One-Eyed Monster

Most of the people present knew that Kuyi Tulan was a disciple of Grand Master Guzan.

In the eyes of Grand Master Guzan, Kuyi Tulan was an impressive apprentice. He was young and promising, having gained a firm foothold in the Alchemy Workshop at an early age.

However, as Kuyi Tulan’s strength grew, so did his ambition. The Alchemy Workshop no longer seemed enough to satisfy him.

This ambition was sparked when he entered the Empire Council Hall, and it had been developing for nearly twenty years.

Kuyi Tulan’s plan was unknown to others. Grand Master Guzan couldn’t quite see it clearly either, but he knew his apprentice never did anything unprepared. He understood that Kuyi Tulan wouldn’t be satisfied as a mere council member after joining the Empire Council Hall; he was determined to become a leading figure.

The young monarch of the Empire was also a highly ambitious ruler. Kuyi Tulan, in his youth, entered the monarch’s view at the perfect moment. Consequently, Kuyi Tulan’s status in the Council Hall rose sharply, leading to a rapid increase in the Alchemy Workshop’s standing during that period.

Throughout the entire continent, all professions had their own organizations. Among them, the Wizard Alliance and the Alchemy Workshop were considered the professional organizations most valued by the Kayne Empire. These two organizations, formed by Adventurers with Class themselves, received far more support from the Empire than the Dark Cabinet, the Hunter organization from the neutral territory of Burstan.

Such support, however, came with obligations. Whenever the Kayne Empire’s borders were threatened, these two organizations had to dispatch their experts to assist the Guardian Army in repelling enemies.

It was their gallantry in several National Defense Wars that propelled the Alchemy Workshop’s status above that of the Wizard Alliance.

Wizards could heal wounds and originally held high positions within the Guardian Army, so it wasn’t unreasonable for them to consider themselves sages.

Nonetheless, the most respected individuals on the battlefield were always those brave warriors who fought alongside the common soldiers. It was during these major National Defense Wars that the Alchemy Workshop happened to undergo a significant role transformation.

Its members, once considered mere support personnel, suddenly transformed into zealous Battle Alchemists, becoming an integral part of the Empire’s Guardian Army. This transformation astonished many in the Guardian Army, who now saw that the wizards of the Alchemy Workshop were also valiant figures.

Kuyi Tulan was the initiator of Battle Alchemy.

The Alchemy Workshop had traditionally been ambivalent about Battle Alchemy. Some senior Alchemists believed their duty, much like that of Wizards, was to provide various forms of support to the Fighters on the front lines.

However, Kuyi Tulan believed it was necessary to unlock the full potential of Alchemists, thereby lessening the burden on the Empire’s Guardian Army, and simultaneously increasing their collective strength in preparation for reclaiming lost territories in the future.

The emergence of Battle Alchemy also prompted changes within the Wizard Alliance; its members felt a growing sense of crisis, realizing they too had to adapt. This positive development led the young king to view Kuyi Tulan with newfound respect—power that Kuyi Tulan had fought hard to obtain. However, youth often brings impetuosity. Kuyi Tulan’s pace of reform was perhaps too aggressive, causing him to stumble. The stumbling block was called the Purification Plan—the very origin of the multitude of monsters on Guru Mountain.

The failure of the plan made King Kayne reassess Kuyi Tulan. Furthermore, during this time, Rostov, the Governor of Luona, presented a new source of power to the Empire, which significantly impacted the Alchemy Workshop’s standing within the Empire.

Such shifts in favor were normal, and Kuyi Tulan held no resentment. He simply couldn’t understand why his mentor failed to comprehend his actions.

Everything he did was for the Alchemy Workshop, for the Empire. Yet his mentor, his most respected mentor, had destroyed all his experiments.

Not only had he taken away his research findings, but he had also shattered his resolve to continue his research. His equation was sealed.

Kuyi Tulan didn’t understand why his most respected mentor had treated him this way.

For many years, he had put his Purification Plan on hold, enduring countless hardships in his search for the Great Mentor. He had even stooped to cooperating with organizations like the Black Crow in his relentless search.

And now, the Great Mentor was right in front of him, speaking to him, making it impossible for him to remain calm.

He had countless questions but didn’t know where to start.

He could only try to calm himself. The Great Mentor was right before him, and he wouldn’t let him slip away again this time.

Countless emotions welled within him, too profound to express. Kuyi Tulan knelt on one knee, addressing the elderly man before him with a reverent tone, ”Mentor.”

”I didn’t think you would find me, my child. I thought we wouldn’t meet again.”

”Yes, I thought I would have to search for a while longer. I never expected to find you living in seclusion here, Mentor.”

”I was merely fleeing. But now I’ve come to understand that what is fated will eventually come to pass. I should face it calmly. I’m an old man now, destined for the grave. But whenever I think of you disciples, my heart aches with desolation. I never imagined that I, Guzan, would prove so unfit as a mentor.”

”You are a good mentor, revered by many. You’ve taught us so much.”

”Really? Why don’t I feel that way?”

”Mentor, you are old now. Many things in this world are no longer as you perceive them,” Kuyi Tulan said calmly. He had managed to regain his composure and could now converse naturally with his mentor.

”Many things remain unknown, Tulan. I may be old, but I am not yet senile. I can still distinguish right from wrong in certain matters.”

”The power of inquiry and exploration is limitless. How could I ever forget your teachings, Mentor? All I have done is follow those teachings, continuously exploring forward. Why is it, Mentor, that you cannot understand?”

Guzan chuckled bitterly. ”Did I ever teach you the Forbidden Spell? Look what you’ve turned Xiso, Kevin, and the others into!”

”They are merely incomplete, defective products, Mentor. You should have given me more time...”

”’Defective products?’” Guzan’s voice trembled. ”My boy, they are living human beings! They were our friends, the very warriors who guarded this country! How can you so casually call them your experimental subjects? Are those even the words of a human being?”

”Mentor, it was you who taught me that every great achievement requires sacrifice. The Purification Plan could not succeed without sacrifices. The highest realm of Alchemy is Equivalent Exchange. Nothing I have done violates this principle.” Kuyi Tulan placed a hand on his chest, his expression resolute, as if he felt no guilt for his actions.