“Xia Fei, what do you think about the Assassin Sect after being around for two days?” Shadowless suddenly asked.
Xia Fei was surprised. He did not expect Shadowless to ask a question like that. He immediately smiled. “Master, the Assassin Sect definitely lives up to its reputation as the number-one organization of killers. Not only are the disciples talented, even this Nameless Mountain on this Nameless planet is absolutely dazzling. If I wasn’t preoccupied with worldly matters, I might consider settling down and living here forever…”
Xia Fei was being extremely cautious. He praised the Assassin Sect, including the smallest details from the food provided by the kitchen to Craneshadow’s traits as a leader, as if it was a delicate flower. He kept going for half an hour until Shadowless and Craneshadow were too ashamed to listen to his praises any longer. Xia Fei was exaggerating too much. Anyone clueless about the situation might be convinced that the Assassin Sect was the master of the entire universe instead of just a small faction.
Xia Fei felt a little thirsty after he was done with his speech. He quickly took a sip of the tea from the cup but retained his stern expression as if everything he had just said was the truth. It was definitely a whole new level to be able to lie with such a straight face, and Xia Fei had long mastered it. His expression did not shift, and his heart did not beat faster, too.
Shadowless burst out laughing. “Xia Fei, where did you even learn to be so unctuous and such a smooth-talker? I think you shouldn’t bother learning martial arts; you should focus on your communication skills, instead. You don’t have to lie to us. We will be the first to know if the Assassin Sect has any problems. We just want to know if you have any suggestion on our sect’s reformation.” Shadowless frowned.
Craneshadow was extremely shocked. Even though Xia Fei was now Shadowless’s disciple, his position in the Assassin Sect was only second to him and his senior brother, but everyone knew it was only a coincidence that Shadowless had recruited Xia Fei. If the Sky Eradicators Sect did not push so far, forcing Shadowless to bet everything on it, Xia Fei would never be able to acquire his current status.
A few days ago, they were discussing whether they should murder Xia Fei or not, but now, he had successfully performed a triple jump in a short time. He had become the Assassin Sect’s envoy as well as Shadowless’s disciple. He was now one of the highest authorities in the Assassin Sect. The change was simply remarkable.
While Craneshadow did agree to spare Xia Fei’s life, it did not necessarily mean he trusted this young man. Therefore, it greatly surprised him that Shadowless was interested in hearing Xia Fei’s suggestion. There was also the saying that the words of a man on his deathbed always came from the heart. Craneshadow wondered if his senior brother was behaving differently because he knew that his end was approaching.
Craneshadow greatly admired Shadowless; thus, he decided to obey his senior brother’s intention. Either way, Shadowless did not have many days left. He did not mind letting him do as he pleased for the rest of his days. Craneshadow only had one senior brother left. He would soon be left alone.
Craneshadow was feeling a little down upon having the thought. Tears began to roll in his eyes.
Xia Fei gave the question a serious thought. There were indeed many things he was unused to about the Assassin Sect, but he also knew that a loose tongue may lead to a lot of trouble. Therefore, he claimed that he was devoid of sense. He could not think of any suggestions for the time being.
“You’re devoid of sense? Do you really think I wasn’t aware that you were planning to set Fangyuan up from the very beginning? Everything you did had its purpose. How could you be devoid of sense if you were so cunning and good at analyzing your opponent, unless you are unwilling to share your thoughts now?” Shadowless said.
Shadowless clearly knew how Xia Fei was setting Fangyuan up during the duel. The seemingly ordinary moves were actually preparations for his final blow. He first lowered the opponent’s morale and placed him under great pressure before showing his weakness on purpose just to lure the opponent into taking the bait. It was only possible if the person had an outstanding ability to analyze his opponent.
On top of it, Shadowless knew his time was running short, so he could not care less about the traditional rules. He strongly believed that Xia Fei’s opinions as an outsider could help the Assassin Sect in certain ways; thus, he was blatantly asking for the young man’s opinions now.
Xia Fei was overthinking, too. Shadowless did not mean any harm. He simply had a strong urge to do as much as he could for his sect while there was time left still.
Xia Fei noticed Shadowless was a bit displeased by his response. He knew he had to say something to get by.
He thought about it and organized his thoughts before he spoke. “Since Master Shadowless insists on listening to my suggestions, I shall list out every detail that I find unreasonable. Please forgive me if I say something wrong; I’m still learning, too.”
Shadowless and Craneshadow nodded. “Just speak.”
“I’ll share something I’ve seen so far then. The young man that delivers food to me every day is called Manatee. Even though he’s only responsible for the manual tasks in the sect, he’s extremely passionate about learning martial arts, but he’s never had the chance to do so. I suppose the sect should give every disciple a fair chance, letting those who are interested in martial arts to train under a master.” Xia Fei was observing Shadowless and Craneshadow’s expressions while he talked. He only continued when he did not notice any change in their expressions.
Craneshadow smiled faintly. “Xia Fei, you have only joined us recently, so you may not know about the details. Our sect’s martial arts have very strict requirements on a person’s talents. Those who aren’t talented enough will never be able to learn them, so we only take in the talented recruits as disciples. We also make proper arrangements for the others who aren’t selected.”
Xia Fei said, “Sect master, you’re right; a person’s talent does matter, but perhaps you’ve forgotten one thing, too. If a disciple is extremely talented, yet they’re more interested in cooking and cleaning dishes instead of learning martial arts, do you think that disciple will stand out in the future when they’re forced to learn something they’re uninterested in?
“Besides, the lack of talent doesn’t necessarily mean they will never improve. After all, it’s impossible to know the outcome of many things without giving it a try. As for the proper arrangements you mentioned, I don’t think that’s the case. After all, not every person enjoys doing manual labor. If you go and ask, I believe the majority of the apprentices are only staying because they want to survive. They’re left with no choice, but that doesn’t mean they’re willing.”
Xia Fei proceeded to spill the beans as he did not notice any strange reaction from Shadowless and Craneshadow.
Craneshadow frowned. “I did consider what you said, but we’ve already proven that the martial arts of our sect aren’t suitable for those recruits who lack talents. And I’m not making it up.”
Shadowless nodded. “He’s right. The martial arts of our sect are mostly Assassination techniques. The users must be very observant of the surroundings and have great decision-making skills. Those without certain talents will struggle to become brilliant Assassins.”
Xia Fei smiled. “Master, your words reminded me when I was still in school. The teachers kept telling us that studying is the only thing we should do in the world. Back then, the kids who excelled in their studies were loved by the teachers, and those who did bad like me were not welcomed as if we’re a head shorter than the others.
“I could not help but wonder: Why only those kids who excelled in their studies were considered good kids? Why couldn’t someone who’s good at soccer be a good kid, too? Shouldn’t being good at cycling and playing video games be treated as a kind of talent, too? Why must we separate talents into different levels?”
Xia Fei purposely paused his speech. Shadowless asked curiously, “Are you saying that the Assassin Sect is being too strict with our standards when recruiting new disciples?”
“Exactly, even though the Assassin Sect is the best killer organization in the Pan-Human Alliance, it’s also an important warrior organization. If some disciples aren’t suitable for learning moves like Crafty Thrust and Breath Control, why can’t they learn other skills? Their inability to become Assassins doesn’t preclude them from becoming brilliant warriors. The Assassin Sect needs other talents, too.”
Shadowless and Craneshadow were deeply moved by Xia Fei’s speech. They had been trying to figure out the root of the Assassin Sect’s problems, but they always failed miserably. However, Xia Fei’s words had helped them see the truth. The biggest shortcoming of the Assassin Sect was how they kept seeing themselves as an organization of killers instead of a guild of warriors.
For many years, the Assassin Sect had been on the brink of collapse, yet somehow they managed to come back to life a few times. Only those who were involved knew how difficult the journey was, and the main reason was that the structure of their sect was too simple. They lacked compatibility, they refused to acknowledge new ideas, and they were too conservative and stuck in their old ways.
The Assassin Sect was established during the time when the Pan-Human Alliance was still fledgling. The long forgotten occupation of a Warrior saw a resurgence and thrusted into the limelight during the golden age of the Alliance. Organizations like the Adjudicator Union and the Monastic Order were slowly closing the gap between them and the Alliance in terms of strength over time, yet the Assassin Sect remained a small organization of killers, guarding the Nameless Mountain that was left by their ancestors.
As the civilization and technology continued to advance, the path of the killer was only going to become narrower. Changing the rules and giving disciples more freedom were only treating the symptoms instead of the root cause. They were nowhere enough to resolve the predicament that the Assassin Sect was facing.
Xia Fei’s words had hit the mark. He had pointed out the root of their problems.
Craneshadow had to admit that everything Xia Fei had said was reasonable even though he was very reluctant to do so. He could not help but ask, “How can we solve the problem?”
Craneshadow immediately felt like something was not right as soon as he uttered the words. He sounded as if he was humbly asking for guidance.
Xia Fei replied, “I do have a thought, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for me to say it.”
Shadowless said, “Feel free to say it. There’s no outsider here, anyway. Just treat it like a casual conversation between us.”
“The solution is actually very simple,” said Xia Fei. “I know most disciples of the Assassin Sect were orphans who were brought in at a very young age. The sect raised them into adults and assigned them their roles, yet the sect has never asked them what they truly desire. If the Assassin Sect can treat every disciple like its own kid and provide all with enough freedom to decide their path, it will easily solve the problem.”