"About Overlord Xilin..."

Lebius's gaze grew deep, as all memories related to Overlord Xilin in his mind carried the painful marks of blood and fire.

"Why don't you start by talking about how much you know about Overlord Xilin?" Lebius handed the conversation over to Bologue.

Bologue's knowledge of Overlord Xilin stemmed from the data available publicly from the Order Bureau, and secondly from his past interactions with Teda.

Overlord Xilin's past, the tragic childhood shrouded in the Scarlet Night.

An escapee.

This is how Teda referred to Overlord Xilin, his entire life spent trying to escape the Pillar of Royal Authority that sought to imprison him. Eventually, he succeeded, distancing himself from the monarchy's influence, growing continuously in the King's Secret Sword until he mastered it.

Everyone believed that Overlord Xilin fled the throne to one day return and challenge the King of Slaughter who sat upon it.

But no one expected the final outcome, as Overlord Xilin died so easily in the secret war, his body preserved by the Order Bureau as though it were a trophy.

"Xilin Kagader... his life is filled with many enigmas, the greatest of which, I believe you have already seen."

Lebius gazed at Bologue, his words calm yet with a hint of suppression.

Bologue didn't quite grasp it at first, but then he understood what Lebius was referring to.

"You mean... the Alchemy Matrix I have?"

Bologue had a feeling he couldn't quite describe. He originally sought Lebius's help to uncover the mysteries of the Alchemy Matrix. Yet, without him saying anything, Lebius had redirected the matter back to his own Alchemy Matrix.

"Jeffrey must have mentioned to you about the gap between the Order Bureau and the King's Secret Sword in Secret Source research."

Bologue nodded. Before becoming a Condenser, he had heard Jeffrey speak of these things.

Because the King's Secret Sword led the Order Bureau in researching the Secret Source, it enabled them to create powerful Alchemy Matrices, influencing the balance of wars.

Lebius asked again, "Do you know when we first noticed this gap between the two sides?"

Bologue shook his head.

"It was the secret war, the extraordinary war that erupted in the shadows, and Overlord Xilin's power that easily broke through the Cultivation Room..."

With simple words, Lebius conjured a vision of times engulfed in war, his spirit involuntarily tense.

"Overlord Xilin's power surpassed our understanding, from which we could perceive how far ahead the King's Secret Sword was in Secret Source research.

Even at the beginning of the secret war, although we killed Overlord Xilin in the Cultivation Room, despair still lingered in everyone's hearts. No one felt we could win against the King's Secret Sword, given how far ahead they were.

But what happened later confused us; aside from Overlord Xilin, the Secret Energy strength of other Secret Swords was within a range we could contend with... We suspected Overlord Xilin was an exception among the King's Secret Swords, uniting all their research into one 'experimental' power that was never fully displayed before we struck him down."

Lebius's words relieved Bologue a bit, and he said, "Looks like our old adversaries aren't that hard to handle."

"It seems so, but no one can say whether another Overlord Xilin might rise among them."

Lebius paused, gazing intently at Bologue, then said with a hint of admiration, "And before their next Overlord Xilin is born, we already have an undead overlord."

"You mean me? That truly sounds daunting."

Bologue clenched his fist, not feeling elated by Lebius's praise. Instead, he sensed the unknowable future held more potential crises.

"And then there's another point. Since you know the Scarlet Night's story and Overlord Xilin's life as an escapee, have you thought about how he grew into a terrifying Seeker of Glory under the Pillar of Royal Authority's control?"

Bologue felt a sense of oppression. After the Scarlet Night, Overlord Xilin was closely guarded by the Pillar of Royal Authority. But until one day, he escaped like a caged bird released, soaring higher and higher until he fell in the secret war.

"This timing is interesting," Lebius analyzed, "not only did he gain freedom, but he also obtained such a terrifying Alchemy Matrix...

We don't yet know the King of Slaughter's purpose for the Scarlet Night, nor his intentions for controlling his young son. But it's certain that when the King's Secret Sword fully pledged loyalty to the King of Slaughter, he defied his brutal father, choosing the Path of Transcendence, ultimately becoming such an esteemed Seeker of Glory.

My God, Overlord Xilin seemed to have been blessed in some way, his tragic fate reversing overnight..."

Lebius did not continue, only silently watching Bologue, their eyes locking in a complex gaze.

They were both smart enough to understand things without them needing to be blatantly stated. Bologue had already figured it out in his heart.

Teda had once mentioned a similar conspiracy theory, suspecting another force within the King's Secret Sword supporting Overlord Xilin, one capable of not only shielding him but also opposing the King of Slaughter.

Lebius proposed an idea similar to Teda's yet went a step further in specifying that elusive presence.

Contemplating such a possibility, even someone as composed as Bologue began to breathe quickly, feeling as if a giant web of shadows enveloped him, its edges unseen despite his efforts to discern them.

"Perhaps," Lebius intoned softly, "the King's Secret Sword never truly outpaced us; this summoning power of all things was merely a fleeting phenomenon."

He then let out a serene smile.

"However, no matter where this power comes from, it is certain that Overlord Xilin is dead, and you are its successor, dominating this power."

Bologue sighed deeply, a helpless smile on his face, "Sounds quite good, but who knows whether this power is a blessing or a curse?"

"Anyway, you are an Undead, even if it is a curse, you can easily dissolve it, right?"

"You also know the Undying Club, don't think being undead is such a good thing."

Bologue tried to lighten the mood, but in his mind, those twisted and mad figures kept flashing, along with the indelible words of the Third Seat in the chaos of the timeline.

"They won again and again."

Bologue rubbed his head forcefully, a faint pain surfacing deep in his thoughts.

Lebius had seen through Bologue's troubles from the beginning, "Are you now troubled by your promotion ceremony, aren't you?"

"Yes, I had many thoughts before, and after talking carefully with Belli, I couldn't quite figure out whether I belong to the Commanding School or the Deceitful Structure School... One must recognize oneself to decide the path ahead."

But have I really recognized myself?

Bologue questioned himself like this, his life was filled with too many mysteries. Even if Bologue felt that he had touched the edge of these mysteries, finding all the answers would require an unknown amount of time and cost.

Lebius said, "Do you want to hear my advice?"

"Please, go ahead."

"Rather than wavering between derivative sub-schools, why not continue to refine this path and walk the Path of Polarization."

"Path of Polarization?"

Bologue had a slight impression of this term, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it.

"Simply put, the Path of Polarization means not choosing any derivative sub-school, but focusing on your original Secret Energy school, advancing the Secret Energy to its extreme limits, so you don't have to struggle over who you are, as long as you keep doing well yourself.

Just like choosing between bluntness and Narrow and Sharp, you always have to choose one."

Lebius was a little tired, he took a sip of coffee.

"The classical route Teda took is the so-called Path of Polarization, forsaking all the side branches, specializing in the one and only path, leaving only pure Illusion Creation."

Seeing that Bologue still didn't quite understand, Lebius talked about the history of the Condensers.

"A hundred years ago, the Path of Polarization was common, because at that time the research on the Secret Source was not as advanced as it is now, so there weren't so many cumbersome branches. But with time and the progress of research, this old route is seldom used anymore, people usually choose complicated branches to make their Secret Energy more bizarre."

Bologue thought seriously, nodding his head.

"Of course, it's just a suggestion," Lebius activated his auxiliary arm, "Is there anything else?"

"No... nothing."

Bologue hesitated for a moment, then his voice became firm, "Then I'll leave first."

Walking into the empty corridor, with few people in the Field Operations Department, plus the Special Operations Group office was relatively remote, usually only Bologue and a few others would come here.

Bologue stepped slowly, looking down at the reflection on the shiny stone floor.

He wasn't thinking about his promotion, but kept recalling the Celestial God-like figure and the conversation with Lebius.

On one dreary day of Overlord Xilin's life, he suddenly gained the power to change destiny.

This is a power like a Mechanical God, saying it out loud would only sound like a wild fantasy, but Bologue knew well, and Lebius understood too, that such an existence could accomplish all of this, it was almost effortless for them.

Devil.

Yet this was not the end of Bologue's thoughts, what concerned him was not that Overlord Xilin might have made a deal with a Devil, but Overlord Xilin's actions during the secret war.

A Seeker of Glory making such illogical actions in such a crucial war, recklessly advancing deep into the Order Bureau.

Was he intending to overthrow the Order Bureau in one stroke, or... seeking death?

Was it a momentary lapse, or seeking death for some purpose, or being directed by some will?

Only with his death could certain evil plans be put into action.

For example...

Bologue felt his blood cool down, turned around and looked at the shiny wall, in the blurred white bricks, Bologue saw the silhouette of the Third Seat, yelling at him.

Win again and again.

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