Chapter 2169: High Principles

For a moment, Rui couldn't believe it.

His father had been the Emperor of Harmony for as long as he could remember. A man who unified opposing forces together in a powerful harmony that elevated the nation to greater heights. The Kandrian Empire had been on the brink of civil war when the kingdom had been in the hands of his father, the first emperor.

Yet, in order to stop the worst from unfolding, he assassinated Emperor Ra and ascended the throne, bringing three centuries of prosperity and glory to the Kandrian Empire.

Rui was supposed to believe this man had sought the means to genocide countless Martial Artists?

Then again... Rui knew very little about his father from before he ascended the throne. And that was precisely what Master Gern insisted hid some dark truths.

"It was a long time ago, however, the Emperor of Harmony once sought the means to genocide Martial Artists, or at least all Martial Artists above the Apprentice Realm," the elder Master remarked with a macabre tone. "However, while he didn't succeed, he got scarily close."

"Before you continue with vague nonsense..." Rui narrowed his eyes. "...I want to know why, and I want to know how."

Rui didn't believe that his father would ever have such a desire without reason. Hell, he wasn't even sure how true this actually was. After all, his mind sense merely told him about how the man felt and whether he was being deceptive or not. It did not tell him whether a given statement was true or not, only whether the man genuinely believed it was true or not.

However, he was nonetheless willing to hear the man out, even if he knew that he was just trying to manipulate him.

"Why, you ask?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's obvious. Why did any aspiring emperor of that era seek to genocide Martial Artists?"

The man's eyes narrowed as his expression grew more grave. "Because they feared us. They feared us and feared the fact that they could not control us. As power-hungry as Martial Artists can be, at the very least, our power does not come at the cost of the freedom of others. Humans, on the other hand... The only way these lesser beings can have more power than us is in a system that gives them control over Martial Artists."

Rui simply stared at him with a blank expression, not betraying his inner thoughts.

However, inwardly he had fallen into thought.

Was his father no different from other rulers of human civilization in that he, too, wanted to control other Martial Artists?

Rui found it difficult to believe because it was precisely this desire that caused the civil war between Martial Artists and the pre-established powers of humanity. His father had completely avoided it altogether and used the fact that the Kandrian Empire was not burdened by civil war to rise far above its contemporaries that were devastated by the Martial Revolution.

Even if his father had once been no different from the others, he certainly had changed by the time he ascended the throne.

In other words, whatever this elderly Master was trying to indoctrinate him into was from so long ago that it had absolutely no relevance in the modern era. It certainly had no relevance in trying to convince Rui to divulge the truth about the mass Apprentice breakthroughs.

In other words, it was just a desperate attempt to shock Rui with some unexpected information.

Unfortunately for him, Rui had no intention of falling for it. He made that clear with his aloof attitude.

Seeing that, even the elderly Master had no choice but to give up.

"It is rather unfortunate that I have been unable to convince you to side with the Panamic Martial Federation," he muttered with a regretful tone. "I hope that you will eventually reconsider. For now, let's proceed with the briefing."

He continued as he touched on various sets of topics. The peril of overusing the Martial Mind.

How to manage one's sleep schedule to minimize the disruptions caused by the sleep needed to recuperate from the use of the Martial Mind.

The tilt to psychopathy was something that the elderly Master touched upon as well.

Much of what he told him, Rui already knew due to figuring the details out himself or thanks to his powerful and well-informed contacts.

However, even he learned new things.

"High principles...?" Rui raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." The elderly Master nodded. "Martial Masters are qualified to work with high principles of reality; although it's very difficult, it can yield great results if mastered."

"What do you mean precisely?" Rui raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come now, Master Rui." Master Gern chuckled. "I have heard that you approached tapping into high principles even before reaching the Master Realm. These are principles that tap into the fundamental mechanics of reality. I'm sure that you've run into them in your pursuits of greater experience."

Rui understood what he was referring to.

"The power of high principles is something that you're already familiar with," the man continued. "...However, what I'm sure you aren't familiar with is the fact that they can be harnessed to a remarkably high degree within the Master Realm. For example..."

He put his hands up as he activated his Martial Heart and Mind, receiving a surge of power that flushed through him.

Yet, it was what followed that stunned Rui.

THMOOOM...

Rui's eyes widened as a glowing ball of light appeared in his hands, crackling with energy and sparks.

Instantly, he recognized what he was looking at.

"Plasma...!" There was no doubt in Rui's mind that he was looking at the fourth state of matter.

"Materia has deep energy hidden within it, as do the heaven and earth," Master Gern remarked with a knowing tone. "This is a seldom seen form of materia that cannot be produced by Martial Artists of the Lower Realm. It is quite difficult to create and manipulate, but is extremely lethal in combat."