Hou Niao had not expected that he would encounter a fellow townsman here? Sanjiang is the main city, and Fufeng is a small town under Three Rivers Prefecture, but if everyone had come from Shan Country, calling each other townsman would not be excessive, and the hometown accent was comforting.
Once inside the room, after serving tea and distributing the cups, Hou Niao was somewhat puzzled, "Brother Gu, how did you know I came from Fufeng?"
Gu Weixin smiled slightly, "You're asking shows that you have dedicated too much to your studies and are oblivious to the world beyond your window.
In Jin City, at the outer courtyard, there are numerous cultivators from Anhe Country who want to join the Quanzhen Sect, not just you or me—it's a large group indeed."
Hou Niao laughed at himself, "It seems I was ignorant. Apparently, the distinction between the Daoist Sect and the Demon Sect isn't that clear. This major recruitment by Quanzhen involves numerous aspects, please enlighten me, brother."
Gu Weixin waved his hand, smiling, "Take it slow, take it slow. Since we are from the same prefecture, I will withhold nothing and leave nothing unsaid; but before that, I would like to ask Brother Hou, why did you not follow the crowd to hunt demons out of the city?"
Hou Niao countered, "Aren't you doing the same, brother? Being of low realm and limited ability, I chose not to get involved. Wouldn't it be worse if we fail to hunt the demons and end up eaten by them instead?"
Gu Weixin nodded, "Brother Hou sees it clearly. Most of these people are well-known loose cultivators within Shan Country, ultimately different from us. There are things they can do and compete for, which we might not be able to."
"In the outer courtyard, there are over seventy seekers of the Dao, most of whom are visitors from other regions, including many who have been persuaded to go forward. This reflects their unsettled position and unclear situation; they might just end up being used as tools in the future."
Hou Niao sighed, "Sect rivalry is prevalent everywhere, it seems the Demon Sect is no different."
Gu Weixin curled his lip, "Sect rivalry transcends the realms of mortals and immortals alike, whether it be the mundane bureaucratic circles or in the community of cultivators, regardless of the Daoist Sect, Demon Sect, or Buddhist Sect; this is actually the same.
It's a conflict of ideologies, an eternal catalyst for the growth of cultivation; otherwise, if everyone harmonized their thoughts and efforts, wouldn't this world become a paradise? All demons and ghosts would have been long eradicated."
Hou Niao was aware of these murky matters, but felt that with his current status, he was probably not yet entangled in these issues, yet he had not expected to be embroiled in controversy before even joining the sect.
"Brother Gu mentioned, most in the outer courtyard are visitors from other regions? Why is this?"
Gu Weixin took a sip of tea, contentedly, "So-called cultivation sects are rooted in the mortal world; the larger the country, the larger the population base, naturally, the more talents are found; thus, each sect in every country strives to keep its talents from leaving while trying to recruit talents from other countries. The Quanzhen Sect of Shan Country does this, as does the Anhe Daoist Sect, and it's the same for every nation across the continent."
Hou Niao nodded, "This is indeed the rational strategy."
Gu Weixin chose a teacup, "In Shan Country, the power of loose cultivators has always been within the collection scope of the Quanzhen Sect. For them, it's not about massive or minor recruitments; they can assess whenever they want to join.
The significance of this major recruitment lies in neighboring countries, such as Anhe Country which borders Da Feng Plain, and other Border State countries like Wei Country, Huxia, Yunzhang, and even more distant ones like Wu Country, and so on.
During normal times, the screening is quite strict. During the major recruitment period, it's much more lenient, attracting many Anhe loose cultivators eager to try their luck and fulfill their wishes.
So, you see, the outer courtyard of the Sword Mansion, nearly half are cultivators from Anhe and some from other nations. The real local Shan Country cultivators aren't many, not because they don't want to come, but because they've been meticulously plowed over by year after year, leaving how many that slipped through the net?
In Da Feng Plain, it was the same as other continents in Shan Country, the only difference being which country one came from. There were even those who traveled thousands of miles across several countries to join—haha, the Quanzhen Sect still held some influence in the Demon Sect-contested continent."
Hou Niao frowned, "So, does that mean there are all sorts of factions? Native Shan factions? Anhe factions? Huxia factions?"
Gu Weixin laughed heartily, "That's not all! Regional divisions are the crudest distinctions, found only among the lower echelons of the Quanzhen Sect. Higher up, there are divisions based on governance ideologies, like the moderate faction that champions joint development, the aggressive faction that strives for continent domination, or the fence-sitting faction that swings either way.
There are also distinctions based on cultivation philosophies, such as the Magic Sword lineage that venerates the Dao, the Astrology Lineage that explores the star signs, the Extreme Sword Lineage that pursues the original intent of slaughter...
Then there are cultivation families, interest relationships, and regional concepts mixed in, haha, the intricacies are too complex for a brief explanation, no less intricate than the often self-devouring Daoist Sect."
Hou Niao was greatly enlightened, "Brother Gu, you're so familiar with the intricacies, is this because..."
Gu Weixin didn't hide it and spoke openly, "I have friends in the Quanzhen Sect too, just not in Da Feng Plain, so I know a bit more."
"So, Brother Gu, which faction do you belong to now?"
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do, currently I'm with the Anhe faction, but as for the future, it depends on several more years of cultivation before I can determine my path. It's too early to discuss that now.
If Brother Hou joins Quanzhen, you can't avoid these factions either. Which one do you think you'd choose?"
Hou Niao sighed, "My realm is insignificant, drifting with the wind; if Brother Gu asks me, then I am from the Anhe faction; if my master asks, then I belong to the Master-Respecting faction; during cultivation, I'm of the Magic Sword lineage, in battle, I'm of the Extreme Sword lineage, and when arguing, I'm of the fence-sitting lineage, roughly like that."
Gu Weixin laughed, "Brother Hou, you're really just the fence-sitting lineage!"
Joking aside, Gu Weixin also quelled the idea of roping this guy in; cultivators don't engage in pointless talk, and obviously, this statement from Hou Niao meant he wasn't ready to join any camp yet.
Play it off with a laugh now, leave some room for the future; revealing true intentions now would just make things awkward for everyone; of course, the most important thing is that this person's realm is too low to be worth the effort of drawing him in, otherwise just a little incentive would make him comply.
There are many cultivators from Anhe, and it all depends on the person when it comes to distributing resources; right now it's just about shaking the tree to see if any dates fall—it doesn't matter if none do.
Regardless, the conversation was amicable, at least establishing a basis for cooperation in the future; for cultivators, cultivation is never just about individual effort. In this chaotic world, you first need to find your place, your root, so others will think twice before bullying you.
"Being abroad, in a foreign land, helping each other out is the basic foundation of survival; the recent big recruitment by Quanzhen is a bit unusual, and it's not just the Quanzhen Sect, many sects are recruiting, and for reasons unknown.
But the consequence of such rapid expansion is a mixed bag of good and bad, unlike the usual strict screening and thorough management, leading to all kinds of possibilities."
Hou Niao nodded, "Understood, if there's a hurdle I can't overcome, I'll come to you, Brother Gu. When you're in trouble, it's the people from your hometown who are the most reliable."
The two clasped arms in agreement and parted ways reluctantly. It seemed as if they had reached some sort of tacit understanding, but in reality, it was all for show.