The Steward Demonic Emperor

"Gui Hu, what makes an expert great?" Grand Elder asked.

Gui Hu pondered for a while before his eyes flashed with bloodthirst, "Looking down on the world, with no one to match him."

"Weak!" Grand Elder snorted, "Experience is the father of wisdom. The same applies to experts. The higher one's cultivation the closer he touches upon the world's values, until he reaches the heart supreme, standing in perfect harmony with it.

"But don't think for a second that such a man is a pushover. They keep to themselves most of the time and when they act, the whole world shudders, calamity strikes and death spreads. What is perceived as a weakness is in fact hidden inside their hearts. A single intent can cower the living. This is what a true expert is!"

Gui Hu looked hard at Grand Elder, perplexed.

Grand Elder continued, despite his confusion, "What did you think of the kid before you fought?"

Gui Hu sighed and shook his head.

"Yes, he hid his sharpness, hiding the scope of his heart. While you have always been on a murderous rampage, hardly controlling your power. This simple point defines the gap between you."

Grand Elder sighed, pointing at his heart, "The heart in plain terms means one's window into the world's truth, the Dao. To you it might not mean much now, but the farther you go, the more you'll put a price on it. Every breakthrough comes with a fundamental change. Radiant Stage's Discerning Field, Ethereal Stage's soul form are prime examples. But do you know how these skills came to be?"

Gui Hu shook his head.

Grand Elder replied, "From one's insights. As you have never experienced it, you have never grasped the meaning of self-discipline. Or you'd have agreed with me that the heart is the root of all power, be it Yuan Qi, spiritual energy or soul. When two experts have the same cultivation, the difference in their insights sets them worlds apart. The farther you go, the more obvious it becomes. It's said, one could bring about an apocalypse just with intent alone. It don't matter what Yuan Qi or soul one has!"

Gui Hu's heart shuddered.

By cultivating all this time, the fiendish aura around him remained, but that was due to the neglect of heart. He might have had a quick rise, but in the long run it would hardly be of any help, treading a path for the weak.

"Master, does that mean the elders and venerables have a high mentality?" Gui Hu asked.

Grand Elder sighed, "The demonic path is focused on selfishness, with few and far in between able to curb their desires and temper the demons within to gain insight into the demonic path. Even among elites and venerables. But this path will only stray them farther from the true experts."

"Do you recall how Venerable Shi got hurt when going after the kid when he bumped into High Venerable. Ha-ha-ha, they're both in the Ethereal Stage, yet one strike from High Venerable can kill him? Why, because of the heart. High Venerable puts a price on understanding the world and that makes him the strongest in the sect. It is the sole reason he got out of the Labor Office and became our best expert."

"Rumor has it that High Venerable cultivated to Radiant Stage in just a hundred years, despite his poor talent. Yet now no one can reach him, all because of his insights into Dao. It makes one wonder, maybe he'd have gone beyond the Ethereal Stage with just a little bit better talent. A true pity…"

Grand Elder lamented but Gui Hu was speechless. Nothing could've prepared him for how important one's heart was. It could even turn a simple man into the strongest expert.

While he fell utterly short, and the farther he went, it only exacerbated the difference.

Grand Elder said, "Gui Hu, I hoped for you to become an elite and fight in the Double Dragon Gathering. But your future is of greater importance. Curb your desires and focus on the heart."

"Master…"

Gui Hu's heart jumped, "But isn't it too late?"

"Ha-ha-ha, it's never too late."

Grand Elder laughed, "Unlike cultivation, tempering your heart can be done anytime. Some even waste half their lives on one insight. Look at Impermanence Five, aren't they the prime example of following High Venerable's footsteps? Their souls form a rarely seen domain, but with a frail heart, it would be weak. The sole reason for their strength, renowned through the western lands, is their hearts, just below High Venerable."

Gui Hu's eyes shook and he nodded. But then he hesitated, "Master, just what is that kid's level then?"

"Much higher than mine!"

Grand Elder sighed, "He is a rarity, not only his power is supreme, but so is his heart. The simple way he struck gave me the same feeling High Venerable did."

[Say what?!]

Gui Hu was stunned. Zhuo Fan not only was stronger but had a heart on the same level as High Venerable.

Grand Elder was wistful, "Gui Hu, Sect Leader has brought in an exceptional expert. Not one of the disciples can hold a candle to him. Please keep this in mind the next time you see him and show restraint. Sect Leader must've brought him to deal with us elders and venerables. Sigh, Sect Leader is finally on the move… "

Gui Hu's heart was a mess.

Zhuo Fan, just a Profound Heaven disciple yet was at the rank of elders and venerables.

[I see it now, why he never cared about me when attacking. I am nothing!]

Gui Hu shook his head in bitterness. He had never been ignored by his opponents, never suffered such a setback in his life.

Moving on, Zhuo Fan brought his new pupils to the array in the cemetery and he just stood there carefree.

Then, Kui Lang and Yue Ling popped before him with a bow, "Steward Zhuo, it's finished."

"Good, let's begin."

Zhuo Fan gestured them to the side and made a sign as he chanted, "May the blood tide swallow the world, may disaster envelop the universe!"

Zhuo Fan extended a finger.

Hum~

The others watched as a shimmering door appeared, letting out wails and screams like no other as it opened.

Kui Gang tensed up, "Master, shall I go in?"

"You're in the mood for joking? Why else did your dad and Yue Ling bring the remaining corpses over and I have set up the Blood Slaughter Array? It's for you and Blood Annihilation training. Now will you shy away, after all we've done for you?" Zhuo Fan retorted.

Kui Gang gulped, the shrieks grating on his nerves, "Master, isn't it dangerous?"

"How else are you supposed to cultivate? How else do you think Yue'er gained three layers so fast? She jumped right in and yet you can't even compare to a girl?" Zhuo Fan snickered.

Yue'er tugged his sleeve, "Master, you pushed me."

Zhuo Fan's face twitched, glaring back, "Keep your nonsense to yourself. Are you trying to make me look bad?"

Shrinking back, Yue'er fell silent and Kui Gang chuckled inside.

Then, Kui Lang appeared, hoisted him by the collar and threw him in, "You call yourself a man without going through a bit of danger? Is this my son, cowering before a bit of pain?"

"Ah, dad, you're killing me!" Howls came from the Blood Slaughter Array.

Kui Lang cast Zhuo Fan a worried look after all.

Zhuo Fan shrugged, "Don't look at me. You pushed them onto me. This is my teaching style, pushing the disciples to the brink of death. I've set up this array based on his peak strength. All he has to do to survive is advance, or die."

"Die?" Kui Lang was bugeyed.

Zhuo Fan nodded, "Yep, do you regret it? Well tough luck, it's too late now. If my disciples can't take it, they'd just have to lie down forever. "

Kui Lang was panicking now. He thought it was just a bit of pain when in fact it was a matter of life and death. [Zhuo Fan is doing things to the extreme even when it comes to his disciples.]

Zhuo Fan made another sign and another door appeared with a rumble.

It revealed endless mist.

With no preamble, he threw Yue'er in.

Yue Ling froze and the next thing she heard was her sister's cries.

"Steward Zhuo…" Yue Ling tensed.

Zhuo Fan said coldly, "Just a bewildering array. It's good for the heart. Earlier I only gave her a crash course, but as my disciples, I need to think of their future and have their hearts in mind. Every two hours, her entire life will flash before her eyes, all the baggage included. She'll only get out when she understands it."

Yue Ling nodded, next hearing Yue'er's laughter one second then crying the next.

[She has had a rough life…]