How can there be so many things in the world that come without effort

Easier said than done. Since when did the world ever offer so many free lunches?

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng paced back and forth in the room, his footsteps producing a muffled thud against the luxurious cloud-brocade carpet.

No.

Things absolutely could not go on like this.

If this fierce competition continued, his Tingfeng Pavilion would truly have to close its doors for good, and he, the Pavilion Master, might as well go home and farm.

He had to think of a way!

He needed to make some huge news!

Explosive news, enough to shock the entire Canghuang Realm!

Only by doing this could he reclaim the market and force those damn copycats to back off in the face of insurmountable difficulties!

But the problem was...

Nowadays, under the Immortal Emperor's management, the Canghuang Realm was thriving, yet as stagnant as a pool of dead water.

Although this Immortal Emperor had risen to power as a turncoat, one had to admit that under his rule, the overall standard of the Canghuang Realm had leaped up a massive tier over these tens of thousands of years.

It was not that this Immortal Emperor was particularly diligent or loved his people.

Rather, being the Immortal Emperor meant being the co-lord of the world, representing the ruler of this realm.

He was practically merged with the realm itself.

They prospered together and suffered together.

The more prosperous the Canghuang Realm developed, the stronger the current Immortal Emperor's power became.

So, when this Immortal Emperor came to power, he simply banned battles at the True Immortal level to prevent large-scale destruction.

In this general environment, those top-tier sects and aristocratic families all acted like turtles pulling their heads into their shells, closing their doors to live their own little lives, terrified of stirring up any trouble.

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng walked to the wall, where a massive map covering the entire Canghuang Realm hung.

His bright eyes swept rapidly across the map.

Azure Cloud Sword Sect?

No, that bunch of sword cultivators was dirt poor. Aside from their swords, they couldn't even fish out a single spare spirit stone. What news could they possibly have? Was he supposed to report that their Sect Master had comprehended a new sword technique? Who would even read that!

Ten Thousand Poisons Valley?

Forget it. That group of bug-players was all eccentric and weird. The last disciple he sent to gather information came back vomiting and having diarrhea for a month, and still shivered at the sight of a bug.

The Buddhist Kingdom?

Those bald heads were even more boring. All they did all day was chant scriptures, muttering things like all living beings suffer. They had absolutely zero news value.

The Monster Race?

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng thought for a moment and still shook his head. The Monster Race did fight often, but the problem was, with the Immortal Emperor's restrictions in place, they could never fight to the death. Plus, it had been reported so many times that everyone was sick of reading about it.

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng's gaze moved slowly across the map, gliding over bustling cities and rich spirit veins, before finally stopping on a vast, almost blank area.

There, only two small ink characters marked the location.

Great Wasteland.

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng looked at those two words and curled his lips in disdain.

What kind of news could possibly come from a godforsaken place like this?

This place had thin spiritual energy and harsh environments. Aside from wind and sand, there was only an endless expanse of Gobi desert. Even demonic beasts could not be bothered to build their nests there.

Its only special feature was serving as a reception area for ascenders from the lower realms, conveniently providing some special minerals.

In a place like this, let alone big news, it was a struggle just to find a living, breathing person.

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng irritably withdrew his gaze, feeling that his future was just like this Great Wasteland, gloomy, despairing, without the slightest glimmer of hope.

Pavilion Master...

The green-clad maid from earlier walked in cautiously, carrying another thick stack of jade slips.

These are... some trivial news without much core value, sent up by the various branch helms this month...

The maid's voice grew softer and softer; she did not even dare to look up at her Pavilion Master's face.

She knew very well that this so-called trivial news was, to put it bluntly, just...

Things like the youngest son of the Lust Demon Sect's Sect Master eloping with the Great Elder's illegitimate child.

Or the Medicine Immortal refining pills for thirty years, only to come out of seclusion and find that his Dao companion had given birth to triplets who were already two and a half years old.

Although these trivial, gossipy matters always sold quite well.

They attracted too much hatred from all sides...

Who didn't have a few scandals?

If you brought these shady matters to light every single day, didn't people have faces to save?

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng didn't even glance at the pile of jade slips, merely waving his hand impatiently.

Just leave them there.

He was feeling frustrated and distracted; he had no mood to look at this garbage.

The maid felt as if she had received a grand pardon. She hastily placed the jade slips on the corner of the desk and then fled out of the room.

The study returned to silence.

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng paced around the room twice more before finally losing his energy and plopping back into his grand armchair.

He looked at the mountainous pile of account books on the desk, feeling his head throb with pain.

Was Tingfeng Pavilion really going to perish in his hands?

Somewhat unwilling to give up, he cast his gaze toward the pile of garbage jade slips the maid had left at the corner of the desk.

He might as well treat a dead horse as a living one.

What if... what if there really was some valuable clue hidden inside that those fools below had overlooked?

Although this possibility was extremely slim.

He casually picked up a jade slip and probed his divine sense into it.

In the northern snowy plains, the tracks of a snow fox have been discovered, suspected to possess Demon King bloodline...

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng curled his lip and casually tossed the jade slip aside.

Suspected?

By the time you confirm it, it will be old news.

Besides, was a trivial Demon King bloodline even worth reporting?

He picked up the second jade slip.

On the shores of the Eastern Sea, fishermen claim to have seen a mirage, with an immortal palace faintly visible within...

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng didn't even have the energy to complain.

A mirage?

I can't believe you even came up with that.

Expressionless, he flipped through them one by one.

The contents were exactly as he expected, all baseless rumors and chasing after shadows.

Just as he was about to completely lose his patience and throw all this garbage into the furnace.

His movements suddenly paused.

He picked up an inconspicuous jade slip, its edges even slightly damaged.

This jade slip had been sent up by the branch helm responsible for monitoring the areas surrounding the Great Wasteland.

Seven days ago, the Zhao family of the Great Wasteland traveled to the Fallen Cloud Sect ten thousand miles away, seemingly to borrow something... Because the two sides had a severe falling out, the Zhao family ultimately decided to slaughter the entire sect.

Seeing this, the Pavilion Master of Tingfeng's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

This seems to have some informational value...

The Zhao family could not even be ranked as a third-rate small family in the Canghuang Realm. They barely made a living by mining ores in the Great Wasteland and offering them as tribute to the factions under the Immortal Emperor.

Such minor characters usually weren't worth his extra attention.

But slaughtering an entire sect...

Those words were quite eye-catching.

Should I contact them?

The Pavilion Master of Tingfeng gently tapped his fingers against the desk.