The next day, when Shi Lei had some free time, he headed to Tiangong Pavilion once again. After finding An Xiaoyue and having a thorough conversation with her, Shi Lei finally understood the reasons why the Third Elder had escaped injury.
The reasons were many and deeply complex. First and foremost, the Third Elder was nominally An Xiaoyue’s master. Although she could punish him, her actions were subject to limits; or rather, the regulations of Tiangong Pavilion were inherently stacked in the Third Elder's favor.
The power structure of Tiangong Pavilion operated on a system of checks and balances among three authorities:
1. Artisan Soul Tower (the Third Elder's faction): This faction held the power to grant ownership of the artifact spirits recorded in the *Tiangong Canon*. They controlled the "Thousand Mechanism Puppet Army" and the mountain-protecting grand array. Past elders were required to sacrifice one eye to the artifact spirit (which explained why the Third Elder was blind in one eye).
2. Star Trail Hall (An Xiaoyue's faction): This faction commanded the art of celestial evolution and deduction, monopolized Secret Realm exploration, and calculated spatial coordinates. All of its members were implanted with the "Void Penetration Eye Restriction."
3. Hundred Refinements Courtyard (the neutral faction): Responsible for procuring and allocating artifact-refining materials, this courtyard regulated spiritual energy quotas through the "Heaven and Earth Melting Cauldron." …
Chapter 503