"So in just the two days that you were unconscious, your whole faction was broken apart by others and absorbed?" Han Xuhan said, still not quite convinced after Shen Mi had explained the whole matter.

"That's a little too fast, don't you think? Your faction has been in power for a decade. How did the members of the Phoenix Faction change sides so decisively?"

"They were being solicited to change sides since recruitment. The other three main factions have been conspiring for a decade too. Things went out of hand when brother Feng Jun and his close followers disappeared inside that world fragment. I was barely holding it together. With me out of the way and the pressure of this new, competitive environment of the tournament, almost nobody found it prudent to stay in our dying faction."

"What about when Feng Jun returns, though? He has at least half a dozen fellow disciples with him at the peak of the Physique Transformation Realm, and the legacy of the Holy Land in his hands. They can reform the foundation of your faction easily."

Shen Mi looked around the room cautiously, meeting the eyes of the dozen disciples who were still loyal to her faction. Han Xuhan felt like he had stumbled upon the cusp of a secret.

Gesturing at him to sit closer so that she could whisper in his ears, Shen Mi dropped a bomb.

"Isn't it obvious? That's what they want! They want Brother Feng Jun to return with the legacy of the Holy Land and see that his original faction, his followers, and his backers have all defected. At that time, Brother Jun will be either forcefully assimilated into one of these factions, or he'll be pressured into sharing the legacy under the condition of being allowed to reform his faction!"

"...Fucking hell," Han Xuhan cursed audibly. "I didn't see that coming. Are they confident that Feng Jun will be able to get out of the world fragment and return to his former sect?"

"Does it matter? They're benefitting either way," Shen Mi said, rolling her eyes. Inadvertently, her gaze fell on one of her fellow disciples at a corner of the room.

"I did my best, sister Mi," Ning Xueshi sighed facing Shen Mi's reproachful look. "It's true that our martial siblings all looked up to me when you were unconscious. I fought beyond my abilities to defend the honor of our faction in the assemblies. But I'm just one person. Those who defected would have done so eventually, regardless of how brilliant a lone member of a faction is."

"I'm not blaming you, Xueshi," Shen Mi said. But they all could hear the mechanical tone those words had arrived with.

Han Xuhan listened to the unenthusiastic debates that followed their exchange. The other eleven disciples wore a similarly guilty, helpless look as consolations and regrets washed over the cabin. The atmosphere was somber. Deeming it inappropriate for an outsider like him to interrupt them, Han Xuhan continued to listen, taking in information and analyzing the situation at a better depth.

His deal with Feng Jun was that he would help the Phoenix Faction eliminate some of its pressure. Feng Jun had revealed some crucial details at that time to help him wade through the deep waters of the Stardust Sect. He knew that the faction conflict wasn’t limited within the disciple body. Even the Elders were locked in a constant struggle for more benefits, anything to enrich their faction.

As he learned more about the situation first-hand here, the picture in his mind became clearer. The Phoenix Faction had lost quite a few elders over the last couple decades, some dead, some had disappeared, and some had simply left the sect after years of service. The circle of Elders on the other factions was becoming stronger in comparison. This was why it had been so easy for them to tear the Phoenix Faction to pieces. Perhaps the only neutral power in the sect was the Sect Master himself. Feng Jun had also confirmed it before. But with this clarity, a new doubt rose.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Why did the Sect Master of Stardust Sect do nothing to prevent the escalation of infighting at such a scale in his sect?

After the doubt came alive in his mind, Han Xuhan could no longer sit still.

"Sister Mi, why didn't your sect master do something about it? If even you disciples can see through the situation at a glance, how come he can't? Or does he actually support the disintegration of your faction?"

The expressions inside the cabin shifted immediately, uncertain eyes meeting each other and looking away. Han Xuhan noticed a tension rising.

"The Sect Master... is preoccupied with his cultivation. We haven’t seen him coming out of his palace in almost a year. We've tried to contact him multiple times, but his palace guards never let us. The Elders also don't let you off if they sense your intentions."

"Isn't that awfully convenient..." Han Xuhan chewed on his words. "A year? Is he preparing for a major realm breakthrough?"

Shen Mi rolled her eyes. "How would we know? He's a cultivator at the Moth To A Flame stage. We don't even know what cultivators do in that realm."

"...Wait, the what to what stage?" Han Xuhan was flabbergasted, to say the least.

Shen Mi sighed in exasperation and began to explain. "The sect master was originally a disciple of the infinity faction. Disciples in this faction are more suited for esoteric arts than the others. For example, I can cultivate the art of divination, but all it takes is one rookie like Leng Qing from that faction to defeat me in a competition. Even the predictions he fabricates are better than my guesses in terms of quality. Over the centuries since the Infinity faction was created, their style and techniques of cultivation deviated so much from the rest of the sect that they decided to reform their very idea of cultivation and its stages. I have heard of only three of these renamed major realms they prefer over the orthodox stages. The initial major realm is called the Starseer stage, then comes the Frog In A Well stage, and then the Moth To A Flame stage."

"....Those are some very odd names," Han Xuhan commented unnecessarily. "Are you sure they're not just messing with the four main factions for laughs?"

"In that case, why would they give their own ranks such stupid names? We heard some of our seniors call their peers in the higher stages frogs and bugs as insults."

"I see. Do these stages correspond to the orthodox realms? Starseers equal to those in the Physique Transformation realm, Frogs-"

"That's not a practical comparison, actually," Shen Mi said, interrupting him midway. "The divination techniques we cultivate have minimal effect on the practitioner's physique. Those pursuing them can't compare to ordinary cultivators. To make up for their lacking physique, they rely on secondary methods, such as body-cultivation, or a technique that puts a lot of focus on enhancing bodily attributes."

Han Xuhan recalled the data Fang Xie's hit-list had shown three days ago. So that was why Leng Qing had cultivated his body alongside his divination skills!

Seeing how talkative and unguarded Shen Mi was at the moment, Han Xuhan quickly asked, "Did you say your sect master himself is at the Moth To A Flame stage? Unless you skipped a major realm between those three that you’ve named, that's only the third major realm. Isn't that a little low for a sect master?"

Shen Mi sent him a look of disbelief. "Low? You think having a cultivation base in the third major realm is low? How many cultivators of that stage do you know, huh?"

Han Xuhan recalled the vague rumors circulating the Crimson Snow Sect. In terms of strength and influence, they were about the same as the Stardust Sect, maybe a degree higher. But he knew at least half a dozen Elders in the sect who supposedly had a cultivation base at the third major realm, including Kong Ye and Treasurer Shen.

As for Xuan Zi, the sect master himself, Han Xuhan was pretty sure that the man was in the fourth major realm, or close to it, at least. His banters with Fang Xie had made that quite clear.

Why did these two equal sects have such a disparity between them? Or was there something wrong with Shen Mi's information? Han Xuhan concluded that the latter was probably the truth. But he didn't need to point out her mistake. So he just laughed awkwardly and let the matter go.

Right then, a series of loud commotions rose outside. A couple of disciples left the cabin to check the source. They returned very quickly. Both of them looked pale from fright.

"Invaders. Two teams at once, and both seem to be from big sects. They've issued us an open challenge for duels."

"Why are you two worried?" Shen Mi said. "It's not like you're gonna be picked to fight them."

"...Sister Mi, the other four factions answered their challenge by nominating the faction in the seat of power to represent the sect. And technically, that still refers to us. The disintegration of our faction is not official yet."

"Those scheming bastards! What the hell?!" Shen Mi roared in fury, trying to rise from her bed. But the effort evidently caused her more than a little pain, judging by her twisted face.

Han Xuhan was impressed. The leaders of the other four factions of the Stardust Sect were really good at their job!