One-Eyed Monster

Kadi had always found it strange why people with differing opinions had to fight to the death. He couldn’t understand this choice, couldn’t fathom why anyone would act this way; it seemed utterly unreasonable. In his eyes, anything was possible, but this particular occurrence struck him as quite peculiar. He couldn’t comprehend why so many people had been subdued by the Great Mentor, nor why the Great Mentor, who seemed perfectly fine, would betray his own people.

If it were him, what would he do? He had given this question profound consideration. He imagined himself as the Great Mentor, picturing what he would do in such a situation. He had simulated this scenario many times in his mind.

Interestingly enough, Kadi was not affected by the Great Mentor’s Fog Elixir. Although this did raise a flicker of suspicion among the others, it didn’t last long, perhaps because the events that followed were even more astonishing. Indeed, the incidents that subsequently unfolded were one surprise after another...

The proud Kadi had been waiting. What was he waiting for? He was waiting for the Great Mentor to question him. From the Great Mentor’s reaction, he could tell his arrival had an effect. The Great Mentor was, at the very least, visibly rattled. Although he seemed shocked by Kadi’s sudden appearance, years of experience had taught him how to quickly mask such surprise. He merely uttered a few words of disbelief before falling silent.

Kadi continued to enumerate the Great Mentor’s various ”transgressions.” Yet, the Great Mentor didn’t seem surprised by these accusations. Instead, he appeared to accept them readily, which only fueled Kadi’s arrogance. For someone with a high opinion of himself, such indulgence only made him more audacious. Kadi had even begun to speak to the Great Mentor in a lecturing tone. At that time, Kadi had pointed out the Great Mentor’s selfishness, completely disregarding his status.

This arrogance made Kadi eagerly anticipate the Great Mentor’s question: ”If it were you, how would you choose in this situation?” As soon as the Great Mentor asked, Kadi was ready to answer immediately. After all, this moment of validation was what he had been so eagerly awaiting...

Unfortunately, the Great Mentor remained silent, like a mute, unable to utter a word. This left Kadi quite anxious. He had been waiting for the question, but the Great Mentor remained as silent as a block of ice. This was incomprehensible to Kadi. Why would someone remain silent under such a barrage? Could this be the legendary ’man without a face’? But no, the faceless are devoid of expression. The Great Mentor, though silent, was quite expressive and didn’t display any traits of the faceless.

This proved Kadi’s assumptions were inaccurate. The Great Mentor was clearly not a ’man without a face’; his silence simply meant he wasn’t playing Kadi’s game. This was quite normal; Kadi was just a bit impatient. Eventually, Kadi could not hold back any longer and gave up waiting...

My ideas are good, Kadi thought. They might even help the Great Mentor. Now that I’ve made my stance clear, surely the Great Mentor should ask me, ”If it were you, what would you choose?” right?

However, events still refused to unfold according to Kadi’s plan. The Great Mentor did not ask the questions Kadi expected.

The Great Mentor looked at Kadi, and his words shocked Kadi just as much.

The Great Mentor’s first sentence was, ”What good ideas could you possibly have?”

Kadi was taken aback. Why couldn’t he have good ideas? Wasn’t that a blatant insult! Still, facing the Great Mentor, the king of monsters of Guru Mountain, being ridiculed seemed almost expected.

Before Kadi could react, the Great Mentor delivered another surprising statement.

His second sentence was, ”My guess is, any method you have is just a way to stir up trouble.”

This statement frustrated Kadi even more. Yes, I’m good at causing trouble, but why can’t I be reliable for once? To dismiss me without even listening, isn’t that too arbitrary? Kadi felt as if a spice bottle had shattered in his heart, a jumble of all five flavors—bitter, sweet, sour, pungent, and salty.

The Great Mentor, however, paid this no mind. The situation had already reached this state; there was nothing left for him to hide. He admitted his choice was radical, but he still felt there was no other alternative.

Kadi felt a tinge of anger but didn’t show it. Instead, this made him even more stubborn. He *had* to voice his thoughts; he wanted to shock the Great Mentor again.

In this world, it seems no one cares about the process of right or wrong; everyone only looks at the results. Take the Great Mentor’s choice, for example: if it had led to the complete subjugation of Kuyi Tulan, no one would have called his method radical. In a world judged by success and failure, the weak can only choose to submit. But Kadi refused to believe that. He was convinced his choice wouldn’t be worthless.

”Believe it or not, I’m still going to say it,” Kadi declared. ”My plan, compared to yours, is like heaven and earth.”

”Heh. Is it truly that amazing?” The Great Mentor was naturally unwilling to believe it.

”It *is* that amazing,” Kadi said confidently, believing his choice would satisfy many people.

”Heh.”

The more indifferent the Great Mentor appeared, the more fired up Kadi became. That stubborn streak of his pushed him to convince the Great Mentor, no matter what.

”Clearly, your method is extreme, bent on mutual destruction! Isn’t there any other way in this world? Of course, there is! You’re just unwilling to compromise.”

”Compromise?” the Great Mentor retorted. ”Facing such a threat, I should compromise? Kadi, you’re still young; you don’t understand the implications. No matter what your method is, it can’t stop Kuyi Tulan from causing harm.” The Great Mentor spoke earnestly, hoping Kadi wouldn’t be misled by temporary illusions.

However, Kadi showed no reaction, still tirelessly trying to convey his point. ”Back then, I would have done things differently, and it absolutely would have been a better choice than yours.”

”I’ve already explored every possibility; there are none left,” the Great Mentor patiently explained. He didn’t want Kadi to fall into some kind of irrational fixation.

”I’m not talking about possibilities! I’m talking about a real, tangible method!” Kadi exclaimed.

Actually, what he most wanted at this moment was for the Great Mentor to ask him: ”So, what exactly would you have chosen?”

What exactly would Kadi do?

”I would have made them come down the mountain,” Kadi stated, ”then used Kuren’s technique to render them completely helpless.”

Having said this, Kadi even gave a smug smile...