Dismantling the Spirit Hall Families

Ye Tian put down the shovel in his hand, clapped his hands lightly, and stood up, saying, "To solve the problem of Spirit Hall, we must take decisive action and completely eradicate all these Spirit Hall families."

The reputation of Spirit Hall was gradually falling into disgrace, and the inefficiency in its administration stemmed from these families entrenched in various cities, leeching off its resources.

If these malignant tumors aren't thoroughly eradicated, this giant entity called Spirit Hall will eventually rot from within and collapse entirely.

Without this resolve, no matter how much effort Spirit Hall puts in, it will all be in vain.

In fact, it's not just Spirit Hall. Even the two great empires are in the same situation.

If the nobles entrenched in local regions aren't dealt with, it's only a matter of time before the empires fall apart.

Ye Tian, having read Douluo Continent, knew that shortly after the destruction of Spirit Hall, the two great empires plunged into chaos.

The Heaven Dou Empire even split into two nations: Tianhun and Douling.

However, the two empires were currently facing an external threat in the form of the vast enemy that was Spirit Hall, which was suppressing internal conflicts for the time being.

"But the problem is, these Spirit Hall families are the pillars of Spirit Hall. If we eradicate them, doesn't that completely negate the existence of Spirit Hall itself?" Hu Liena asked with concern.

Ye Tian's explanation was too one-sided.

It wasn't even about eradicating all the Spirit Hall families.

Even if a few were touched, these families would likely unite and confront the Pope's Hall together.

After all, a large portion of Spirit Hall's power still lay in the hands of the Elder Hall.

The authority that the Pope's Hall could wield was actually quite limited.

If they offended all the Spirit Hall families, driving them to ally with the Elder Hall, it would essentially weaken the power of the Pope's Hall— a loss far outweighing the gain.

This was the tricky and complicated nature of the Spirit Hall families.

"Moreover, not all Spirit Hall families produce cruel figures like the Lord of Tianlong City. At most, they use some illegal means to amass wealth, but their crimes don't warrant death," Hu Liena added.

Ye Tian walked over to Hu Liena and smiled lightly. "Sister, you might have misunderstood me. By 'eradicate,' I don't mean killing them. I mean dismantling the power of these families that centers around their clans."

Only by dismantling these deeply rooted families could Spirit Hall's channels be cleared.

This would allow the Pope's orders to flow smoothly, creating an efficient administrative machine that could drive the enormous and formidable Spirit Hall.

"How do we dismantle them?" Bibi Dong's eyes flickered with interest.

Ye Tian's words had indeed hit a chord with her.

But dismantling these families, which had been established for hundreds of years, was no easy task.

Decades ago, Spirit Hall had launched a long-term siege against the world's super families, which were mainly sects.

But even after she became the Pope, over the past dozen years, these families remained as stable as ever.

The only change was that they moved from the public eye to behind the scenes, operating with less ostentation.

The only solution Bibi Dong had thought of to dismantle these super families was to use force.

Gathering the top combat power of Spirit Hall to destroy these families with a lightning strike.

For this reason, the Pope's Hall had devised a plan years ago under the code name "Soul Hunt."

However, due to the lack of a unified goal among Spirit Hall's upper echelons, the Soul Hunt plan remained on paper.

The small families weren't as powerful as the big ones.

But they were numerous, like cattle and horses. Touching one could set off a chain reaction, making them harder to deal with.

In dealing with the big families, Spirit Hall could fabricate reasons, claiming that these families brought about their own downfall through excessive wrongdoing.

After all, as large entities, the big families inevitably had some stains on their records.

By stating things selectively, even if Spirit Hall sent troops to exterminate these big families, no one would object.

Who would sympathize with a big family?

No one.

But small families were a different matter.

Even if only one small family was unjustly dealt with, other small families would immediately become anxious.

This anxiety among the small families would form a powerful resistance, one strong enough to topple even her, the Pope.

If the issue of small families was to be resolved, this resistance couldn't be ignored.

Faced with Bibi Dong's inquiry, Ye Tian smiled calmly.

"Just as you eat a meal one bite at a time, you must dismantle the families step by step. If you act rashly, you might end up hurting yourself."

He looked into Bibi Dong's eyes and said, "Sister, have you heard the saying about boiling a frog in warm water?"

"I know that one!" Hu Liena chimed in excitedly. "Brother means to take things slowly, not rush!"

Ye Tian snapped his fingers and patted Hu Liena on the head, smiling, "Exactly."

"These Spirit Hall families have cohesion and combat power because they not only steal Spirit Hall's authority, but also control local connections and wealth."

"To put it simply, they wield influence in both the legal and illegal spheres. And since they are soul masters, they also have military power. After being in a place for a long time, they naturally form small cliques."

Ye Tian raised a finger. "To dismantle these cliques, the first step is to separate them and force internal strife."

"How do you separate them and cause internal strife?" Hu Liena asked expectantly.

As expected of Ye Tian, he was brilliant.

If she were the one trying to figure it out, she might think for half a year and still get nowhere.

But Ye Tian could quickly identify the crux of the issue and come up with a solution.

This ability was truly admirable.

"It's simple." Ye Tian smiled mysteriously and said two words: "Rotation policy."

"In short, rotate the branch heads, moving them every two or three years, not allowing them time to take root in one place."

"When a branch head moves to a completely unfamiliar city, it's inevitable that they'll clash and compete with the local soul master families. The two sides will be wary of each other, reducing many potential problems."

"And the branch heads are often the core members of their families. When they take up a new post, they'll certainly bring a few key family members with them. In doing so, the power of these family cliques will be split apart."

Hearing Ye Tian's words, Hu Liena's expression lit up in shock.

"The rotation policy is brilliant! When local families and incoming branch heads clash, Spirit Hall will have to send someone to mediate. This will strengthen Spirit Hall's control over each branch!"

"Brother Ye Tian, you're amazing!" Hu Liena gave him a thumbs-up in praise.

Bibi Dong, who had been quietly listening from the side, remained silent, but her mind was deep in thought.

She couldn't deny it—Ye Tian's words had given her great insight!

Rotation!

What a correct and simple policy!

Why hadn't she thought of it?

Perhaps it was just a difference in intelligence, Bibi Dong thought to herself.

Ye Tian ruffled Hu Liena's hair and chuckled, "The rotation policy is only the first step in solving the power struggles within the soul master families. Resolving the soul master family issue is actually a long-term challenge."

"While the rotation policy will quickly alleviate Spirit Hall's internal conflicts and reduce public dissatisfaction, it won't completely solve the problem."

"After all, even with the rotation, the Spirit Hall families will still exist."

Hu Liena looked up and asked, "So, what's the next step?"

Ye Tian patted her head and smiled, "Once they're split apart, the next step is to give them a thorough beating!"

(End of this chapter)