City Lord Feng Zhaoyang stood at the highest balcony of his palace, gazing out over the Prosperity District with the kind of casual authority that came from three centuries of unchallenged rule.

The morning sun caught the gold thread in his ceremonial robes, each strand carefully woven with Xuan Yi to reinforce his position as the city's ultimate arbiter of order and justice.

At the World-Writ Sovereign stage, Feng Zhaoyang had long ago transcended the petty struggles that consumed lesser cultivators. Where those at the Crowned Heart Realm still fought to maintain their beliefs against the doubts of others, he had moved beyond such vulnerabilities. His convictions were no longer fragile things that could be shattered by humiliation or failure.

Instead, they had crystallized into absolute truth, written directly into the fabric of reality itself.

The difference was both profound and practical.

A Crowned Heart cultivator could manifest their beliefs as spiritual pressure and phantom crowns, but their power remained dependent on maintaining those beliefs. Doubt from others could literally wound them, criticism could destabilize their cultivation base, and a Crisis of Doubt could unravel years of advancement in minutes.

But a World-Writ Sovereign?

Feng Zhaoyang's beliefs had become universal laws within his domain. He didn't need to convince anyone of his authority; he simply carved it into existence using Xuan Yi calligraphy that rewrote local reality.

When he declared "I am the rightful ruler of this city," the declaration became a fundamental truth that even the Dao itself acknowledged.

Challenging his authority wasn't just difficult; it was metaphysically impossible for anyone below his cultivation stage.

Only another World-Writ Sovereign, or someone who had advanced to the Heaven's Beloved stage or beyond, possessed the spiritual weight necessary to contest his reality-alterations.

Anyone else would find their opposition simply written out of existence.

"My Lord," Captain Ji Haozhe said from behind him, his voice carrying the careful deference of someone who understood exactly what kind of power he was addressing. "Yesterday's reports have been confirmed. Three separate groups of witnesses saw Du Yanze destroy cultivation techniques using methods consistent with Disbeliever abilities."

Feng Zhaoyang didn't turn around immediately.

He'd been expecting the boy to break for months, though he was genuinely surprised it had taken nine consecutive defeats. Most cultivators would have given up after the fourth or fifth humiliation, their belief in their own chosenness cracking under the weight of repeated failure.

The typical pattern was predictable: after enough defeats, a cultivator would simply transfer their faith from themselves to their conqueror, becoming a Witness of Fate who believed their opponent was the true chosen one.

Du Yanze's transformation into a Disbeliever was far more unusual, far more dangerous, but also far less likely to be true.

"Tell me about the witnesses," Feng Zhaoyang said, his voice carrying a note of skepticism. "I find it hard to believe that Du Yanze, for all his failures, has truly made such a dramatic transformation. These reports have a tendency to grow in the telling."

The requirement for three separate witness groups wasn't arbitrary.

Feng Zhaoyang had learned from bitter experience that single accusers were often unreliable.

Too many jealous rivals had come forward over the years, claiming their opponents were Disbelievers simply because they couldn't accept being defeated in honest combat.

The three-group verification system helped filter out false reports born of wounded pride and petty revenge.

"The first group consisted of merchants and shopkeepers in the Eastern District who observed the confrontation from their stalls. They all reported seeing Du Yanze nullify a Blazing Phoenix Descent technique by apparently denying its validity." Captain Ji Haozhe paused, consulting his notes. "The second group was composed of city guards on patrol, led by Guard Captain Dong. They witnessed Du Yanze cause a flight technique to fail simply by being present. The third group..." He hesitated. "The third group were the Lu Clan cultivators who challenged Du Yanze directly in the street. According to their collective testimony, Du Yanze destroyed their techniques without even moving, just by looking at them with contempt."

Feng Zhaoyang finally turned, his expression now showing signs of alarm. "And the boy's current location?"

"Unknown, my Lord. After the confrontation, several guards attempted to apprehend him, but Du Yanze demonstrated flight capabilities that shouldn't have been possible for a Disbeliever. He disappeared into the Eastern District with his servant. We've been searching, but..."

"But tracking a Disbeliever is complicated," Feng Zhaoyang finished.

It was one of the many dangers that made these corrupted individuals so threatening. Their ability to deny the validity of detection techniques made conventional pursuit methods unreliable at best.

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The City Lord walked to his desk, where maps of the surrounding area lay spread across the polished surface. Each district was marked with different colored pins representing the cultivation levels and loyalties of the local power structures. The Eastern District, he noted, contained several locations that might appeal to someone seeking isolation.

"Captain," he said, tracing his finger along the marked paths leading out of the city. "In your professional opinion, where would a newly awakened Disbeliever seek refuge?"

The captain considered this carefully. Ji Haozhe had previously served the royal family, and his experience with tracking dangerous cultivators was extensive.

"Somewhere isolated, my Lord. Disbelievers can't maintain their abilities around large groups of believers; the collective faith tends to pressure them back toward normal Xuan Yi patterns. They need space to solidify their new worldview."

"The abandoned shrine," Feng Zhaoyang said, his finger stopping at a small mark on the eastern edge of the city's influence. "The one where the last priest became a Disbeliever himself."

"That would make sense, my Lord. The spiritual corruption there would actually support rather than hinder his development."

Feng Zhaoyang nodded slowly. The shrine had been a persistent problem for years. After the priest's transformation, the location had become spiritually unstable, resistant to normal purification techniques. Most citizens avoided it entirely, believing the place to be cursed. Which, from a certain perspective, it was.

"Prepare a full squadron," Feng Zhaoyang commanded. "But keep them at a distance. I'll handle the actual apprehension personally."

Captain Ji Haozhe looked concerned. "My Lord, surely a full World-Writ Sovereign's power isn't necessary for a former Crowned Heart cultivator? Even accounting for their reality-denial abilities..."

"You're thinking like a normal cultivator," Feng Zhaoyang replied, walking toward his private armory. "Disbelievers aren't just dangerous because of what they can do to techniques. They're dangerous because of what they represent—the possibility that all of our beliefs, all of our carefully constructed realities, might be nothing more than shared delusions."

He selected a scroll from the armory's shelves, its surface covered with golden calligraphy that seemed to shift and flow even when not being actively powered. This was one of his personal Xuan Yi inscriptions, a reality-altering technique that would allow him to impose his will directly onto the local environment.

"A Disbeliever's very existence is a challenge to the fundamental nature of our realm," he continued, tucking the scroll into his robes. "If word spreads that Du Yanze has successfully transitioned, others might attempt the same path. We could face a spiritual epidemic that undermines the entire cultivation system."

Captain Ji Haozhe's face paled as he considered the implications. "An entire generation of cultivators rejecting belief itself..."

"Exactly. Which is why this needs to be handled swiftly and definitively." Feng Zhaoyang moved toward the balcony's edge, gathering Xuan Yi around himself like a cloak of absolute authority. "Du Yanze was once a promising young cultivator from a respected clan. His transformation into a Disbeliever is unfortunate but will serve as a perfect example of what happens to those who abandon their faith in destiny."

The flight to the Eastern District took less than five minutes at Feng Zhaoyang's cultivation level.

As a World-Writ Sovereign, his movement techniques didn't simply propel him through the air; they declared his right to be wherever he chose to be, reality adjusting accordingly. The wind itself seemed to part before him, acknowledging his authority over the local environment.

The abandoned shrine came into view as he crested the last hill, its crumbling walls and moss-covered stones looking exactly as pathetic as he remembered. Withered trees surrounded the building like skeletal guardians, their branches reaching toward the sky in attitudes of permanent supplication. The spiritual energy here felt stagnant and wrong, like a wound in the fabric of reality that had never properly healed.

But there, sitting peacefully on a boulder near the shrine's rear wall, was Du Yanze.

Feng Zhaoyang descended slowly, allowing his spiritual pressure to build gradually. The technique was both practical and psychological; most cultivators would feel the approaching power and either flee or prostrate themselves in submission. He was curious to see how a Disbeliever would react to genuine World-Writ Sovereign authority.

Du Yanze looked up as he landed, and Feng Zhaoyang immediately noticed the changes.

The desperate hunger for validation that had characterized the boy's previous public appearances was gone, replaced by an almost unsettling calm. His posture was relaxed, confident, but not in the manic way of someone clinging to delusions of grandeur. This was the confidence of someone who had nothing left to prove.

More troubling was the phantom crown floating above Du Yanze's head. The boy had somehow broken through to the peak of the Crowned Heart Realm, which should have been impossible for someone in the midst of transitioning to Disbeliever status.

The two paths were mutually exclusive; you couldn't simultaneously embrace and reject the concept of personal destiny.

Were the reports about the boy becoming a Disbeliever false?

The only way to know for certain was through a thorough examination.

"Du Yanze," Feng Zhaoyang said, his voice carrying just enough Xuan Yi to ensure it would be heard clearly. "I am City Lord Feng Zhaoyang. You are under arrest for violations of public order and suspected spiritual corruption."

The elderly servant, Li Qiang, immediately began moving toward a kowtowing position, but Du Yanze gestured for him to remain seated.

"City Lord Feng," Du Yanze replied politely. "I'm honored by your personal attention, though I'm not sure what laws I've broken. The cultivation duels were all conducted within legal parameters, and I harmed no one permanently."

Feng Zhaoyang studied the young man carefully. This wasn't the bitter nihilism he expected from a Disbeliever, nor the desperate bravado of someone trying to maintain failing beliefs. Du Yanze spoke with the calm certainty of someone who knew exactly what he was and felt no need to justify it to others.

"The reports indicate you may have demonstrated Disbeliever abilities," Feng Zhaoyang said, watching carefully for any reaction. "Reality denial, technique nullification, spiritual corruption of the local environment. I need to verify whether these claims have any merit."

"I see." Du Yanze nodded thoughtfully. "And if they do have merit, what would be the penalty?"

"Spiritual reconditioning, if you're cooperative. Permanent imprisonment, if you're not. Execution, if you prove too dangerous to contain."

Du Yanze considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline those options, City Lord. I've just discovered who I really am, and I have no intention of letting anyone convince me to be someone else again."

Feng Zhaoyang felt his patience beginning to thin. The boy's casual rejection of lawful authority was exactly the kind of thinking that made Disbelievers so dangerous. They didn't just doubt their own specialness; they doubted everyone else's right to define reality.

"This is not a negotiation," Feng Zhaoyang said, allowing his World-Writ Sovereign spiritual pressure to flare outward. The technique should have been overwhelming, a manifestation of absolute authority that made resistance psychologically impossible. "You will surrender yourself for examination, or you will be taken by force."

That's when the forest began to move.

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