Sage Donghua proposed that Qi Xuansu temporarily assume the position of Mansion Master for the Western Region Daoist Mansion. That was because Qi Xuansu would still retain his position as the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master.
Qi Xuansu would simultaneously fill a higher-ranking position of Mansion Master on a probationary basis.
Although Qi Xuansu would initially serve only as an Acting Mansion Master, as long as he achieved sufficient merit, he could be officially promoted to the role. By then, Qi Xuansu could formally hold the higher-ranking position of Mansion Master while concurrently retaining his lower-ranking position as the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master.
Sage Donghua’s maneuver was clearly motivated by long-term considerations.
Since this was merely a temporary appointment rather than a permanent one, it would be difficult for others to oppose it. Even if someone did raise objections, Sage Donghua could easily counter them. After all, this was only a temporary assignment, not a formal appointment, so the requirements did not need to be enforced quite so strictly. Though it was important to follow established procedures, flexibility should also be exercised when circumstances demanded it.
Under normal circumstances, once the mission was completed, Qi Xuansu’s appointment as Acting Mansion Master would come to an end, and he would return to his original position. A new Mansion Master would then be formally selected.
However, Sage Donghua clearly had considerable confidence in Qi Xuansu and believed that he would accomplish great things during his temporary assignment. If so, Qi Xuansu would not only have substantial achievements but would also have become thoroughly familiar with the powers and responsibilities of a Mansion Master. By then, he would be the most suitable candidate for the permanent position. The word “Acting” could then be removed from his title as a natural progression. Everything would appear perfectly reasonable and justified, leaving others with little room for objection.
Of course, all of this depended on one essential condition. Qi Xuansu had to successfully complete the mission entrusted to him by the Golden Tower Council. If he failed to accomplish his assignment, then naturally, there would be nothing more to discuss.
The other Sages attending the council meeting also recognized Sage Donghua’s intentions. However, this was an overt political maneuver, one whose objectives were clear for all to see, and it was genuinely difficult to argue against.
Ultimately, everything still came down to personal ability. Qi Xuansu possessed genuine talent and capability. As long as he was given an opportunity, he could seize it and climb to a higher position.
But if the same opportunity were given to someone else, they might not be able to accomplish what Qi Xuansu had proved he could in his past assignments. Instead, they might struggle to shoulder the responsibilities. That was precisely why some people simply could not be elevated beyond their abilities, no matter how much support they received.
To climb the hierarchy, one would need 60% luck, 10% support from influential patrons, and 30% personal ability. Without capability, all of the luck and support would ultimately amount to nothing. After all, one had to give one’s supporters something substantial to speak about.
This was where the strength of Qi Xuansu’s extensive résumé truly became apparent. He had participated in two major military campaigns and possessed considerable experience in covert operations. Under ordinary circumstances, these accomplishments might not seem particularly remarkable, but at critical moments, his supporters could bring them forward as compelling evidence of his qualifications. This was precisely what it meant to give one’s supporters something to speak about. Their arguments would carry weight, sound convincing, and be delivered with complete confidence. Without such a record of achievements, they would have nothing substantial to say and could only attempt to force his appointment through, greatly diminishing their chances of success.
This time, Qi Xuansu’s experience at Beichen Hall proved particularly valuable. After all, Beichen Hall was undoubtedly the most specialized institution when it came to identifying and apprehending traitors within the organization. As it happened, Qi Xuansu had previously served as its Chief Deputy and had achieved considerable success during his tenure, including the capture of Hun Chowen, a traitor of exceptionally high rank in the Tawantin Court.
At the time, Sage Qingwei had been Qi Xuansu’s superior, which meant that Qi Xuansu’s achievements could also be attributed to Sage Qingwei’s effective leadership. Sage Donghua had deliberately highlighted this connection before anyone else could raise the issue, effectively leaving Sage Qingwei with no grounds for objection.
After all, if Sage Qingwei were to deny Qi Xuansu’s accomplishments at Beichen Hall, he would essentially be denying his own achievements as the Beichen Hall Master. Consequently, Sage Qingwei agreed quite readily. Apart from briefly mentioning that Qi Xuansu was rather young and somewhat lacking in seniority, he raised no further objections.
Sage Donghua swept his gaze around the room. “Then let us proceed to a vote. As usual, those in favor, please raise your hands.”
The Taiping Sect’s primary concern was to clear itself of suspicion as quickly as possible and prevent the incident from damaging Sage Qingwei’s electoral prospects. Moreover, Sage Qingwei was reasonably familiar with Qi Xuansu and believed that he would not allow personal interests or grievances to interfere with his official duties. For these reasons, Sage Qingwei ultimately supported the proposal.
For the Grand Master election, even though the members of the Zhengyi and Quanzhen Sects together undoubtedly had more members than the Taiping Sect, it was not so straightforward. That was because the Quanzhen Sect itself consisted of numerous factions and was far from unified. More importantly, the Holy Xuan had established a rule many years ago. To prevent a newly elected Grand Master from retaliating against those who had opposed him, the Grand Master election would be an anonymous ballot.
This created considerable room for political maneuvering and behind-the-scenes bargaining. As a result, all sorts of strange phenomena emerged. Some individuals betrayed their own sect by voting for candidates from rival factions, while others accepted favors or benefits from a particular candidate but ultimately voted for someone else. Such occurrences were commonplace.
On the surface, everyone appeared to be a loyal supporter, with not a single traitor in sight. But what they were actually thinking deep down was another matter entirely.
Throughout history, there had been countless examples of powerful rulers and leaders being betrayed by their own trusted subordinates.
The circumstances surrounding the fifth-generation Grand Master’s rise to power had been particularly dramatic.
Coming from a humble background, the fifth-generation Grand Master had initially been at a disadvantage and was widely regarded as little more than a token candidate with no realistic chance of winning. However, the other two contenders became so fiercely competitive that they resorted to every conceivable means of undermining one another. They launched relentless attacks, exposed each other’s shortcomings and scandals, and became embroiled in a succession of major controversies.
Both candidates were left in an increasingly embarrassing and vulnerable position. Consequently, many voters shifted their support to the fifth-generation Grand Master, who had recently returned victorious from the battlefields of Shakya and enjoyed an exceptionally favorable reputation.
In the end, it became a classic case of two rivals fighting each other while a third party reaped the benefits.
After assuming office, the fifth-generation Grand Master skillfully exploited the contradictions and rivalries among the Three Daoist Sects, using the authority of his position to win over allies, divide opposing factions, and turn the strength of his rivals against one another.
Through these political maneuvers, he eventually ascended to the very pinnacle of power. But that was another story altogether.
The sixth-generation Grand Master’s rise to power had essentially been the result of a consensus among the Three Daoist Sects. There had been only one candidate, so they could either vote for him or abstain altogether. Under such circumstances, there had been no room for wavering between competing candidates.
However, this time, the consensus among the Three Daoist Sects had disappeared. Their disagreements had intensified, their confrontations had grown increasingly severe, and the room for political maneuvering and shifting allegiances had expanded without restraint.
As a result, there were actually many swing votes. From the perspective of personal interests, the more firmly someone committed to supporting one faction, the less valuable they became as a potential ally. Conversely, the more undecided they appeared, the more both sides would compete to win them over, allowing them to extract even greater benefits.
After all, the election was an anonymous ballot. Once the votes had been cast, there would be no way to determine who had voted for whom, making it extremely difficult to settle scores afterward. Consequently, most of the effort to secure support had to be made before the election itself.
There was also another group of people who genuinely placed the Daoist Order’s interests above all else. They cared more about the Order’s welfare and tended to evaluate candidates primarily on their abilities.
If one faction performed disastrously or suffered a major setback, it would indeed influence the choices of some voters.
For example, if a decision made by Sage Donghua resulted in the loss of cities and territories in the Western Region, to the point that even the Daxue Mountain Palace fell into enemy hands, he might as well withdraw from the election altogether. No matter how many benefits he promised, they would be meaningless, and his chances of victory would be practically nonexistent.
A failure of that magnitude would be so serious that even a Grand Master would have to consider stepping down.
Ultimately, the situation had not yet reached the point of open conflict, where everyone would be forced to choose a side.
That was why Qi Xuansu believed that although the senior leadership of the Taiping Sect harbored intentions of overturning the entire political arrangement, they had not yet reached a unified position internally. Thus, it was better not to push these people so far that they were driven into outright rebellion.
With matters developing in this direction, the Three Great Halls approved the proposal. The other Six Halls, which generally took their cues from the prevailing political winds, naturally had no reason to oppose it either.
Ning Lingge was another of Qi Xuansu’s former superiors. The siblings, Xu Dacheng and Xu Xiaoying, had always maintained good relations with Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu. Baili Zhenye had consistently followed Sage Cihang’s lead.
In the end, apart from Great Sage Tang, who abstained, the proposal was approved unanimously by everyone who cast a vote.
The decision was then submitted to the Great Sage Lunzhi for approval.
Under normal circumstances, the Great Sage Lunzhi would not lightly overturn a resolution passed by the Golden Tower Council. Moreover, this was merely a temporary appointment as an Acting Mansion Master. Therefore, this matter was essentially settled.
After the council meeting concluded, Sage Donghua summoned Qi Xuansu for a private conversation.
As it happened, Qi Xuansu also had a great deal he wanted to discuss with Sage Donghua, particularly matters concerning the upcoming Grand Master election.
When Qi Xuansu arrived at Sage Donghua’s private office, he found that his master was not sitting behind his desk as usual.
Instead, Sage Donghua stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back, which was facing Qi Xuansu.
Gong Jiaojun, who had escorted Qi Xuansu there, made a gesture inviting him to enter. He then withdrew, closing the door behind him.
Qi Xuansu greeted Sage Donghua. “Master.”
Sage Donghua turned around and went straight to the point. “You already know about what happened to Sage Chen, don’t you?”
Qi Xuansu replied, “Yes, I’ve already heard about it. In fact, I was just thinking of seeking you out to discuss this very matter. I believe we must not act impulsively at a time like this. What the Buddhist Sect wants is chaos, but what we need is stability. We must judge the situation according to the facts and deal with matters as they truly are. Above all, we should avoid exploiting this incident as a pretext to pursue other objectives...”
Sage Donghua gently interrupted Qi Xuansu. “How you choose to handle the situation and whether to use it to pursue other objectives will be entirely up to you.”
Qi Xuansu was momentarily stunned.
Sage Donghua continued, “I have already nominated you to serve as the Acting Mansion Master of the Western Region Daoist Mansion. The proposal has also been approved by the Golden Tower Council.”
This caught Qi Xuansu by surprise. However, upon further reflection, he realized that it was entirely reasonable.
Sage Donghua needed to send someone he could absolutely trust. Unless he intended to personally take charge of the situation, there was no more suitable candidate than Qi Xuansu.
Qi Xuansu neither declined the appointment nor thanked his master for the promotion. Instead, he simply said, “I’ll handle the matter properly. You can rest assured, Master.”
Sage Donghua walked toward his desk. “I have never doubted your abilities. However, this matter is of great importance, so tell me what you have in mind.”
Qi Xuansu followed behind Sage Donghua, keeping a respectful step behind. “I believe we should begin by investigating the Western Region Daoist Mansion from within. Judging by the current situation, the Daoist Mansion has already been thoroughly compromised. It is riddled with holes through which information can leak, much like a sieve.”
Sage Donghua sat down behind his desk and summarized Qi Xuansu’s proposal in three words. “Catch the traitors.”
Qi Xuansu took a seat opposite Sage Donghua. “Since we need to work from the inside out, I would like to bring someone with me to serve as the Second Deputy Mansion Master.”
Sage Donghua asked, “Do you have someone in mind?”
Qi Xuansu replied, “Lu Yujue. When I was stationed on the Southern Continent, he served as my subordinate and was primarily responsible for intelligence operations. After Branch Manager Qian on the Northern Continent ran into trouble, Lu Yujue briefly took charge of intelligence operations across the entire New Continent. He has considerable experience in this field. As for his qualifications and seniority, he is more than eligible for promotion to Second Deputy Mansion Master. After all, he has served as a Branch Manager for many years.”
Sage Donghua replied, “Very well. When you appoint someone, you must trust them completely. If you cannot trust them, you should not appoint them in the first place. I can agree to your request.”