?


    "Hello, Grandfather," Elodie said in a respectful voice.


    "Don''t be too formal, you''re my granddaughter. Why did you ask to see me?"


    Elodie stood in front of a man who seemed to be in his fifties. His skin looked healthy, and his posture was powerful; he could also im to be in his forties. However, the truth was that Senior Elder Raziel of the Alchemy division, also known as Elodie''s grandfather, was over 300 years old.


    "I''ve met a boy yesterday," She began exining the reason.


    "Is that all? Your father can decide if he''s good enough, there''s no need for you to approach me. Unless your father refuses and you want me to change his mind?" Raziel jumped to conclusions before she couldplete her sentence.


    "No, it''s not that. It was Ken Sue, the rising star of the Sue n. We crossed paths in a mission at Soft Feather City, we defended the city together against a beast tide. He is still in his early teens yet powerful enough to be at the top of the age group for 18 to 24 years old, but there is more to him than that. He is also a fourth-rank formation master and an alchemist as well, although I don''t know his Alchemy rank."


    Elodie exined to her grandfather what she found special about the boy.


    "An alchemist? I''d hear about it if a direct descendant of the Sue n registered to the Alchemy division, perhaps he is not registered? Does the Sue n raise him all on their own because he''s a prodigy?"


    Raziel pondered about the information his granddaughter told him. It sounded weird that the Sue n won''t deploy the resources of the Alchemy division to raise such a promising youth.


    "I don''t know, maybe they paid someone to hide his registration? He and I parted on good terms, I believe we could get closer to the Sue n this way. One day, he might be a grand elder at the Formation Mastery division as well, so he''s worth making friends with even now," Elodie stated her reasoning.


    "That''s smart, maybe you''d make a good core disciple. Continue getting closer to him," Raziel instructed, prompting an ugly face from Elodie. It was a sore point for her that her brother got the core discipleship inheritance while she got an inferior one, only because she was a few years younger than him.


    "Thank you, Grandfather. I will try to get close to him," Elodie cupped her fist and left. She said all she had to say.


    -----------


    "Hello again, Grandfather. It hadn''t been long since we hadst seen each other, what''s the matter?"


    Another grandchild was meeting their grandfather almost at the same time. A beautiful boy with long ck hair and prative red eyes looked into Dominic Sue''s as if they were scanning his soul.


    "I''ve heard you decided to reveal your talent in Alchemy and Formation Mastery," Dominic said inly.


    "Your ears are very sharp then," Ken remarked. He wondered who notified his grandfather, it seemed that the old man had subordinates everywhere.


    "They are indeed, and they can even distinguish sarcasm. Watch your manners, Ken. Even if I appreciate talent as yours, it''s only useful if you are part of us, part of the n. A n is only strong if the members all contribute to it more than they take from it, then, and only then, will the n know prosperity."


    "I will remember your words, Grandfather," Ken said seriously. His innocent childish face could fool anyone into thinking he was the epitome of purity, but Dominic knew better.


    "Huh…" the old man sighed, "I understand that you don''t feel part of us because you didn''t interact with the other n members much. Unfortunately, Rose has failed to make you feel at home, and after you showed your superiority in strength, she had been hesitant about approaching you again. Especially when she saw you favor Annie''spany back then."


    Dominic looked at Ken with difficulty as he thought about what to do about him. On the one hand, he knew that it was not Ken''s fault that he did not feel any attachment to a n that kidnapped him and crippled his mother.


    On the other hand, he had to assimte into the n to be a true asset. A selfish member that only took from the n was a bad member, no matter how talented he was.


    Dominic even believed that Ken gave Annie the poison aware of her fragile mind state, and somehow pushed her into poisoning her parents implicitly. It was a horrifying thought when remembering Ken was only seven at the time.


    "I''ve worked hard to find a master for you. Having a master can help you blend into a sect and provide you with a confidant you trust," Dominic finally stated the real reason he called for Ken.


    ''Last time he said they found me too bloodthirsty and cruel, hence refusing to take me as a disciple. Is it because of my changed luck?'' Ken thought to himself before responding. "Did you find anyone?" he asked.


    "It''splicated. My uncle, Grand Elder Fernando, is willing to teach you. He is the only practitioner of the flexible sword in our n, and he can instruct you on how to use it. The problem is that you cannot totally trust him without joining one of his descendants'' factions. He is now 800 years old, and there are still two centuries remaining to his lifespan."


    Dominic attentively observed Ken''s expression, but nothing changed. It remained the face of a curious child throughout the exnation. In the old man''s eyes, two centuries must seem like an eternity to a 9-year-old, so Ken probably does not see Fernando as nearing his death.


    "What will happen to me if I join one of his descendants?"


    "Then you will lose the trust of your closer rtives like Rose''s parents. Furthermore, you''ll have to support someone else and will lose your chance at getting the seat of the patriarch. You won''t be in danger of any kind, the n will still protect you, and as long as you help the n reach new heights, nobody from within will be after your life. A n in which the members directly try to get each other killed will never remain at the top."


    Dominic exined the consequences. He preferred that Ken remains in the same factions of his own offspring, but ultimately, factions were mainly a way to promotepetition and hard work from the younger generations. Not only the youngest one; even Dominic himself was considered one of the younger generations in the n.


    In the grand scheme of things, it was more important to assimte Ken into the n, no matter which specific faction he wants to support.


    "What about the weaker members of the ns? Aren''t they being discriminated against?" Ken asked curiously.


    "They get fewer resources, but they''re just as safe as anyone else. They get jobs to manage our properties in the continent and enjoy afortable life. Even if their children don''t enjoy the same opportunities as mine, they surely enjoy better ones thanmoners and all of them enter the inner sect."


    ''It is a privilege. By having their ce in the inner sect guaranteed, additionally to the ess to knowledge only present in the n, they have the minimum opportunities required to have a chance at entering the Supremacy Phase even if their parents were not sessful in their cultivation,'' Ken approved the way of the n.


    "I will be honored to be taught by Grand-Uncle Fernando. As an alchemist and a formation master, I believe my weight in the sect will be cross-factions, and I might not have to choose a side. Besides, I don''t have any aspirations to be the n''s head."


    Ken selected his words carefully. It was all lies, in a couple of months, he will be considered a cmity for the sect, and it was not time to antagonize his future protectors.