken through to the Dao Foundation stage.

Now that Ye Ze is establishing the Blue Patrol Pavilion and creating such a referendum method, will the powers in various places take the initiative to expose their hidden trump cards in order to gain more say?

Could this referendum also be considered a "great investigation" of the pugilistic world?

This Chief Grand Secretary seems to always achieve multiple goals with one action, with everything linked together!

"Does the Marquis of Jing'an think he can become the Blue Patrol Pavilion member corresponding to Feng Province?"

Ye Ze placed another piece and asked.

PS: For the past two days, because of the matter of sealing the windows in the new house, I have been arguing with the residential property management every day and returned home physically and mentally exhausted, so the update word count is a bit less, please forgive me.

(End of chapter)