198: Chapter 198: To Go or Not to Go

The main hall of the Qingheng Sect was currently like a market that had exploded into chaos.

Ever since Shen Xingzhou had spread that fate-deciding invitation across the table and initiated the "Go/Stay" debate, the atmosphere in the hall had remained at a boiling point.

This was no longer the tragic choice made out of necessity for "survival" as it had been the previous two times; this time, they were discussing the future. And in the world of cultivation, discussing the future was often more maddening than discussing life and death.

"I'm not going! Absolutely not!"

An Elder with white hair and beard slammed his hand on the table, spittle flying everywhere, "Even though our Qingheng Sect is a bit poor here in the Nine Provinces, at least it's our own little plot of land. What kind of place is the Central Continent? It's a slaughterhouse where immortals fight! If we go there, we'll be nothing but a grain of sand in the ocean, liable to be crushed by anyone at any time!"

"Exactly, Deacon Shen," another hall master chimed in, "If we stay here, even though we've been downgraded, as long as we don't break the 'Special Observation Period,' we can still scrape by. If we go to the Central Continent and get targeted by those major powers, our meager assets won't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth!"

These were the voices of the "Stay" faction. They represented the mindset of most of the older generation of Cultivators: attached to their homeland, afraid of the unknown, and believing it better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a Phoenix. In their eyes, going to the Central Continent was suicide; it was just asking for trouble.

But on the other side of the hall, the reaction of the young Disciples was completely different.

"Senior Brothers, I don't like hearing you say that."

The one speaking was a young Deacon from Lingjian Peak who had been merged into the "Combat Department." He was still wrapped in bandages from injuries sustained just last month.

"Stay here? Stay here for what? Our current rating is C-, the War Debt Bureau is watching us, and the Heavenly Dao doesn't care for us either. We're like junk thrown into a corner, ignored and unloved. This so-called 'scraping by' is nothing but waiting to die."

He stood up, his eyes burning as he looked at the golden option box in the center of the hall.

"We've already been targeted anyway. Since we're going to be treated as tools, why not switch to a bigger plate to be targeted on?"

"Right! The Central Continent might be dangerous, but that's where the 'ceiling' is!"

"I heard the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the Central Continent is ten times higher than here! If we go there, maybe our Breakthroughs will be faster!"

"Besides, Deacon Shen said that if we go there, we'll be a 'pilot project.' This means we'll have the chance to come into contact with the core rules. If we stay here, we'll forever just be leeks harvested by the rules!"

Though the young voices were immature, they carried the fierce spirit of newborn calves unafraid of tigers. They were the generation fed by Shen Xingzhou's "merger" and the "Survival Banquet." Having tasted the benefits, they naturally wanted to go see a wider world.

Shen Xingzhou stood on the high platform, watching the intense argument. He did not intervene, only observing silently.

This was not just a debate; it was a collision of two different value Systems. One was the survival philosophy of "just staying alive is enough," and the other was the ambition of "not wanting to rot in the mud."

"Alright."

Shen Xingzhou raised his hand, suppressing the clamor. His voice was not loud, but it possessed an unquestionable penetrating power.

"Everyone has stated their reasoning. Since we can't reach a consensus, we'll use the old rules—a vote."

As his words fell, that massive golden System interface unfolded once again above the hall.

[System Notification: Third Sect Collective Vote Initiated]

Topic: Whether to accept the Central Continent pilot invitation and relocate the entire Sect?

Option A: Stay in the Nine Provinces. Maintain the status quo, cultivate the local area, and accept long-term supervision by the War Debt Bureau.

*Risk*: Low development ceiling, liable to be abandoned by the times at any moment.

Option B: Relocate to the Central Continent. Become a pilot sample and enter the core chessboard.

*Risk*: High-risk environment, facing competition from multiple forces.

The hall instantly fell silent. All the Disciples looked up at the massive light screen suspended in the air. This time, there was no sense of urgency from a countdown, but the heavy weight of it was greater than ever before.

Casting this vote could determine their entire lives.

"Begin voting."

Shen Xingzhou gave the order.

Countless streams of light flew out from the Disciples' identity jade tokens, converging toward the two massive pillars of light, A or B.

At first, the pillars of light on both sides rose at almost the same speed. Clearly, everyone had huge concerns about abandoning their ancestral heritage and leaving their homes to take such a risk.

But soon, the situation began to tilt.

The first to react were the young Disciples, especially the frontline personnel who had just experienced life and death.

They hardly hesitated; with a light tap of their fingers, beams of bright blue light flew toward Zone B without hesitation.

"I choose B," the young Deacon said while selecting, speaking to those around him, "We're going to be tools anyway, so we might as well be tools in a place with potentially better treatment. What if we can turn 'War Debt Reform' into an industry benchmark there?"

"I also choose B. My parents died at the hands of this broken rule set in the Nine Provinces. I want to go see what the people who make the rules actually look like."

The young people's choices were so crisp and decisive. They weren't scared off by the threats of the "dangerous Central Continent"; instead, they were attracted by the "opportunity" hidden behind that danger.

On the System interface, the data statistics regarding the young demographic scrolled rapidly:

[Demographic Profile Analysis]

Young demographic (Cultivation < Golden Core, or employed < 50 years):

B vote ratio: 82%

Keywords: Ambition, unwilling to accept the status quo, trust in Shen Xingzhou's ledger.

Meanwhile, in the corners of the hall, the white-haired Elders were much slower in their actions. They clutched their jade tokens, their hands trembling slightly.

"This… this is pulling up our roots," one Elder murmured to himself, "If we go to the Central Continent, will our Qingheng Sect still be the Qingheng Sect?"

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou was standing at the back of the crowd, watching everything like an outsider. He heard the Elder's muttering and walked over gently.

"The roots are not in the soil; they are in the hearts of the people."

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou's voice was very soft, yet it struck like the evening drum and morning bell, "Old brother, don't bother stressing yourself out. For those of you who want to stay, I can take you to the back mountain to open a 'Retirement Hall.' We can teach and educate here, guarding the ancestral tablets; it'll be quite nice."

"Then what about you, Sect Head?" the Elder asked, looking at him in surprise.

Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou smiled, a somewhat carefree smile, "I'm old, but I'm not senile yet. Since the young ones want to storm the gates of Hell, this old geezer has to be there to help them keep the fire going, right?"

The Elder was stunned for a long while, looking at the high-spirited young people in the distance, then looking at the calm Sect Head. Finally, he sighed and pressed his finger down lightly.

"Fine. Fine. Just let these little brats go and storm ahead. We old bones will just act as paving stones for them."

As the older generation of Cultivators gradually compromised, the light representing Pillar B began to overwhelm Pillar A with an unstoppable momentum.

Finally, when the last Disciple finished voting, the entire hall was illuminated by a deep blue light.

[Voting Results Released]

A (Stay): 18%

B (Relocate): 82%

The result was without suspense.

With their overwhelming vote count, the young people forcibly dragged this ancient Sect out of its comfort zone.

Shen Xingzhou looked at that 82% figure, and a surge of warmth welled up in his heart. These people didn't just treat him as a backer; they were betting their entire lives on his crazy plan.

"System, settle."

[System Notification: Central Continent Pilot · Conditions Met]

Sect internal approval rating: 82% (Far exceeding the 60% threshold)

Core team willingness confirmed: Unanimously approved

Resolution effective:

Qingheng Sect officially initiates "Central Continent Relocation Plan."

Main Quest: [Central Continent Pilot] officially opened.

As the System notification sound faded, the map above the hall began to change violently.

The crude map that had only shown a small corner of the Nine Provinces border was suddenly torn open as if by a giant hand. Countless streams of data poured down like a waterfall, reconstructing a grand, complex, and breathtaking 3D landscape in the Void Realm.

It was a "Panoramic Map of the Central Continent" that Shen Xingzhou had never seen before.

[Loading New Map: Central Continent · Core Area of the Three Realms Intersection]

The map rotated slowly, covered in dense markings that made one's eyes dizzy.

Red regions: Marked with massive names—[Taishang Sect], [Tiangong Pavilion], [Medicine King Valley]. These were large-scale corporate Sects resembling business Empires, each with a sphere of influence larger than the entire Nine Provinces.

Golden regions: [Heavenly Court Police Station], [Karma Resident Office]. These were not just administrative agencies; they were violent apparatuses directly representing the will of the Heavenly Dao, nailed into key nodes on the map like spikes.

Purple hidden lines: Interspersed among the major Sects like blood vessels, labeled by the System as—[Demon Realm Hidden Infiltration Points]. So, those high-and-mighty Holy Lands had long since been riddled with holes, eroded by the capital of the Demon Race.

Black nodes: [Yellow Springs Transit Node]. That was the place where Peak Master Luo Qingyi had once fought, and it was also the source of Shen Xingzhou's System permissions; now, it appeared isolated and helpless on the map, yet exceptionally resilient.

This was no place of cultivation holiness.

This was clearly a massive gladiatorial arena where multiple forces bit, utilized, and checked each other.

Shen Xingzhou looked at this map and felt his breathing become difficult.

In the Nine Provinces, he had only faced one War Debt Bureau and one set of rating rules.

But in the Central Continent, he had to face the entire interest community of the Three Realms, a super gamble where Old Gods, the Heavenly Court, the Demon Race, and the Human Race competed against one another.

The final line of the System notification slowly emerged at the very bottom of the map, declaring the cruelty of the future in a cold and objective tone.

[Central Continent Mode Preview: Multi-Shareholder Chessboard]

There is no justice or evil here, only controlling interests and being controlled.

There is no truth or morality here, only financial reports and dividends.

What you are about to step into is not a new land, but a chessboard shared by multiple shareholders.

Shen Xingzhou took a deep breath and looked up at the pitch-black night sky outside the hall.

There, the brilliant starlight of the Central Continent seemed faintly visible.

"Are you ready?"

Behind him, Peak Master Luo Qingyi tightened her grip on her sword hilt, Senior Sister Xie Handeng wiped her battle saber, Su Ciyao raised her recording stone, and Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou smiled and closed his eyes.

"Let's go." Shen Xingzhou stepped over the threshold of the hall, stepping into that unknown darkness and light.

"Let's go teach those shareholders a lesson."