Published at 27th of August 2024 7:36 am

Chapter 1243 Chat On a Floating Rock

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Mongke walked out of the planning meeting, his mind already wandering somewhere. When he returned to his quarters, Mongke summoned a pen and parchment and started writing. Despite how small the brush was, Mongke's writing was impeccable due to his ungodly control over his body.

He wrote notes or observations about Wang Wei, from the latter's behavior, mindset, tactical abilities, and even subtle micro-expressions. Mongke even wrote about Wang Wei's flaws, like his often casual demeanor, which Mongke viewed as not appropriate for a leader. If your subordinates are too comfortable for you, it becomes easier for them to walk out of line.

Of course, Mongke also recognized that Wang Wei can instantly switch from joyous and casual to noble and intimidating. His personality could not walk this fine line, so Mongke decided not to learn from this aspect. Another critique he had was that Wang Wei was not ruthless enough.

He believed Wang Wei should have been more harsh on the demoness, especially the Poison Demoness. Her resentment at being reproached was visible, and if he were him, he would have punished her harsher.

'Maybe this was a wise choice since the group has just been established,' Mongke pondered on the last criticism. 'Kindness is also a weapon that can be used as a means of control. I can learn from this mindset.'

Mongke continued writing his observations and analysis, all with the desire to improve himself as a cultivator and a leader. 'His first instinct seems to resolve any situation using the less violent approach. I learned this lesson before, but he's more extreme. Negotiation seems to be the first solution, and he also ensures that everybody benefits while he benefits the most — even if that is usually secretly. That is a good approach to things.'

Mongke wrote down his last thought. "I have much to improve, and it seems it won't be easy to reach his level," he uttered.

"We have plenty of time," Dulgun, who sat next to him, reassured. "Wisdom cannot be acquired or achieved in one day."

"That's true," Mongke nodded. "Tell me what you —" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, frowning intensely. Dulgun waited for ten minutes before asking. "Is something alright?"

"I feel a brilliant idea coming my way, but it keeps eluding me."

"Oh? What kind of idea?"

"One that could help my situation and even break all the shackles I'm facing."

"That's quite the idea. Did you catch it yet?"

"No," Mongke replied, not hiding his frustration. He tried countless memories, mind, and spiritual techniques and skills but still could not catch the idea.

"Maybe this is not the right time for this idea," Dulgun reassured.

"Maybe you're right," Mongke sighed. "Huh?" He looked in the distance and suddenly stood up as he had detected something. 'Should I provide assistance? No, he would ask if he needed it, so let's just wait.'

…

Wang Wei was left alone after the meeting. He discussed the group's next course of action in detail, including moving out of the Lawless Zone. Now, he only had two things to finish: Gu Xuan's Secret Resources and payback to Empyrean Black Heart. As for the group? They had their own task since the conquest was not completed.

There were a few scattered Empyreans or Tier 11 Insurgents in this place. Those people did not join or build any large factions, but they were powerful enough to remain relatively independent. The group's next task was to bring these people under his command.

'What should I do first?' Wang Wei contemplated. Gu Xuan's treasure is not going away anytime soon, but he is also not in a hurry to beat up Empyrean Black Heart since he tasked people to look out for that bastard. These tasks bring him immense pleasure, so it is a decision of which pleasure to experience first — acquiring great wealth or finally getting revenge (petty revenge).

'It's probably best I —' Wang Wei suddenly stood up from his cushion as he sensed something. 'So? Finally showed up?' He teleported to an isolated location of the lawless zone full of debris of destroyed planets, dimensions, and vast continents. An elderly man dressed in black and gold sat on a floating rock with a pot of tea and two cups before him.

"Come. Seat. Let's chat," said the old man with a smile, his brown eyes calm but reassuring.

Wang Wei looked at this person. He could not detect anything, no matter the mean; it was as if a normal mortal was in front of him, but that analogy made no sense since he could see everything from a mortal. He checked the surroundings before accepting the offer.

"You can call me Old Man Dai, or, if you want to be more formal, just call me the Hidden Master like the people here do."

"Wang Wei."

"I know. I know more than you think," Old Man Dai said, pouring tea for both of them. Wang Wei carefully sipped. The tea was subpar for something served by a Paragon, but it was understandable, given the latter was stuck in this hell hole.

"I know it's lackluster, but it's the best I can offer."

"What is this meeting for?" Wang Wei asked directly. "Are you here to show off and put me in place or something?"

"No. I'm here to talk and clarify things," Old Man Dai reassured. "Firstly, we are not enemies."

"Oh? How so?"

"As soon as I recognized you and your destiny, I decided not to interfere in your affairs. In fact, I wished I could help."

Wang Wei finally understood the Hidden Master's mindset and why he let him conquer this place. Of course, that's assuming he's telling the truth and not scheming something.

"Why can't you help me?"

"I love my life too much," Old Man Dai replied. "Leaving this place is guaranteed death. Plus, I'm not young enough, so it's best to leave the fighting to the youngsters."

Youthfulness was more of a mindset for cultivators, so Wang Wei would not comment on Old Man Dai's last statement. "You do know if the two suns came here to kill you, you have no chance of surviving, right?"

"They are too busy balancing each other to care about little old me," Old Man Dai chuckled. "Plus, it's not like I don't have a chance."

"Those are bold worlds," Wang Wei said, suddenly intrigued.

"Have you heard about the two most popular theories on how this place came to be?"

"I have."

"Well, they are both true," Old Man Dai said. "Long, long, long time ago, this place was created by a man with an outrageous amount of hatred and obsession. He even sacrificed his life to make this place. However, he did not stop at that.

"He somehow convinced True Heavenly Dao, probably through merit or something else, to help him make a safe zone in the Eternal Ascension World before sacrificing himself to imbue this place with his will and obsession.

"So, even if Supreme Unity took complete control of True Heavenly Dao to lift the power it kept in this place, or Maitreya went the extreme route and eradicated True Heavenly Dao's power, the obsession should buy me enough time to run and escape through the Source Qi Space."

"You thought a lot about this, haven't you?"

"It's one of the main thoughts that keep this old man the most at night," Old Man Dai chuckled.

"Yes," Wang Wei muttered before squinting. "You seem to know a lot of secrets or hidden truths."

"Didn't I tell you? I know more than you think."

"My question is how?" Wang Wei followed up.

"That is my secret to keep," Old Man Dai smiled.

"My thought is four ways to explain it," Wang Wei continued before counting with his finger. "One: you're an unparalleled genius like me who can deduce these truths from a data pool. Two: You're a diviner, unlike anything the world has seen. Three: You have one of the best information agencies in the world. Four: you have direct information from the inside.

"Which one is the correct one? Can you tell me, or do you want me to deduce it?"

Old Man Dai secretly cursed himself. Why did he have to show up by appearing more mysterious and revealing so much information?

"I think you're overthinking," he responded, his expression unchanged.

"Let's see," Wang Wei continued, looking him in the eye. "You talk like you know a lot about me, but this is the first time we've met, so where did your information come from? We can start by eliminating the fact that you're an unparalleled diviner."

Wang Wei was a master of fate and a Fateless, so he doubted Old Man Dai could divine his information without him even detecting a hint of it. This might be possible if the old man was a top Paragon. But if that were the case, the two suns would have eliminated him no matter the price needed to pay.

"The subsequent elimination is the best information agency in the world. You would need a lot of money and resources to build something like that. And if you had succeeded, your way of life in the Lawless Zone would not be much different on the outside. Additionally, the parasites would put more effort into eliminating if you had access to such resources.

"The third to eliminate is intelligence. You don't conduct yourself in such a manner. However, that's not a completely valid reason to discard your intelligence. After all, you may be putting on an act capable of even fulling me. No, I eliminated intelligence because that also requires data. You can't deduce such knowledge and secrets without some basic information.

"You don't know me, and we have never met, so how would you know much about me? How did you know enough about Maitreya and Supreme Unity to deduce their strength and capabilities?

"We've already determined you don't have one of the best spy agencies in the world, so where did your information originate from?" Wang Wei asked, looking him directly in the eyes. He was already on guard, preparing for things to get sour.

Old Man Dai sighed deeply. "He told me to be careful when dealing with you. I should have listened."

"Who?"

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