"You... are you telling the truth?"
Zhu Zhaoyun was also an astute individual. Upon hearing the information revealed by Ding Yun, the previously puzzling aspects immediately became clear.
No wonder the previous generations of Zhenbei Hou were deeply trusted by the royal family.
Until last year, when things began to take a turn.
"Of course, it's true.
This court is too rotten. A dynasty that has stood for one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six years is ultimately rotten to the core from top to bottom. Old Zhu, should I try my best to join a top sect and become an elder offering tribute, or should I establish my own sect to find a safe haven?"
Since he had some suspicions about the current imperial family, Ding Yun no longer wanted to live a reclusive life with his son in a certain village and then groom his son to become successful through the imperial examinations.
With the strength and prestige of a sect, freedom would be abundant.
It would be better to simply join a sect.
Or establish one himself.
"Master, I don't have much experience in this regard. The two options you mentioned both have their pros and cons. The advantage of joining another sect is that you immediately have a backing, and you don't need to worry about many things.
You only need to act when the sect is in trouble or needs help.
The disadvantage is that it's difficult to gain the sect's trust.
There's always a barrier between an elder offering tribute and ordinary elders of the sect. Many sect matters cannot be interfered with by elders offering tribute, and it's difficult to gain the sect's trust.
Some sects even treat their elders offering tribute as a tool, a tool that can be discarded without regret when it's worn out.
Establishing your own sect mainly offers freedom and unrestraint. No one above you, you are your own master. There are many disadvantages, for example, you have to be the sect's backing, and you have to handle everything yourself.
You have to bear everything when problems arise.
You don't even have anyone to share the burden with.
How to proceed depends on your choice."
There's no such thing as benefiting without bearing any responsibility in this world, so it's normal for both choices to have advantages and disadvantages. Zhu Zhaoyun's words were absolutely sound.
Ding Yun thought about it and felt that he wasn't someone who liked to be constrained. He immediately asked again:
"Then tell me, are there any famous mountains and great rivers that are not occupied yet and are suitable for establishing a sect?"
"No, most famous mountains and great rivers have long been occupied by various sects. Some famous mountains and great rivers may have seven or eight martial arts sects. As of now, the remaining famous mountains and great rivers are mostly located in deep mountains and old forests, where human traces are rare. Because there are no people within tens or hundreds of miles, recruiting disciples is very difficult, and ascending the mountain is also challenging.
Establishing a sect in those remote places.
It would be better to find a plain and open a martial arts academy.
Of course, if you don't mind the size of the sect's influence, and you don't mind buying salt and having to travel tens or hundreds of miles to descend the mountain, and you just want to find a place to live in seclusion.
Then there are indeed many famous mountains and great rivers to choose from."
Zhu Zhaoyun continued to speak the truth.
There's no shortage of famous mountains and great rivers in this world, but a lack of those suitable for establishing a sect. Tianzhu Mountain soars into the clouds, the tallest peak in the world, yet no sect has ever established itself on Tianzhu Mountain since ancient times.
This is because it is not only remote, with virtually no human habitation within hundreds of miles. Even setting aside the difficulties of recruiting disciples and ascending the mountain, maintaining daily sustenance would be extremely difficult.
On Tianzhu Mountain, apart from not lacking water.
Everything else is lacking.
Establishing a sect there, even just buying various supplies from hundreds of miles away and transporting them to the mountain, is a laborious task and requires immense effort.
Therefore, although various sects pursue famous mountains and great rivers, they are more concerned with convenient transportation and abundant resources. Either the mountain has land for cultivation and is self-sufficient, or there is land below the mountain for cultivation where most supplies can be purchased. After all, they practice martial arts, not cultivation, and cannot achieve辟谷 (abstinence from grains/food).
In fact, the further one practices martial arts.
The more they eat, and the larger their appetite.
Even a Martial Saint would become emaciated by living on dew and mist.
"Forget it, I won't make things difficult for myself. Later, when you arrive somewhere, go and inquire if there's a place that is suitable for farming and relatively secluded. Most importantly, the place must be large. I plan to farm a lot. It would be best if the surrounding area is covered with mountains and forests, but there's a large basin or a small plain in the middle. If there's a lake, that would be even better.
Of course, if it's not that perfect.
Something close to it will do!"
Ding Yun had long anticipated the difficulty of finding a satisfactory famous mountain or great river to establish a sect, so he wasn't particularly disappointed. He quickly came up with his next choice and instructed.
Zhu Zhaoyun was silent for a moment and said:
"Master, your requirements, there is indeed a place that perfectly matches. And that place is quite famous, it's Tianjiao Yunlei Valley. Tianjiao Yunlei Valley covers a total area of over a million hectares. The outermost area is a forest, and inside there is a ring of mountains and mountain ranges. Those mountains and mountain ranges form a protective circle, ultimately enclosing a valley.
That valley is perpetually shrouded in mist. In the center, there is a lake that occupies one-tenth of the valley's area. During the thunderstorm season, any dark clouds that drift into the valley will stop there, bringing endless lightning.
However, it is said that it is generally concentrated near the lake.
And does not spread outwards.
After the thunderstorms, all things flourish, and the land within the valley should be very suitable for planting various spiritual herbs. However, hardly anyone dares to enter, let alone survive or live there. This is because in the central lake of the valley, there is a Heavenly Thunder Cloud Dragon, an adult dragon, whose strength far surpasses ordinary Martial Saints. Even peak Martial Saints are no match for it.
Moreover, according to ancient texts, that dragon should have existed for over three thousand years. The most terrifying thing is that generally speaking, dragons can live for ten thousand years, which means it is currently in its prime."
"So that place is actually equivalent to a forbidden zone."
"Also, it is said that apart from that dragon, there are also many dragon princes and offspring. They are descendants of the dragon mating with other exotic beasts and demons. Perhaps due to their strong bloodline, as long as they can be born alive, those dragon descendants can generally reach a strength comparable to Grandmasters in a very short period.
They are hostile to all outsiders. Even Martial Saints who enter will be besieged. And if a Martial Saint kills them, it will immediately alert the Heavenly Thunder Cloud Dragon and bring about a deadly calamity. Therefore, although that place perfectly matches your requirements.
We are likely powerless to do anything about it.
We can only look for other valleys elsewhere!"
Zhu Zhaoyun was not trying to encourage Ding Yun to go there. He was mainly showing off his extensive knowledge to let Ding Yun understand that buying him was the right decision, and he was very useful.