Silence fell once more upon the crowd after the blood analysis conclusion was delivered.

  "Nonsense!" the Tier 7 cultivator roared, his mist aura churning in agitation.

  The Emperor's Tier 5 space aspect lackey trembled under the powerful being's glare. He waved his hand, immediately projecting the information through a floating screen.

  Nathan's information was displayed for all to see. His blood type, mundane measurements like blood sugar and uric acid were all listed. Under the DNA information section, it clearly showed no contamination from any other species.

  No indication of any bloodline, let alone a Titan one.

  "Impossible," muttered the Tier 4, 5, and 6 cultivators who had participated in this event.

  Even Duke Kael Voss showed evident dismay. He had risked his reputation and the forces of his subordinates to stop that hell-beast called Darkan. What should have been a simple matter had spiraled out of control.

  But nothing was ever simple in the world of cultivators. If he was a Tier 4 thinking about protecting his descendants, others weren't fools who wouldn't do the same, especially when their young talents were among the most gifted.

  While the Tier 7 still couldn't believe the results, Darkan turned sharply. He opened his eyes wide in disbelief as he looked toward Nathan. His eyes contained countless questions—how, why.

  Nathan answered his master with a nod, knowing without looking that his face displayed the dejection he felt. The exhaustion after losing his bloodline only helped make his expression more convincing. In his eyes, Darkan appeared even more hunched, more haggard than moments before.

  As if the weight of the entire sky had fallen upon Darkan's shoulders. Plans, beliefs, investments, all shattered in an instant. Yet one question still plagued him: How could someone rid themselves of a bloodline in mere moments? Nathan had clearly possessed it earlier; had it been gone from the start, this tug-of-war between both sides would never have happened.

  So that's the power of the System, Darkan silently marveled, his mood no better. He couldn't reveal more at this moment. Otherwise, the sacrifice Nathan had just made would be for nothing.

  The discussions grew louder. Accusations were thrown at the Tier 7 cultivator. True, they couldn't defeat him, but they could still escape. As long as their Nascent Souls remained intact, they couldn't die.

  "Silence!" the Tier 7 roared across the entire square.

  His anger manifested through his mist aura, which seemed to evaporate more intensely by the second. A tint of red was becoming visible within it.

  At this point, Darkan burst into laughter, bending over in delight.

  "Fools! Nothing but complete fools."

  All the cultivators who heard this stiffened but couldn't refute him. Indeed, they looked like mindless buffoons at this very moment.

  All that for nothing.

  The Emperor in that distant place would absolve himself of all responsibility, would ignore this, would just say this was their idea without any laws being established. The cultivators who opened the portal and were dispatched would only stand speechless, unable to do anything.

  Zeryn looked around, his eyes lingering longer in one direction before placing his hand on Nathan's shoulder.

  "Are you alright, Nate?"

  "To be honest," Nathan laughed hollowly, "worse than shit!"

  "One day, we'll show them that today was the biggest mistake of their lives."

  Nathan detected the bitterness and cruelty in his friend's voice. He suspected those words weren't just meant for those who had pressured him, but for someone else too.

  Not knowing who that might be, he simply nodded, too weary to say more. Before them, Darkan pretended to wipe his eyes before becoming more serious.

  "I invoke The Law of Compensation according to Cultivators Convention, approved by the Divine Tower!"

  Again, silence enveloped everyone, broken only by the sound of dry throats swallowing.

  "How can you know this?" the irritated Tier 7 asked.

  "Bah," Darkan snapped. "I know a lot of shit. Did you all think you'd avoid this? Think that my disciple would at most be under a Tier 4’s protection without enough voice to demand anything from you? That he'd be forced to put your dirty dick in the mouth to shut up?"

  "Can you use language appropriate to your position?" Duke Kael Voss asked with distaste.

  "Shut up, kid," Darkan didn't care. "Sugarcoating won't make things any easier for you. If it hadn't been me here today, another life would have been lost. You, the leader of a city. You'll bear the full brunt of this. Everything that happened today will be on PsiLink for everyone to watch. I guarantee it. Unless your King or Emperor can affect the structure of the entire world. You will be judged, Kael kid. Face the wrath that will befall you."

  Duke Kael, with his meticulously groomed hair, trembled, his facial muscles contorting as he tried to control his emotions. Threats were nothing new to him, but the high probability of these becoming reality was unprecedented. He felt as if the curtain of his future was closing before his eyes.

  But through some strange thought process, he managed to force a smile, salvaging his own image.

  "As for the rest of you," Darkan pointed at each person present. "Abide by the Law, or else I can do whatever I want to you."

  "Darkan," Nalani spoke up. "You should leave some room for our allies."

  Darkan glared at her.

  "One more word and I'll send you to the embrace of devils and give no fuck about Alaric."

  Nalani pressed her lips together, looking helplessly at the pleading gazes directed her way.

  The crowd exchanged glances, voices rising in debate. In the end, they could only bow their heads in acceptance.

  "Then according to the law," Darkan said cunningly, "one who uses their power to bully the weak without specific reason shall bear punishment. From high to low, directly proportional to the required compensation."

  "Hmph," the Tier 7 didn't back down. "We merely had suspicions and implemented necessary measures to avoid future risks. The boy's blood was one of the essential foundations."

  "You still dare to brazenly distort concepts here?" Darkan's eyes widened. "And this is how you implement everything, disregarding procedure? Where was the arrest? Where was the trial? By your logic, I suppose no hidden clan would dare emerge because of their bloodlines? Or that boy Adrian, why don't I see any suspicion toward him? Because he already has protection from someone higher up?"

  Not allowing his opponent to counter, Darkan continued.

  "Let me show you the proper way," he pointed at Nathan. "Capturing the boy would've been easy; he's only Tier 2. Wait until he's alone, capture him, then extract his blood or do whatever you want. You were too hasty about whatever secrets you thought were real, which blinded your reason. Or more accurately, you thought you could use your power to cover this up, so you didn't want to use time-consuming methods?"

  Nathan was shocked as his master outlined a method for their enemies. But he agreed with that approach. If it were him, he would've done that instead of being so blatant.

  Darkan's words hit each person like hammers against their chests.

  "You all still don't know enough, do you?" Darkan continued, pointing toward Duke Kael Voss and Maelivar's nobility. "I wanted to deal with this later, but this arrogant Tier 7 bastard is forcing my hand. If you hate someone, hate him."

  The Tier 7's mist froze momentarily. He had barely spoken, yet was being verbally assaulted. Worse, he was about to have dirt thrown on his reputation.

  The native cultivators of the city felt a chill, as if knowing what was being implied.

  "The White-Robed One," Darkan dropped it.

  "How do you...?" Duke Kael stammered.

  "How are you not a fool?" Darkan grinned smugly. "I've used the word 'fool' quite a lot today."

  Duke Kael's eyes widened as he realized that among his ranks was an insider working for this Verdant Spire Sect elder.

  "You placed not only my disciple but other young people in danger by letting that person run loose."

  Darkan turned to his disciple and asked, "Have you seen him?"

  "I have, master," Nathan answered honestly.

  "Who else?"

  Darkan looked around the square.

  The confused eyes of the protected young people glanced at each other. Information was being transmitted through PsiLink. Many who wanted to speak up were silenced by their elders, forbidden from entering this murky situation.

  Duke Kael was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a girl with blue hair stepped forward.

  "I've met that white-robed person," Evelyn stated with composure beyond her age. She looked at Nathan and smiled.

  "The words of these two mean nothing," Duke Kael blurted out. "There's no evidence..."

  "I've met him," Lachlan stepped out of the ranks, flashing a dazzling smile at Maelivar's Duke.

  "You little rat," Duke Kael snapped. "Return to where you belong."

  "Be careful where you poke," Lachlan showed no fear. "It might only lead to more resistance."

  As soon as he finished speaking, the young people connected to Lachlan stepped forward, reporting encounters with the mysterious white-robed figure.

  "You put their lives at risk because of a high-Tier cultivator," Darkan concluded. "Your crimes today haven't been fully accounted for. Don't force me to say more."

  Duke Kael's jaw clenched, the medals on his chest and shoulders rising and falling rapidly with each hurried breath. He had completely lost in this situation. Most painfully, it wasn't due to factors he could control. One was a mysterious Tier 6. The other was a Tier 7 forcing his submission.

  As a Tier 4, he was no different from a commoner when facing these higher existences.

  Nathan blinked at everything unfolding. He hadn't expected Darkan to analyze the situation so thoroughly. This resistance must have been planned for negotiation rather than saving him and his bloodline as it was now.

  He didn't regret using [Skill Breaker], but still lamented that Darkan's preparations were wasted.

  He shuddered when thinking about the white-robed figure. The man hadn't appeared, hadn't been found. Surely he'd left through a Portal, but how had he evaded everyone? Nathan realized he was currently in the middle of beings who could vaporize him with a mere wave of their hands.

  Lachlan was watching him with interest, making Nathan wonder if it was because he had an opportunity to stab Maelivar's upper echelon or simply because of the way Nathan had escaped the bloodline investigation.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  This makeshift court had grown solemn. The judge, Darkan, waited for the information to sink in before continuing.

  "Proceed with compensation. Any items will be accepted. But don't offend me with their value. The Tier 7 is the biggest figure here, so he should set an example, shouldn't he?"

  With what sounded like a contemptuous snort, ten beams of light shot toward Darkan.

  Ten hexagonal stones floated before everyone.

  "Supreme Mana Stones," someone gasped.

  "Consider it sufficient," the Tier 7 said. "I don't want this issue to resurface anywhere after today."

  "A bit meager, isn't it?" Darkan smirked.

  "Know where is enough," the Tier 7 barked, genuinely irritated, his pressure unconsciously spreading. Even a small emotion affected the mana flow. Clearly, losing ten Supreme Mana Stones was hard to swallow.

  Others were trembling in fear at Darkan's fearless demand. Mana Stones were categorized as Lesser, Standard, Peak, and Supreme. Initially, the evaluation scale had no place for the fourth type. But the nature of Supreme wasn't simply exchanging 100 Peak stones; it was due to its exceptional output capacity.

  For comparison, Maelivar's protective formation needed 100 Peak Mana Stones to activate and maintain for one hour against attacks with destructive power comparable to Tier 4. Yet just one Supreme Mana Stone could sustain it for six hours. The stability and density in mana quality were that superior.

  So ten stones was truly a steep price. But an appropriate one. The claim that the Emperor would intervene had been nullified. If Darkan brought this to a higher community, which he could, the Tier 7 would face even greater punishment than now.

  This put more pressure on the remaining cultivators, forcing them to give up a piece of themselves for participating in this action.

  The hidden Tier 7s or lower-Tier cultivators who hadn't participated were simply laughing at others' misfortune. How quickly the tides had turned.

  Darkan stood to coordinate instead of Nathan as various treasures and materials were thrown forward.

  Standing behind, Nathan could only recognize a few rare medicinal herbs, Tier 3 and Tier 4. He knew somewhat of their prices. A quick calculation made his mouth go dry. He'd have to cook for decades to afford these ingredients.

  More than twelve people completed their compensation. Their faces were all extremely unpleasant, a comedy to Nathan. These gamblers had truly lost today. They had lost without being able to complain to anyone.

  Finally came Duke Kael Voss's turn. The leader of Maelivar angrily threw out four items from his storage ring without another word: a rare black stone, a Tier 4 armor set, a potion for Tier 2 advancement, and a bag of mana stones totaling one hundred thousand.

  "Stop right there!" Darkan wouldn't let go.

  "As a Tier 4, this should be enough," Duke Kael tried to control himself.

  "Where's the boy's top 64 reward?" Darkan raised an eyebrow.

  Duke Kael was furious to the point of explosion. "The final rankings need additional evaluation for appropriate rewards."

  "Such as?"

  "What is the boy's aspect," Duke Kael said. "This is a condition imposed by the Ehyrian Empire."

  Only now did people notice Nathan's information provided earlier. Their eyes moved to the section describing his abilities.

  Aspect: Null Resonance.

  "Null?" someone exclaimed in surprise.

  Then came a wave of subtle chuckles as they didn't dare laugh loudly. Only the Tier 7 made no effort to hold back, using all his strength to express his contempt.

  "Such commotion for a Null Resonance?" he mocked. "You really kept us waiting. A definitively useless future."

  Darkan remained silent, having seen this information from the beginning.

  Nathan couldn't interject.

  "This makes me wonder," the Tier 7's mist pulsed once. "Where does your power come from, boy? If your Aspect is Null Resonance and you have no bloodline?"

  "Dragon Blood," Nathan said. This was one of the excuses he had prepared beforehand. Too bad he hadn't used it before being suspected of having Titan blood. And they'd wanted to take his flesh so much that he didn’t have a chance to elaborate. "I consumed it to transform."

  Seeing Nathan's calmness, the Tier 7 merely chuckled. He didn't care because even if he suspected, he couldn't verify. The boy held no more value. The Tier 7's hatred for Nathan existed, but not enough to concern someone who had lived as long as he had.

  "Looks somewhat like a Dragonoid," the Tier 7 remarked casually. "Whether it's true or not, we'll never know, will we?"

  Those present in the square had their own thoughts but didn't voice any comments.

  "I won't say it again," Darkan's voice hardened. "Where is my disciple's top 64 reward?"

  Duke Kael gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and threw a weapon toward Darkan.

  Nathan recognized it as similar to what he'd seen in The Amber Path Coalition's store. The Nine Star Rapier. This one looked more like a sword with inlay holes on its surface.

  "Not bad," Darkan commented, storing the reward in his spatial ring.

  "Done?" Duke Kael didn't even bother with respect.

  Darkan waved his hand dismissively, signaling everything was finished.

  This retribution was complete. He understood not to push too far. Verdant Spire Sect with him might not need to fear anyone. But this action would affect future political relationships between parties. Some would fear and maintain alliances with the sect. Others would see Verdant Spire Sect as an outlier needing to be dealt with through collective effort.

  Power was always unpredictable like that. A double-edged sword for its wielder.

  Nalani threw a reproachful glance before leaving, seeking to make amends with elders from other sects.

  The young people discussed excitedly as unexpected events unfolded right after The Shifting Trials. Even Adrian, who would undoubtedly rank first, had his spotlight stolen by Nathan. Other geniuses like Zhanyu, Sigrid, and Laurent were completely overshadowed.

  Keira Valaine, leader of the second-place team, was also puzzled by everything. Whenever Nathan was involved, all attention was diverted. She knew her breakthrough to Tier 2 at the Outer Sect Tournament had earned admiration, but the attention and discussions had been focused on Nathan, a Tier 1 Phase 2.6 who charged straight into the top 3.

  Now, event staff gradually moved to set up the stage for the award ceremony.

  But Nathan wasn't allowed to participate as Darkan grabbed him and flew away. He didn't even have time to say goodbye to Evelyn or thank her for being the first to stand up for him.

  Wind rushed past him in cold waves as Darkan spared no strength flying through the air. The pressure pushed through his mana protection barrier. He guessed that if he still had [Titan's Descendant], he wouldn't feel this discomfort.

  Seeing his master's stern, grim face, Nathan swallowed all his questions. The events still troubled Darkan greatly.

  They had departed in the morning, but by the time they arrived, it was dark.

  Darkan unceremoniously dropped him onto the empty grounds of the ninth mountain in Verdant Spire Sect's inner sect. He landed with a deep thud.

  "Not now, Alaric," Darkan scowled.

  No one else appeared in the courtyard; only master and disciple remained.

  Nathan stood up, looking anxiously at Darkan.

  The inner sect elder of Verdant Spire Sect stared back for a moment, then sighed heavily and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard.

  After a while, he finally forced out a few words.

  "I'm sorry."

  Nathan started, unable to believe his ears, and asked, "Why?"

  "For being an incompetent master," Darkan's voice was heavy.

  Nathan remained silent. He didn't understand why the earlier display indicated such a thing. He only remembered someone who had stood against all present forces to protect him. That mountain-like magnificence was a rare beauty in this world to him. It reminded him of his mother's diligent back. Back then, he was still small, sitting at a table in their old restaurant, his mother cleaning after ten o'clock with a mop in hand. Whenever she turned back, a smile would hang on her lips, reassuring him.

  He had thought Darkan would be proudly boasting about his achievements, humiliating a Tier 7, making Tier 6s and Tier 5s tremble in fear.

  "You think I'm strong," Darkan said slowly. "You probably think those Tier 6s and Tier 5s were incompetent for not handling me. Not so. They were constrained by their connection to Maelivar's people and couldn't use full force. I, on the other hand, was the opposite. Physical Cultivation can let you concentrate power into a single punch. They cannot. I used this very point to intimidate them. Don't be fooled, Nathan. That's the first lesson. I've said it before, Physical Cultivation still loses to Spirit Cultivation."

  Nathan nodded obediently, waiting for his master to continue. Today, Darkan had already said much, but it seemed he wasn't finished.

  "You think those above would care about us?" Darkan asked sarcastically.

  After thinking for a moment, Nathan shook his head.

  "No, master."

  "Good! So you're still clear-headed and understanding. What fairness? What convention? And fuck the Divine Tower. Those things won't be applied if you're not strong enough, not enough to threaten them. But that doesn't mean you can't use what you hate. Understand, Nathan? That's the second lesson. The hypocrisy, the illusory justice are also weapons you can wield."

  Nathan recalled what had happened just hours before, watching moonlight dance on the stone bench's surface through the leaves. It felt so recent, yet seemed so distant. He instinctively understood the world's workings. And it made him dissatisfied.

  "Frustrated, aren't you?" Darkan smirked, looking up at the sky. "Do you know who should have been scrutinized today?"

  Nathan honestly shook his head.

  "That boy Adrian," Darkan laughed. "Even I have to be greedy before such immense power. God damn Divine Flame. Something that can only be claimed by killing him. Yet they aimed at you. You understand why, don't you?"

  "Because I have no backing," Nathan said bitterly.

  "Exactly. They know you're a disciple of Verdant Spire Sect, an organization neither too big nor too small. But compared to holy lands or hidden clans, it's nothing. So they dared to target you. That's why you bore the brunt of their greed. Meanwhile, Adrian could remain at ease without any problems."

  Nathan shuddered. Darkan's bitterness matched Zeryn's exactly. Support, forces, backing—all things he lacked. He only had Darkan.

  "Don't look at me," Darkan turned away. "I'm not the support you should have. The Berserker path shouldn't be suppressed like this. Yet I've let it happen."

  "So this is lesson three?" Nathan tried to shift the topic. "Without backing, calculate everything?"

  "More or less," Darkan chuckled. "But sometimes, you can't just be constrained like that. What's the point of living that way?"

  Such words filled with past regrets left Nathan speechless. Only now did he truly put himself in his master's position. Everyone was once young, full of hopes and passion. Life had simply worn down and nullify each edge. Darkan's carelessness or irritable personality didn't come from nowhere.

  "Support comes in many forms," Darkan darkened. "Like how I killed that Tier 3 guard. I did so to show I was ready to kill. To make them hesitate. I know you're still troubled by that. But you must understand, Nathan, if I didn't send a message, they would kill you. A non-functioning brain doesn't affect the preservation of the body. Of the blood flow in you. If they weren't afraid, you wouldn't be standing here now."

  Nathan truly wanted to find a place to sit down. Too much in one day made everything hard to swallow. Indeed, that death still lingered in his mind. Part of him had wondered if it was necessary. But it was precisely because he didn't understand the levels involved that he questioned Darkan's methods.

  He still had much to learn.

  "Final lesson, Nathan," Darkan straightened his back, speaking gravely.

  Nathan let those eyes, like deep night seas, bore into him.

  "You can only trust yourself. Not me. Not anyone else. If there had been another Tier 7 participating today, the consequences would have been different. I saw you hesitating within my spirit vision. You could have resolved the problem but delayed. You waited until the last second to remove your Bloodline."

  Nathan didn't blink at his master's analysis. He understood that secrets couldn't be kept forever.

  Darkan continued as if he hadn't noticed his disciple's expression.

  "You shouldn't rely on me. You had a perfect solution, so don't let it become too late. You think you were faster than them? That's because I was blocking them with my energy. But I couldn't speak commands, couldn't use my spirit to order you. I truly wanted to slap you awake when you finally acted."

  Again, Nathan felt life leaving him like when his bloodline was taken. What he thought he'd done right was wrong in others' eyes. And it wasn't isolated but connected.

  "Trust only in yourself," Darkan's voice was distant. "If you hadn't trusted me then and acted immediately, it would have been much better. Remember that well."

  Nathan remained silent, truly absorbing the teachings.

  "Lysander Vohl," Darkan suddenly said through gritted teeth.

  "Who is that, master?"

  "The Tier 7 who oppressed you today, Nathan," Darkan replied heavily. "Lysander Vohl, Seraphina Kel, Thorval Brimm, Savern Kaitos, Marwen Xao. Remember them, the ones you must trample beneath your feet."

  Nathan swallowed dryly. He didn't feel burdened just from hearing such powerful names, but rather felt a pang in his heart. Darkan had defended him fiercely, demanding justice for him. But the trouble and injuries he suffered in return could only be borne by himself.

  "And that bastard Raziel Ehyr," Darkan's lips twisted as he spoke. "The bastard who sits on the golden throne and thinks he's a mighty Tier 9? So delusional that he forbids anyone from speaking his name just to show dominance. Damn you, Raziel."

  Nathan's eyes widened, hearing the Emperor's name for the first time. Searching on PsiLink usually led to censorship, as if someone had interfered. The empire's subjects only knew a Tier 8 existed but had no knowledge of his name or appearance.

  Thinking back on everything, Nathan clenched his fist tightly. He had been in this world for only two years, experiencing explosive growth in just a few months. Yet he was already being suppressed to the point of suffocation. Luck wasn't something he wanted to gamble on. This time, he had Darkan, but what about next time? Everything seemed like the 'Welcome Package' the system had once rewarded him with. Now was truly the time he needed to walk forward on his own and protect himself.

  The frustration, constraint, and injustice condensed into a single point in his heart. One day, as Zeryn had said, he would have to show those greedy meddlers that today's actions were a mistake.

  After finally acting like a proper master, Darkan stood up, letting exhaustion overtake him. Confronting an entire group of powerful people had strained his body. Especially when fighting against that spatial distortion.

  "What is Null Resonance?" Nathan blurted out before his master could leave. "Why did my Aspect make everyone so contemptuous?"

  Darkan stopped, the weariness even more apparent on his face.

  "Can your bloodline return?" he asked, seemingly unrelated.

  "It can," Nathan confirmed, feeling no need to hide this from Darkan.

  "Good, don't let anyone know about this. When it returns, it's best you don't break through in Physical Cultivation. Spirit Cultivation is optional."

  "Why?"

  "Because you're an unlucky brat, understand?" Darkan exploded. "Null Resonance is exactly as the name suggests; don't try to escape reality anymore, Nathan. It means your Aspect has no connection to any element or natural law. You won't be able to summon metal like that boy Xander, can't use illusions like that girl Keira. It's that simple. Null. Nothing. Except for trivial tricks like mana shield, mana slash."

  Darkan stomped, eager to return to his chamber.

  "Isn't it omnipotential?"

  "Omnipotential," Darkan laughed loudly. "Who taught you that ridiculous name? You want to be The Grand Elementalist? Even he started with one element provided by his mana aspect. Do you still need to chase specialization and generalization? Your mana absorption rate is already turtle-slow; can you imagine how long it would take to fill all the requirements for each type of aspect? The money you'd need? Ah, speaking of money. Take it, kid! It's about time you used a spatial ring. What belongs to you is returned to you. Consider it compensation for losing your bloodline."

  Nathan caught the round object falling toward him, freezing in place.

  He looked at his system description:

  Name: Nathan Reed (Age: 24 – Male).

  Physical Cultivation: Tier 2 (Iron Skin), Phase 7.9.

  Spirit Cultivation: Tier 2 (Core Formation), Phase 1.0.

  Mana Aspect: Omnipotential.

  Nathan believed the system wouldn't give him such a name for something useless. If it were Null Resonance, wouldn't it be written as such? There was something he still didn't understand.

  He watched that hunched figure disappear into the darkness.

  Believe in only yourself.

  That's what Darkan had said. And for the first time, he stubbornly believed his mana aspect wasn't as simple as described. The system existed to help him. He no longer doubted that. The events that occurred were necessary. If he gave up, how would he return to his mother? How would he bring Jessica back to the life she belonged to? How would he lift the veil of this world? How would he implement the lessons Darkan taught today?

  He clenched his fist, more convinced than ever in his own analysis.

  He was ready to explore.

  To start his new chapter of the journey to power.

  END OF VOLUME 1!