The Weight of Sovereignty
Lin's eyes traced the words beneath the Dual Sovereign heading, his mind already reeling from the revelations of the previous pages. But what came next was not a revelation it was a cataclysm.
[POWER COMPARISON]
The text was smaller than the heading, almost as if the author themselves had hesitated to write it. But the words were clear, undeniable, and utterly devastating:
It is said that one Dual Sovereign is equal to 3 Martial Sovereigns and 2 Alchemist Sovereigns in power level.
Lin's breath stopped.
His heart, which had been beating steadily throughout his reading, seemed to pause not skip, not stutter, but stop, as if even his body needed a moment to process the impossibility of what he had just read.
3 Martial Sovereigns, he thought, his mind struggling to grasp the scale. And 2 Alchemist Sovereigns. Combined. Equal to a single Dual Sovereign.
He had just read about Martial Sovereigns beings who could level continents with their power, who had achieved absolute understanding of their chosen art. He had read about Alchemist Sovereigns—beings who could erase consciousness with a gaze, who could trap souls in illusions so real that death within them became death in reality.
And now he was being told that five of these beings five were equivalent to a single Dual Sovereign.
Horror bloomed in his chest like a flower of ice.
Just a few pages ago, he thought, Martial Sovereigns were called the peak. The pinnacle. The absolute limit of mortal cultivation.
And now... now they are just floating clouds.
And Dual Sovereigns are the vast, endless sky.
Lin's brain felt like it was about to explode. He could feel the pressure building behind his eyes, the strain of trying to comprehend something that was fundamentally beyond comprehension. The power scaling was not linear—it was exponential. Each level of cultivation did not just add to the previous level; it multiplied it, creating gaps so vast that they could not be bridged by effort alone.that is the reason understanding of own cultivation is so important in this world
5 Sovereigns, he thought. 5 beings who could reshape reality with a thought. And one Dual Sovereign could defeat them all.
He stood up abruptly, his legs unsteady beneath him.
The stream was only a few steps away, but it felt like an eternity. He walked to its edge, knelt down, and splashed cold water on his face. The shock of the temperature brought him back to the present not fully, but enough to steady his racing thoughts.
He looked at his reflection in the water's surface. A young face stared back—young, but not naive. Eyes that had seen death and rebirth, that had witnessed the power of gods and the cruelty of mortals.
You have a long way to go, his reflection seemed to say. A very, very long way.
Lin took a deep breath, wiped his face, and returned to his reading position.
The second book was complete.
He set it aside with a reverence that bordered on worship. The knowledge it contained was not just information—it was a map. A guide to the peaks he needed to climb, the chasms he needed to cross, the heights he needed to reach.
He was tired. His eyes burned from hours of reading, his mind ached from the weight of processing so much information. The sleep that had been interrupted by the morning sun was now calling to him again, pulling at the edges of his consciousness like a gentle tide.
But the hunger for knowledge was stronger.
He reached for the third book.
HUMAN CONTINENT
The title was simple, almost dismissive but Lin knew better now. The most profound truths often wore the plainest clothing.
He opened the first page.
The Human Continent
The Human Continent has the largest area of all four continents, the book began, its text written in bold black ink. It spans millions of kilometers, encompassing a staggering variety of biomes: frozen tundras in the north, scorching deserts in the south, lush forests in the east, and fertile plains in the west.
It is divided into four major regions each region dominated by one of the four major forces.
Each major force has a territory under its control, with countless smaller sects and groups operating within its sphere of influence.
Lin read the words with growing fascination. He had learned about the five continents, the four races, and the Sovereigns that ruled them. But this was different. This was his home. The land of his birth, the cradle of his cultivation.
He turned the page.
The Northern Region – Nine Jade Peak Sect
The heading was written in elegant calligraphy:
[NORTHERN REGION]
[MAJOR POWER: THE NINE JADE PEAK SECT]
Lin's heart swelled with a strange pride. This was his sect the organization that had taken him in, trained him, and shaped him into the cultivator he was becoming.
The Nine Jade Peak Sect is the power that controls the entire northern region of the Human Continent, the book stated. Its foundations run deep nine hundred million years deep, to be precise. It is one of the oldest institutions in the human world, established on the mountain ranges of the north.
Nine hundred million years.
Lin's mind boggled at the number. He had lived for twelve years in this world, plus his past life of suffering. Nine hundred million years was so far beyond his comprehension that it might as well have been infinity.
The sect has three Martial Sovereigns and one Alchemist Sovereign, the book continued, making it one of the most powerful forces in the human continent.
Three Martial Sovereigns. One Alchemist Sovereign.
Lin remembered the sovereign counts he had read about earlier.
And the Nine Jade Peak Sect, alone among human forces, had four Sovereigns.
Not bad, Lin thought, a small smile playing at his lips. Not bad at all.
The book provided more details about the sect's leadership.
The current Sect Leader, Xi Yue'er, is considered one of the top beauties of the human continent a woman whose beauty is matched only by her power, which rivals that of a Sovereign. She has been titled...
Lin paused, his eyes widening.
...the Sweet Death.
He shivered. The name was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure a reminder that in this world, beauty and danger were often two sides of the same coin.
the book continued . Nine peaks rise taller than any other mountain in the region, and each peak has a Peak Lord whose power level is just below that of a Sovereign.
Lin's breath caught. The Peak Lord his master, the woman who had guided him through five years of training was just below Sovereign level
The four Sovereigns of the Nine Jade Peak Sect are:
1. Brahma Zifu, titled the [Lightning Sovereign]
2. Arjuna, titled the [Arrow of Death]
3. Xi Kong, titled the [Fate Reader]
4. Li Yunoxi, titled the [Flower Sovereign].
He was the Alchemist Sovereign of the Nine Jade Peak Sect a figure so rare, so precious, that even the ancient and powerful sect considered him one of its greatest treasures.
But it was the next line that made Lin's heart stop.
He is considered the most talented person in the entire continent of humans. In just a lifespan of three hundred years, he has reached the realm of Alchemist Sovereign and is just one Martial Realm away from becoming the third Dual Sovereign.
Lin read the words once.
Then again.
Then a third time, his eyes refusing to accept what they were seeing.
Three hundred years
The number echoed in his mind like a thunderclap. Three hundred years to reach the pinnacle of alchemical cultivation a realm that most cultivators could not even dream of reaching in a thousand years. Three hundred years to stand among the Sovereigns, to be counted among the most powerful beings in the world.
And he was just one step away from becoming a Dual Sovereign.
One step, Lin thought, his mind reeling. One realm away from being one of the most powerful beings in existence.
He thought about his own progress. He had been cultivating for five years five years of relentless training, of pushing his body to its limits and beyond. He had reached the peak of Diatan Formation, the first realm of cultivation. It was an achievement that most disciples would be proud of.
But compared to Li Yunoxi, it was nothing.
Three hundred years, he thought again. And he is almost at the peak. I have been cultivating for five years and I am still at the bottom.
The comparison was humbling not in a crushing way, but in a clarifying way. It reminded Lin of the vast gap between where he was and where he needed to be. It reminded him of the hunger that had driven him to this point, and the hunger that would drive him further.
A third Dual Sovereign, he thought, a fierce pride swelling in his chest. In our sect
Lin read the names with a mixture of awe and curiosity. These were the beings who stood at the peak of his sect's power the figures who could reshape reality with a thought, who could level mountains with a gesture, who could wipe out entire armies with a single technique.
Lightning Sovereign, he thought. A fitting name for someone who controls the power of storms.
Arrow of Death. A cold, precise name. Someone who strikes from a distance and never misses.
Fate's puppet. Someone who sees the future, who knows what will happen before it happens.
Flower Sovereign. A beautiful name but beauty, in this world, is often a mask for something deadly.
He committed the names to memory.
He turned the page, eager to learn about the other forces.
Gate of Dao Temple
The heading on the next page was less ornate, but no less imposing:
[SOUTHERN REGION]
[MAJOR POWER: THE GATE OF DAO TEMPLE]
Lin read with growing interest.
The Gate of Dao Temple controls the southern region of the human continent—a harsh, unforgiving land dominated by deserts, with only twenty percent of its territory consisting of rivers and forests.
The population in the southern region is not large, the book noted, as the environment makes survival difficult. However, the Gate of Dao Temple has made the region habitable through its alchemical and talismanic arts.
Lin's eyes widened. Alchemical and talismanic arts.
The Gate of Dao Temple is a force of creation, not destruction, the book continued. It has three Alchemist Sovereigns and one Martial Sovereign, making it the most alchemically powerful of the four major forces.
Three Alchemist Sovereigns. One Martial Sovereign.
Interesting, Lin thought. The Nine Jade Peak Sect has three Martial Sovereigns and one Alchemist Sovereign. The Gate of Dao Temple has the opposite ratio.
They complement each other, he realized. The Nine Jade Peak Sect provides martial might; the Gate of Dao Temple provides alchemical and talismanic support.
Together, they form a balanced power structure.
The book described the Gate of Dao Temple's capabilities in more detail.
The sect possesses countless talismans that can change the weather in an instantbringing rain to parched lands, creating forests where there was only sand, making life possible in the harshest of environments.
Lin shook his head in wonder. The Gate of Dao Temple didn't just survive in the desert—they transformed it. They reshaped reality to suit their needs, bending the environment to their will through the power of their alchemy and talismans.
This is the power of understanding, he thought. Not brute force—but the ability to manipulate the fundamental nature of the world.
He searched for information about the Gate of Dao Temple's Sovereigns.
[4 Sovereigns of the Gate of Dao Temple: NO DATA]
Lin blinked.
No data?
He read the line again, certain he had made a mistake.
[4 Sovereigns of the Gate of Dao Temple: NO DATA]
Why is there no data? he wondered.
He thought about it for a moment—and then understanding dawned.
This is a book of my sect, he realized. It contains the information that the Nine Jade Peak Sect has gathered about the other forces. But the Nine Jade Peak Sect does not know everything—because the other forces deliberately hide their trump cards.
He nodded slowly. It made sense. In a world of constant competition, knowledge was power—and no force would willingly reveal its secrets to its rivals.
The Gate of Dao Temple keeps its Sovereigns' identities hidden, he thought. They don't want the Nine Jade Peak Sect—or any other force—to know who their strongest members are.
It was a prudent strategy. One that Lin himself would adopt, if he ever rose to a position of power.
He turned the page, eager to learn about the remaining two forces.