Having learned about the High Wind Alliance and its members, Lin Mu realized that this was a lot bigger than he had originally thought.
"If there are so many strong and influential individuals involved in this, they must be expecting some great returns." Lin Mu muttered to himself.
It was clear that the banquet was nothing simple. The number of resources that would be invested in it was quite literally in the high grade immortal stones level. If they were spending this much, it was obvious that they were expecting an equal or even greater return from it
Lin Mu had seen several banquets and this was supposed to be topping all of them. The invitees were talented people and some with high cultivation bases, thus to entice and entertain them, they would need equally valuable materials.
Food, wine, fruits and a lot more would be given freely, and all of that would have to be something that could benefit the contestants.
A banquet of this level couldn't just be set up by spending ones money. They would also need the connections to gather the needed materials as many would be in short supply or would be exclusively sold to the nobles.
It wasn't a single banquet either, as they were doing this every week end. Calculating the time that was left for the tournament, there would be a total of Five banquets.
'Since they are setting up these many banquets, it is likely that not all of them will be attended by the invitees. Considering that some will be in seclusion they are intending to have it as may times as possible to get the maximum attendance.' Lin Mu analyzed.
~Sigh~
"They surely are spending a lot of effort and fortune on this, huh…" Lin Mu muttered in the end.
"That much is expected. After all, they need to grow their power and their empire as well. Recruitment of talented individuals is a good way to do that. There is a limit to how many they can nurture within their ranks too." Xukong spoke.
"That is true… Normally this should have been something that sects do. But… In their absence the empires have taken over." Lin Mu concluded.
"These are mere labels that the powers take. It doesn't matter whether they be sects, kingdoms, empires, cults, or more. All of them have the goal of growing stronger and gaining more power. All of them need people with talent." Xukong commented.
"Indeed." Lin Mu agreed. "It's just that… it'll be a pain when I have to reject them."
"I don't think they'll be that forceful." Xukong said, much to Lin Mu's surprise.
"Really?" Lin Mu asked in doubt.
"Since they are the orthodox ruling power, they won't resort to underhanded means. Even if they do try to use force in some cases, it won't be good in the long term. Besides, don't forget they have another power keeping them in check. One above all the empires." Xukong explained.
"The Temple of the Four Guardian beasts…" Lin Mu spoke. "Of course, with them watching even the Empire would have to think several times."
"If they try anything overt, it could be taken as a disrespect of the temple. After all, the tournament could be considered a sacred ritual." Xukong replied.
Hearing this, a different thought came to Lin Mu. A thought that he had lingering in the back of his head for a long time. Something that had made him question several times about the world and its truths.
"These guardians… Are they really gods, Senior?" Lin Mu finally questioned. "I mean… What immortals can do right now would be considered godly by the mortals. While the power of the guardians seems high, it isn't unimaginable to immortals. It even seems 'attainable'." He gave his perspective.
Hearing this question, Xukong couldn't help but feel amazed.
'He's finally asking the right questions…' Xukong thought to himself. "Hmm… I can say that who's god and who's not is a matter of where you are looking at it from." He started to speak.
Lin Mu stayed silent and let Xukong continued.
"Take it this way, what's a human to an ant? A human can squash an ant with ease, a single meal for a human would be enough to last the ant for hundreds of days, and the human can make great structures that a single ant wouldn't be able to do.
To top if off, the human would live for several hundred times the life of an ant." Xukong said calmly.
Lin Mu listened to it deeply, finding the focus points in it.
"Thus to an ant… What's a human but a god? A human can shower a handful of sugar and bless the ant for months to come. He can also stomp and crush an ant unknowingly while walking. Then what is he? A god? Or a devil?" Xukong asked.
"The actions would define their title." Lin Mu muttered.
"Indeed." Xukong responded. "The same applies to humans. They take things or phenomena that benefit them as gods. Whether it be natural phenomena or people. A good king could be revered as a god, as he brings prosperity and peace to its people, and similarly he can be regarded as the most heinous of devils if he does the opposite." He explained.
"Then the Four Guardians… They are gods because they bring benefits to the people… no… not just people, they regard the other races as equal too." Lin Mu started to understand.
"Exactly. The Four Guardian beasts started to be regarded as gods because of that. They didn't just help cultivators but mortals too. And didn't differentiate between the races. Their spread their influence and tried to bring a balance.
To an immortal, they might be called gods, but they can see that it is something they can understand. After all, they know how the powers work, even if they might be a little beyond their comprehension.
But to the average mortal, these would be miracles beyond their understanding.
Who's god and who's not depends on where you stand." Xukong stated, his voice as if prying into the truths.
