"Even if there are constraints, they are certainly not one-sided—they are mutual. The Central Island's strength has not fallen so low as that." Oda Zhou had deliberately raised the subject because he meant to reveal certain hidden matters to Wei Zhao, precisely the things Wei Zhao urgently needed to know.

"Island Lord Oda, forgive my bluntness, but how strong is the Central Island, truly?" Wei Zhao could not restrain himself from asking.

"What does Young Hero Lin think?" Oda Zhou countered with a smile.

"I used to think the Central Island was very strong. But as my horizons broadened, I found that not only the Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent, but even the Northern Island and the Western Island all far surpass the Central Island in strength. The Central Island is, in fact, the weakest of them." Wei Zhao answered honestly.

"You are not exactly wrong to think so, for in terms of strength openly displayed, the Central Island is indeed the weakest. Even a standing vice island lord like Wu Miao must bow and scrape before a mere rank-seven alchemist. If that still counts as strong, it would be a laughingstock. But that is only the strength on the surface." Oda Zhou shook his head.

"Then what of the true hidden strength?" Wei Zhao asked curiously.

"Heh. If matters truly came to blows, among the five Cloud Step Islands, save for the Eastern Continent, none could say who is stronger or weaker. At the very least, the Central Island is by no means the weakest soft persimmon in the bunch." Oda Zhou pointed this out with particular care.

"Then why is the strength of the Central Island Lord's Pavilion so feeble? From what I can sense, it cannot compare at all with the top figures of the other Cloud Step Islands." Wei Zhao frowned.

"That is because the island lords and vice island lords who come out from the Lord's Pavilion to keep order are nothing more than a few old monsters who cannot be bothered with mundane affairs, and agents dispatched by the top-tier clans. The ones who truly decide the Central Island's fate are by no means the Lord's Pavilion, but the Central Island Elders' Council, which stands above it." Oda Zhou explained.

Wei Zhao nodded thoughtfully at these words. Such a matter was not hard to understand—the Northern Island had an Elders' Council, and the Central Island naturally had one as well. The difference lay in that the Northern Island had a top figure like Shangguan Tianhua serve directly as its public face, whereas the Central Island withdrew behind the scenes and put forward agents instead.

"Every member of the Central Island Elders' Council comes either from a top-tier clan or from a top-tier sect. Each has profound backing. These are the true great personages who hold the power of speech." Oda Zhou continued.

"Island Lord Oda, I meant to ask about this earlier, but was interrupted. These top-tier clans and top-tier sects you speak of—just what sort of existence are they?" Wei Zhao asked, much perplexed.

"Put simply, these two are entities one tier above ordinary sects and ordinary clans. Every top-tier clan has been passed down on the Cloud Step Islands for at least a thousand years, and so they are also called thousand-year clans. The only thing is, they all live in seclusion, devoting themselves to cultivation, and rarely involve themselves in the concrete affairs of the outside world—they merely put forward agents to handle matters, as the Central Island Lord's Pavilion does. Thus, unless one reaches a certain level, one cannot know of their existence." Oda Zhou explained patiently.

"So that is how it is. It sounds rather like the hidden clans of the mortal world. But in the mortal world, beyond the hidden level, there is an even higher ancient level. I wonder whether the Cloud Step Islands are the same—is there any power mightier than the thousand-year clans?" Wei Zhao asked.

"That is an answer not only you wish to know—we too have been searching for it all along. I can only say that perhaps there is. Who knows but that the legendary ten-thousand-year clans truly exist? But even if they do, such an existence could only appear on the Eastern Continent; on the other Cloud Step Islands it should be impossible." Oda Zhou thought for a moment before speaking.

Wei Zhao nodded. A Cloud Step Island like the Central Island had limited territory, after all; if ten-thousand-year clans truly existed, these thousand-year clans would surely have discovered them long ago. But the Eastern Continent was different—vast in land and rich in resources. Perhaps in some unknown and mysterious corner, a ten-thousand-year clan dwelled in seclusion. Such a possibility was not absent.

"Ten-thousand-year clans—I doubt the possibility is great." Wei Zhao shook his head. After all, human civilization in the mortal world was only a few thousand years old. Though the Cloud Step Islands were isolated from the mortal world, to say that clans—such transcendent beings—had already emerged ten thousand years ago seemed most unlikely.

"I think so too, yet legends of this sort have always persisted. Whether true or false, no one knows. In any case, even if they are not ten-thousand-year clans, the depths of any single thousand-year clan are beyond imagining. They alone truly decide the fate of the Cloud Step Islands—only few in the world know it." Oda Zhou smiled.

"Thank you, Island Lord Oda, for telling me all this. It has truly opened my eyes. Had I not known these things, I might have blundered about in ignorance and recklessness and stirred up who knows what disaster." Wei Zhao said in heartfelt gratitude.

Ever since his return from the Eastern Continent, his self-confidence had swelled most noticeably—he had even begun to hold the Central Island in little regard. It was a very dangerous mindset; left unchecked, it would certainly lead to trouble.

True, with his present strength he could already bully everyone in the Lord's Pavilion except Oda Zhou. But once he truly set himself against the Lord's Pavilion, he would inevitably alert the Central Island Elders' Council. By then, even if Oda Zhou did not lift a hand, those top-tier clans and top-tier sects could crush him with ease. That would be truly catastrophic.

"The ignorant know no fear"—how true that saying was. Now that he had learned of these existences from Oda Zhou's mouth, Wei Zhao had at last recovered his former sense of reverence. His strength was not weak, but it was still far from the point where he could act without scruple. The road ahead was still very, very long.

"Heh, Young Hero Lin is too courteous. At your level, you would naturally come to know these things. Even if I did not tell you, others would remind you. No thanks are needed." Oda Zhou waved a hand with a smile.

"Be that as it may, I must still thank Island Lord Oda. It is always better to know such things a day earlier than a day later—otherwise, mishaps might occur." Wei Zhao smiled. In truth, what Oda Zhou said was also the case: even if he could not have learned these things on the Central Island, once he returned to the Northern Island, Shangguan Tianhua would certainly have told him. The only reason it had not been said before was simply that his level had not been sufficient.

And this incident had in fact been perilously close. Had it not been Oda Zhou serving as acting island lord, but the original legitimate island lord in office, then following the original trajectory, Wei Zhao's clash with the entire Lord's Pavilion would have been all but certain!