"Fear of insufficient firepower?"
"That name is quite fitting!"
"I'm just a bit curious!"
"Before Qin Huaiyu, did these five great families never consider recruiting from outside?"
"Now they're in a hurry, only now do they realize the need for temporary measures!"
"Aren't these people's intellects this low?"
Hearing Baili Lie speak, Zhou Xuan was also somewhat puzzled.
Were the people of these five great families all so unclear in their thinking?
They had to wait until someone else had recruited all the talented individuals, threatening their own positions.
Only then would they realize the severity of the situation!
Only then would they learn to emulate others and recruit from outside!
What were they doing all that time before?
"Alas, Master!"
"You do not know the full story!"
"It's not that these five great families were unwilling to recruit from outside!"
"But as you said before, they always thought of using resources on their own family members!"
"Moreover, as the five great families of Shangjing City, they inherently possessed a sense of superiority!"
"Especially some elders within the families, they prided themselves on their noble status!"
"They always looked down upon cultivators from the outside world!"
"Before Qin Huaiyu, it wasn't as if no one from the five great families wanted to recruit cultivators from the outside to expand their family's influence!"
"But in the end, none of those who proposed these ideas were able to implement them!"
"The fundamental reason for this was the opposition from some elders within the five great families!"
"In their hearts, only their own family members were noble!"
"Outsiders were simply beneath their notice!"
"And this situation was commonplace among the five great families!"
"Therefore, until three years ago, not recruiting cultivators from the outside"
"Could essentially be considered an unwritten rule jointly observed by the five great families!"
"What no one could have expected was that a woman from the Qin family!"
"Would become the pioneer who broke this rule!"
"Upon her ascension, Qin Huaiyu boldly implemented a series of reforms!"
"Those older generations within the Qin family who opposed her recruiting from the outside were forcefully suppressed by her with the most iron-fisted methods!"
"It can be said that she truly showed no regard for kinship!"
"And not only that, even the Qin family head of the previous generation!"
"That is, her father, Qin Zhantian, also implicitly agreed to her actions!"
"Therefore, with no worries in the future!"
"The martial arts competition held by the Qin family for the first time!"
"Was arguably the grandest event in the entire cultivation world!"
"Countless rogue cultivators from the common folk, or cultivators from smaller factions!"
"Were scrambling to get in!"
"And because this was the first time the five great families were recruiting cultivators from the outside!"
"The quality of cultivators who came to the Qin family could be said to be unprecedentedly high!"
"This also allowed the Qin family to profit immensely from this martial arts competition!"
"They managed to absorb the cream of the crop of external cultivators!"
"By the time other families reacted and wanted to emulate them!"
"They could only recruit those who were left behind by the Qin family!"
"Therefore, the Qin family's strength is continuously growing!"
"They have basically replaced the former Fang family, becoming the head of the five great families in the new generation!"
"Moreover, Qin Huaiyu was not only skilled in family reforms!"
"She was also quite accomplished in politics!"
"Because the Qin family originally rose to prominence through politics!"
"Therefore, not only did she herself hold important positions in the national political system!"
"Even some members of her family, under her deliberate arrangement!"
"Occupied very important political seats!"
"With both martial prowess and political power!"
"The Qin family's influence naturally experienced a qualitative leap!"
"Therefore, the Fang family, as the elder brother among the five great families in the past!"
"Is naturally very anxious now!"
"This is why they now hold a martial arts competition every year!"
"And the preliminaries are a special event set up by the Fang family to filter out those who are merely going through the motions!"
"Although it is not as grand and exciting as the main competition, it is still quite good!"
"What do you think, Master!"
"Are you interested in watching it?"
After finishing, Baili Lie looked at Zhou Xuan with some anticipation!
Although he himself was not a cultivator, watching these cultivators compete.
It didn't bring him any substantial benefits!
But he couldn't stand being bored!
He was originally just a sheltered rich kid living a life of leisure. Since he couldn't become a cultivator himself.
Then watching other cultivators compete was still possible, right?
"Forget it!"
"Since you said it's not as good as the main competition!"
"Why should we go!"
"In a few days, wouldn't it be better to just watch the main competition?"
Unexpectedly, after hearing Baili Lie's words, Zhou Xuan directly refused without even thinking.
With his cultivation at the mid-stage of the Creation realm, even when placed among the five great families.
He would undoubtedly be among the top tier.
Now asking him to watch low-level cultivators compete, wasn't that a waste of time?
"Uh!"
"Master, although it might be a bit of a buzzkill to say this now!"
"I still have to tell you!"
"When the main competition truly arrives!"
"The Fang family might not invite our Baili family!"
"After all, the powers in Shangjing City are as numerous as the hairs on an ox!"
"That they sent us an invitation for this preliminary round!"
"Was already beyond our expectations!"
"To be invited again for the main competition, this is almost impossible!"
"After all, the main competition starts at the same time as the Fang family head's birthday!"
"It would be great if we could proactively deliver a gift!"
"To expect them to proactively invite us, this is probably..."
At this point, Baili Lie looked at Zhou Xuan with some embarrassment.
After all, when he first met Zhou Xuan, Zhou Xuan's image was that of an incredibly arrogant second-generation heir.
Now, he couldn't even get an invitation from the Fang family.
This made him feel as if he had lost all face in front of Zhou Xuan!
"Hmm, is that so?"
"It's fine!"
"If you want to watch this preliminary round, then go ahead!"
"When the main competition comes, if you still want to watch!"
"I'll bring you again!"
"Watching a competition, what's the big deal!"
"Master, are you serious?"
"Can you really get an invitation for the main competition?"
Upon hearing Zhou Xuan's words, Baili Lie, who had been somewhat dejected, suddenly widened his eyes.
He looked up at Zhou Xuan with a hint of astonishment.
"I can't get invitations!"
"But what do you need those things for?"
"I can directly let you watch the competition without an invitation!"
"I can even let you personally go to the Fang family head's birthday celebration!"
"Do you believe it?"