[You watched as "Number Two Other-Self" was left in the [Dao Yan Sacred Land] by [Dao Yan True Lord],]
[while the True Lord himself vanished after leaving you with a meaningful remark: "Make your plans early."]
[You: "..."]
["Wait, what was that supposed to mean?"]
["He couldn't seriously think some mighty figure was backing him, could he?! Was he insane?!"]
[Didn't you know perfectly well how much weight you could throw around?]
[What backing did you have now? Were you supposed to pit your skull against a [Spirit Transformation Dao Master]?]
[The current situation was utterly rotten:]
[The [Unrestricted] skill had already been used, and you didn't have so much as a hair of [Heaven's Mandate]. How were you supposed to fight?]
[[I Am the Chess Player] in your sea of consciousness was as silent as the dead. You couldn't count on it.]
[As for [Late Bloomer]?]
[Although your current [essence] was at the [Nascent Soul Early Stage], some gaps simply couldn't be bridged by clinging to life and piling up lifespan.]
[The amplification from [Late Bloomer] currently stopped at the [Nascent Soul Early Stage], and that was without the support of a [fruit position]—the weakest possible [Nascent Soul True Lord]!]
[In this state, you were like an empty shell without any real authority, propped up by your [rank] alone.]
[No matter how much more lifespan you sacrificed in the future, you would probably just keep circling around this same level.]
[This situation was more like [borrowed attunement rank]!]
[You wanted to obtain a higher level of [essence]?]
[Perhaps it was because of the [Late Bloomer] [talent], but you might have to pay a price that was difficult to bear!]
[You might not even be able to bear that price at all!]
[Even taking ten thousand steps back... suppose you