Journey to the West: I really want to improve!

The relationship between the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, and Buddhism is very complex. Although the Investiture of the Gods war has long ended, the forces of the three realms have never truly been unified.

The Chan Sect holds the legitimate authority in Heaven, the Jie Sect guards the real power of the Thunder Department, and the Buddhist sect watches the tigers fight while secretly expanding.

The previous sectarian feuds have now transformed into undercurrents in the Heavenly Court, with everyone waiting for an opportunity to reshuffle the deck.

During the Investiture of the Gods period, Buddhism was called the Western Religion. The Chan Religion utilized, was wary of, and tacitly approved of the Western Religion, which can be considered an alliance.

Jieyin and Zhunti helped the Chan Sect break the Zhuxian Formation and the Wanxian Formation, and were allies who followed Heaven and assisted the Zhou Dynasty.

The Chan Sect used the Western Sect to weaken the Jie Sect and eliminate its heterodox sects, thereby reducing its own killing karma.

They secretly allowed the Western Sect to convert the disciples of the Jie Sect; Kong Xuan and Wu Yunxian were both converted by the Western Sect.

The Chan sect even actively sent some of its disciples to Buddhism; Dipankara, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Cihang were all actively sent to Buddhism.

Because the Western Sect is an accomplice of the Chan Sect, it takes advantage of the defeat of the Jie Sect to forcibly take away a large number of elites by having a connection with the West.

Therefore, the Jie Sect viewed the Western Sect as a bandit taking advantage of their misfortune, because they stole their disciples, magical treasures, and fortune.

After Duobao Daoren was captured and entered Buddhism, he was regarded as a great disgrace by the Jie Sect.

By the time of Journey to the West, the Western religion had become Buddhism and its influence had greatly increased.

As the orthodox sect of Heaven, the Chan Sect is now very wary of Buddhism, but it still cooperates with it, though they are secretly vying for power.

On the surface, the Heavenly Court and Buddhism cooperated on an equal footing, with the Jade Emperor asking Buddha to subdue demons and Buddhism participating in the affairs of the Heavenly Court.

However, at a deeper level, the Buddhist sect has grown too powerful, seizing a large amount of resources and followers from the Taoist sect. The Chan sect both cooperates with and is wary of it.

The Jie Sect now harbors a mix of old and new grudges against Buddhism in the Heavenly Court, regarding them as enemies and secretly resisting them.

The Jie Sect was extremely dissatisfied with the Buddhist sect's control over a large amount of resources and its prestigious status. It often considered itself the orthodox sect of Taoism and secretly sabotaged and shifted blame onto the Buddhist sect.

The Buddhist sect is now engaging in equal dialogue with the Chan sect, while secretly plotting to expand its influence by exploiting internal conflicts within the Heavenly Court.

The Buddhist sect's attitude towards the Jie Sect was to appease and guard against them as much as possible. They knew that the Jie Sect hated them, so they tried their best not to directly provoke powerful departments such as the Thunder Department.

Mu Xin pondered the relationship between the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, and Buddhism, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on; now this had directly formed a chain of contradictions…

The Jie Sect hates Buddhism, Buddhism uses the Chan Sect, and the Chan Sect suppresses the Jie Sect, forming a perfect triangular internal struggle.

The more Mu Xin pondered the relationship between the three, the more he felt that something big was about to happen, and that the Journey to the West plan was definitely not as simple as he had imagined.

call--!

Mu Xin breathed a sigh of relief. His current advantage was that he knew the overall layout of the Journey to the West plan.

If one wants to gain a foothold in the gap between the Chan, Jie, and Buddhist sects, the only way out is to rely on intelligence, firmly stand on the side of the Chan and Jie sects, and use the combined strength of the two sects to counterbalance the expansion of Buddhism.

At the same time, they cannot be completely bound to any party. They secretly use key moments in the Journey to the West as bargaining chips to help the Heavenly Court restrain the Buddhist sect in exchange for identity protection and room for maneuver.

In addition, they can provide clues to the Jie Sect about revenge and the theft of merits, thus becoming the external assistance the Jie Sect needs.

In short, Mu Xin decided that he absolutely could not be a vassal, but only a middleman for interests. The Chan Sect needed him to maintain order, and the Jie Sect needed him to pass on messages.

Even if Buddhism notices something amiss, it will be difficult to take action because it is constantly caught between the Heavenly Court and the two religions.

He neither directly confronts any sect nor becomes a pawn; his ultimate goal is to become a key figure that neither the Chan nor Jie sects are willing to abandon, and to forge a path that belongs only to himself amidst the clash of the three factions.

Mu Xin had a clear understanding in his mind and stopped thinking about it. Now all he had to do was take it one step at a time and move forward steadily.

……

Li Jing and Wen Zhong were very quick; the appointment letters for the Temporary Director of the Heavenly Court's Demon Extermination Office and the Assistant Director of the Thunder Department's Demon Extermination Patrol were delivered directly to Mu Xin.

Both of these positions are temporary top-level positions with immense real power and high status.

With this change in official position, Mu Xin's cultivation speed changed, and the accumulation of his fortune became significantly faster.

At this rate, Mu Xin estimates that his cultivation will advance further after Sun Wukong wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Once Sun Wukong is imprisoned under the Five Fingers Mountain, there is a good chance that his cultivation will break through to the Taiyi Loose Immortal level.

Mu Xin immediately began searching for high-level cultivators who would ascend from the lower realms, especially the first few exemplary cultivators, ensuring they would become instant stars.

These high-level cultivators should be selected from those with strength and resources, preferably those with something to hide, so that such people would not dare to betray them.

The reason for choosing these three categories is that they are the safest. Those who live a long time are most afraid of their souls being scattered, and are willing to spend money to buy peace.

Mu Xin's first choice is the sect leader, cave master, or patriarch of a famous mountain dojo. These are the true rulers of a region, and the resources they can mobilize are considerable.

Moreover, they undergo tribulation not only for themselves, but also to preserve the fortune of their sect, so they are willing to pay an exorbitant price to keep the lightning tribulation to a safe level.

After careful selection, Mu Xin chose Han Li of Qingyang Sect as his first target.

Han Li of Qingyang Sect had cultivated diligently in the lower realm for many years. He was of ordinary talent and mediocre comprehension. He had no amazing encounters or powerful backers. He relied entirely on steady and cautious progress to reach the edge of the Tribulation Transcending Realm.

He had solid cultivation and a calm temperament, but precisely because he was too cautious, knowing that he would die if he relied on his own methods to withstand the heavenly tribulation, he hesitated to trigger the lightning tribulation and remained in the lower realm, not daring to take a step towards ascension.

Han Li is unambitious, unassuming, avoids making enemies, and doesn't cause trouble. In Mu Xin's eyes, he is the safest choice.

He was chosen because he was timid, cautious, and obedient, and happened to be at the critical juncture of his tribulation with a strong need for it. He was the perfect candidate to be the first person for the Heavenly Thunder Transaction, to test the waters and pave the way for a gradual approach.

However, he couldn't handle this alone; he needed Xuan Shuo's help, since Mu Xin genuinely didn't understand how the Thunder Department operated lightning.

At the same time, Mu Xin also mentioned Zhong Yixuan's name, saying that it would be easier to handle many things with him.

Xuan Shuo's identity and status in the lower realm are more of a deception. When his true form is revealed, there's no need to say anything; just start taking out spirit stones.

The subsequent details will need to be handled by Zhong Yixuan. Although it would be a waste of talent to have someone from the Thunder Department's Supervisory Bureau do these things, Mu Xin doesn't trust anyone else.

"Lord Mu, what if Han Li doesn't accept the deal with the Thunder Department after we go down?"

As expected of an immortal deeply bound to the Thunder Department, Zhong Yixuan quickly recovered from his shock after hearing Mu Xin's arrangements and began to discuss how to complete the mission.

"Hmph! You won't accept it?" Mu Xin snorted coldly.

"If Han Li doesn't accept, then the heavenly tribulation will be his funeral song on his final journey!"

"Slay all cultivators in the lower realm who refuse to accept this!" Mu Xin said coldly.