Willing Hands Reap the Rewards

When Chen Chuan asked the question, the masked people exchanged glances. Another one stepped forward.

He looked rather old, and spoke in a slightly aged voice. "There are indeed ways to alter and twist perception. Certain secret teachings involving higher-level mental power can do it, as can some esoteric rituals. People have exploited such loopholes before.

"But the constraints of our ritual were established back in the Great Alliance era. After thorough revisions and refinements, many of those loopholes have been closed.

"Extreme exceptions may still exist. Put it this way: if such a case arose in ordinary times, I'd actually welcome it. We could close the loophole promptly afterward, rather than scramble for a solution when danger struck."

Chen Chuan understood. The man was saying plainly that if he could find a loophole, he was welcome to try. They even encouraged it. Paying the price of one person's transgression to eliminate a flaw that affected many was worthwhile.

He could also tell that these people viewed things from a broader perspective. But he immediately raised another, sharper question:

"What if someone borrowed the power of certain beings from the Other Side World to suppress the ritual's effects?"

The masked elder said slowly, "That can indeed be done. Suppressing power requires a sustained expenditure of power, especially when it must be transmitted across the World Ring. If a being on the other side is willing to do that, it still serves our purpose of draining them. And this approach usually leaves traces, which makes it easier for us to find those colluding with the other side."

Chen Chuan caught the word "usually." That meant there might still be ways around it. But that was only natural. The beings of the Other Side World had fought their side's leaders for so