Following their expulsion by Harun, Mukri, Gulseni, Cildar, Gulik and Zoran were sitting crossed-legged beside a Toxic Ascension Road, engaged in a mild debate.
"I'm confused. Why are you two cultivating a different path from us? Is the Spiritual Lord punishing you?" Cildar asked, speaking words that'd already become common gossip in the Birusk clan. Recalling how Mukri and Gulseni joined their ranks, many clansmen believed that their Spiritual Lord resolved to challenge their mental fortitude before leading them onto the path of enlightenment. Aware of those thoughts, Mukri and Gulseni didn't take it hard. Though the latter's eyelids twitched.
"Is a different road that unacceptable? I didn't peg you as the discriminating type," Gulseni countered, but unlike his simpleminded brothers who took a moment to ponder the words, Cildar waved his hand dismissively, "If it's too slow, of course it's unacceptable. I can feel that at your current speed, it will take you at least 80 years to break through another level. After that, you will keep getting slower. On our end, should things stay the same, some will reach their limits, but the majority's progress will leave you in the dust. Better, not only is each new generation more outstanding than the previous one, but thanks to our Spiritual Lord's blessings, many more are breaking the talent barrier. Your future isn't optimistic," Cildar spoke the facts, making both Mukri and Gulseni speechless.
To them, 15 years was nothing—at worst comparable to a week or month in a mortal man's life. So often, they could shut their eyes to the realities of their situation. Exchanging a glance, Mukri and Gulseni saw similar thoughts in one another's eyes. But while Mukri's eyes only had the fear of becoming useless, Gulseni's showed conflicting interests. So far, she could use Harun's control of her existence to justify her current position. But once she willingly surrendered to his path, the betrayal was complete.
In Gulseni's eyes, strength was an instrument. Loyalty came first. If she cared for strength more than loyalty, she'd still be in the Saint-Empress Court, enjoying the Holy Land's resources. However, strength, wealth, resources and all those tools could only accomplish so much. Without adamantine loyalty, all could collapse given a single opportunity. Relationships, bonds, factions, dreams neither of those could survive without a reliable form of loyalty. And in Gulseni's heart, her loyalty belonged to one person only: Dilnaz. If not because she recognized Jiyan, and saw Dilnaz in her figure, Gulseni couldn't sleep at night.
But driven by simpler thoughts, Mukri flashed a fawning smile at Cildar and said, "Boy, you make perfect sense. Actually, the Spiritual Lord isn't punishing us or anything. We're all loyal subordinates. Why would he suppress us? Truth is, he's just testing our willpower and solidarity. As long as you three beg His Lordship alongside us, the problem is solved," Mukri sought support, unaware of how right he was.
With Cildar as the Chief Disciple, those three brats led the outer sect and made more contributions in a month than Mukri did in a decade. With a casual trip, they'd bring back priceless treasures and receive the Lord's praise. Mukri had long stopped trying to compete with them.
Although he didn't possess a Divine Sense, like his brothers, Cildar's physical senses had risen to a transcendental level, enabling him to observe all across hundreds of meters and smell the emotional fluctuations of those in his range. How could he not see through Mukri's thoughts? But having received Harun's guidance across 15 years, Cildar had learned much of His Lord's disposition, and from the start aimed for this reaction. But before he could agree, Harun's voice thundered in the five's mind, ordering them to the temple's gates.
Instantly, the three youths vanished—racing toward the temple. Seeing the haste at which they answered their lord's summon, Mukri and Gulseni shook their heads, and followed suit—though the latter lagged behind.
…
Over 300 clansmen assembled at the gates of Harun's temple, all sitting on their knees in perfect rows and columns, awaiting his appearance. Between the moment Harun sent the summon and their ordered gathering, only five seconds had passed. Despite having the highest speed, Gulseni and Mukri were far from the earliest to arrive. Both restrained a bout of cold sweat, feeling that the Birusk clansmen were too...intense.
A column of golden light descended from the sky, and from it, Harun and Jiyan emerged. Immediately, the clansmen hailed their Lord's name and bowed in greetings. With a hand wave, Harun let them rise, and alongside Jiyan, swept all clansmen. Their gazes triggered drastically different results. While they sought a direct connection to Harun's gaze at all times, the Birusk clansmen avoided Jiyan's like the plague. The Fortune Trio aside, there were few exceptions.
Black lines stretched Harun's forehead, while Jiyan sighed in helplessness. Across those fifteen years, though her innate abilities remained far from their limits, Jiyan's figure reached perfection, with every inch carrying an irresistible appeal. At the same time, the floral scent surrounding her body grew deadlier, able to overwhelm those below the celestial-level within three seconds. Without someone to explain its source and guide her steps, it took Jiyan several weeks to put that beguiling force under control.
But by then, the damage was done. Now, 90% of the clan believed Jiyan was a fox demoness summoned by Harun to test the will of men and the self-confidence of women. At first, thinking the matter hilarious, Harun didn't deny it. But after the joke ran its course, awkwardness replaced it. He had to put an end to that atmosphere.
"Jiyan, sit at the forefront, what I have to say concerns you too," Harun said, and while she didn't know what he had in mind, Jiyan stepped toward the group. Immediately, they slid back, freeing a plot of land for her. Ignoring the clansmen's glaring anxiety, Jiyan sat.
"Sixteen years have passed since I descended into this land and formed our Karmic Bond. In that time, you've constantly challenged yourselves and clashed with your natural limits. I am proud of you," Harun started, immediately grabbing the clan's attention.
"Later, I will leave for the Dark Stone Capital to save this country from its woes and lead the willing ones onto the path of enlightenment. However, one person must follow me to spread our gospel and handpick the chosen ones. That person will keep receiving my direct guidance and inherit my legacy. Only someone with a stainless and transparent mind, wholly devoted to the road and gospel, can take that seat.
I will now put you all to the test. The winner receives the title of Saint, and becomes my partner on this journey to the west," Harun proclaimed in a grave and solemn tone, but lied through his teeth. Seeing the Birusk clansmen about to get conned by their Spiritual Lord, the System heaved a sigh that resounded in Harun's mind.
Unprecedented determination shone in the clansmen's eyes. Faced with their absolute devotion, Harun almost felt ashamed—almost—but recalled that this was all for the greater good. Sitting crossed-legged, Harun joined his hands in a prayer sign, dark-blue light surged from his body, and a 10 meters tall Dharma Protector appeared at his back. With three heads, nine eyes and six arms, the Dharma Protector should have appeared unspeakably fearsome.
However, five of his arms seemed bound in chains, and of his nine eyes, only the one in the middle of his central head opened. The rest remained tightly shut. Still, before that Dharma Protector, the clansmen felt a surge of awe and reverence unrelated to Harun. As if the Cultivation Bridge they stood on stirred in its presence. Jiyan was no different. Strangely, Mukri and Gulseni couldn't see or sense the Dharma Protector.
But as Jiyan and the clansmen regained their wits, 316 dark-blue tendrils shot from the Dharma Protector's eye--piercing all their foreheads!