One-Eyed Monster

Kuyi Tulan’s hysterical outburst made the people of the Alchemy Workshop uncomfortable. This was the first time they had seen their Chief Alchemist, Kuyi Tulan, so unhinged. They had never seen Tulan like this; even in the most dire situations, their Chief had never lost his composure to such an extent. Similarly, this was their first time seeing the Great Mentor so infuriated.

The people of the Golden Seats were at a loss, unsure whether to side with Kuyi Tulan against the Great Mentor or to maintain their respect for the Great Mentor and join in questioning Kuyi Tulan. They didn’t know what to choose. Feeling an inexplicable unease, they could only stand rooted to the spot, like fools.

The creatures of Guru Mountain also faced the Great Mentor’s anger for the first time, and they too felt a complex mix of emotions. They all understood why the Great Mentor was enraged. Dastan’s departure had left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth, a loss profound enough to plunge the Great Mentor into unbearable sorrow. They also knew the Great Mentor’s grief and fury stemmed not only from Dastan’s departure but also from Kuyi Tulan’s actions.

At first glance, the Spirit Core seemed like a great discovery. For those unaware of the entire process, this discovery was indeed remarkable; the preservation and perpetuation of a person’s abilities was something all Adventurers with Class yearned for. The abilities of many masters vanished from the world when they died without a successor. Their arcane arts were lost with their passing. It was a sorrowful matter for a skill to remain uninherited.

However, the advent of the Spirit Core offered a solution to this problem. Even if a suitable successor couldn’t be found, the skill could be extracted and transformed into a Spirit Core. Furthermore, even unique individual abilities could be extracted through this process. It truly seemed to be a monumental discovery, one capable of significantly bolstering the Empire’s strength. The Empire’s Invincible War Gods could be entirely replicated by Kuyi Tulan, enabling him to create a terrifying army...

Herein lay the true significance of the Spirit Core. The results it promised were bound to be astounding and shocking, yet the process of its creation was beyond anyone’s comprehension. Take the Spirit Core in Kuyi Tulan’s hand, for example: it looked magnificent and pulsed with immense power. But who could have known it was obtained by sacrificing Dastan?

The Great Mentor’s rebuke sent Kuyi Tulan into a hysterical fit, and he grew dejected at the Great Mentor’s lack of understanding.

”Why can’t you all understand my painstaking efforts?” he cried.

”It’s not that we don’t understand, Tulan, my child. It’s that you are too selfish. Have you thought about Dastan?”

”I’ve granted him eternal continuation!”

”Dastan’s power is not Dastan himself! You need to understand this clearly!” The Great Mentor was deeply dissatisfied with Kuyi Tulan on this point. Conflating power with a person was the ultimate disrespect to an individual!

”HMPH, HMPH, HA HA, HA HA HA...” Kuyi Tulan laughed incessantly like a madman, seemingly scorning the Great Mentor’s statement.

The Great Mentor shook his head. For the first time, he felt that Kuyi Tulan was beyond saving; this child’s mind had been utterly clouded by power.

”In this world, power is everything! Without sufficient power, how can we establish ourselves in this world?!” Kuyi Tulan’s face suddenly contorted, as if the very word ’power’ had unleashed an inner demon.

Igor watched all this in silence. He could understand Stan Sol’s rage, as well as the Great Mentor’s grief and fury. All this sorrow stemmed from Dastan’s departure. As Dastan’s kinsman, Stan Sol’s anger was only natural. Stan Sol, who had unhesitatingly fired Flame Arrows at Kuyi Tulan to avenge his kinsman, was acting authentically. If he could have remained calm at such a moment, he would truly be a cold-blooded creature. Stan Sol carried immense responsibilities, yet in that instant, he had acted on his most primal instinct: to avenge his family.

However, the Great Mentor had stopped him, knowing the Sol Family’s plight. He couldn’t allow the Sol Family’s last hope to perish on this mountain due to an impulsive act. The Great Mentor was keenly aware that few here could stand against Kuyi Tulan. This exceptionally talented individual, now capable of decomposing and condensing Spirit Cores, had clearly become incredibly powerful in combat. Therefore, the Great Mentor knew no one here could withstand Kuyi Tulan single-handedly. If Stan Sol allowed himself to be continually swayed by anger and grief, he would sooner or later be defeated by Kuyi Tulan. And the Kuyi Tulan of now coveted any and all forms of power...

”Without power, everyone is but an ant!” Kuyi Tulan continued, his face still a twisted grimace, ”We would be reduced to communicating by signals in the blacksmith shop, denied even the right to speak! Power is everything in this world! Only when power endures will people remember you, look up to you! Otherwise, we are nothing, just like these ants!”

Kuyi Tulan’s speech was little different from that of Wizard Reed or the Dark Force. Those who craved power always seemed to be infected by the same virus, one that stripped them of their true selves!

Igor closed his eyes. Recalling these matters was agonizing, and he had no desire to listen to Kuyi Tulan’s ravings any longer. It was all just sensationalist nonsense.

”I never expected that after I brought you out of the blacksmith shop, this is all you would think about,” the Great Mentor said, his voice heavy. ”Power... is it truly everything in this world?”

”Power is all I pursue now!” Kuyi Tulan’s face contorted hideously, the muscles twitching, his eyes bulging as if they were about to fall from their sockets.

”I regret it,” the Great Mentor stated, his voice filled with sorrow. ”I profoundly regret the choice I made. I believed I was bringing forth a genius of alchemy, but in the end, I unleashed a demon upon this world!”

”I have failed the Great Mentor’s expectations!” Kuyi Tulan declared, his expression largely unchanged, still hideously contorted.

”I hold myself accountable for my actions,” the Great Mentor announced. ”From this day forward, I will repent. Simultaneously, you are no longer my disciple. I hereby sever our master-apprentice bond!”

”Men—” Kuyi Tulan, his face still contorted, felt tears welling in his eyes.

”Do not call me Mentor again,” the Great Mentor stated firmly. ”I am no longer your mentor.”

Kuyi Tulan closed his eyes in despair. He wiped the tears from his face, then knelt solemnly and kowtowed deeply to the Great Mentor.

”From this day forward, our master-apprentice bond is severed,” Kuyi Tulan said, rising to his feet. His expression had regained its composure, no longer hideously contorted. ”Henceforth, we are strangers. I will adhere to my ideals. The next time we meet, we may be enemies!”