A Pawn's Passage

The power structure of the Daoist Order bore many similarities to that of ordinary society, yet it was fundamentally different due to cultivation. Everything for ordinary people stemmed from having authority. If they lost that authority, they would have no real power of their own. No matter how great they once were, once they fell from grace, they would be at the mercy of the jailers.

But the Daoists were different. Even if the Great Sage lost the authority conferred by the Daoist Order, they still had the cultivation of an Immortal. They themselves bore immense power, which was a form of authority. If they truly broke away from the Daoist Order, they could immediately rally a following of their own. As such, many political maneuvers and stratagems used in ordinary power struggles were not effective within the Daoist Order.

It was akin to fractured fiefdoms in times of chaos. One’s military strength would define one’s authority. The idea of seizing power with a single imperial edict was unrealistic. Thus, those power plays might have some influence, but they were rarely decisive.

Similarly, power struggles within the Daoist Order were exceptionally brutal. Since merely taking one’s authority was not enough to eliminate a rival, physically destroying them became the better option. After all, those who carried lethal weapons would naturally develop a will to kill. With so many Daoists having mastered deadly techniques, if they were not put to use, then what was the point of learning them?

Thus, Qi Xuansu’s journey had been filled with clashing blades, bloodshed, life-and-death struggles, and frequent extermination of entire households. By contrast, the power struggles among ordinary people seemed almost gentle and affectionate.

In theory, a power structure should resemble a stable pyramid, narrow at the top and broad at the base. But such widespread killing would severely undermine that stability. Yet again, the existence of Immortals defied this logic. They were like towering pillars that could hold up vast systems on their own. Ordinary people had to decentralize due to limited capacity, but Immortals had boundless energy. They could even create multiple incarnations of themselves. The only reason they delegated authority was to make time for their pursuit of higher cultivation. If it really came to it, they could revert to a system like the Lingshan Witch Cult, overseeing the world from above as “gods.”

Thus, underpinned by these towering pillars, the Daoist Order’s structure remained extraordinarily stable.

It was precisely this unique environment of elimination that offered opportunities to the young. As long as a young person had a solid cultivation and background, they would definitely rise to prominence, with fewer systemic barriers holding them back.

Qi Xuansu had become a third-rank Deputy Hall Master. Though he did not yet wield real authority, his position made one thing clear to everyone—he had the cultivation, connections, and competence to be here. This meant a bright future awaited him.