Lightning Is the Only Way

The Sect Master was filled with regret. Not only had she put her position into jeopardy, but she had also committed a grave mistake.

She had forgotten the fundamental truth of the world.

Power was everything.

As a person that managed to win against thousands of other Ancestral Gods in the political battle, she wasn't a stupid or ignorant person.

She wasn't like Nira, the former Sect Master of the Nine Elements Sect.

She recognized when she made a mistake, and she had fully realized that she had handled this situation incorrectly.

The correct way would have been to acknowledge Orpheus' power and tell him that the competition was over and that the Myriad Sect could join the Eternal Fire Sect.

'I can't forget that fundamental truth again!' she thought to herself with determination. 'I've been so embroiled in these political battles that I forgot how it is to be a Cultivator in the wild.'

'Today, I learned another important lesson, and I won't ever forget it.'

Then, she looked at Orpheus and slightly narrowed her eyes.

'Sadly, you have now become my opponent, and I have to suppress or kill you. You helped me in understanding this lesson, but for my future path, I can't let you overtake me. I'm sorry, Minstrel.'

The Sect Master straightened her posture and looked at Orpheus with the pride of a Sect Master.

"You're correct," she said. "You are powerful enough to break such an unimportant rule. However, I would advise you from breaking any more rules in the future since you and the Myriad Sect will be part of the Eternal Fire Sect from today onwards."

Shock washed through the disciples of the Myriad Sect, which was quickly replaced by relief and exhilaration.

They could finally join the Eternal Fire Sect!

Who wouldn't want to join the Eternal Fire Sect?

The disciples from the Sect of the dead Ancestor quickly joined the Myriad Sect. Sure, they were sad and angry that their Ancestor died, but they didn't really know her. Her death wouldn't stop them from joining the Eternal Fire Sect.

"We are happy to join the Eternal Fire Sect," Manuel said politely as he stepped forward. "However, the most powerful members of the Myriad Sect are old friends, and we don't want to split up. Would that be possible?"

The Sect Master frowned.

The Ancestors were the ones that created and led the Sects, which meant that the actual Sect Masters of these Sects were only figureheads. Didn't Manuel know his position?

"His words are my words," Orpheus added. "I never led the Myriad Sect. I was only there to act as deterrence and backing. The Sect Master has made all the decisions, and the current prosperity of the Myriad Sect is all thanks to him. I only watched."

This surprised the Sect Master of the Eternal Fire Sect.

A Star God managed to outsmart and outthink eight other Sects which were led by Ancestral Gods?

Ancestral Gods had over a million years of experience over Star Gods, but this Star God managed to outsmart so many of them?

The Sect Master's evaluation of Manuel shot through the roof.

The Sect Master wasn't arrogant, and she knew how outstanding she had been in the past.

Yet, Manuel was even more outstanding than she had been back then.

If everything the Minstrel had said proved to be correct, Manuel had a very high chance of becoming the Sect Master in the future.

'However, he's still only a Star God. It will take time for him to become an Ancestral God. Right now, he's not a danger, and I refuse to suppress future competition. The smartest and most powerful Cultivator deserves to become the Sect Master, and if I try suppressing any future dangers, it will prove that I'm not the most powerful Cultivator.'

'In order to prove that I'm the most powerful, I have to let him grow until he becomes a true danger to my position,' the Sect Master thought.

"I can grant you that wish," the Sect Master said. "Are 100 spots enough?"

"More than enough," Manuel said with a polite bow. "Cultivator Skywind thanks his Sect Master."

Skywind was Manuel's title.

The Sect Master nodded. "Gather up everything. In a week, an Elder will arrive to bring you to the Eternal Fire Sect. In one week, the Myriad Sect will cease to exist, and all its members will join the Eternal Fire Sect."

The Myriad Sect said some polite words, and the people of the Eternal Fire Sect eventually left.

Then, the Myriad Sect threw a party.

Joining the Eternal Fire Sect had been everyone's goal from the very beginning.

Why?

Because, due to the power difference in the Sects thanks to the Opposer, pushing a new Sect to the peak was basically impossible.

Sure, the Myriad Sect was probably one of the most powerful Sects comprised of Star Gods in the highest world, but that was it.

It already proved challenging to find tempering for the Myriad Sect, which would stunt their growth.

Then, when the Myriad Sect reached the Ancestral God Realm, even the absolute weakest Sect in the Ancestral God Realm could eradicate them easily.

One had to remember that, by that point, over a million years would have passed ever since the Opposer had fought Heaven. In that timeframe, the weakest Sects filled with Ancestral Gods would have already been consumed by the more powerful ones.

Usually, new Sects would reach the Ancestral God level one after the other, which meant that there would always be many new Sects at that level.

However, in these million years, no new Sects would have joined while the older, weak ones were eradicated.

Even the weakest Sect on that level already had hundreds of Ancestral Gods.

On top of that, the Ancestral Gods had had over a million years to become more powerful.

Ancestral Gods below the fourth level would have nearly died out in those million years.

Because of all these reasons, Manuel had always planned to join the Eternal Fire Sect.

Manuel had gathered a lot of information on the Eternal Fire Sect, and he also knew their philosophy. In essence, nepotism didn't exist. Loyalty was also not as important. The length of having been a member of the Eternal Fire Sect also didn't matter.

Only intelligence and power mattered.

This meant that Manuel didn't need to stage a coup or a sneaky rebellion.

Just by becoming more powerful and amassing more political power, Manuel could become the new Sect Master aboveboard.

That was perfect for the Myriad Sect.

Even more, it was normal that factions were created in the Eternal Fire Sect. After all, the Eternal Fire Sect got a lot of its members through these competitions, and the Sects that won the competition would often stay together.

That was to be expected.

On the surface, the Eternal Fire Sect looked united, but deep inside, it was split into many factions that all vied for power.

That faction war inside their Sect was the very reason why the Eternal Fire Sect became so powerful.

Only the strongest and smartest survived. The stupid and weak ones would die.

The competition was fierce and deadly, and exactly this kind of constant danger produced the most powerful Cultivators.

The members of the Myriad Sect would be distributed among the other factions, which tested their loyalty. If they were disloyal to the past Myriad Sect, the opponent would gain more forces. If they were loyal, Manuel would gain many people on the inside of the other faction, giving him a lot of valuable intelligence.

The real war started now.

However, Gravis wouldn't be part of that war. He wouldn't join the Eternal Fire Sect since he didn't want to be suppressed by responsibilities. Gravis could gain all the resources he wanted himself, which meant that he didn't need any powerful Sect backing him.

Gravis partied with the Myriad Sect for the remaining time, and when the Elder of the Eternal Fire Sect arrived, Gravis asked for a visitor's token. With that token, he could visit his friends whenever he wanted.

The Elder didn't mind and gave one to Gravis and Mortis each.

The former Myriad Sect threw one last look at their old headquarters. Funnily enough, all the trees would go with them, leaving the old headquarters barren.

After a while, they all left, leaving Gravis and Mortis behind.

Gravis and Mortis looked at the empty headquarters of the Myriad Sect with a nostalgic expression.

Then, the two of them left to continue comprehending Laws.

In the future, these buildings would house another Sect.