"We asked you for the bottom line of the minimal offer that we could build upon, but I have to admit, your requests are already over the top."

I didn't need to wait for the ascending wisdom sect elder to realize the implications behind my words and respond accordingly. I guess there was a reason why his sect bore wisdom in its very name!

"It's all about the ratio of profits and losses. I'm don't want you to go to war with them. All I need is a proper shield that won't falter if they offer something that could overshadow my worth in the short term. Thinking about it, aren't your sects just a step that every cultivator needs to use before finally embarking on the real road of cultivating?"

Wasting away in this city for weeks, I heard more than enough rumours and talks to understand the whole purpose of the sect system in the lower tier lands. While one thought they were supposed to gather people who cultivated similar techniques, for them to have a better shot at the competition over the resources, but that reasoning would falter under any attempt to approach it logically.

Why there were sects that despite being weaker, held a tight grip on far more fertile land that stronger organisations? If this was supposed to be a land where strong devours the weak, how could there be any sects coexisting, if there were even a single entity capable of bringing them to the ruin?

It was a natural drive for humanity to create empires, and for the empires to grow as big as they can before collapsing under their own weight, unless another powerhouse was able to stall its growth and force it to maintain its strength through a power struggle. There was more than enough of real-life proofs of this in Earth history, and there was no reason for the situation in this world to differ.

Unless all the sects that I could see in the city or hear about when listening to various travellers were already a part of a much greater organisation. Where did the rules stabilising their coexistence came from? Who created a law that higher sect or unaffiliated saint realm experts were banned from entering the lands of the lower realms?

While one could argue that the disparity of density of spiritual energy on the map was just a natural reason behind them, there was no way there wasn't a single degenerate that would abandon his ambitions of growing stronger in such murderous environment for the sake of carving a kingdom for himself amongst people far weaker than him.

All of this pointed towards the existence of a higher power, that created those rules and managed its enforcement. Since that was the case, more and more implications could be derived from it, leading the educated guess towards the most optimal way of managing the resources withing such a powerful body. Knowing the internal workings of the country - even if it was an unofficial one - allowed me to pick the path that suited me the most.

"You are both right and wrong at the same time. Why I can't deny that even after reaching the pinnacle of strength that our sects can cultivate in you, you will only arrive at the doorstep leading to the world far greater than what have you experienced so far. But it's also a truth that some people are simply not capable of reaching such heights, forcing them to create a community of their own. And let's be honest, even if you had it easy so far with your unorthodox means, that doesn't mean that your future prospects are endless!"

Dang, it was nice to speak to someone who was not only on a similar level of intellectual capabilities but also had enough knowledge to back up his intellect with actual facts. Thinking about it, I realised that we never properly introduce ourselves, forcing me to refer to this middle-aged man as an elder.

"I'm sorry for switching the topic a bit, but with how excited I was to speak to you, I have forgotten to keep my manners. While you know it already, I'm Bart Katenari, formerly known as Bart Hectra. May I have the honour of learning the esteemed elder's name?"

Hearing how silly was my reason to break the previous topic, the Elder couldn't help but smirk. Only after shaking his head to get force his upwardly curled lips back into line, he stood up and bowed slightly.

"My name is Lazan Qurva, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

After exchanging the small bows, we both sat down and returned to the topic. On the side note, I noticed that as soon as we started speaking about the deeper meaning of the choice that I would potentially make, Nadia turned rather silent, only watching our exchange.

"Turning back to the previous conversation, I believe that as long as you are willing to put up with the occasional backstabs from the Heavenly Sword Sect, they would still be the best choice for you. No matter what, they are the only sect that is in open conflict with the Dracons. If you were to join any other power, it would risk shattering the current status quo and plunging the entire region into a state of unrest. With that said, I can't support your candidature to my sec. We are not nearly powerful enough o handle the consequences."

While his refusal was polite, it didn't change the fact that it still closed one of the doors in front of me. With what was said, I didn't bear any hope while doing so but nevertheless turned to look at Nadia.

"I told you before that you will regret your actions… Or let's drop it. Even if you complied with my requests back then, I wouldn't be able to go against the interest of the sect and promise you a spot. Just like the old man said, you could be a destabilizing factor to the entire region. Even if I understand your plight with your current choice, it's not like life is supposed to be easy. We all had to sacrifice something in exchange for a chance to grow."

Only now did the reality dawned on me. Even if I would manage to either bribe or coerce some sect to accept my candidature, it would only take a short time before they would either throw me out or collapse under the weight of Katenari's schemes. In my current position, it would be far better to just clench my fists and bear with the things I didn't like instead of throwing away my chance to gain an easy ladder to climb on!