This is bad, this is very bad

"Tell me everything. Don't leave a single detail out," Elder June demanded, glaring at Karsha and Xian, who were now seated outside Xian's room. As Karsha looked into her beautiful brown eyes, he couldn't help but wonder, *Is she really old, or is she in disguise?*

The truth was that Elder June was indeed in disguise, and only a few people knew about it. She was a genius who had managed to enter the Saint Stage at a very young age. To prevent the Great Families and the Legacy from trying to take her away, the Sect Master ensured she always disguised herself before going out.

Inside Karsha's mind was the complete knowledge of the Divine Alchemist, hailed as the greatest alchemist of all time. Because of this, Karsha could tell when a pill had been used to alter someone's appearance. Although he couldn't outright say it, he knew the lady sitting before him was not truly an old woman. She was in disguise, but since he didn't want to pry into her business, he kept quiet—for now. When the time came, he would determine whether she was indeed old or young.

"This is what happened," Karsha began, narrating the events that occurred in the restaurant about an hour ago. After fleeing from the restaurant, Karsha, and Xian had come straight to the Sect to find Elder June, who had already warned them to be more careful when outside.

Karsha wanted to forget about the incident and move on, but Xian insisted they report it. So, without wasting time, they went to Xian's resting area, where Elder June also resided.

Xian was quick to report that something was terribly wrong. He was a nobody, so finding himself in such a situation made him panic.

Even Elder June, after hearing Xian's report, had a grave look. Messing with a Great Family is a huge problem, especially for someone with no status. She always cautioned Xian to stay far away from the Great Families.

However, she never anticipated that a total stranger would put the one person she vowed to protect in danger. Though she was strong, if the Great Families came after Xian, there was little she could do about it.

In the face of absolute strength, she was but a bug that could be squashed at any time.

"This is bad, very bad," Elder June said, letting a small panic set in. Karsha, who initially thought the situation wasn't that serious, changed his mind when he saw the look on Elder June's face.

"We are sorry, Elder June," Xian said, trying to calm the situation. However, Elder June just glared at him, anger written all over her face.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Xian. You two messed with not one but two Great Families. Even if they let you go now, they won't let it slide. You two are in serious trouble that neither I nor the Sect Master can fix," Elder June said. Karsha panicked a little when he heard her words.

Xian, on the other hand, had tears streaming down his face. He was a nobody who had managed to get into one of the best sects in the Central Continent. However, given the current situation, he might have to run back home and try to stay hidden for as long as he could.

Messing with the Great Families was a bad move, and deep down, Xian continued to curse Karsha for bringing this trouble to his doorstep. "You two have to disappear for a while," Elder June said after a few minutes of thought. "You have to be out of sight for a while," she added.

Karsha, however, had a different thought in mind. "Elder June, I don't think that will be necessary," he said after brief consideration.

"Oh, and why is that?" Elder June asked.

"I was the one who caused the trouble. Xian is just an innocent bystander. If there is any punishment from the Great Families, I will bear it. There's no need to run from something so trivial," Karsha said, displaying a hint of arrogance.

"Oh, so you think messing with the Great Families is trivial, huh?" Elder June spoke with her eyebrow raised, a sign that she was getting angry. Of course, Karsha was oblivious to this—a fact he would come to understand in the future.

"In case you are not aware, the Varon family is on great terms with the Sunlight family. Although this sect is an independent establishment, the Sunlight Family has some stakes in it. This means that when it comes to decision-making, they have a say in it. So tell me, what do you think will happen when the head of the Sunlight Family finds out you insulted not one but two heirs from not one but two of the most powerful families in the whole Drono Kingdom?"

"This is bad," Karsha said once he recognized the gravity of the situation. "You think," Elder June glared at him with angry and almost teary eyes. Seeing this broke Karsha's heart for unknown reasons.

"But even though it seems bad, I will not let Xian bear the consequences. I will take the responsibility when the time comes," he added.

Elder June pondered the situation for a while. What may seem like a typical situation to many, the Great Families wouldn't see it that way. They prided themselves because of their status in the Kingdom. They would want to make an example out of Karsha just to show the general public who is in charge.

However, they wouldn't outright kill him. No, they would find a way to make him regret his actions before dying. He wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last. "Go back to your sleeping area and don't leave until I come to fetch you," Elder June said, and Karsha obediently started moving to his room, which was at the other end of the sect, about 6km from Xian's place.

=====================

"This is bad. When he said he would bring trouble, he actually meant it," Elder Lin remarked upon hearing Elder June's report about the Karsha and Vance incident.

"At least he has some dignity and decided to take responsibility," she added. "Setting a duel to the death will be disadvantageous to the kid; he is still a Master while Vance is a Semi-Saint," Elder Chen said, trying to figure out a solution as fast as he could.

"They wouldn't go for a duel even if we suggested it. They will use one of their cruel ways to kill him," Elder Ben, a muscular elder slightly younger than the rest, said. He was a swordsman and also a banished child from one of the Great Families, so he knew their ways of doing things.

"This is bad, very bad," Elder Lin reiterated.

"How should we proceed? If we wait and don't do anything, I'm afraid we will be losing a great asset over something so trivial," Elder June chimed in. In hindsight, the situation was indeed trivial, yet the Great Families wouldn't see it that way.

"There is little we can do at this moment. All we can do is wait and see what they will do," the Sect Master Xu finally said. He had been racking his brain for solutions, but there was no easy solution when it came to dealing with the Great Families.

"June, keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything rash while we wait to see what the Great Families have in store," Sect Master Xu concluded, ending the meeting.

=============

"28 days to go," Karsha muttered as he lay flat on his bed. Finally back in his room, instead of seeking a good night's sleep, his mind went into overdrive, brainstorming ways to navigate the sticky situation he found himself in.

"Mom was right when she said my mouth would one day get me in trouble," he sighed, recalling his mother's words. "There's no need to regret it now. At least Xian won't be getting into trouble with me," he reasoned, then attempted to catch some Z's.

In 28 days, the system would upgrade to version 2.0, and his class would finally unlock, opening a whole new world of opportunities for him. The current system could only perform minimal functions. However, he was confident that once the system upgraded to version 2.0, it would be able to do more for him.

He had an advantage over many. With his system, he could ascend levels faster than an ordinary cultivator. With the system aiding him in absorbing monster cores, he wouldn't need to waste days, if not weeks, just absorbing a single core.

Although the system was pushing him to maximize and assimilate his strength before breaking into the next stage, he knew that with constant training, he would be able to rise through the ranks faster than anyone.

Then there was the situation regarding drops. In Quinox, cultivators relied on drops to gather resources to aid them in their cultivation. They would embark on hunts specifically for drops. Although rare, drops were precious, akin to items crafted by blacksmiths and artisans. Drops, especially those in higher categories, held significant value when auctioned.

Avatars were another rarity. Like drops, avatars were scarce, often leading to bidding wars when one appeared in auction houses, sometimes extending beyond the confines of the auctions themselves.

However, Karsha was different. With his system, he had a higher chance of acquiring these items than ordinary cultivators. But now that his system was non-functional and he might be sent into the wild as a form of punishment, he knew he was in deep trouble. Initially, he planned to keep quiet until his system was back online with the new upgrades. However, his anger upon seeing Vance got the best of him. He didn't know why, but he would soon discover that it had something to do with the Austin Family.

After all, the assassins who killed Austin's parents were from the same Varon family currently plotting how to get back at him and the Sect.