"My first demand is answers," Han Xuhan said as he sat down, face-to-face with the sect master of the Stardust Sect. "Your greeting alone gave birth to many questions, senior Mingyu. Why did you call me a heavenly emissary? How do you know that I have come to you with demands? And what exactly do you mean by 'regaining your freedom'?"

The fat, grimy man waved a hand nonchalantly. "I was on the cusp of a breakthrough, stuck in a tribulation caused by my own heart. I kept cursing the heavens for my own weaknesses. So when you came to undo my mistakes, I found it fitting to call you an emissary from the heavens. There is nothing more to it."

"...Okay." Han Xuhan wasn’t so sure that he was telling the truth. But he chose not to argue.

"As for how I know of your intentions to come here...a question that's simple to ask, with an answer that may be difficult to accept. The answer is that I foresaw it. I'm pretty good at that."

"Oh no," Han Xuhan said. "That's not an answer I find hard to accept. I've been told that you excel at it."

"Not everyone likes that," Li Mingyu said with a shrug. "Most cultivators hate an oracle who doesn’t help them choose."

"Choose what? The jargon you were spouting earlier about paths and fates?"

"Everything. You'll get it someday. Today, I believe, you're in a hurry. What I am in the dark about is why, and what you want me to do."

Han Xuhan felt a little weirded out by the direction their interaction was going. His assumption about experts like Li Mingyu was that they'd speak in riddles and give vague, evasive answers to every question. Even Leng Qing, the only other oracle-ish cultivator he knew didn't speak in such a straightforward manner.

"Senior Mingyu, what is your opinion on the factionalism thriving in your sect? Are you bothered by it? Do you dislike any of them?"

Li Mingyu frowned, lips pressed into a thin line. "The wise say that unity is strength. I do not believe it, at least not when it comes to a large group of people with the same goal—for example, a sect. Here, healthy competition breeds the strength, and unity among them is as fragile as a cicada's wing. Only the presence of more strength, a higher power, can regulate their growth and actions. So, to directly answer your question, I do not dislike the factionalism in my sect, and neither do I dislike any factions in particular."

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"Then are you aware that the Phoenix faction of your sect is about to be disbanded as we speak? Their handful of members are performing an act of final stand, and considering how long I have been stuck with you, their final stand is probably on its last pair of legs."

Han Xuhan expected to see some surprise, since Li Mingy's previous answer had that neutral tone. But he was greeted with an expressionless face.

"I am indeed aware. In fact, I knew this day was coming."

"You predicted that, too?!" Han Xuhan asked, a little shocked.

"Not in the way you're thinking," Li Mingyu said, laughing lightly. "Their faction has produced three generations of disciples we could take pride in. Not a single one of those geniuses is left. Even some of the Elders who taught them and supported them have disappeared or died. Quite the mystery, really. I'm quite certain that the other factions had nothing to do with the situation. Each of them thinks the other two did it."

"In that case, why have you not done anything to prevent this day from coming? With your abilities, surely, you could've prevented the Phoenix faction's tragic downfall...?" Han Xuhan asked. In the back of his mind, a sense of alarm was gradually rising. He hadn’t assumed that Li Mingyu would be so apathetic to the chaos in his sect. But even so, Han Xuhan had one last card up his sleeve. He could still pressure this man, regardless of his attitude.

"Tragic downfall?" A sharp hint of reproach seeped into Li Mingyu's tone. "There's nothing tragic about it. They've occupied the seat of power for over a decade. They've pushed away the potential geniuses from the other four factions directly, indirectly, and sometimes, unfairly, hogging the resources of the sect like a wild dragon. Now, their faction has failed to hold up that glory. So don't you think it is better to let the other factions step in and take charge for a while? Granted, the same story will play out over the next decade, no matter which faction usurps the seat of power. That's the way the world is."

Han Xuhan raised a hand, stopping him before another tirade.

"Sect Master Mingyu, I'm not talking about letting them stay in the seat of power. I just hope that you can let them maintain their dignity and position as a major faction, that's all."

"Maintain their position with what?" Li Mingyu's tone became colder. "They don't have the numbers to deal with the responsibilities of a major faction. They don't have the capability to go toe to toe against the other three major factions either. Do you want me to coddle them and fight off the other nine-tenths of the sect? I appreciate that you helped me cross the breakthrough threshold, even though you did it unknowingly. But you're asking me to do an act of injustice so grave that it will tear apart my sect."

Han Xuhan sighed, leaning back to shift his weight as his discomfort with the situation grew. Li Mingyu really wasn’t as cooperative as he had hoped he would be. There was only one way out of this pit now. And that was no honorable path.

It was a good thing that his list of honorable acts had never been exhaustive. He could fit a lot into the list.

"Sect master Mingyu, since you're a man who has been pursuing the path of foretelling and hidden knowledge, have you foreseen what I am going to do to convince you to help the Phoenix faction?"

The confidence in his tone drew Li Mingyu's attention. To see a rookie cultivator be so bold in front of a senior three major realms above him was not a scenario that played out frequently. Deep in his foresight-induced reverie, he began to rub his soot-covered neck unconsciously, peeling layers of filth off his skin.

"...You could do many things to achieve that," he said, his gaze a little distant. "But you're a person who likes to choose the optimal outcome for everyone involved, even if it inconveniences you. So I'm going to pick the most dangerous card you have in your hands. Will you be threatening me with Ning Xueshi's Puppetized Soul?"