Chapter 786: You Won't Even Call Me CEO Chu (I)
Chu Liang said, "Why is Starhold Island competing for a spot in the Terrestrial Ten? It must be because you're dissatisfied with your current position. You're a powerful force in the East Sea, but that's only because you have the Penglai Supreme Sect supporting you.
"At the same time, because of the Penglai Supreme Sect, the various sects in the Heavenly Star faction have joined forces against you, making it totally impossible for you to make a name for yourselves in the nine provinces.
"After all, the immortal sects in the nine provinces are refusing to let the Penglai faction into the nine provinces, so all of you have no way of expanding there. Even if you win a spot in the Terrestrial Ten, do you really think you'll be able to expand your influence? Your role as Penglai's hound has already been set in stone. There's no way to change it."
"But..." Chu Liang paused. "Well, I'm just a lowly, untalented person, but I may be able to help you change that."
Hong Jufeng was stunned; Chu Liang sounded so convincing.
This wasn't the effect of a divine skill from a Great Dao though. Unlike the Celestial Master, Chu Liang didn't need a divine skill to persuade people. His words alone had struck a chord with Hong Jufeng.
As a member of Starhold Island's younger generation, Hong Jufeng had grown tired of being confined to a small corner of the East Sea.
Every sect in the world of immortality cultivators had its own sphere of influence. Within that territory, they could compete for access to hidden realms, valuable treasures, or sanctuaries of spiritual qi. They also had first dibs on missions involving evildoers or other supernatural threats.
Whenever a conflict occurred, it would usually be between neighboring immortal sects. If a sect were to seize resources from another sect in a distant region, it would be seen as overstepping boundaries.
For smaller sects, this sphere of influence might cover just a few mountains and lakes. Larger ones could have control over an entire province. Each sect in the Terrestrial Ten generally had a sphere of influence that covered one of the Four Great Territories[1], and they rarely left their region to operate elsewhere. There was a tacit understanding that only the Divine Nine had the freedom to travel to any corner of the nine provinces.
Back when Chu Liang and his companions took missions from the Sword Exchange Pavilion, they mostly picked ones that were located in the Southern Regions because that allowed them to stay close to Mount Shu. However, they did occasionally travel far and wide across the lands. For disciples from smaller sects, such a level of mobility was unimaginable.