Reincarnated as the Death Spider Queen, sacrificing Bibi Dong at the start.

Chapter 83: What the superiors do, the inferiors follow; a logical closed loop.

Chapter 83: What the superiors do, the inferiors follow; a logical closed loop.

"No, Uncle Gu." Ning Fengzhi shook his head.

"A chaotic era is indeed coming, but it may not be a golden age for the Spirit Hall."

"On the contrary, this could be the beginning of their destruction."

Gu Rong was taken aback: "What do you mean? They're at the height of their power right now."

"When things are at their zenith, it often means that they will eventually decline."

Ning Fengzhi gently stroked the scepter in his hand and calmly analyzed, "Uncle Bone, you must understand that the Spirit Hall is different from our sects, and even more different from the two great empires."

"They are a force that has grown and prospered by relying on two great empires. Their foundation is built on the idea of ​​being detached from worldly affairs."

"But now, they have become arrogant. They not only want to rule the Soul Master world, but have also shown a terrifying power that is enough to threaten the imperial power of the two great empires."

Ning Fengzhi looked out the car window toward the majestic imperial palace in the distance and said coldly, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

"Although the two empires usually engage in open and covert struggles, and even harbor mutual hostility, their interests align when facing the behemoth that is the Spirit Hall."

"Once the Spirit Hall really bares its fangs, we won't even need to actually take action, as long as the threat they demonstrate crosses that red line."

"The Heavenly Dou and Star Luo, who were originally sworn enemies, will surely join forces without hesitation!"

"And this is the Spirit Hall's biggest weakness."

Ning Fengzhi turned his head to look at Gu Rong and said, word by word, "Uncle Gu, have you thought about this?"

"Where do the Spirit Masters of the Spirit Hall come from?"

Gu Rong instinctively replied, "Of course, it's from the children who have awakened their martial spirits all over the continent—"

At this point, Gu Rong suddenly realized something, and his pupils contracted sharply.

"That's right." Ning Fengzhi nodded. "They come from two great empires, from millions of ordinary families, and from countless clans, big and small."

"Although the Spirit Hall is large in scale and appears to be a monolithic entity, in essence, everyone is just after profit."

They only came together for their future, for the subsidies and glory of being Soul Masters.

"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain."

"When there is profit to be made, everyone will flock to it and shout 'Long live the Pope!'"

"But what if there are fluctuations?"

"If war really breaks out, let these Soul Masters attack their own hometown and slaughter their own compatriots."

"How much cohesion do you think this massive Spirit Hall still has left?"

"The biggest flaw of the Spirit Hall is that it is not a country. It has no blood ties, no cultural identity, and no foundation for sacrificing everything to protect the country."

"The Spirit Hall is like a large mercenary organization. Its organizational structure and nature doom it to not be able to exist as stably as the two great empires."

"As long as external pressure is strong enough, as long as the chain of interests breaks—"

"This seemingly invincible behemoth could fall apart at any moment and turn into a pile of loose sand."

"The Spirit Hall may have the military power to conquer the world, but they do not have the ability to govern and protect it. Once the Spirit Hall shows its fangs, it will inevitably usher in a chaotic era, but after this chaotic era, there will be no prosperous era."

"What if—"

Gu Rong frowned, his voice deepening: "What if the Spirit Hall really went mad and launched a war, forcibly tearing a piece of flesh from the two great empires' territories and establishing its own kingdom?"

"They have the force, and they have the guts."

"It's no use, Uncle Bone."

Ning Fengzhi looked at the street scene flashing past the window, his gaze deep and clear: "A country is not something that can be called a country simply by enclosing a piece of land, raising an army, and erecting a flag."

"It is easy to establish a country, but difficult to govern it. The most crucial core of a country lies not in its military power, but in its system."

"What is the Spirit Hall in essence? It is a violent organization composed purely of Spirit Masters. Its management methods and operating rules are completely different from those of the two great empires."

"Soul Masters are a group that glorifies violence; it's in our nature. We believe in the law of the jungle, and that might makes right."

"But what do the hundreds of millions of people who form the cornerstone of a nation want?"

"It means stability, having enough to eat and wear, being free from worries about food and clothing, and not having to live in constant fear of being crushed by the strong."

Ning Fengzhi sighed: "If the Spirit Hall were to establish a nation, its greatest weakness would be precisely what it is most proud of—a ruling class composed entirely of Spirit Masters."

"Think about it, what are the Spirit Hall's promotion rules?"

"Only strength matters."

"Today, you are a Soul Saint, a Soul Douluo, a Title Douluo. Your fists are strong, so you hold power and occupy a high position."

"But what about tomorrow?"

"A Soul Master's talent and strength do not follow a stable principle; they are unpredictable and come from nowhere. No one knows which hidden corner the next peerless genius will emerge from."

"Perhaps a younger and stronger Soul Saint or Soul Douluo will emerge tomorrow."

"And the rules of the Spirit Hall not only allow, but even subtly encourage this kind of fierce competition."

"You don't like me? No problem, go train, become stronger. When you surpass me, defeat me, or even kill me, you can replace me, take my place, sleep with my women, and spend my money."

"This wolf-like competitive mechanism can indeed motivate members to strive for excellence and maintain combat effectiveness for a mercenary organization or a sect."

"But what if it's a country?"

"That was a disaster!"

"Rulers possess not only power, but also responsibility. Squandering power without regard for responsibility is a sign of national ruin. However, the Soul Master group is inherently driven by a desire for power without regard for responsibility. The reason why everyone admires Title Douluo is because Title Douluo possess the qualifications to transcend the rules of law."

"They can do whatever they want, but can the rulers of a stable organization, a country, do the same?"

"Just like Chihiro before."

"For his own selfish reasons, he could use the Pope's power to hunt down Tang Hao, and even go so far as to start a war, sending countless low-level soul masters to their deaths."

"This is the inevitable result of the logic of the strong ruling the country."

"What the superiors do, the subordinates will follow."

"If the Spirit Hall really establishes a country, then those Spirit Masters who hold great power in the future will also follow suit."

"If I want this piece of land today, I'll grab it; if I want that batch of goods tomorrow, I'll take it."

"Infighting among the top echelons, with ruthless tactics employed to climb the ladder, and violence knows no bounds!"

"For a country, such internal strife is devastating!"

"If the gods above are fighting every day, how can the common people below survive?"

Ning Fengzhi leaned against the car window, looking at the Spirit City so close at hand, a hint of pity in his eyes. "Therefore, the Spirit Hall becoming the ruler is itself a disaster."

"The Spirit Hall's greatest advantage lies in the fact that it is a pure spirit master organization, possessing violence that surpasses that of the two great empires."

"But this is also its biggest flaw, and the reason why it can never become a country!"

"Soul Masters and ordinary people are ultimately from two different worlds, and their survival logic is completely different."

"We can have common ground, and we can use each other."

"But once a pure Soul Master organization is allowed to completely become the ruling class, allowing their will to supersede the law and the system."

"Then all they think about is the survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle."

"There will be no more reason in this world, only the clash of forces."

Ning Fengzhi withdrew his gaze and looked at Gu Rong, his voice resolute: "Uncle Gu, you must remember this."

"It's not that the Spirit Hall is incapable of becoming a ruler, but that no spirit master organization, including our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, can or should do so."

"This is a path to death."

"What if the Spirit Hall changes the rules?" Gu Rong frowned, trying to find a flaw in this reasoning.

"Since the new pope has the audacity to subdue the Clear Sky Sect, he might also have the audacity to reform the Spirit Hall's system. What if, for the sake of nation-building and long-term stability, they proactively restrained spirit masters and established a comprehensive legal system like the two great empires?"

"Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"Heh—" Ning Fengzhi shook his head and chuckled.

"Uncle Bone, that's even more impossible."

"You could even say that if they dared to do that, they would die even faster."

Ning Fengzhi twirled the jade thumb ring on his hand, his gaze deep and unfathomable: "Uncle Gu, have you ever considered why the Spirit Hall has become so powerful today, and why it attracts the vast majority of spirit masters from all over the world?"

"Is it because of faith? Is it because of justice?"

"No."

Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "It's because of interests, because of privileges, and even more so because they support and even endorse the nakedly brutal, survival-of-the-fittest competition among Soul Masters!"

"In the Spirit Hall, as long as your fists are strong enough, you can have everything: money, status, beautiful women, and even the power of life and death. This thrill of being above the rules is the poison that attracts spirit masters one after another."

"But if they want to establish a nation, want stability, and want to gain the support of the people."

"Then they must do the opposite."

Ning Fengzhi stretched out his palm, clenched his fist, and made a "suppressing" gesture: "They must compress the power of Soul Masters, restrict their freedom, and tell those high and mighty Soul Masters: You can't kill people at will, you can't rob people at will. Even if you are a Title Douluo, you still have to abide by the law, and you still have to queue up and pay taxes like ordinary people."

"Uncle Bone, what do you think—"

Ning Fengzhi looked at Gu Rong and asked in return, "Would those Soul Masters who are used to being superior to others agree to this?"

"This—" Gu Rong was speechless.

Are you going to make a pack of tigers eat vegetables? Or make a group of powerful people who are used to acting recklessly follow the rules?

It would be better to kill them.

"Without changing the rules, the Spirit Hall cannot last long, because it will be destroyed by chaos; but once the rules are changed, the Spirit Hall itself will collapse from within!"

Ning Fengzhi pointed out the crux of the matter incisively: "The Soul Masters gather under the banner of the Spirit Hall in order to gain more benefits and to convert their power into privileges."

"Then you turn around and tell everyone that for the sake of so-called national stability and the so-called common people, your privileges are gone, and you have to keep a low profile."

"Who would want to stay here?"

"People come here to eat meat, not to be watchdogs."

"At that time."

Ning Fengzhi looked out the window at the bustling crowd, his tone indifferent: "As long as another organization jumps out, even if it's only one-tenth the size of the Spirit Hall, as long as it shouts:

"Come to me, where the strong rule and murder is not a crime."

"Do you believe it or not?"

"The soul masters in the Spirit Hall will flock to that new organization like a tide."

"And then, the cycle repeats itself."

"This is a vicious cycle."

Ning Fengzhi sighed and slowly closed his eyes: "From the moment they were born, the Soul Masters were destined to be destroyers of order, not maintainers."

"You want to build a stable country by relying on a bunch of destroyers?"

"It's like trying to build a skyscraper on quicksand; the foundation is crooked, how can it last?"