The old patriarch was silent for a time, fingers tapping once on the zither.
"You were inside longer than anyone else," the patriarch said at last. "And from what I've heard, no one witnessed your breakthrough to the Divine Level."
A glint of suspicion sharpened his gaze. "Tell me… did you wait for the others to leave before making your advance—just to keep it hidden?"
Liang raised an eyebrow, though inwardly, he braced himself. If the old man moved, he was ready to vanish without hesitation.
Yet his voice remained calm, even amused. "Patriarch thinks too much. The timing was convenient, nothing more. No scheming. And as they say… it never hurts to keep a hidden card up your sleeve."
"A hidden card," the old man repeated. "Yes. You strike me as someone who never plays a hand fully revealed."
His gaze flicked to the compass still resting on the moss. "And yet… here you are. Placing that card on the table."
