While the Congress continued onwards, with various sects coming forward to explain their own findings and suppositions on this treason plague, the little boy simply observed it all with a faint smile.

'They are like a group of blind people touching the elephant with their hands. Each of them sees something different and makes correct guesses on the object, be it an ear or leg, yet they cannot see the whole. Thus, everyone is wrong, despite being correct in the small.' Pef mused inward, finding this scene a perfect example on the nature of cultivation itself.

Every cultivator touched the Dao from a different side, yet because they were blind, their small truths were still wrong nonetheless.

'Cultivation is hard, and takes time...' the little Icefire commented at once, then realized what Pef truly meant. '...Or takes little time, if you know what you are doing.'

'And that is the problem here too. Something like Icefire could indeed create an organization that covers the planet, and infiltrates a thousand sects to place its agents there, waiting for the right moment to take over. Cultivators could receive better advice in any Dao and get strong faster, outpacing the regular cultivators a hundred times. Yet, they couldn't have someone like me.' Pef reasoned while considering his own situation, a special snowflake in a sea of unremarkable snowflakes covering the planet.

'There is another, it is true. Not like you, little user. Perhaps similar to the big Icefire...' the tiny azure sprite admitted in a low tone, sounding ashamed.

Hypothesis proven, the small boy just relaxed and waited, until measures began to be proposed, some decent, some not, yet all insufficient due to the nature of the attack. This wasn't just another Sect trying to take over the world.

"These Netherservants have an initiation point similar to Icefire. Testing would not screen what cannot be seen, so you'd need to soul-search everyone for their true loyalties. And keep doing it every year." Pef spoke in a tiny voice, barely heard by the Saints present in Congress.

"That's...an unsolvable problem then. There is nothing in this world capable of restraining Icefire." the Ice Saint muttered in the same low voice, sounding rather desponded at the news.

'There must be restrictions, or Icefire would have left this world long ago, and entered the next universe. And for that matter, something like Icefire cannot originate here, the qi is too rarefied. People here can barely Ascend at all, and yet there are two high level entities slumming in these sewers with the low levels humans?' Pef wondered inward as he focused on the tiny flame swimming lazily in his dantian.

'Even if you see the elephant, little user...the sky is too hard. We cannot leave even if we try.' Icefire answered in a sad voice.

"We must stop the conflict with this Nether being, at the source. Well, I will do it...in a decade or so." Pef spoke softly as he glanced at his new follower. The Saber Saint just frowned, looking a bit confused at his new Master.

On the other side of the assembly, the jade-like Saint opened her eyes and measured the small boy with curiosity.

'Why in a decade, little one?' She sent with a qi transmission.

Pef just turned and measured the Lady Saint, as if searching for something familiar on her face. 'Come with me, Lady of the Lake. Your skill with the mind will be helpful.' he answered with his own transmission, and he smiled cutely in anticipation.

The woman stood still for a long moment, before glancing at the other two Saints flanking the Holy Son. 'A decade, no more. And I want to see Icefire' the Lady of the Lake demanded as she floated gracefully and landed in front of the blonde boy. Pef just nodded in agreement. Seeing Icefire was rather important, after all.

A flurry of frantic qi messages began to flow among the remaining Congress members, and the last three Saints of the Righteous Alliance took a small bow then vanished at speed.

"I think I scared them off..." Pef whispered mostly to himself, then rose in the air and flew away with his own powers, followed in an instant by three Saints.

"I think it went quite well, Holy Son. You are going to the Association now?" the Ice Saint said in a questioning tone.

"Uhm. I want to purchase some rare ingredients now, and I rarely go out from the Sect. Plus, the saber guy needs to relax. We can visit a restaurant and unwind a little." Pef explained with a calm voice, making the Saber Saint let go of the saber's pommel as two Saints turned to observe his behavior.

"You do seem tense, Saber Saint. Is there a problem? Perhaps you doubt the new teacher you just chose?" the Lake Saint asked with a gentle voice yet a scary insight into the mind of the Saint.

"It makes no sense. I cultivated the saber for millions of years, yet a tiny boy has already left me behind. And not by a small margin either." the bald man muttered in a reluctant voice.

"... Now imagine me, seeing a 6-year-old jump into Icefire itself and come out with a tiny flame in his hand." The Ice Saint grumbled in a despondent voice as well.

Pef just shrugged and dived to land at the main shop of the Association, while the three Saints followed with shaken hearts.

He had hoped to rope in all the Saints from the Righteous Alliance, but even half wasn't bad either. He also hoped the three Saints were decently rich, as the materials for qi arrays weren't cheap at all.

Thus, Pef began running on his tiny legs from one stand to another, taking mental notes of rare metals or crystals and inks and all kinds of other materials he considered useful.

It made quite a show, a small blonde boy darting from place to place to observe the exhibits, while three mighty Saints followed at a sedate pace, and buying whatever the blonde menace pointed at.

"Oh? There is an upper floor too?" Pef noticed as he reached the end of the first floor.

"Little one, you need an Association invite for..." the stairs guard objected as Pef passed by, deftly avoiding his hands.

Three golden tokens appeared in the Saints' hands as they followed their new teacher towards the next, more expensive floor.

"Errr. Welcome, esteemed guests!" the guard proclaimed in a terrified voice, as golden tokens were only offered to Sect Masters or higher ranked cultivators.

'This is the place! So many good things here!' Pef exulted inward as he began to skip from stand to stand and choose the rarest materials offered for sale.

"The herbs here would be quite beneficial for your growth, Holy Son." the Lake Saint offered as she gently waved a hand towards a herb stand filled with glazed glass boxes containing rare herbs.

Pef skidded to a stop and came back to scan the plants and roots with a deep frown. "All right then. Buy them all, Lady Saint. I'm sure they'll help, if you said so." he allowed in a magnanimous voice, then ran off towards another stand.

A vein at the woman's temple twitched for some reason, as she began to suspect why the other Saints were so exasperated by the blonde boy.

"You'll get used to it, Lake Saint. Maybe." the Ice saint offered with a commiserating voice.

"Our whole stock of rare herbs will cost 1.2 million spirit stones, golden token included. Shall I pack them into a storage ring?" the store clerk asked in a melodious voice.

The Lake Saint sighed and cursed the day she was born. This decade might prove quite costly, even for a rich Saint like her.