A Different Vision
Nyxiel sighed, rubbing her temple. "What is it now?"
Ray's gaze didn't waver.
"I will teach the disciples myself whatever I want, however I want. You shall not interfere."
Nyxiel's eyes narrowed.
Ray remained calm, yet his presence carried weight.
"If I'm going to build a force that stands supreme, then I have to refine every single detail down to the smallest flaw."
His fingers tapped lightly against his arm, his golden eyes sharp.
"Strength isn't just about raw power it starts from the foundation. A table stands strong only when its legs are firm."
His gaze bore into hers.
"And disciples?"
"They are the legs of a sect."
"No matter how powerful a sect may seem, if its disciples have the wrong mindset and morals, it will never go far. Its strength will always be shallow."
Even while sitting, his words carried an unusual weight.
"In the end, everything depends on those in charge on the ones teaching and shaping them. The better the masters, the stronger the disciples. And the stronger the disciples, the greater the sect becomes."
Nyxiel listened silently, her expression unreadable.
She exhaled, her tone measured.
"Of course, I know that. The teachings of the sect will always be in the right place. They will learn cultivation, fighting skills, survival all the essentials needed to thrive in this world."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Isn't that what all sects do?"
"This is how it works. The stronger the sect, the more disciples come, and their only goal is to become stronger."
"Cultivate. Fight. Seize opportunities. Battle the heavens."
Her voice lowered into a whisper, almost as if stating an absolute truth.
"The goals of cultivators never change it is always about cultivation."
"They take everything this vast existence has to offer grow stronger, seek enlightenment, chase immortality, hunger for power, or simply battle fate."
"This is what every single being in the cultivation world desires from mortals to even immortals."
She stopped, her words lingering in the air.
She was questioning him.
What was he even talking about?
What was the difference?
Then
Ray suddenly stood up.
The wooden bed creaked under the movement.
Nyxiel's eyes widened slightly.
Even in his weakened state, with his body screaming in pain, he forced himself up.
His shoulders were tense, his body stiff, but he didn't care.
Ray exhaled.
And then he spoke.
"That's exactly the problem."
His voice was calm but firm.
"Cultivation. Cultivation. Cultivation."
He stretched slightly, wincing as pain rippled through his body.
"So boring."
Nyxiel's brows furrowed.
Ray rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness.
"It's always the same thing."
His voice lowered.
"It's a good thing to become stronger. But I believe that strength should have meaning. A goal."
Nyxiel's gaze darkened.
Ray clenched his fist.
"Cultivation alone should never be the only purpose in life."
He looked at her, his golden eyes burning.
"There is more to life than just power."
Nyxiel remained silent, listening.
Ray's voice grew heavier.
"I want to teach them something different."
He spread his arms slightly.
"I want to teach them how to live."
Nyxiel's eyes flickered.
"Not just how to cultivate. Not just how to fight, seize opportunities, and live for thousands of years only to chase profits and power."
He exhaled sharply, his frustration clear.
"Only looking at what is profitable shouldn't be the only way to live."
His golden eyes darkened.
"The common sense of this world… The idea that the strong rule, that everything has a price, that nothing matters without cultivation"
His jaw tightened.
"That cultivation is greater than loyalty… greater than relationships… greater than emotions."
Nyxiel noticed the sudden shift in his expression.
He was somewhere else.
Lost in memories.
A betrayal.
A wound that had never healed.
Nyxiel didn't pry.
But she understood.
Ray slowly looked back at her, his expression unreadable.
"Do you know what I hate most?"
His voice was eerily calm.
"The fact that when someone betrays you for profit, everyone around accepts it as normal."
He let out a cold chuckle.
"As if relationships, emotions, and loyalty are nothing compared to cultivation."
He shook his head.
"Everyone around me will see beyond this narrow perspective."
His hands clenched at his sides.
"Maybe they won't reach the pinnacle of strength. Maybe they won't conquer the heavens or stand at the peak of existence."
"But that's alright."
His voice softened.
"They will see something and live something far more than anyone else."
He met her gaze again, determined.
"I will change the people around me."
"I will make them look at this world with different eyes."
"Not just as a playground for power and profit."
A long silence settled between them.
Nyxiel's ice-blue eyes didn't waver.
And then
She let out a small, quiet laugh.
A smirk played on her lips.
"…Interesting."
Ray blinked.
She crossed her arms.
"You say a lot of big words, Vice Leader."
A small gleam of amusement flickered in her gaze.
"Let's see if you can actually prove them."
Ray grinned.
"Oh, I will."
Nyxiel raised an eyebrow, her voice cool.
"Just don't make them weak chickens. Emotion, relationships everything without strength is nothing. It will only hurt you."
She exhaled, shaking her head.
"And just because I'm giving you permission doesn't mean you get to act like some dictator ruling and forcing them."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"You gotta teach them, not force them."
A forced smile flickered across her lips, but Ray saw through it.
She was concerned.
Even though she had agreed, there was doubt in her mind.
"Is this kind of ideal even possible? Is it even worth it?"
"Sounds stupid."
She thought to herself.
"Well… maybe he'll wake up to reality after some time. He's only a mortal for now, after all."
Ray met her gaze and shrugged.
"I don't believe in leadership."
Ray's voice was calm, confident like a man who had just figured out the meaning of life.
"I believe in what works."
Nyxiel sighed, rubbing her temples. Yeah, yeah, whatever. She had bigger things to worry about like the entire future of their so-called sect.
Ray snapped out of his philosophical musings and turned to her. "Anyway, where are we?"
Nyxiel avoided his gaze, her eyes fixed on the rickety wooden ceiling.
"Our sect land. On the mountain."
Ray whistled. "Oh, nice, nice. We must be somewhere in the outer ring, then."
He took a slow look around cheap furniture, walls that looked one strong breeze away from collapsing, and a rock-hard bed that had already betrayed his back.
He nodded to himself.
"Yeah… this place is kinda meh," he muttered. "Well, whatever. I deserve better anyway. As the Second Sect Leader, I should be in the main hall, not this" He waved a hand at their shabby surroundings. "budget training facility."
He clapped his hands together with enthusiasm.
"Let's head to the sect grounds and announce my arrival to the disciples and elders!"
Nyxiel hesitated.
"Uh… about that"
Ray, already lost in his excitement, continued.
"By the way, how many disciples do we have? A million? Two million?" He nodded to himself. "I mean, even weak sects have at least a few hundred thousand, right?"
Nyxiel opened her mouth… then closed it.
Ray frowned.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
A bad feeling crept up his spine.
"...It's fine," he reassured himself. "Even if we only have like a hundred thousand disciples, I can work with that."
Silence.
Nyxiel still wasn't saying anything.
Ray's eye twitched.
"Wait," he said slowly, "don't tell me… it's only in the tens of thousands?"
Nyxiel cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at him.
Her face remained straight but the way her hands twitched slightly betrayed her.
Ray let out a nervous chuckle.
"Oh, come on, just say it. What's the actual number?"
Nyxiel took a deep breath, straightened her back, and delivered the fatal blow.
"Two."
Ray blinked.
"...Two hundred thousand?"
Nyxiel shook her head.
"...Twenty thousand?"
She shook her head again.
Ray's expression stiffened.
"Two thousand?"
Nyxiel coughed. "No. Just… two."
A pause.
Ray stared blankly.
"Two hundred?"
Nyxiel shook her head.
"…Two people?"
She nodded.
Ray's soul ascended. His brain refused to process reality.
"HUHHHHHHHHHHH!?!?!?"
Nyxiel stood firm, watching him slowly break down.
Ray pointed at her. "You mean you…"
Then at himself. "And me…?"
"Yep."
Ray staggered back like he'd just been struck by lightning.
"No elders?"
"Nope."
"No disciples?"
"Just us."
"No grumpy old guy sweeping the courtyard?!?"
Nyxiel sighed. "If you want, you can go outside and pretend to sweep?"
Ray collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head.
"This isn't a sect… this is TWO BROKE PEOPLE SQUATTING ON A MOUNTAIN!"
Nyxiel shrugged.
"Welcome, Vice Sect Leader."
Ray groaned.
"Kill me."
"Can't. That'd cut our sect population in half."
Ray covered his face.
"I can't believe this. My legendary sect… has a membership of two."
Nyxiel smirked.
"Hey, at least we have a 1:1 master-disciple ratio. Pretty efficient, right?"
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Is it going slow guys? should i fasten it