One-Eyed Monster

Kuyi Tulan and the Great Mentor were still going back and forth over the same issue.

Most people were already tired of hearing it.

However, out of reverence for the Great Mentor, they all concealed their impatience. After all, if the Great Mentor believed there was still a chance for Kuyi Tulan to change his ways, then they should let him continue to try.

They weren’t underestimating the Great Mentor; they had simply lost all hope in Kuyi Tulan.

In their eyes, Kuyi Tulan was someone who would stop at nothing to gain power. Although they could never find evidence to prove it, they had sensed it when they were locked in the cages of the Alchemy Workshop. Back then, Kuyi Tulan’s desperation for power could only be described as frenzied.

To gain power, Kuyi Tulan had even dabbled in the Dark Force. Thinking back, it all made sense. Kuyi Tulan harbored immense ambitions, so it was understandable that he would do anything to achieve them. When a person is driven by ambition, they become ruthless.

Kuyi Tulan craved power and used all sorts of methods to obtain it. But compared to others who sought power, he displayed a distinct difference: he didn’t just absorb powers; he learned from them. He sought to integrate these disparate powers into his own arts, truly making them his.

This was why the Great Mentor asserted he had a clear conscience.

This wasn’t an empty assertion; it was substantiated by evidence.

Kuyi Tulan had always believed he understood the Dark Force better than others, as he had been relentlessly studying it. Only by thoroughly understanding these forces could he claim them as his own, alter the status quo, and ultimately, change the world.

”I have not forgotten my mentor’s teachings; I hold every word dear to my heart.” Confronted with the Great Mentor’s skepticism, Kuyi Tulan maintained his stance of having a clear conscience.

For him, finding the Great Mentor was about demonstrating that the Great Mentor had misjudged one particular matter.

”Mentor, did you know? I have always carried the letter you left for me,” Kuyi Tulan said, producing the parchment letter from his person.

”I recall telling you not to attempt to find me. Why did you persist in seeking me out here?” the Great Mentor asked, gazing at the familiar parchment.

”Oh, Mentor, you cannot say that. After you departed so abruptly, do you have any idea how the Alchemy Workshop was treated? That was your life’s work! Could you truly bear to abandon it so readily?”

Upon hearing Kuyi Tulan’s words, the Golden Seats of the Alchemy Workshop beside him were visibly moved. That incident had indeed dealt a severe blow to the Alchemy Workshop. They vividly remembered how the Empire had nearly dismantled their entire domain.

Of course, this wasn’t solely due to the Great Mentor’s departure. The reasons for this were manifold, but the Great Mentor’s departure suddenly deprived the Alchemy Workshop of an authoritative voice, a truly significant blow.

”The Alchemy Workshop does not belong to any one person, child,” the Great Mentor sighed. When he had initially decided to leave, he had wrestled greatly with the decision. In the end, he followed his heart. Firstly, he felt that those harmed by Kuyi Tulan needed swift respite and recovery. Secondly, he believed the Alchemy Workshop could resolve its own problems.

When the Great Mentor departed, he wrote letters to each of the High Elders, much like the farewell letter he left for Kuyi Tulan, trusting they would understand his difficult decision.

Indeed, the High Elders of the Alchemy Workshop did comprehend the Great Mentor’s painstaking reasoning. They did their utmost to maintain the Alchemy Workshop’s stability. Even without the Empire’s backing, the Alchemy Workshop could still stand tall in the world of professions.

However, the true authority within the Alchemy Workshop did not lie with those High Elders; it was Kuyi Tulan who truly managed its affairs.

Under Kuyi Tulan’s influence, the Alchemy Workshop rapidly fractured into two factions. These internal changes made the already vulnerable institution teeter on the brink of collapse. Were it not for Kuyi Tulan’s considerable sway within the Empire, the Alchemy Workshop might genuinely have become a casualty of this internal strife.

The Great Mentor had never anticipated these developments, yet he did not regret his choice. Had he not acted as he did, individuals like Kevin might have already met their end in the Eternal Tranquility Realm by now.

The Great Mentor could not bear to witness those who had contributed to the Empire perish so inexplicably. Every life was precious; they could not be sacrificed for naught.

”The Alchemy Workshop’s duty is merely to guide those Adventurers with Class who choose to study Alchemy. Its purpose is to allow Alchemists from across the lands to gather and explore the myriad possibilities of Alchemy. It is not the private organization of any single individual,” the Great Mentor said meaningfully. To him, the path Kuyi Tulan had chosen was irredeemably deviant.

”I too am exploring various possibilities. The frontiers of Alchemy are indeed vast.”

”The Stars above watch over us, child, but you have strayed far from the path they illuminate.”

”Mentor, you overstate things. I am merely broadening the horizons of Alchemy.”

Kuyi Tulan felt he had done nothing wrong. He was actively pushing the boundaries, seeking for Alchemy to supplant all manner of existing things. Battle Alchemy was merely his first step; the Purification Plan was his ultimate objective.

He craved immense power, the Energy to control everything. His quest had only just begun.

At this point, Kuyi Tulan glanced at Kadi and Igor. These two youths would also become subjects of his exploration.

But he was grateful to these two young men. Had it not been for these two youths, all his plans might well have run aground on Guru Mountain.

He had underestimated the capabilities of Wizard Reed. While he had some past association with this Reed, that was before Reed embraced the Dark Arts. Now, that connection had long since turned to dust, and Wizard Reed himself had perished on Guru Mountain...

Kuyi Tulan realized he had indeed gained much from this venture to Guru Mountain. Though he had nearly perished there, he had precariously pulled through the ordeal. The credit for that belonged to those two youths...

Ultimately, however, the credit was due to his mentor, Guzan. Had his mentor not been there, he would never have ventured to this desolate land. This place, absent even from the Empire’s maps, had never before entered his considerations...

Therefore, he was also profoundly grateful to the Great Mentor...

Perhaps this was the Great Mentor’s benevolent design after all!

Of course, Kuyi Tulan knew this was merely his own speculation; the Great Mentor would never act in such a way.

After all, that was the man who had sealed his formula.

”Child, you are treading a path from which there is no return.”

”I... do not regret it.”

”Must you watch as everyone follows you blindly down this dead-end path?”

”Everyone makes their own choices; I have forced no one. As for the thirst for power... perhaps in that, we are all the same.”