Grace couldn't see Liam's face, but she knew. He was being genuine.
Lone cultivators, and Guild members for that matter, wouldn't even have the capability to harbor such insane thoughts, and for good reason.
The Sects had superior manpower down to their very outer disciples. They provided streamlined paths toward better resources, be it nutrients, martial arts, or magical items.
Even without accounting for the higher cultivation the easier-to-access nutrients enabled, the potential superior arsenal created a huge gap, one that even the most affluent Guild members couldn't close easily.
Extending that reasoning to the Elders and Sect Leaders turned the gap into an insurmountable barrier for anyone without access to that superior education.
And yet there Liam was, a single rooting expert claiming he would destroy those fearsome forces if one of their branching experts became hostile.
