Still at the plaza, the clan leaders were deep in thought. They didn't really understand Darian's reasoning.

Even if they gathered every single member of all the neutral clans, they still wouldn't match the current number of disciples in the Divine Seven-Star Sect. That was because the sect's territory was the only safe place for commoners running from the Radiant King. Anyone who tried to escape through the wilds was relentlessly hunted down and killed.

So the sect always received new people, placing them in the cities. Given the delicate situation and the need for new soldiers, those people had as many children as possible, hoping at least one would have the talent to become a disciple.

Thinking about it, if Darian just waited and trained the sect disciples in silence, in a few hundred years he'd have a huge, terrifying army — without needing the clans at all.

But instead, Darian was sharing everything he had with everyone. What was the point of that?

"Vice-leader Darian, you need to be careful. Some people definitely have ties with the enemy," patriarch Aegli suddenly said.

The other leaders' faces turned weird at those words. Obviously, no one could guarantee there weren't hidden traitors in their clans.

Darian just snorted and said, "It's fine. Since I dare to do this, I've got my own confidence. Life has plenty of moments that are just a gamble. If you win, you soar; if you lose, you might never recover. Nobody knows the future. But once you bet, you take responsibility for paying the price. Since you're willing to join us, you'll swear never to betray me. That's enough. If you break that oath... I guarantee your tribulation will come faster than you think."

His voice was calm, full of immense confidence — the kind of calm that made it feel like everything was under his control.

"But if you're worried about that..." Darian continued, looking around at them all, "Obviously, I'm not dumb enough to let traitors get what they want. When you return, you'll all root out the spies in your ranks."

"Root out the spies?" Aegli asked, and everyone looked stunned.

The truth was, every few years, they lost some territory to the enemy and grew weaker. That made some people lose hope. With the enemy tempting them — offering anything they wanted — it was easy for people to switch sides while they still had some value.

The leaders, though, didn't dare act rashly. If they took the first step and hunted the traitors, they could spark unrest and instantly become that king's number one target. It was safer to just let some traitors stay quiet and keep the clan alive in neutrality.

They knew it was cowardice, but they weren't as powerful as the sect and couldn't hope to survive endless attacks for generations.

"This will probably be really hard!" patriarch Aegli said.

Darian smiled faintly. "I know your situation well, so I won't make things too hard. When you go back home, gather everyone with even a bit of power. Just tell them the sect is preparing a counterattack, an all-or-nothing against the enemies. If there are spies, and they admit it now, they can just leave. If they wait until they're caught, their only end will be death."

"That's it?"

Everyone was stunned. What was the point of that? Who would actually admit to being a spy?

Darian nodded. "That's it."

"What's the point?" someone asked.

Darian spoke calmly: "The point is, when we kill them later, we won't feel guilty about it. I don't want to stain myself with dark karma; that's why I always give others a chance to live. When the real offensive starts, we'll easily see who the infiltrators are through the enemies we kill. On that day, there will be no mercy. Remember: I'm giving them only ten days. After that, any spies who didn't come forward will lose their chance."

What gave him such confidence? Everyone wondered. He had an aura of authority they'd never noticed before. His words sounded unbelievable, and yet no one dared doubt him.

Orders were given, and they all left immediately for their clans.

After they were gone, Darian ordered all sect disciples to gather. He then recorded the two supreme techniques onto a large Jade Slip. Everyone could read and start studying them, but no one was allowed to make copies.

Meanwhile, Remira wrote down the method for creating the complete stellar physique.

On Earth, everyone had to pass through all the Array levels to reach that complete physique. But in this world, where primordial power and the system's elemental runes existed, anyone could carve that technique into their soul.

Of course, it required extreme control over the elements — and that would be their first test. After all, no one could use Chromaraic Cataclysm without the stellar physique.

The nearly two hundred main soldiers were ordered to act as instructors for anyone who had doubts.

After three days, all the clans had sent their talented disciples. Over seventy thousand Chromaraic geniuses came, all excited and eager.

Another ten thousand from the nature races also came. They were just as hyped — they'd get to learn the supreme technique of chaos power assimilation. With that, many believed they could reach the ninth level; and one day, they even hoped to climb into the third realm.

***

Ten days later.

"Vice-Leader Darian, per your orders, all the smaller cities inside the sect's domains were abandoned and their people relocated to the three major cities," reported a Dean.

Darian nodded, satisfied. At that moment, the whole sect obeyed his every word without hesitation.

He'd issued several orders, the main one being to abandon the smaller towns to shrink the defensive line. Besides the central region, the sect had three big cities with defenses strong enough to hold them.

When your five fingers are spread, each can be knocked down one by one. But when you clench them into a fist, the power grows immensely.

"As for spies, the reports from the clans aren't great. Only thirty people have admitted to being spies so far," the Dean said gravely.

Darian nodded. "Good. Don't worry, it's all under control. I gave them this chance, but honestly, I don't want them to take it. I don't tolerate traitors."

The Dean agreed. Darian always came off as ruthless and merciless… but in truth, he valued life and acted correctly.

"The clan leaders are in the plaza right now… seems something odd is happening with their members," the Dean added.

Darian nodded and moved toward the plaza.

When he arrived, Zatrian reported, "Boss, of the seventy thousand, only three thousand managed to use the Chromaraic Cataclysm. The rest… can't even get close."

"How is that possible?! Those are all the geniuses from my clan!" Aegli said, stunned.

The other clan reps were surprised, too. The result was unexpected.

All the top clan members had followed Darian's orders first. They came to witness the youths' power and start studying the technique. But given that failure rate, the new hope cooled quickly.

Darian wasn't surprised at all. He only said, "Everything's as expected. Keep trying and practicing. Tomorrow, when the second group from your clans arrive, you'll understand."

…

The next day, the second big wave of youths arrived — those with less talent. Fifty thousand arrived from all the clans.

They were split into different groups since there were just under two hundred instructors. Learning alone without support would take too long. It's better to wait until a larger group masters the technique so they can help others.

But since so few in the first wave succeeded, they sent these guys anyway… after all, they were just average — nobody had real hopes for them.

The day after that, everyone was shocked to find out forty thousand had managed to use the Chromaraic Cataclysm. None of them were from the initial seventy thousand — only the second wave.

Their average talent was much lower than that of the first group. So why was the success rate so high?

Darian didn't need to explain; his nearly two hundred instructors understood.

Only someone mentally correct, with enough willpower and perseverance, could use that technique. Talent was actually the least important factor. The God Chromaraic designed the technique on purpose so everyone would suffer until they succeeded.

So Darian wasn't afraid that traitors would learn it. Someone willing to betray family and friends is petty and greedy — they have no real chance of succeeding.

That explanation sent many average disciples into ecstasy. The geniuses who'd failed the test were crushed and reluctant to accept the result.

They were born with talent and used to getting things easily. They didn't know true suffering. But that didn't mean it was impossible for them. If they were mentally right, all they had to do was not give up and push themselves.

Over time, more and more people passed the test.

In three months, there were already one hundred thousand people able to use the Chromaraic Cataclysm. The first major army had been forged… but they still needed combat experience.

Luckily, that day, a massive enemy army attacked furiously again.

Darian smiled. It was time to show his claws and start applying pressure.

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