The West once had a loosely unified empire called the Roman Empire. Its capital was the City of Seven Hills, which was the current Holy Seat.

When the Roman Empire declined and eventually collapsed, its frontier provinces rebelled and declared independence one after another.

During its expansion, the Roman Empire continuously incorporated other ethnic groups into the empire. After their conquest, the Senate would only send governors, tax officials, and troops. As long as taxes were paid and manpower was provided during war, all other internal affairs were left under autonomous rule. Even so, these people were treated as second-class citizens, while first-class citizens indulged in luxury through external plunder and the exploitation of the second class. This created class-based and ethnic discrimination.

Besides that, there was also regional disparity. There were always wealthy and impoverished areas. When the empire fractured, prosperous regions would naturally reject poorer ones, eager only to cast off their burden.

Thus, when the empire collapsed, nearly all outer provinces broke away and sought independence.

The Central Plains dynasties considered the same issue, which led to the policy of relocating the populace to strengthen the border regions. This was to promote integration and blur the distinctions entirely.

The Daoist Order had also considered this issue because of its vast territory. This was why some opposed accepting the Tawantin Empire, arguing that Tawantin could share prosperity but not hardship.

After all, Tawantin was different from Nanyang. Nanyang had been integrating with the Central Plains since the era of the First Emperor, accumulating over a thousand years of shared foundation. However, Tawantin was entirely incompatible, with a completely different culture, language, and mindset.

Historically, such a region might remain loyal while the Daoist Order was strong, but once it weakened, Tawantin would likely pack up and leave, unable to endure hardship together. It might even turn against the Daoist Order.

This was precisely why the Li faction’s approach faced resistance. True integration would take centuries to bear fruit, and no one could guarantee the Daoist Order would remain dominant for that long.

The shortcut would be the Western method of massacring cities and erasing lands, but this directly contradicted the Daoist Order’s civilized principles. If they did the same, how could they still condemn the Westerners from their moral high ground?

More importantly, such acts of killing would erode their own legitimacy. One must not underestimate the power of moral righteousness because it was what united people.

The approach advocated by Qi Xuansu might seem unreliable at first glance, but in reality, it carried strong practical value. The Daoist Order would not interfere in the Western Daoist Order’s internal problems, so the latter should not pin the blame on the former. As for the future of the Western Daoist Order, as long as the Steam Evangelical Sect remained in the north, they would still have a reason to exist.

Since the Daoist Order was unwilling to incorporate Tawantin into its territory, its outer domains consisted of West Shakya, Poluo, Sahul, Fenglin, and the vast Western Region. The Daoist Order also relocated its people to these regions, with Nanyang being the most successful example. Even when Qi Xuansu was still a seventh-rank Daoist, he had heard that the Daoist Order would send people without land to Nanyang, a solution that served two purposes at once.

Other regions each had their own difficulties. Fenglin had a decent environment but was too small and overcrowded, with no land left to spare. Sahul was the opposite. It was too vast and too sparsely populated, eventually becoming a place of exile.

The Daoist Order never wasted manpower. Many high-ranking Daoists who had fallen would be sent to the Kunlun Daoist Mansion to build temples. Due to their strength, keeping them near Jade Capital made these captives easier to suppress and monitor, so they would not dare act out. If sent too far away, they might simply escape. Those too dangerous or guilty of grave crimes would be confined in the three great prisons.

Less powerful offenders were exiled to Sahul. Though its environment was harsh, it was rich in minerals, so these exiles were put to work in the mines. In addition, there were many hired laborers, mostly from Nanyang and the Central Plains. However, no one wished to settle there permanently. Most people worked for a few years, saved enough money, and then returned home.

The entire Sahul was essentially a massive mining zone, supporting the Daoist Order’s metallurgical industry. The countless ironclad ships and firearms all depended on resources from here.

Thus, the Tianji Hall had a strong presence here, just as the Shibo Hall did in Nanyang.

Beyond that, this mining zone also served as a transit hub, port, and warehouse. All aid from the Daoist Order to the Southern New Continent was first shipped here, then transferred onward. In recent years, they had built massive workshops near the mines, eliminating the need for transportation altogether.

Such vast territory surpassed any dynasty in the Central Plains’ history. If the Southern Continent were included, then at any given time, some part of Daoist territory would always be bathed in sunlight. This was the Daoist Order.

For this reason, the position of Grand Master was so coveted and eye-catching.

When the Western Daoist delegation’s Solar Ark appeared above Sahul, Qi Xuansu looked down and saw nothing but endless barren yellow sand, with no vegetation or rivers. At a glance, he could truly understand why it was called the Barren Island.

This was the true face of Western Sahul, which reminded Qi Xuansu of the heavily desertified Western Region. After all, the Western Region once had lush grasslands and flourishing civilizations before declining. But here, not even remnants of a civilization remained. It was truly a barren wasteland.

As the Solar Ark continued onward, the environment gradually changed, and signs of human habitation began to appear.

At the same time, two Purple Flood Dragons rose into the air to escort the delegation. “Welcome to Sahul, delegation of the Western Daoist Order. The Sahul Daoist Mansion has sent two flying ships to escort you.”

Led by the two Purple Flood Dragons, the Western Daoist Order’s Solar Ark flew toward the nearest port—Dayuan Harbor. The harbor was named after the Central Plains explorer, Wang Dayuan, who was the first to discover Sahul. Another city, Huanzhang City, was also named after his courtesy name, “Huanzhang.”

At Dayuan Harbor, the Mansion Master of Sahul Daoist Mansion, Ye Qingshuang, was already waiting at the docks with several Deputy Mansion Masters. Qi Xuansu alone would not have warranted such a reception, but the Western Daoist delegation was a different matter. As a future leader of the Western Daoist Order, Huangfu Ji was to be received with the highest level of courtesy.

The massive Solar Ark descended onto the sea like a moving island. Though it lacked the intricate architectural elegance of the Yinglong Warship, its defining feature was the radiant light enveloping its body, illuminating Dayuan Harbor from every angle.

As the ramp was lowered, Huangfu Ji stepped down first, followed by Qi Xuansu.

Ye Qingshuang stepped forward to greet him, exchanging formal courtesies with Huangfu Ji. He then greeted the Deputy Mansion Masters behind her one by one.

Qi Xuansu’s greeting with Ye Qingshuang was far more casual, just a simple cupped-hand salute. The two were colleagues within the Daoist Order and old acquaintances. After all, Poluo and Sahul were neighbors, and at least half of Sahul’s mined resources were shipped to Poluo. As the former Chief Deputy of the Poluo Daoist Mansion responsible for trade, Qi Xuansu had frequent dealings here. Thus, he became familiar with her.

Ye Qingshuang was a female Daoist. After years of the Daoist Order advocating equality, some results had indeed been achieved. Among the Omniscinet Sages, quite a few women, such as Sage Cihang Su Yuanyi, Li Ruoshui of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, and Ye Qingshuang of the Sahul Daoist Mansion.

However, men still made up the overwhelming majority of the upper ranks. At its core, the Daoist Order remained male-dominated. When it came to fundamental power, there was no room for gentlemanly courtesy. Everything depended on capability. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

This reflected an interesting phenomenon. Within the Daoist Order, both the highest and lowest positions were occupied by male Daoists, forming a polarized distribution. It embodied the competitive ethos among men that was ruthless and unforgiving—winner takes all, loser gets nothing.

This divergence could already be seen in childhood. While girls might exclude, distance, or isolate their peers, boys might already resort to violence. That was merely the early stage, far from the mature form. The environments shaping men and women naturally led to different competitive capacities in adulthood.

There were pros and cons to this. In a stable order, female Daoists might have their upper limits restricted, making it difficult to reach the highest power, but their lower limits were also protected. At worst, they could still fall back on marriage.

This was also why so many female Daoists supported Zhang Yuelu. After proclaiming equality for so long, they had come to believe in it themselves. They longed for a female Grand Master to prove that women could also hold the highest power.

With Sage Cihang already destined to be a supporting contender, the final contest would still come down to Sage Qingwei and Sage Donghua. Thus, hopes could only be placed on the next generation. After all, there were two women—Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei—in the race, so the odds were higher. Or would it be Li Changge and Qi Xuansu continuing the rivalry of the previous generation between Sage Qingwei and Sage Donghua?

In fact, Qi Xuansu also held an advantage. At a higher level, Zhang Yuelu, Yao Pei, and Li Changge each represented one of the three great families. Only Qi Xuansu came from the grassroots, the kind of low-ranking Daoist who couldn’t even afford to marry.

Thus, to the vast population of common-born Daoists, gender did not matter. Only Qi Xuansu was truly one of their own.

Although Qi Xuansu’s adoptive mother was from the Yao family and his soon-to-be wife was from the Zhang family, he was still closer to the commoners than the other three.

This kind of sentiment should not be underestimated. Once it gathered enough momentum, it could genuinely influence the upper echelons.

Coincidentally, Ye Qingshuang herself came from a common background, which was the reason she had been assigned to Sahul.