52. Three Little Ideas

"Father, I indeed have some ideas that can help us increase the chance of recruiting them," Xie Yue replied to Ning Fengzhi calmly.

"Mm, elaborate on that," Ning Fengzhi encouraged Xie Yue to continue.

"As you said, the unity among the four clan leaders is the main reason blocking us from recruiting at least one of them. Even though the clan leaders have a good relationship, their opinion alone can't change anything if their clansmen feel dissatisfied with their decision."

"My first method is to sow discord among their clan members. Even if Yang Wudi or any other leaders don't want to join any forces, they can't control their clansmen."

"After all, after the Martial Soul Hall's attack on them, they lost many clansmen. Their quality of daily life has already fallen drastically, and the clansmen are already dissatisfied with this. Spirit Hall has been suppressing them until now; it hasn't allowed the four clans to unite and create a new sect. So we can easily influence them by using some means to incite rebellion."

"In the end, there is a chance that one or two clan leaders will choose to join a super force to alleviate their hardships after discarding their friendship," Xie Yue explained his first idea to Ning Fengzhi.

"Yeah, you are right. They will need a backer who can protect them from Spirit Hall's suppression. Joining the upper three sects is their only choice. Only we dare to help them, even knowing Spirit Hall is targeting them. Yue'er, your idea is very good." Ning Fengzhi praised Xie Yue. It's not like he hadn't thought of this method; he had already made many similar plans. He just wanted to test how much Xie Yue had improved during this time.

"You can continue sharing your thoughts," Ning Fengzhi said.

"My second method is to attack them and put the blame on Spirit Hall. As we know, although Spirit Hall attacked them before, after Clear Sky went into hiding and abandoned the four single-attribute clans, it didn't continue to exterminate them afterward to avoid losing its reputation and only suppressed them. Because of that, the four single-attribute clans still don't feel the threat of clan extermination and think they can survive this ordeal slowly. But if we attack them secretly, they will feel that fear. It will lead them to join a super force so that they can survive. We can use that chance to bring them in," Xie Yue explained his second plan.

Because the single-attribute clans broke away from the Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall can't continue to use Qian Xunji's death as a reason to kill them completely.

After all, the four clans had nothing to do with Qian Xunji's death initially. They were targeted just because they were affiliated with Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect before.

Now, Spirit Hall can't act unreasonably and continue to target them. If they did, they would lose their reputation and face pressure from two empires and other sects. After all, Spirit Hall is a righteous faction; without a proper, high resounding reason, it can't target others openly.

Currently, Bibidong hasn't solidified her authority in Spirit Hall, and she hasn't formed the ambition to unify the world completely. So, Spirit Hall isn't acting overbearingly like it would 15 years later.

"This plan is also good. But if we were to do this, we have to be careful not to leave any traces. Yang Wudi and Defense Clan leader Niu Gao are Soul Saints above level 78. There are risks, and with their strength, they may see through us. Once we are discovered, it will have a huge impact on us. So we can't use this method," Ning Fengzhi expressed his opinion. He wasn't inclined toward this idea.

Currently: Strength Clan leader Tai Tan is a level 83 Soul Douluo, the Speed Clan leader Bai He is a level 78 Soul Saint, the Defense Clan leader Niu Gao is a level 79 Soul Saint, and the Breaking Clan leader Yang Wudi is a level 78 Soul Saint.

Even though the other two clans, the Strength and Speed clans, can also be recruited, Ning Fengzhi and Xie Yue don't have much hope in bringing them in because of the former's loyalty to Tang Hao and the latter's relationship with the Clear Sky Sect.

So all their plans mainly target the other two clans with relatively weaker leaders. Even so, Ning Fengzhi wasn't optimistic about Xie Yue's second plan because it was very risky. Even if they didn't target the Strength Clan with level 83 Tai Tan as a leader, the other Soul Saint-level clan leaders, Yang Wudi and Niu Gao, could easily uncover some traces about the STGT Sect with their strength after careful investigation. So, Ning Fengzhi didn't want to attack them or do anything related to that.

Ning Fengzhi doesn't like taking risks and only seeks the most minimal-risk methods.

His character is currently shaped by his clan's upbringing. The STGT Sect is an auxiliary sect; they don't like taking risks and only choose stable ways to survive. The past sect masters also didn't instill overbearing attitudes in their offspring.

If a STGT Sect leader had an overbearing personality, it would lead to their sect's downfall sooner or later.

Without personal strength, one has to act accordingly to survive.

Knowing Ning Fengzhi wouldn't choose this method, Sword Douluo asked Xie Yue to continue.

"Brat, your ideas are excellent. If you have any other ideas, you can share."

"Yeah, I indeed have another idea that is suitable for us to try," Xie Yue said as he continued.

"My third idea is to help and provide shelter to all four clans without asking them to submit to us. Only giving but not asking back," Xie Yue said, piquing everyone's interest.

"Brat... we aren't saints. Why suggest something like this that will put us against Spirit Hall without any profits?" Bone Douluo asked, confused. Even though Ning Fengzhi could guess what Xie Yue meant, he remained silent and allowed Xie Yue to speak.

"Hehe, yeah... you're right, Grandpa Bone. But if we act like saints, we can indeed gain their goodwill, right?" Xie Yue continued.

"Now the four clans are facing a hard time, and no one has come to help them. If we take the initiative to lend them a helping hand without asking for anything in return, even if they don't submit to us, they will still feel grateful."

"In that case, we will be the closest people to them. This goodwill won't let them join any other super forces in the future. After all, how can they ignore the people who helped them in their hard times and join other forces? Their hearts won't allow that. So even if we can't make them submit to us immediately, we will still gain the initiative. If they were to join any force in the future, it will only be us"

"And who said we have to let Spirit Hall know about our help? We can assist them secretly, avoiding getting on Martial Soul Hall's bad side that way," Xie Yue said calmly as he looked at Ning Fengzhi.

"Hahaha, Moon, your idea is superb," Ning Fengzhi laughed heartily.

"Even though we may need to spend more money to help them get back on their feet, and we may not gain anything in return, this action will surely gain their goodwill. That goodwill is worth more to us than the money. After all, the four single-attribute clans have their own value; they have their specialized fields. We will also gain their help if we face danger with their friendship," Ning Fengzhi said while appreciating this method.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: My dear readers, if you want to watch Xie Yue's edits, you can find them on YouTube after a little searching. There are 7-10 cool edits. It's a pity that there aren't many edits about Xie Yue.