I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Lin Qing'er leaned on his shoulder. Her body temperature seeped through his clothes, just right, not too high, not too low. "You're just tired," she said.

Qin Yuan didn't say he was tired. But he didn't deny it either.

The tender leaves have already unfurled on the branches. Two leaves, with reddish edges and clearly visible veins. When the wind blows, they tremble, like toddlers learning to walk, unsteady on their feet.

Qin Yuan went to the gap in time. The white dot of light that the Old Man of Time had transformed into floated there, neither too big nor too small, neither too bright nor too dim, like a star fixed in mid-air.

"You've come. I knew you would come." The voice came from the point of light, very slowly, like the wind passing through a canyon.

"The Freedom Alliance wants me to abolish the rules. I can't abolish them, but I can't ignore them either. What should I do?"

"You can't manage all the worlds on your own. You need help."

The Old Man of Time suggested establishing a Multiverse Council. Representatives from each world would be elected to jointly formulate the rules. Qin Yuan frowned: "They'll argue."

"Arguing is better than fighting. After an argument, at least you still have the energy to shake hands. After a fight, you're gone."

The old man of time added: Parliament can only handle day-to-day affairs. You need a veto. Not for control, but to prevent the majority from bullying the minority.

Qin Yuan asked, "Then who will stop me?"

"You yourself."

Qin Yuan returned to the Xuan Yuan Sect. Lin Qing'er was watering the herb garden, scooping water from a bucket and sprinkling it evenly onto the soil. The newly planted medicinal herb had already sprouted its third leaf, twice the size of the first two.

"I will convene the All-World Conference."

Lin Qing'er didn't look up. "Go ahead. I'll wait for you here."

Qin Yuan's summons spread throughout the myriad realms. There were no documents, no messengers, only his voice—spreading out with the power to protect the Heavenly Dao, heard in every world, understood by every living being.

"I'm going to call a meeting. Representatives from all worlds are welcome. Those who don't come shouldn't come in the future."

There was no threat. But no one dared not to come.

At the pinnacle of all realms, a circular platform floated in the starry sky. There was no platform, no seats. Everyone stood. More than two thousand people, some dressed in heavy animal hides, some in light gauze robes, some bare-chested, some wearing helmets. Humans, demons, beastmen, and several other races that Qin Yuan couldn't name.

Li Qing stood at the very front of the Freedom Alliance's line. She had changed her clothes; she wore a dark blue robe, the cuffs of which were not rolled up. The white bird badge on her chest was polished to a high shine.

For the first hour of the meeting, no one spoke. Everyone was watching Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan stood at the edge of the platform, with the starry sky behind him.

"I didn't set the rules. You did."

He stepped back, leaving the focus to the delegates.

For the next seven days, the arguments never stopped. The big world and the small world fought, the strong world and the weak world fought, the Freedom Alliance and the Order Alliance fought. Some people slammed their fists on the table, or if there was no table, they would slap someone else's shoulder. Some people smashed cups, or if there were no cups, they would smash their own shoes. Some people grabbed others by the collar, some cried, some cursed, and some knelt on the ground begging.

Qin Yuan sat on the edge of the platform, remaining silent the entire time. He had watched the arguments unfold all day, listened to them all day, and endured them all day. As the sun was about to set, on the evening of the seventh day, he stood up.

Everyone fell silent.

"Are you done arguing? If you're done, then vote."

The Father of Time, transformed into threads of time, wove a curtain of light above the venue. The curtain was semi-transparent, like a thin veil, upon which three proposals were displayed.

Proposal 1: Allocate parliamentary seats according to the proportion of the world's population. The larger world supports it, the smaller world opposes it.

Proposal Two: One fixed seat for each world. Small worlds support this; large worlds oppose it.

Proposal 3: Compromise – allocation based on population, but with at least one seat for each world.

The most heated debate was over Proposal Three. The wider world felt it was unfair, while the smaller world felt it wasn't enough. In the first round of voting, no proposal received a majority. In the second round, no one did. In the third round, still no one.

Someone shouted, "Qin Yuan, you decide!"

Qin Yuan said, "I won't decide. You decide."

"We can't place an order!"

"Then let's keep arguing."

On the eighth day, Li Qing stepped forward. Her short hair was sticking up and uncombed, her face showed signs of staying up all night, and her eyes were red. She stood in the center of the platform, her voice hoarse.

"A compromise. Proportionately by population, but with at least one seat for each world. Who objects?"

More than half of them raised their hands.

Proposal Three passed. New content appeared on the screen of the Old Man of Time: the number of councilors is allocated according to the population ratio of each world, and the total number is adjusted once every hundred years; each world must have at least one councilor.

Li Qing walked up to Qin Yuan, took the Freedom Alliance badge off his chest, and threw it on the ground. The sound of metal colliding with stone was crisp, like bones breaking.

"It's not because of you. It's because we're tired of arguing."

Qin Yuan didn't pick it up. Li Qing bent down and picked it up himself, putting it into his sleeve.

Qin Yuan announced: The first Universal Parliament is established. He possesses veto power, but reserves the right not to use it.

No one objected.

The first issue raised by the newly formed parliament came from a middle-world entity. The proposal was brief, consisting of only one line: abolish the fundamental principle that "the strong must not bully the weak." The reason given was that this was unjust to the powerful.

Li Qing came to see Qin Yuan privately. She stood by the stream, while Qin Yuan sat on a blue stone. The leaves of the old plum tree were already fully green, and the branches drooped down, almost touching her hair.

"This proposal might pass. Many big world powers are secretly supporting it."

"You support it too?"

"I don't support it. But this is democracy."

The next day, the proposal passed by a narrow margin. Just as the speaker's gavel—actually a crystal—was about to fall, Qin Yuan stood up.

"I veto it."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall heard it. The speaker's gavel hovered in mid-air, not falling. The light from the crystal on the hammerhead flickered, like a heartbeat.

The proposal was rejected.

The room remained silent for a long time. Then someone shouted, "Didn't you say you wouldn't interfere?"

Qin Yuan said, "I meant to keep it in reserve, not to never use it."

Li Qing looked at Qin Yuan with a complex expression. Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. Qin Yuan understood—she was referring to "dictatorship."

"What's the difference between your veto power and dictatorship?"

"The difference is, I almost never use it."

He left the venue. Behind him, some cursed him, some praised him, and some remained silent. He didn't turn around.

That evening, Li Qing found Qin Yuan in the back mountain of Xuan Yuan Sect. She was standing by the stream, the water flowing past her feet and wetting the soles of her shoes. Qin Yuan sat on a blue stone, empty-handed.

"Are you really planning to never use your veto power?"

"One use is enough. Just let them know I have it, that's enough."

Following the veto incident, a split emerged within the Freedom Alliance. The moderates—represented by Li Qing—believed that rights could still be fought for within the parliamentary framework. The radicals—represented by the leaders of several great worlds—viewed Qin Yuan's veto power as tyranny, which must be overthrown.

The radicals withdrew from the parliament. They declared that their world would no longer abide by the rules of the multiverse. They called themselves the "New Freedom Alliance."

Qin Yuan did not send troops to suppress them, nor did he blockade their world. He only sent one person.