The Tao Sword Gate Strategy

When Chasing the Wind returned that day, he described to Qin Ran the detailed process of their qilin blood heist. Qin Ran thus deduced that the disciples of the Boundless Sword Sect were deliberately targeting the disciples of the Dao Sword Sect.

Over the next few days, Qin Ran conducted a covert investigation and discovered that conflicts between the Dao Sword Sect disciples and those from the Boundless Sword Sect and Zhican Valley had notably increased recently. This confirmed his suspicions.

As a result, he realized that after the failure of the pill plan and multiple unsuccessful attempts to kill him, Zhican Valley and the Boundless Sword Sect had decided to adopt a more aggressive strategy.

After pondering in his study for several days, Qin Ran finally made up his mind. He left Dan Peak and went to the cave dwelling of the sect leader on Master Peak.

"Sect Leader, have you heard of the Three Kingdoms?" he asked Gu Yueming.

"What Three Kingdoms?"

"The Dao Sword Sect, Boundless Sword Sect, and Zhican Valley," Qin Ran replied. "These three powers have divided the Hengduan Mountains for thousands of years, with little change to this day. Do you know the reason behind this, Sect Leader?"

Gu Yueming still didn't understand Qin Ran's point and asked, "What reason?"

"Because triangles are inherently stable," Qin Ran explained. "With three powers, each pair keeps the other in check. As long as no single power becomes strong enough to face the other two alone, the situation will persist, no matter how dire it becomes."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Gu Yueming asked with a frown.

"Sect Leader, you must be well aware of Zhican Valley's intentions towards the Dao Sword Sect," Qin Ran continued calmly. "So let me ask you, is Zhican Valley stronger than the Dao Sword Sect? Is Zhican Valley stronger than the Dao Sword Sect and the Boundless Sword Sect combined?"

Gu Yueming shook his head, "Although Zhican Valley is rich in resources and talented individuals, boasting the title of North Chu's premier sect, I don't agree that they are definitely stronger than the Dao Sword Sect. As for Zhican Valley being stronger than the Dao Sword Sect and Boundless Sword Sect combined, that's simply absurd."

"Then here's the question: why does Zhican Valley dare to covet the Dao Sword Sect?"

After a moment's thought, Gu Yueming looked at Qin Ran and tentatively asked, "Aren't they operating in secret? Their attempt to weaken the Dao Sword Sect with pills shows that Zhican Valley knows they're not our match at present. They don't dare to make an open move."

"Sect Leader, whether it's covert or overt, you're aware of Zhican Valley's wolfish ambitions. So there's no difference between hidden or open actions," Qin Ran said, stepping forward and staring at Gu Yueming. "So, aren't they afraid of playing with fire? Aren't they afraid of us forcefully turning against them? If we do, how will they deal with us?"

Following Qin Ran's train of thought and recalling his earlier words, Gu Yueming finally arrived at the conclusion he dared not believe: "Zhican Valley and the Boundless Sword Sect have allied?!"

"Not only have they long since allied, but they've also already taken action against the Dao Sword Sect," Qin Ran said gravely to Gu Yueming. "They're hunting our disciples, consuming our resources, and driving wedges between the Dao Sword Sect and its subordinate sects. Sect Leader, the Dao Sword Sect is already in imminent danger!"

"How dare they?!" Gu Yueming exclaimed in shock.

"They dare. They started covertly, attempting to weaken the Dao Sword Sect with pills before proceeding further, but I thwarted that plan. When covert methods failed, they switched to overt ones. Their current strategy is to work gradually, like boiling a frog in slowly heating water," Qin Ran explained. "Once the Dao Sword Sect is sufficiently weakened and the time is ripe, the two sects will unite and launch a full-scale attack! The Dao Sword Sect will surely fall!"

Gu Yueming finally stood up from his meditation mat. He carefully recalled the subtle changes within and outside the sect over the past few days and realized that Qin Ran was right – the Boundless Sword Sect and Zhican Valley had indeed allied and taken action.

The alliance of two sects against the Dao Sword Sect was an open stratagem. If the Dao Sword Sect were to confront them directly, how could they possibly defeat two sects? It would surely end in destruction. If the Dao Sword Sect tried to appease them, it would only grow weaker over time, eventually leading to its demise.

Realizing the dark situation before them, Gu Yueming became anxious, pacing back and forth in the room, his mind in chaos.

After a long while, he remembered that Qin Ran had come specifically to discuss this matter, which meant he must have a countermeasure in mind.

He stopped and looked at Qin Ran, urgently asking, "Does Senior Qin have a strategy to deal with this?!"

He used an honorific title.

Qin Ran smiled calmly, gesturing for the sect leader not to panic, and said, "Sect Leader, if we wait passively, the longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes for the Dao Sword Sect. Therefore, our only option is to take the initiative and strike first!"

"Do you mean to pit our single sect against two?" Gu Yueming asked.

This was an approach he had considered. Although the Boundless Sword Sect was poor, their entire sect consisted of sword cultivators, making their combat strength formidable. If they were further enhanced by Zhican Valley's pills, the Dao Sword Sect wouldn't stand a chance.

"Sect Leader, we don't need to face both sects," Qin Ran said. "Remember when I said that three sects are the most stable? The Hengduan Mountains have been peaceful for thousands of years."

"So, Senior Qin..." Gu Yueming's tone became more respectful, "what exactly is your grand strategy?"

"If, Sect Leader – and I stress if – if the Dao Sword Sect were truly destroyed, which sect do you think would ultimately remain in the Hengduan Mountains?" Qin Ran asked.

"One sect?" Gu Yueming frowned. "Shouldn't it be both Zhican Valley and the Boundless Sword Sect..."

As he spoke, he realized the implications. With three sects in opposition, they kept each other in check, preventing easy conflicts. But if only two sects remained, the situation would be entirely different.

Two tigers cannot share the same mountain. After a brief honeymoon period, the remaining two sects would quickly enter into a new conflict.

And if Zhican Valley and the Boundless Sword Sect were to go to war, although the Boundless Sword Sect's combat strength might be superior to Zhican Valley's, however...

Gu Yueming voiced his conclusion to Qin Ran: "Zhican Valley would ultimately emerge victorious."

"An astute observation, Sect Leader," Qin Ran smiled.

"Zhican Valley would only need to employ the same tactics they used against the Dao Sword Sect to deal with the Boundless Sword Sect. Before long, the Boundless Sword Sect would be forced to initiate a war against Zhican Valley. At that point, Zhican Valley would only need to adopt a defensive stance, dragging the conflict into a war of attrition. The Boundless Sword Sect, with its weak foundation, would inevitably be worn down by Zhican Valley."

Gu Yueming began to understand Qin Ran's intent and asked, "So, Senior Qin's suggestion is?"

"We can use this to turn the Boundless Sword Sect against Zhican Valley!" Qin Ran declared. "If that's not enough, we can add another weight to the scale."

"What weight?"

Qin Ran explained, "Sect Leader, why would the Boundless Sword Sect help Zhican Valley against the Dao Sword Sect? It's because the Boundless Sword Sect is too poor. After destroying the Dao Sword Sect, they would gain a constant supply of spirit stones to develop their sect.

"Whatever Zhican Valley has offered the Boundless Sword Sect, we can offer double. This way, the Boundless Sword Sect will surely turn against them."

Gu Yueming followed Qin Ran's reasoning and suddenly saw the possibility – this plan could actually work!

But he immediately thought of another question: "Why not turn Zhican Valley against them instead? Or sow discord between these two sects so they can no longer attack the Dao Sword Sect?"

Qin Ran gave Gu Yueming a meaningful look and asked, "How does the Sect Leader propose to turn Zhican Valley?"

"The Boundless Sword Sect has countless sword classics and famous swords," Gu Yueming offered his suggestion. "Wouldn't that tempt Zhican Valley?"

"How many sword cultivators does Zhican Valley have?" Qin Ran shook his head. "Even if they have sword cultivators, they wouldn't crave the Boundless Sword Sect's sword techniques and famous swords as much as the Boundless Sword Sect craves spirit stones and pills."

"Turning the Boundless Sword Sect is clearly much easier than turning Zhican Valley," he smiled. "And do you know what's most brilliant, Sect Leader? Zhican Valley is aware of this too.

"So to answer your question about sowing discord between these two sects, my answer is yes, we can. And it's quite simple."

Hearing Qin Ran's words, Gu Yueming finally felt relieved that the Dao Sword Sect would not perish under his leadership.

But just as he relaxed, he heard Qin Ran mutter, "Sect Leader, have you considered that the difficulty of the Boundless Sword Sect and Dao Sword Sect uniting to destroy Zhican Valley is much lower than that of the Boundless Sword Sect and Zhican Valley uniting to destroy the Dao Sword Sect?"

Gu Yueming suddenly drew in a sharp breath. He abruptly raised his head to look at Qin Ran, just in time to see the bloodthirsty gleam in Qin Ran's eyes.

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"Master, this is an opportunity..." Qin Ran said with a smile on his face. "They've started this war, so why can't the Dao Sword Sect be the last sect standing in the Hengduan Mountains?"

Gu Yueming's heart trembled. He looked at Qin Ran, seeing the smile in his eyes—a confidence that seemed to play with the world at his fingertips. He had never seen a cultivator like this before.

But after some thought, he asked, "If we use the strategy of pitting two tigers against each other to turn the Boundless Sword Sect, how will we convince them to ally with us against Zhican Valley?"

"The Boundless Sword Sect is too poor," Qin Ran smiled. "I'll give them a reason they can't refuse."

"We can first explain the current situation to the Boundless Sword Sect, revealing Zhican Valley's plot. This will make them hesitate. Then, we'll promise the Boundless Sword Sect twice the benefits that Zhican Valley offered them, or even more—nine or ten times as much if necessary, until they're tempted."

He carefully explained his thoughts to Gu Yueming, "Finally, we'll outline how the Dao Sword Sect will peacefully coexist with the Boundless Sword Sect after eliminating Zhican Valley.

"My initial idea is this: the Dao Sword Sect and the Boundless Sword Sect can jointly control Zhican Valley, or rather, the two sects can establish a puppet sect specializing in alchemy, dedicated to refining pills for both sects.

"If there are conflicts between disciples of the two sects, we can hold a Sword Dao Exchange Conference every fifty years to resolve sectarian disputes.

"As long as we can get the Boundless Sword Sect to act, we can offer them any benefits; to allay their doubts, the Dao Sword Sect can make as many concessions as possible. After all..."

He chuckled softly, not finishing his sentence.

Gu Yueming looked at the smile on Qin Ran's face and couldn't help but feel afraid. Why had he never realized how terrifying this man was?

"So, Master, what's your choice?" Qin Ran finally asked. "Do we sow discord between the Boundless Sword Sect and Zhican Valley, or... eliminate them both?"

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