The Problem
"Xia Fei, after two days of observation, what's your impression of the Assassin Sect?" Shadowless suddenly asked.
Xia Fei was slightly surprised. He did not expect Shadowless to ask him such a question. He immediately put on a smile and said, "Master, the Assassin Sect is definitely worthy of its title as the top assassin sect in the universe. Not only are their disciples skilled in martial arts, but even this Nameless Planet's Nameless Mountain is beautiful. If it weren't for the fact that I have some matters to attend to, I'd rather stay here and never leave …"
Xia Fei did not hold back at all, praising the Assassin Sect like it was a flower. He did not leave out any details, from the food in the kitchen to Craneshadow's leadership. He flattered them for half an hour, to the point where Shadowless and Craneshadow could not take it any longer. All the terms that Xia Fei used were just too exaggerated. Those who did not know better would think that the Assassin Sect was not some sect but the master of the universe.
After saying all that, Xia Fei felt that his throat was a little parched, so he hurriedly picked up his teacup and gulped down a mouthful of tea. However, he still maintained that serious look on his face, as if everything he said was the truth. Lying to this extent was a kind of realm, and it was evident that Xia Fei's realm had already reached perfection. Furthermore, he did not even bat an eyelid.
Shadowless guffawed. "Xia Fei, oh Xia Fei, where did you learn to be so glib? I don't think you should be learning martial arts; you should be doing diplomacy. You don't have to be so perfunctory. We know very well whether there's anything wrong with the Assassin Sect or not. What I want to know is if you have any suggestions for the reformation of the sect, "Shadowless said with a frown.
Craneshadow was shocked. Although Xia Fei was Shadowless's disciple, and his seniority in the Assassin Sect was second only to him and his senior, everyone knew that Xia Fei was picked up by Shadowless. If not for the Sky Eradicators Sect pushing him too hard and his senior, Shadowless, putting everything on the line, Xia Fei would never have had the chance to sit across from him.
Just a few days ago, they were still discussing whether to kill Xia Fei or not. Who would have thought that Xia Fei would make such a huge leap in such a short amount of time? First, he had become an agent of the Assassin Sect, and now, he was Shadowless's disciple. The difference in seniority between the two was like heaven and earth.
Craneshadow might have let Xia Fei go, but he did not trust him. Now that Shadowless seemed to be interested in Xia Fei's suggestion, it was beyond his expectations. As the saying went, a dying man's words were kind. Craneshadow suspected that his senior brother's personality had changed because he knew that he was about to die.
Senior Brother Shadowless, Craneshadow, admired him a lot, so he decided to follow his senior brother's wishes. He did not have many days left to live anyway, so he would just follow his senior brother's wishes for the next few days. Among all the senior and junior brothers, Shadowless was the only one apart from him. It would not be long before he became even lonelier.
Craneshadow could not help but feel sad again when he thought of this. A few drops of crystal-clear tears welled up in his eyes.
Xia Fei thought about it for a moment. There were indeed many things that he was not used to in the Assassin Sect, but he was well aware that a loose tongue could cause trouble. Thus, he repeatedly said that he was being unreasonable and did not have any opinions to give.
"You're being unreasonable? Don't think I don't know. You've been scheming against Fangyuan since the beginning. Every move you make has a deeper meaning. How can you be unreasonable if you're so calculative and analytical, unless you're not willing to talk about it? "Shadowless said.
Shadowless was well aware of how Xia Fei had schemed against Fangyuan in the sparring field. Every single one of those seemingly normal moves had been used to pave the way for the final move. First, he had taken down his opponent's spirit, then he had pressured his opponent's nerves, and then he had purposely exposed an opening to lure his opponent to attack. Everything had required exceptional analysis and decisiveness.
Moreover, Shadowless knew that he did not have much time left, so he did not care about the rules of the past. He felt that an outsider like Xia Fei might be able to help the sect by looking at it from a different perspective, which was why he did not mince his words.
Xia Fei was indeed overthinking this. Shadowless did not mean any harm. He just felt that he did not have much time left, and a strong sense of urgency was forcing him to do more for the sect. That was all.
Xia Fei could tell from Shadowless's tone that he was unhappy. He knew that he would not be able to get through this if he did not say something.
He thought for a while and organized his words before saying, "Since you insist on listening to my opinion, I'll tell you what I saw. I hope you won't be offended if I'm wrong. After all, Xia Fei is still untalented."
Shadowless and Craneshadow nodded. "Go ahead."
"I'll tell you what I saw. There's a young man who delivers food to me every day. His name is Manatee. Although he's just doing chores for the sect, he's very passionate about learning martial arts. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to do so. I think we should give all the disciples a fair chance so that those who are interested in developing their martial arts can be apprenticed to a master." Xia Fei observed Shadowless and Craneshadow's expressions as he spoke. He only finished his sentence when he saw that they did not react.
Craneshadow smiled. "Xia Fei, you've just joined the sect, so you don't know the crux of the matter. The essence of martial arts in the Assassins Sect has a high requirement for the cultivator's aptitude. Those with poor aptitude won't be able to learn it. That's why we'll only choose a few talented disciples to officially join the sect, and we'll make appropriate arrangements for the others."
Xia Fei smiled. "Sect master, what you said makes sense. Everyone's aptitude is different, but perhaps you've overlooked another point. Let's say that a disciple has an excellent aptitude but doesn't like to learn martial arts, instead preferring to cook and play with pots and pans. Even if such a disciple is forced to learn martial arts, he might not be very outstanding in the future."
"Furthermore, it's not like those with poor aptitude can't make progress in martial arts. After all, many things can only be known after trying. As for what you said about making proper arrangements for those acolytes with poor aptitude, Xia Fei also feels that it's a little inappropriate. After all, not everyone likes to do odd jobs. If you ask around, I'm sure a large number of acolytes are just helplessly doing the work they're doing to survive, rather than doing it voluntarily. "
Xia Fei did not notice anything wrong with Shadowless and Craneshadow, so he simply said what he was thinking.
Craneshadow frowned. "It's not that I haven't considered what you said, but it's already been proven that those with poor aptitude aren't suitable to learn the secret arts of the Assassins Sect. I'm not the only one saying this."
Shadowless nodded in agreement. "That's right. The ultimate arts of the Assassin Sect are all used for assassination. Assassination techniques require extreme sensitivity to the environment and judgment of the situation. Some of the less talented disciples will find it hard to become excellent assassins." Shadowless nodded in agreement.
Xia Fei chuckled. "Master, what you said reminds me of my school days. Back then, the teachers always told us that studying is the only thing we should do in this world. Back then, the students who were good at studying were loved by the teachers, while those of us who weren't good at studying weren't treated well. It was as if we were a head shorter than others.
"I was wondering why only students who were good at studying were considered good students. Were those who were good at football not considered good students? Even if they were good at riding a bicycle or playing video games, weren't they still considered talents? Why did there have to be differences in talents? "
Xia Fei purposely paused for a moment. Shadowless curiously asked, "Are you saying that the Assassins Sect's selection criteria are too restrictive?"
"Teacher, please understand. The Assassin Sect may be the most outstanding sect of assassins in the Pan-human Alliance, but we're also an important warrior organization in the alliance. If our disciples aren't suited to learn assassination techniques like Crafty Thrust or Breath Control, why don't we let them learn other martial arts techniques instead? Just because they haven't made any progress as an assassin doesn't mean they can't become an outstanding warrior. Besides, the Assassins Sect needs different kinds of talents. "
Shadowless and Craneshadow could not help but be shocked when they heard what Xia Fei said. They had been trying to find the root of the Assassins Sect's problem for a long time, but they found nothing. Xia Fei's words made them realize that the Assassins Sect's biggest weakness was that they always saw themselves as an assassin sect instead of a warrior organization.
Over the years, the Assassins Sect had gone through many ups and downs. They had been on the brink of collapse several times, only to rise again. Only the people involved could understand how difficult it was. The reason was that the sect's structure was too simple, lacking the tolerance that it should have. They were stuck in their ways, always sticking to the so-called old rules and traditions.
Speaking of which, the Assassins Sect was founded during the Pan-Human Alliance's renaissance. It was the golden age when warriors, who had long been forgotten by the world, returned to the big stage of the Alliance. Warrior organizations like the Adjudicator Union and the Monastic Order were already close to the Pan-Human Alliance after a long period of development. Meanwhile, the Assassins Sect was still a small assassin sect, guarding the Nameless Mountain that their ancestors left behind.
As civilization and technology progressed, the path of assassins would only become narrower. Be it changing the rules or giving disciples more freedom, it would only solve the problem and not the root. It would not solve the Assassins Sect's problem from the root.
Xia Fei's words hit the nail on the head, the crux of the problem.
Although there was nothing he could do, Craneshadow had to admit that what Xia Fei said made sense. He could not help but ask, "Then, how do you think we can solve this problem?"
Craneshadow felt that something was wrong as soon as he said it, because his tone sounded more like he was asking for advice.
Xia Fei said, "I do have some ideas, but I'm not sure if I should say them."
Shadowless said, "Just say it. There are no outsiders here, so just treat it as us having a casual chat."
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