Through this internal purge, the High Table could undergo a complete personnel reshuffle, allowing the capable to rise while the incompetent were eliminated.
Incidentally, Xiao had originally planned to clear out a wave of stubborn old figures within his own clan.
Unfortunately, they were far too obedient.
Or rather—far too bound by the rules.
For a time, it made it difficult for Xiao to take action.
It seemed there was a reason why Vampire Shaw had developed such a personality.
Whether it was the Blood Clan, the medieval world, or the Hassan Clan, everyone around him had been rigidly polite, rule-bound, and valued honor and regulations more than life itself.
Living in such an environment for long enough inevitably influences a person.
One gradually becomes conservative.
Or even absurdly pedantic.
That was precisely why Xiao never appeared personally in the Grand Dao Arena from beginning to end.
Instead, he adopted guerrilla tactics.
He even ignored so-called martial ethics completely, hiding in the shadows and ambushing at the perfect moment.
For someone like Shaw, not getting furious at such behavior would have been strange.
…
…
The Hassan Clan sent a Forerunner carrying Xiao's gear coin to find Caine.
The Forerunner, missing his ring finger, took out the gear-shaped coin and slowly placed it before Caine.
"Sir Caine," he said calmly, "Clan Leader Shah Hassan requests your presence."
"Clan Leader?"
Caine paid little attention at first.
But the moment he saw the coin; he suddenly stood up.
He grabbed the gear coin quickly and stared at it in disbelief before looking up at the Forerunner.
Ordinary people might not understand the value of such a coin.
But Caine, now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, immediately recognized what it was.
This was exactly the heavenly material and earthly treasure he had been dreaming about.
This tiny gear coin alone contained enough spiritual energy to equal nearly a year of cultivation.
Caine quickly realized what the other party was implying.
They were telling him that he was not the only Cyber Cultivator in this world.
Not only was Hassan a cultivator as well—
He also possessed a spiritual treasure land.
And even knew how to forge solid spiritual energy.
A strong sense of crisis immediately rose in Caine's heart.
He clenched his fists tightly.
His eyes locked onto the Forerunner as he weighed his options.
Finally, Caine made his decision.
"Take me to Hassan."
"The vehicle is ready," the Forerunner said with relief. "Please follow me."
He quickly put on his hat and gestured for Caine to come.
Even so, the pressure radiating from this Foundation Establishment cultivator nearly suffocated him.
The two drove quickly and soon arrived at the Hassan Clan estate.
The estate was an astonishing construction.
The entire mountain had almost been hollowed out.
Around it stood an enormous sacred hall complex.
This place served as the residence of all Hassan Clan members.
Here they reproduced, trained, and continuously recruited elite assassins from around the world.
The Hassan Clan possessed extraordinary talent far beyond ordinary humans.
This was the result of generations of carefully selecting exceptional genetic lineages.
Through relentless pursuit of superior genes, they had cultivated their remarkable abilities.
Gene Ascension was the only path humanity had discovered in this era.
And the Hassan Clan had succeeded.
They possessed nearly flawless physical bodies.
However, that perfection still stopped at the limits of human potential.
Humans had limits.
And the Hassan Clan had always understood that fact.
…
When Caine stepped into the territory of the Hassan Clan, his heart filled with shock.
He had never imagined that humans could construct something so grand.
It was impossible to imagine how much manpower and resources the Hassan Clan must have spent to build this place.
"Clan Leader, Sir Caine has arrived."
The Forerunner knelt respectfully on one knee.
"Understood. You may leave."
Xiao casually raised a finger before turning his gaze toward Caine.
"Shah… so you are also…"
Caine could not conceal his excitement.
His eyes fixed on Xiao.
He could clearly feel the surging spiritual energy constantly radiating from Xiao's body.
It was not concealed in the slightest.
For the first time, Caine had encountered another cultivator.
A strange warmth rose in his heart.
My path is not lonely.
"Hm?"
"What did you just call me?"
Xiao raised his eyes slightly.
An overwhelming pressure instantly erupted from his Golden Core cultivation.
In Caine's perception, Xiao resembled a blazing star.
An infinite ocean of terrifying energy surged through his meridians like a roaring flood.
The man before him no longer seemed like a mortal.
He felt like a divine existence suspended in the heavens—
Radiating terrifying power and scorching brilliance.
"You can call my name outside and I will not care."
"But here…"
"What should you call me?"
Xiao's voice carried both majesty and cold authority.
His gaze fixed firmly on Caine.
Caine's heart tightened.
He immediately bowed.
"Clan Leader Hassan."
This was respect for the strong.
And also, recognition of the enormous gap between them.
Xiao was a Golden Core cultivator with a lifespan of five hundred years.
Such beings could ascend to the heavens and pluck the moon, dive into the deepest oceans to capture dragons, and roam freely through the world.
Compared to him, Caine had only just stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage.
The difference was like heaven and earth.
Xiao could crush him with a single finger.
The realization filled Caine with fear.
He could not even summon the slightest thought of resistance.
Yet amid that fear, his perception noticed something strange.
Xiao's meridians and Soul Core did not seem fully hidden within his body.
Instead, they appeared faintly visible, almost as if they floated upon the surface of his form.
This was completely different from Caine's own cultivation method.
All of Caine's power was hidden deep within his Soul Core.
His system possessed stronger explosive force and superior control.
Inside his body there were only traces of spiritual energy.
There were no visible meridians or Soul Core structures.
To outsiders he appeared like someone who had only just entered Qi Condensation.
Caine fell into deep thought.
Could it be…
Even though Clan Leader Hassan is stronger than me…
He has not mastered the Soul Dantian Method?
If that were true—
Then perhaps he could obtain that Golden Core method.
Maybe he still had a chance to surpass him.
A determined glint flashed in Caine's eyes.
No matter what, he had to keep improving his strength.
He needed to explore the higher realms of cultivation.
Originally, he had planned to return to the Cyber Dimension after reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment to search for knowledge.
But if a ready-made cultivation technique existed here—
There would be no need to take such risks.
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