Lightning Is the Only Way

The elders stopped breathing as they looked with shock at Old Man Lightning. What did he just say? Did he just say that the Lightning Sect could break apart? What was he on about?

"Don't you think you are overreacting?" one of the elders asked Old Man Lightning.

Old Man Lightning crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "If we don't plan accordingly, this is a possible outcome. I am not overreacting," he said.

"What do we have to plan for then?" asked another elder with urgency. "What is the problem?"

"Let me give you a hypothetical," Old Man Lightning said and then looked at one of the elders specifically. "Stor! Let me give this hypothetical to you specifically. I think you are the best person for that."

Stor was the only elder who wasn't in panic right now. He actually looked into Old Man Lightning's eyes with determination. "Go ahead," he said evenly.

"Imagine yourself in Gravis' shoes. I am reducing the strength of the Earth Sect's disciples so that you actually feel the strength, or in this case, weakness of your enemies in front of you, just like Gravis. Gravis is about as strong as an average Sect Master, so, in your case, two people at the Seed Stage and ten people at the initial stage of Spirit Forming are coming at you. I have not told you all how the fight went because I want to see how you would react," Old Man Lightning explained.

Stor nodded and let Old Man Lightning continue.

"Those disciples were 20 kilometers away and shouted at you that they would kill you. Then, they charge at you, but with their speed, they would need nearly five minutes to reach you. What would you do?" Old Man Lightning asked.

"I would question them about why they wanted to kill me," Stor said.

Old Man Lightning nodded. "In your past, the Earth Guild in the Middle-Continent annoyed you slightly when you visited them, so you annoyed them back. No one got injured, nothing major was damaged, no one died. Yet, the Earth Sect has seen this as an insult and wants you dead. Those disciples heard the call and followed through with this."

Stor rubbed his stubble in thought. "I would tell them that they are running to their deaths. Their strength and mine are too far apart. This couldn't even be considered a fight."

know that. They know exactly that they are about to die, but they wouldn't dare to betray their beliefs,"

it is a huge difference. I can afford this

of the barricade, but no attacks arrive. You wait for 30 seconds, but no one attacks you. What do you do now?" Old Man

development. They were pretty sure that this is precisely how it had gone for Gravis. The details were very precise. Many of

more seconds to attack me. If they decide against that, I'll leave. Killing some youngsters because they said that they would kill me, but not going through with it, doesn't sit that well with

the cruelest of the elders. He followed the destructive side of the temperament of lightning very closely. They were

attack, but

leave. If they don't have the guts to fight, then there is no reason in me killing them," Stor said. "This is no tempering, and they haven't attacked me. Fighting them makes

other elders nodded. They fully agreed with this decision.

think we actually have a problem here," he said with a shake of his

realized something. "Wait a second!" he shouted. "Didn't you say that multiple of the disciples

barbaric in their minds! This

Forcing the earth disciples to choose between death and their

following his own moral compass and committed no wrong in his action. After all,

one of

That mindset came nearly exclusively from their traumatic past. Most of the Warped Ones had been abused by

fairness and honesty, they had

from the Sect. The Warped Ones were very rare, so there

his hand to halt the discussion. "It does seem similar, but it's not identical. A Warped One would have just killed them directly. Gravis' definition of a bottom line is just less flexible in comparison to ours. We still consider life and forgiveness if someone went against us. Of course, we often consider it but not follow through. This brings me to my next point. Do you remember how the Freya Clan acts

Clan are basically pushovers," Stor said with crossed arms. "A Sect comes to them, giving them a proposal. The Freya Clan follows through, yet they don't get paid. Yes, they get angry, but they never attempt any revenge. They just

Man Lightning nodded. "Exactly. Doesn't that seem to be