"Are you sane?" Evan asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Yes."

"Yet you want me to go with you?"

The emphasis on me spoke volumes—me, the Young Dark Pope. Even in a seemingly deserted area, this was still the capital. We had no way of knowing who could be listening or from where, so silence was the safest choice.

I judged inwardly, This kind of caution is good.

Even so, I understood the risk of traveling with Evan after his awakening as a Young Dark Pope. The Hero Society stood as the Dark Church's true nemesis, far more than the imperial family ever did. If I had to name a single group that opposed the church completely, it wouldn't be the imperial family, the Seventy-Two Churches, or even the Sun Church. It would be the Hero Society. Throughout history, they had clashed with the Dark Church more often and struck them down more effectively than anyone else.

"You're strange," Evan said. "I might be who I am, but Luan, you'd better avoid the Hero Society as well. What the hell are you?"

Evan had already seen me use Dark Qi, and that made the situation far more dangerous for me. Three people had witnessed it in the Otherworld. Seren was bound to me by circumstance, Alderson was trustworthy, but Evan Helvin was different. As the last witness, and as someone who carried the identity of a Young Dark Pope, he held enough power that it wouldn't be surprising if he turned against me at any moment.

"Well, I have my own circumstances," I replied. "Don't overreact to my words. I only wanted your opinion."

"My opinion?" he repeated.

I shrugged. "Whether you accept it or not is up to you. What can I say about my proposal for you to accompany me? We once shared a room, and I heard your dreams. Maybe this is my way of repaying that."

Evan's breathing faltered.

Somehow, I felt like he was reminiscing about our days at the training camp. Back then, he often spoke of his father, brimming with pride over the Raven swordsmanship he had learned and dreaming of joining the Hero Society. He had been a boy who wanted to be a hero.

I remembered that boy who carried no shame in being the child of the Knight of Complete Defeat. Perhaps this was my way of testing him.

Had the Evan I once knew in that cramped training room vanished? Maybe he disappeared at the academy after falling prey to Hadenaihar's schemes, his body overtaken by a Young Dark Pope.

"I don't know what you expect from me," Evan said, his voice strained. "I can't be like you."

"Meaning?"

"It's as you said. I wanted to be a hero, and I was confident I could be. But when the opportunity came, I chose my own survival over saving others. If I had unleashed all my hidden powers, I might have turned the tide. Yet I didn't. The truth is, I wasn't ready. You... used your strength without hesitation. Unlike me."

Evan stared at the sky. "I don't deserve to set foot in the Hero Society now. Not because I am a Young Dark Pope. The Hero Society was a place I envied as a child... Someone like me can't taint it."

I finally understood what had been weighing on him for days. His disappearance, his struggle—it all stemmed from a gnawing self-loathing.

I also realized something else: this was the Evan I knew. Then I had one thing to say.

"Evan."

"Say it."

"Sorry, but I honestly don't care," I said, letting the cool night breeze brush against me. "I only made an offer. I'm not going to force you or try to persuade you. If you come, fine. If not, forget it."

"You think I'll pledge myself to the church?" he asked.

"I wouldn't be talking like this if I thought you would," I replied flatly.

Evan blinked. "What?"

"Whatever path you take, it won't be with the church. Even if you never enter the Hero Society, you won't waste your life on something foolish. That's all. Don't ask me again."

Silence stretched between us, then a peal of laughter drifted from the far end of the bench. We sat like that for nearly thirty minutes. Knowing I had to rise early, I finally decided to stand up.

"Let's go together," Evan said, surprising me. "But you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Keep an eye on me. If my identity and my purpose end up closer to the Young Dark Pope than Evan—" He fixed his gaze on me. "Kill me."

***

The influence of the Hero Society was vast. Unlike the empire, whose power was concentrated in the capital, the Hero Society's reach extended far beyond the imperial borders, touching even the most remote and desolate corners of the continent.

Officially, the organization had more than 1,000 branches, but if secret hideouts and guilds with informal partnerships were counted, the number would multiply many times over. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The Hero Society' headquarters lay in the eastern part of the empire—not in the Grasslands, but in a city called Teper, located just on the border of that area.

Before leaving, Kayan explained, "Though the term has fallen out of use, some still call Teper a free city or city-state. Its size alone could rival a small country. Indeed, Teper is a city the empire cannot meddle in."

In other words, Teper enjoyed informal independence and governed itself with considerable autonomy.

Teper was a large city. While naturally smaller than the capital, its population density made every street feel as crowded as the downtown districts of the empire's heart.

It was said that a journey from the capital to the Hero Society took a full week. Thanks to the well-paved roads, the trip was possible in that time. Otherwise, it would have taken two weeks by horse-drawn carriage.

"We're ready to depart! Oh, is there one more passenger?" called out the coachman, Gon.

"That won't be a problem, right?" I asked.

"Of course! This carriage seats twelve people. Haha."

Mir and Evan proved excellent travel companions.

Mir, who had spent most of her life in the north, seemed content to watch the scenery from the carriage window, occasionally pressing close to admire the passing landscape. Sometimes she would turn to Evan to ask about a plant or animal she had never encountered before.

"What is that?" she asked.

"It's a badger. The days have warmed up, so I suppose it has awakened from hibernation," Evan explained.

"Is that so? I haven't eaten one before."

From what I remembered, Mir and Evan weren't close, but they weren't hostile either. Perhaps because neither was shy, they grew steadily friendlier over the course of the journey. From a distance, they could almost pass for siblings despite their obvious differences.

I rarely joined their conversations. It wasn't due to a lack of confidence—I simply had other matters to attend to. Something inside me felt off, as if my internal energy had fallen out of harmony. Occasionally, a cold sensation swept through my abdomen, which was likely the residue of Khajitta's blue flames.

To restore harmony, I spent most of my time in the rattling carriage practicing energy control. To maximize the efficiency of the First Fire Technique, I climbed onto the roof and basked directly in the sun—a luxury possible only because I had personally rented the carriage.

Gon had tried to stop me at first, but once he saw me maintain perfect balance even on the steepest hills, he ceased interfering.

Of course, that stability couldn't last.

On the third day, rain poured down. It wasn't a storm, but it was heavy enough to matter.

I consulted Gon, an expert, who replied, "Driving the carriage in this weather isn't beyond me. However, there's a river up ahead. If the current rises, it could make crossing the bridge difficult."

"And if we can't use it?" I asked.

"We'll have to take a detour and lose three or four days," Gon answered.

"I see. Then what do you suggest?"

My blunt question surprised him, but he gave a faint smile. "Continue as we are. There's no steep slope, so we're not in real danger. Trust me."

"Let's do so." I trusted the judgment of experts. Based on his actions over the past few days, I knew Gon was a reliable coachman.

The rain poured relentlessly. I stepped back into the carriage and settled in to wait. Naturally, my training efficiency plummeted on days like this. I reverted to being the lazy Luan, passing the time chatting with Mir and Evan, admiring the scenery, and contemplating the future.

In the middle of the night, sleep eluded me. I leaned back and let my mind wander, when the rain's steady drumming on the roof struck me with startling clarity. Its rhythm swept away every stray thought.

"Um...?"

At that moment, something unexpected happened. My internal energy began to harmonize on its own. I hadn't intended it, and I wasn't consciously aware, yet my body instinctively adjusted, regulating the flow of energy.

Ah... I realized then that rest mattered as much as training. Since my regression, I had pushed myself relentlessly—jogging at dawn, practicing stances, testing my body to its limits—but training wasn't only physical. Meditation, internal energy circulation, and reflecting on martial arts were equally important forms of cultivation. To truly rest, I had to silence all those thoughts.

I cleared my mind and returned to being the useless Luan for the first time in ages. I spent hours talking with Mir and Evan, counting the trees we passed in a minute, and foolishly searching for patterns in the rain's rhythm. I let go of the future, of martial arts, of every pressing duty.

One day passed, then two, then three.

Then once I looked inside myself again, I discovered that the unclean flames born of Dark Qi had completely settled in my dantian. I could now wield them with the same mastery as my own energy. The temptation to use the blue flames to circulate internal energy was strong, but I resisted, knowing the Dark Qi could subconsciously leak out.

By the sixth day, we still hadn't reached Teper. According to our original schedule, we were supposed to arrive the next day, but Gon said the heavy rain would delay us by two or three days. I felt a mix of disappointment and relief. Surprisingly, I was enjoying the journey.

The rain continued to pour relentlessly. I couldn't help thinking, It's quite rare for the rain to last for days like this.

In the middle of the night, I took a book from my bag while Evan and Mir slept. It was the Book of the Birth of Heavenly Evil that Senior Sister Tian had given me. She must have wanted me to read it.

I opened it and saw Chinese characters, a language I hadn't read in some time. Unlike Third Senior Brother's language, I had studied Chinese to some extent. Reading would take time, but it was possible. With two or three days still ahead, I slowly started to read the book.

The book opened with the following sentence:

"Heavenly Demon God Sect? Is this some kind of religious group? Something like the Dark Church?" I muttered.

Mir stirred slightly at my voice. I smoothed the blanket over her and continued reading.

Created. I didn't speak the word aloud this time but repeated it in my mind. It lodged in my mouth, stubborn and weighty.

In that instant, the entire area blazed with white light, and a thunderclap struck my eardrums.

"What?" I spoke aloud again, unable to help myself.

The face of Senior Sister Tian, always hidden beneath white cloth, flashed through my mind.

My hand tightened, wrinkling the page slightly. My breath grew hot, and the warmth spread through my dantian. The First Fire Technique resonated with my feelings.

"Tian[1]," I whispered.

Tian Xiaoling—this was the name of Senior Sister Tian.

1. Heaven ☜