I have a gut feeling

In a vast and imposing hall that showcased the immense power of its owner, a man sat upon a grand seat, presiding over the opulent space. The atmosphere exuded authority, befitting the person who commanded this imposing domain. As the man listened intently to various reports, the grandeur of the hall emphasized the significance of the matters at hand, underscoring the gravity of his decisions within the confines of his powerful domain.

Seated in the grand chair with a demeanor of dignified authority, the man possessed a sharp and discerning gaze. His broad chest emanated an air of strength, adorned with a meticulously groomed beard framing his face. Clad in a white garment intricately adorned with golden designs, a circular symbol embroidered in golden thread caught the eye at the center of his chest. This emblem bore the design of three gates, with the central gate being notably larger than the other two flanking it on either side, imparting an aura of significance and power to the regal figure in the grand seat.

"Hmmm, are you saying that earlier, before the gate opened, Desmond and the other elders accompanying him were incapacitated by a mysterious man? Not only that, but the other geniuses from different forces, alongside their elders and protectors, were also dealt with by this man? And on top of that, he accomplished all of this without even lifting a finger?"

"Yes."

"Where's Desmond and the elders?"

"They are being treated in one of our branches near the location of the Secret Mystic Realm, according to the reports."

"I see."

One of the men in the hall couldn't help but raise his voice upon seeing the man's lack of reaction.

"Sect Master, we shouldn't let that man go!"

The man in the seat, the sect master, couldn't help but look at the one who spoke.

He had a sharp gaze, dressed in blue attire with a robe adorned with golden patterns. At the center of the robe, a gate symbol with a sword piercing through it was embroidered in golden thread.

The one who spoke was one of the Gate Masters of the Three Gates Sect. Specifically, he was the Sword Gate Master, Grayson.

The Three Gates Sect was divided into three gates, each representing an orthodox technique of the sect. The gate focused on swords was called Sword Gate, the one concentrating on thunder techniques was Thunder Gate, and the last one emphasized fire techniques and alchemy—the Fire Gate.

Each Gate Master was usually selected by the current Gate Master, and in Grayson's eyes, Desmond was the next Gate Master. At a young age, Desmond already displayed a 'genius' level of talent in swords and cultivation. By his late twenties, he had reached the peak of the Qi Core Realm. This led Grayson to take him as his personal disciple with the intention of grooming him as the next Gate Master. Grayson even envisioned that in the next 20 years, Desmond would likely reach the Profound Sovereign Realm. Despite the seeming length, within the standards of powerful sects in the mortal realm, it was considered a mark of genius. Breaking through to Profound Sovereign required profound comprehension, and even a hundred-year-old profound sovereign was considered talented. Grayson himself had broken through at over 100 years old. As for the Sect Master in front of him, he was considered a genius for breaking through before reaching a hundred years old, not to mention inheriting all the orthodox techniques of the Three Gates Sect and was talented enough to master them. It was one of the qualifications to be a sect master after all. There were even times in their history when the Three Gates Sect had no sect master because there was no suitable successor, further highlighting the Sect Master's talent.

Now, knowing his precious successor was embarrassed and injured, Grayson couldn't help but feel angry.

"I also agree," the sect master responded.

"Then -" Grayson beamed with a smile; however, he was cut off by the next sentence of the sect master.

"That's what I would normally say, however, this time, we must tread carefully."

"Why!?"

The other Gate Master couldn't help but ponder the Sect Master's response.

The Sect Master then looked at him, at them, with solemn eyes.

"Are you questioning me why? Didn't you hear what the reports said?"

"Yes, that's why-"

Grayson wanted to rebut; however, upon realizing something, he couldn't help but stop mid-sentence.

The Sect Master then said, "It seems you have realized it. The reports say he incapacitated the elders from our sect and the other forces, and these elders are not weak! They are in the Profound Sovereign Realm! You, as a Heaven Sovereign Realm, can you incapacitate those elders? I bet you can, but can you do it all at once and without even lifting a single finger? I am definitely certain that you can't."

Hearing this, Grayson and the other Gate Masters' expressions became solemn.

"With that information, I am certain that his strength is equal to mine, and if not, stronger."

Grayson took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew the implication of attacking a cultivator at the same level as the Sect Master, a Spirit Sovereign Realm. It would be horrifying; he could die without even knowing it. Not to mention, a fight between two Spirit Sovereigns could affect the entire continent. That's why when Spirit Sovereigns fought, they would usually do it as high in the sky as they could be. Even so, the impact would still be felt at some level.

Thinking about it, the earthquakes and storms felt all over the continent were definitely a result of a fight between Spirit Sovereigns. Grayson couldn't help but shudder just thinking about it. It was like the end of the world. When they asked the Sect Master about it, even he had no idea about the focal point of the fight, let alone the cultivators that were fighting. But the Sect Master was sure of something—that whoever fought that day was definitely stronger than him, the Sect Master of one of the strongest sects in the Sekkonthia continent.

"Then what do we need to do, Sect Master?" Grayson, this time, was calm and asked in a respectful manner.

The Sect Master couldn't help but be proud of his Gate Masters. They were arrogant, yes, but not overly arrogant to the point of not seeing the bigger picture.

"According to the reports earlier, the man seems to be the husband of the Princess of the Elf Kingdom," his face was serious this time, "It should be an arrangement of the queen. I don't buy any of the princess' claims of the queen not knowing about this. That queen hid her cards well until this day." The Sect Master couldn't help but curse a little bit, "Now it is safe to assume that the man has the backing of the Elf Kingdom, a kingdom where the queen herself is at my level! If we approach this aggressively, we would have to face a kingdom that has two Spirit Sovereigns, and we couldn't afford that. That would lead us to total destruction, at best in a crippled state. If the ancient Three Gates Sect, which was powerful enough to conquer 1/4 of the hundred provinces, couldn't survive and be weakened, let alone us who are weaker than the ancient Three Gates Sect."

The people in the hall paled at his sentence. The other two Gate Masters couldn't help but glare at Grayson.

He almost let the Sect wage an unwinnable war because of his unstable emotions. Thankfully, the Sect Master was able to judge the situation and make them realize the overall situation.

However, except for the Gate Masters, some elders wore thoughtful expressions.

Noticing this, the Sect Master couldn't help but be a little disappointed in these elders; he knew what they were thinking.

"Elders," the Sect Master called out, "Do you think an alliance with the other kingdoms and other forces that were involved would be the right thing to do?"

The elders couldn't help but be jerked, and at the same time, the Gate Masters glared at them.

"This is not as simple as black and white, Elders. Do you think all the forces involved have Spirit Sovereigns? No, they do not. The North Sect and Great Blueheart Kingdom are the only ones with Spirit Sovereigns. If you think about it, it might seem like we have the advantage, but no! If we, as a Sect, are already careful, the 30 kingdoms are even more careful in their foreign policy. They wouldn't easily wage war without certainty. If so, the 30 kingdoms would have already been reduced to the kingdoms that only have Spirit Sovereigns, given how greedy they are. But no, if they attack a weaker kingdom, it would be a huge deal in the circles of kingdoms. Because the enemy kingdom exists within their circles, they would exploit this and rally forces in the name of 'morality.' Not only that, a simple war between kingdoms can drag other sects into this war, given the relationships between sects and kingdoms. So, elders, please be smart next time. Waging a war on this scale has never been simple; alliances and enemies exist. So, if the Three Gate Sect allies with the involved forces, so do the enemies of these forces who are currently waiting for a big opportunity. The Great Blueheart Kingdom wouldn't move without a solid, well-planned strategy, a plan where their backs are safe. The same goes for the Northern Sect; that sect is well-known for having enemies. Even us, the Three Gate Sect, have small grudges with them."

Seeing the elders being silent and not having any more thoughts regarding the issue, the Sect Master smiled. "Thankfully, we are not on the path of no return. It seems the elders and Desmond are just injured but not crippled, right?"

"Yes," the man who reported the event replied.

"I see. I can use this as an excuse to meet this man as a fellow daoist."

Hearing this, the Gate Masters and elders were shocked and afraid that something might go wrong.

The Sect Master chuckled, "Don't worry. Given how careful I am, and with the teachings and books written by the previous sect masters, it will be fine." The books and teachings he was referring to were the experiences of Sect Masters dealing with this kind of situation, a war-sensitive situation. The sect master of the ancient Three Gates Sect learned his lesson after conquering 1/4 of the 100 Great Provinces. He realized that war and conquest were never simple and easy and could lead to total destruction. That's why one of the teachings he instilled in the next sect masters focused not only on techniques but also on dealing with foreign politics. This became a tradition of inheriting the sect master position.

"I can use this as an excuse to meet him as a fellow daoist and offer an apology for the mistake of my disciple. With that, I can be hopeful to forge an alliance with him!"

"Him? Just him? Not the Elf Kingdom?" the Fire Gate Master picked up on something and questioned.

"Yes, I have a gut feeling."

The elders and Gate Masters looked at each other confusingly, but they could only trust the Sect Master's judgment because they had been saved by his judgment multiple times.

[A/N: I don't have confidence in politics; please don't bash me if I create a scenario centered around politics that isn't well-written. And sorry no Cecilia and Azrael this time.]