The Sect Master’s words hung in the air, heavy with meaning.

  Devor’s grip on the Dao Crystal tightened. The confidence he once had—unyielding, certain—now wavered.

  He hadn’t intended to ask the Sect Master about his true enemy. Uncovering the culprit was supposed to be his own trial, a test of his abilities.

  But now?

  Now, everything was far more complicated than he had ever imagined.

  Someone had known. Someone had known about his Dao Embryo before he did.

  But how?

  His breakthrough had been completely private.

  The Dao Crystal—an artifact he had never even touched before—had only just revealed his power to him. How could anyone have known before he did?

  A chill crept down his spine.

  Had he been watched all along?

  He looked up, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his mind. "Sect Master..."

  A pause. Then, carefully, he asked, "The one targeting me… are they from the Azure Sky Sect?"

  The Sect Master was silent for a moment.

  Then, slowly, he shook his head.

  "No."

  Another pause. Then—

  "One of the princesses of the Fu Empire."

  The words landed like a thunderclap.

  "Yiru Fu."

  Devor’s breath caught.

  The Fu Empire.

  His mind reeled. He had read about them in ancient records—their influence spanned the entire East Skyveil Continent, their strength rivaled by few.

  There were two ruling empires on the continent. The Fu Empire was one of them.

  And now, a princess of that empire had set her sights on him?

  Not just him. Anyone who stood in her way.

  Devor exhaled sharply. His enemy wasn’t just beyond his reach—she stood atop an empire.

  Avenging himself? Impossible. For now.

  Even if he uncovered the truth, what could he do? Accuse her? She wouldn’t even need to lift a finger. Others would do it for her.

  The Sect Master studied him before continuing, “The Ten Sect Alliance and the two great empires have an agreement regarding conflicts like these.”

  “Killing is forbidden.”

  Devor felt a sliver of relief. At least there was that.

  “But interfering with another’s cultivation and development?” The Sect Master’s gaze darkened. “That is still allowed.”

  Devor’s fists clenched. “What?! That’s completely unfair!”

  Anger burned through him, raw and bitter.

  “I barely understand this world! How could the Ten Sect Alliance agree to something like this?!”

  Devor’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, frustration burning through him.

  The Sect Master’s expression remained unreadable. “Do you truly believe you can rid the world of darkness?”

  Devor blinked.

  “What? What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Let me put it another way.” The Sect Master’s voice was quiet, but it carried weight. “Can you rid yourself of the darkness in your own heart?”

  The question hit like a sharp jolt to his mind.

  Darkness… in his own heart?

  He didn’t hesitate. “Of course not.” His voice was steady, edged with something deeper. “Unless I die, there will always be darkness inside me.”

  The words left his lips before he even had time to think.

  They weren’t just a philosophical answer—they were a truth.

  A truth he had known long before coming to this world.

  He had lived in a world consumed by greed, cruelty, ambition. He had seen it firsthand. Even the kindest souls carried shadows within them.

  Darkness and madness weren’t just things people fought against—they were things people lived with.

  Not just humans.

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  Perhaps all beings capable of thought.

  The Sect Master gave a slow nod. “Then you already understand.”

  Devor said nothing.

  “Even if you wanted to, you could never make this world completely pure,” the Sect Master said.

  His voice was steady. Measured.

  “Imagine your heart was 99% pure.”

  Devor narrowed his eyes.

  “But that last 1%—what happens when it surfaces?”

  Devor shook his head. He had no answer.

  The Sect Master’s gaze sharpened. “That 1% could be far more terrifying than the entire 99% combined.”

  Silence stretched between them.

  “The more hidden and unseen the darkness, the more dangerous it becomes.”

  Devor opened his mouth. No words came.

  “Even if we wiped out 99% of the corruption in cultivators’ hearts, that last 1% would still remain—beyond our reach, beyond our control.”

  The Sect Master took a slow step forward. “And when it does?”

  His voice dropped slightly.

  “It could spread like wildfire, setting off chaos on an unimaginable scale. Like a domino effect.”

  A cold sensation crept through Devor’s chest.

  This was their reasoning.

  They allowed conflicts like this to happen—not because they were blind to them.

  But because it kept them in the open.

  If they banned them, the wars would go underground—hidden, far more deadly.

  The Sect Master’s expression darkened slightly. “Now, imagine if we outlawed all conflicts between cultivators.”

  Devor’s mind spun.

  What would happen then?

  A war he wouldn’t see coming.

  And that was far more dangerous.

  The Sect Master watched him closely, waiting for the realization to sink in.

  “If they don’t succeed in eliminating you this way,” he continued, “they’ll find another method.”

  His tone carried a quiet finality.

  “Perhaps by turning people against each other.”

  “Sowing chaos.”

  “Dragging multiple factions into the fire.”

  “Creating a conflict so tangled, so insidious, that no one will see through it until it’s too late.”

  Devor exhaled slowly.

  The truth was clear now.

  This wasn’t about fairness.

  It was about control.

  They didn’t allow these conflicts because they wanted to.

  They allowed them because they had no other choice.

  Devor stayed silent.

  He didn’t agree with the Ten Sect Alliance’s approach—it left cultivators like him exposed, vulnerable to those with power and influence.

  But at the same time…

  He had to admit—it was effective.

  Conflict couldn’t be erased. Not from the hearts of cultivators. Not from the world.

  Forcing it into the shadows would only make it more dangerous.

  The Sect Master watched Devor’s expression carefully before speaking. “When you return to the sect, read the history of the Uxion Empire. You’ll learn a great deal from it.”

  The words carried weight. A meaning Devor wouldn’t fully grasp until he read those records himself.

  Even with the mastermind revealed, he was powerless to act on the truth.

  Yiru Fu was beyond his reach. The Ten Sect Alliance’s rules kept him locked in a system where justice was subjective—where cultivators like him were given just enough freedom to struggle, but not to win.

  And yet…

  That same system had kept conflicts under control.

  It was a paradox. A contradiction he couldn’t solve.

  Maybe perfection was just an illusion. Maybe the only way to build a flawless system was to perfect oneself first.

  He took a slow breath. One step at a time.

  “Is Sugu involved in this? And what about others within the sect?” Devor asked cautiously.

  The Sect Master’s expression remained unreadable.

  “Sugu is involved, though his reasons are… questionable.” There was something in his tone—amusement? Disdain? “I can give you the names of those within the sect who played a part in this. With your future standing, you’ll have the power to seek justice for yourself.”

  Devor’s fingers curled slightly.

  Justice? Or retribution?

  The Sect Master was leaving the choice to him.

  Devor took a deep breath. “Are they dangerous? If I investigate this myself, will I be at risk?”

  The Sect Master considered his question before answering. “No. As long as you remain within the sect, you’ll be safe. They can’t touch you here.”

  Devor nodded, his decision firm. “That’s enough. I’ll uncover the rest of their names on my own.”

  The Sect Master raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh? You’re confident you’ll find them?”

  “No,” Devor admitted, shaking his head. “But I can use this as training—an opportunity to sharpen my observation skills, to pick up on the small details. That way, I can make sure something like this never happens again.”

  A brief silence.

  Then—

  Laughter.

  A deep, hearty laugh echoed through the chamber.

  The Sect Master hadn’t expected that. Devor’s mindset was shifting—he wasn’t reacting with blind vengeance. He was treating this as a lesson.

  That was the kind of thinking that shaped true cultivators.

  The more the Sect Master saw, the more he hesitated to let Devor leave Azure Sky Sect.

  Even if Devor eventually left, keeping him in the sect—even for a time—would be an invaluable investment.

  The laughter faded. Devor took that as his cue to speak.

  He had already made his decision.

  “I’ll stay with Azure Sky Sect as a Divine Disciple,” he stated firmly.

  The Sect Master’s eyes gleamed. “Oh?”

  “But,” Devor continued, “I want to teach other disciples who are interested in my gardening methods.”

  The Sect Master’s brows lifted. Then, slowly, a smile formed.

  “You want to open your own class?” His voice carried genuine interest. “Fascinating. Perhaps I should make this an official privilege of Divine Disciples—giving them the right to teach within the sect. Very well. I approve.”

  Devor hesitated.

  That was too easy.

  It wasn’t that he had expected resistance, but… something about the Sect Master felt fluid, adaptable. As if the sect’s rules weren’t truly fixed—only guidelines, adjusted depending on the individual.

  Why?

  Most sect leaders he had read about were rigid, unyielding. But this man…

  Did he see rules as a means to an end rather than an absolute?

  Whatever the reason, it worked in Devor’s favor.

  And his system had already confirmed that sharing knowledge could earn him Enlightenment Realm Points.

  Logically, he could have transferred to another sect.

  But he already had connections there.

  He was known.

  That meant students would come to him more easily.

  Devor took a slow breath. “I have one more request.”

  The Sect Master’s smile didn’t waver. “Go on.”

  “Divine Disciples don’t have a primary master,” Devor said carefully. “But I still want proper cultivation lessons—to cover my weaknesses.”

  The Sect Master nodded without hesitation. “Of course. Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have made sure you learned from multiple Hall Masters and Elders. You’ll have access to specialized training across different fields.”

  Relief washed over Devor. The sect wasn’t throwing him into the deep end without support.

  He was confident in Spiritual Plants, but cultivation?

  That was another story.

  Trying to master everything alone would be nearly impossible—just finding the right paths could take a century.

  And he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could do it without guidance.

  “And one more thing…” Devor began, gathering his thoughts.

  Before, he had hesitated.

  But now?

  He understood his own worth.

  He had manifested his Dao Embryo on his own.

  There was no reason to ask for less than he deserved.

  The Sect Master lifted a hand, cutting him off.

  “That’s enough.”

  Devor blinked.

  “Don’t underestimate the sect.” The Sect Master’s voice carried a quiet strength. “We are not so stingy that we’d offer you only the bare minimum—especially after everything you’ve endured.”

  Devor froze.

  He had expected to negotiate, to push his limits.

  But the Sect Master was telling him—he was still thinking too small.

  Had he not yet fully grasped the reality of the cultivation world?

  A faint smile played on the Sect Master’s lips. “Let me tell you exactly what you’ll be receiving.”

  The air in the room grew heavy, charged with meaning.

  “Every chosen disciple of Azure Sky undergoes trials. Some collapse under the weight. Others survive.”

  His gaze sharpened.

  “But those who prove themselves?”

  A pause.

  Then—

  “The sect never holds back for them.”