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Princess Cang Yue did not waste any time.
She quickly led Sam, Jean, and the rest of the group through a secret entrance into the Royal Palace.
They walked quietly through the dark, hidden hallways until they reached the Emperor's private bedroom.
Inside, the room smelled strongly of bitter medicine and death.
Lying on the grand bed was Emperor Cang Wanhe.
His face was entirely gray, and his breathing was incredibly shallow.
He looked like a man who only had a few days left to live.
Cang Yue ran to his side and held his thin hand.
"Father,"
Cang Yue whispered, her tears falling onto the blankets.
"I brought someone who can help you."
Sam walked up to the edge of the bed.
He looked down at the dying Emperor.
His deep eyes scanned the man's weak body.
"The royal doctors told me it is an incurable poison,"
Cang Yue cried.
"Can you really fix it?"
"It is not a poison,"
Sam explained calmly.
"It is a Gu. A dark, living parasite bug that was planted inside his heart. It has been slowly eating his life force for years."
Cang Yue gasped in horror.
Chu Yuechan and Xia Qingyue also frowned deeply.
Using a Gu bug was a very dirty and evil tactic.
"Can you take it out?"
Cang Yue asked, her voice shaking with fear.
"If it is attached to his heart, removing it might kill him instantly!"
"Do not worry,"
Sam smiled gently.
He raised his right hand.
Suddenly, a beautiful, glowing red gem—the Reality Stone—began to shine brightly on his hand.
With the power of the Infinity Stones, getting rid of a tiny Gu bug was not hard for him at all.
He didn't even need to touch the Emperor's chest.
Sam simply willed the reality of the situation to change.
He bent reality to his command.
A dark, ugly, wriggling bug phased right through the Emperor's chest as if the skin was made of water.
The bug floated into the air, trapped inside a bubble of red light.
Sam closed his fist, and the evil bug turned into harmless dust.
Immediately, Emperor Cang Wanhe took a huge, deep breath.
The gray color faded from his skin.
A healthy, warm pink returned to his face.
He opened his tired eyes, looking confused but completely free of pain.
"My chest..."
The Emperor whispered.
"The heavy weight... it is gone."
"Father!"
Cang Yue cried out loudly.
She hugged him tight, completely overwhelmed with pure joy and relief.
After a few moments of crying, she turned around and dropped to her knees in front of Sam.
"Thank you! Thank you, Senior!"
Cang Yue wept happily.
"You did the impossible. With your endless power, you could easily destroy the evil princes and the greedy sects! You could fix the whole empire in a single second!"
Sam reached out and gently pulled Cang Yue back to her feet. His face became very serious.
"I could,"
Sam answered honestly, looking at the glowing stones on his hand.
"I could snap my fingers and turn all your enemies to ash."
"Then why don't you?"
Cang Yue asked, looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Because of Karma,"
Sam explained, his voice deep and heavy with ancient wisdom.
"True power comes with absolute responsibility. If I use this power to force the world to change, there will be massive ripples. If I erase entire sects, it will create a chain reaction that could result in millions of innocent people dying in the chaos."
Sam looked into her eyes to make sure she understood.
"Even though I am powerful, I am still part of the circle,"
Sam told her gently.
"If my lazy actions cause the deaths of millions, the heavy karma will crush me. I will be punished by my own power. The universe demands balance."
Cang Yue wiped her tears and listened carefully.
She was starting to understand.
"So, you cannot fight this war for me directly,"
Cang Yue said softly.
"Exactly,"
Sam smiled, proud of her understanding.
"I removed the parasite because it was an unfair, hidden trick. But the war for the throne, the politics, and the future of the Blue Wind Empire... that is a mortal struggle. That is your struggle."
Sam placed a warm, encouraging hand on her shoulder.
"I will not bend reality to hand you the empire,"
Sam promised her.
"But I will teach you. I will give you the strength and the knowledge you need. You are going to take back your home with your own two hands."
"Karma is very complicated,"
Sam said, walking over to the window and looking out at the city.
"In my world, people have a saying. They say, 'Karma is a bitch'."
Cang Yue blinked.
She was very surprised by the rough word coming from such a wise man.
"A... bitch?"
She asked softly, her face turning a little red.
"Yes,"
Sam laughed softly, turning back to face her.
"And they are not wrong. If you do terrible things, or if you break the natural order of the universe, Karma will eventually come back and bite you very hard. It will ruin you."
Sam smiled, a clever, confident light shining in his eyes.
"However,"
Sam continued.
"If you truly understand how it works, and if you play by the rules... you can make Karma your bitch."
Jean sighed softly from across the room and shook her head, but she had a warm smile on her face.
She knew exactly what he was doing.
"How do you do that?"
Cang Yue asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"By finding the loopholes,"
Sam explained gently.
"The rules of Karma say that I cannot step outside and burn your enemies to ash. That is your destiny, not mine. But... the rules do not say I cannot be a very generous teacher."
Sam raised his hand.
With a soft flash of light, five beautiful jade bottles appeared on the wooden table.
"What are these?"
Cang Yue asked, stepping closer to look at the glowing bottles.
"These are pure energy pills and spirit-cleansing pills,"
Sam told her.
"I am going to teach you my cultivation path. And with these pills, you will not have to train for fifty years to become a master. You are going to become a master tonight."
Cang Yue's heart beat wildly.
She immediately sat cross-legged on the floor, ready to learn.
Sam sat down right behind her. He placed his hand on her back to guide her energy safely.
"Take the first pill,"
Sam instructed softly.
"And just breathe."
Cang Yue swallowed a glowing green pill.
Instantly, a massive rush of warm, pure energy exploded inside her chest.
It was so strong she felt like she was going to burst.
"Focus,"
Sam's voice echoed calmly in her mind.
"Do not fight the energy. Guide it. Let it wash your veins like a river."
Cang Yue followed his calm voice.
She pushed the energy through her profound veins.
*Crack.*
A soft sound echoed inside her body.
A wave of force pushed the dust away from her on the floor.
Cang Yue opened her eyes in pure shock.
She had just broken through to the next realm in less than five minutes!
"Do not stop,"
Sam smiled proudly.
"Take the next one."
For the next few hours, the dark bedroom was filled with bright, flashing light.
Cang Yue took pill after pill.
Sam's endless cosmic power protected her body, making sure the massive energy did not hurt her at all.
She broke through again.
And again.
And again.
With every breakthrough, the tired, weak princess disappeared.
Her aura grew heavier, sharper, and incredibly powerful.
She felt like a sharp sword that had finally been pulled out of its rocky prison.
When the sun began to rise outside the window, Cang Yue finally opened her eyes.
She looked at her own hands. She could feel enough power flowing through her blood to easily crush the arrogant young masters who had bothered her yesterday. She felt completely reborn.
She turned around and looked at Sam.
Her eyes were shining with deep gratitude and a new, unbreakable respect.
"You gave me so much power,"
Cang Yue whispered, feeling totally amazed.
"Are you sure this does not break the rules of Karma?"
Sam smiled warmly and gently patted her head.
"It doesn't break the rules,"
Sam explained, his voice full of deep meaning.
"Because I didn't do the fighting. You did the hard work to absorb the energy. Now, when you use this power to save your father's empire and protect millions of innocent people, you will create a massive amount of good Karma."
Sam pointed to the invisible space between them.
"And because I am your teacher, and I gave you the tools to do it, a big piece of that good Karma will flow right back to me. It cleanses my soul for my next breakthrough."
Cang Yue smiled brightly. She finally understood.
"We are bonded now, Cang Yue,"
Sam said gently.
"By doing good things together, we both win. Now, let's go take your empire back."