One-Eyed Monster

”Are you really so invested in this?” Faced with Kuyi Tulan’s question, the Great Mentor showed a sense of bewilderment and helplessness.

He could not understand what his apprentice was chasing after and why he even dared to dabble in forbidden secret techniques...

”I need to constantly be absorbing different powers. Only in this way can we keep growing stronger, and only this will let us be prepared for the near future!” Kuyi Tulan still had his own thoughts; he would not easily change his plans.

”Preparation? Prepare for what? The arrival of your Great Harmony World?” The Great Mentor felt increasingly despaired by his apprentice, often responding with such pointless, angry outbursts.

However, Kuyi Tulan remained calm. The monsters of Guru Mountain were gritting their teeth, ready to beat him, yet he showed no fear. He knew those monsters were no ordinary creatures. Take Kuren, for example; that war god, that bloodthirsty being, was more than a handful for them.

But Kuyi Tulan was not concerned in the slightest. He had his Alchemy Workshop, a team he considered truly reliable and trusted fully.

”Mentor, do not compare your student to the likes of Black Crow. They only work for their own personal gain, but I am doing this for the Empire.” Kuyi Tulan did not agree with Black Crow, so when his mentor made such comparisons, he felt rather uneasy.

”The leader of Black Crow also said he wanted to change the world and build a Great Harmony World. How are you any different?” the Great Mentor asked. He believed Kuyi Tulan, with his obstinate arguments, was taking the same path as Black Crow, yet insisted on portraying himself in a noble light.

This behavior sickened the Great Mentor. It wasn’t often that something could make him feel this disgusted.

”I overheard you speaking of the Great Harmony World earlier. That’s Black Crow’s plan, not mine. I only cooperate with Black Crow on an informational level; there hasn’t been any other contact. I swear to this,” Kuyi Tulan said.

”There’s no need to swear. Whether you do or not won’t change your true nature. In my eyes, you are no different from Black Crow’s leader.” The Great Mentor seemed rather perturbed by Kuyi Tulan’s fixation on this issue and was quite dissatisfied.

His previous argument with Kuyi Tulan also seemed connected to this.

”Mentor, you’re wrong. I have no desire for this Great Harmony World.”

”But aren’t you trying to create some New World?” The Great Mentor barely believed Kuyi Tulan anymore. He even thought that he shouldn’t have trusted him in the first place. Had he viewed Kuyi Tulan with such caution from the beginning, Kevin and the others wouldn’t have transformed into the monsters they were now.

”I want to change the world because we are far too weak! Being bullied by others isn’t a pleasant reality, and this is what I aim to change.” Kuyi Tulan began to sound desperate, unsure how to express his feelings.

This was odd. He was usually very persuasive, even able to influence the masses, but none of that eloquence was working now.

”How do you know the Great Harmony World that Black Crow envisions isn’t the world you’re looking for?”

”Don’t you know me, Mentor? I am a person who values impurities!”

The Great Mentor fell silent upon hearing this. Indeed, compared to other Alchemists, Kuyi Tulan was quite unique with his sensitivity towards impurities.

Most Alchemists’ Substance Sensing Skill worked better as the material approached Nothingness, but Kuyi Tulan was the exact opposite. His sensitivity towards impurities surpassed other aspects. It could be said that no one on this continent could match him in this regard.

”Their Great Harmony World is a world without differences. I can’t accept such a world. My world cannot lack impurities,” Kuyi Tulan stated calmly. Seeing the Great Mentor fall silent, he knew that some of the misunderstanding between them had been partially cleared up.

What he needed to do now was reiterate his beliefs: he was not one to seek such unity.

”A world without differences is dull. Such a world is bland and not what I’m looking for. It’s precisely because of differences that the world displays its diversity. Because of these differences, you and I exist as distinct individuals. Without differences, what’s the point of this world’s existence?” Kuyi Tulan spoke at length and with great fervor, describing the vibrant and colorful world he envisioned.

”You have a point. I was hasty this time. I shouldn’t have doubted you.” The Great Mentor reflected on Kuyi Tulan’s words; they didn’t seem so outrageous. His views on the world at least aligned with his own. In his mind, a spectrum of colors formed from various differences. Without these diverse colors, there would be no vibrancy.

”I will not let this world lose its differences. If Black Crow tries to change the world, I will stop them.”

”Heh, since you understand this principle, why are you still clinging to the Purification Plan? Isn’t the army you’re trying to create essentially something devoid of differences?” The Great Mentor was still skeptical of Kuyi Tulan. He couldn’t comprehend this young man’s thoughts.

”Mentor, you still don’t understand the Purification Plan. The existence of differences is only for the uniqueness of the whole. If everything is an impurity, there is no value.”

The Great Mentor sighed. To him, these ideas were quite alien, as was this version of Kuyi Tulan.

”Why are you so fascinated with the Sealing Power of Guru Mountain?” Estev asked from the side. He didn’t care whether the world had impurities or not. He was a traditionalist, with no aspirations for the future and certainly no grand visions.

”Why were we so powerless against the Dark Force just now?” Kuyi Tulan did not answer Estev directly but instead responded with a question of his own.

”Because we are weak?” Estev ventured. Kuyi Tulan’s question made him feel an inexplicable urge to respond.

”No, weakness itself is not to be feared. What is truly terrifying is our ignorance of that Dark Force.”

”What is it that you really want?” Estev was somewhat lost. He had no idea what Kuyi Tulan was talking about.

”Every hero has their moment of glory. What I want is for those who have contributed to the rise of the Empire to achieve eternity.”