By the twenty-fifth loop, Du Yanze had begun to see the combat patterns clearly. Zhao Mingwei always led with the same intimidation technique. The six escorts always formed their hexagonal absorption formation on the same timing. Even their individual fighting styles followed predictable sequences.

"It's like reading a script," he murmured to himself as he prepared for another doomed battle. "They never change because they don't remember."

He'd started taking notes in his Throne of Will, using his improved spiritual sense to record every detail of each encounter. Zhao Mingwei favored left-handed calligraphy strokes. The second escort cultivator had a slight delay in his formation timing. The fourth one always glanced toward Little Bloom first; apparently even Tribunal members found tiny talking saplings distracting.

These small observations were adding up.

In the latest loop, Du Yanze had managed to avoid Zhao Mingwei's opening attack entirely by anticipating the angle. He'd lasted almost three full minutes against the Tribunal formation before they'd adapted and crushed him.

Progress. Tiny, incremental, blood-soaked progress.

***

The thirtieth loop was when Du Yanze stopped trying to explain the situation to others. He'd spent so many iterations desperately trying to make them understand, pleading with them to believe him, watching their faces fill with pity and concern as they concluded their young leader had gone mad.

"Big Brother Yanze seems sad all the time now," Little Bloom had whispered to the ancient oak in the twenty-eighth loop. "Did I do something wrong?"

The innocent question had shattered something in Du Yanze's chest. How could he explain that her only crime was caring about him? That every loop began with her bright enthusiasm and ended with her terrified screams?

So, he stopped explaining.

Let them think he was withdrawn, melancholy, touched by divine madness.

It was easier than watching their hope turn to horror when the Tribunal arrived exactly as he'd predicted.

***

Loop thirty-five brought another cultivation breakthrough, his Xuan Yi reserves deepening as his understanding of the Mandelbrot pattern grew more sophisticated. He could feel his spiritual foundation solidifying, preparing for the next major advancement.

More importantly, he was beginning to understand the deeper mechanics of the realm's power system. The Tribunal's reflection formation didn't just absorb technique; it analyzed the underlying conviction behind them and used that analysis to craft counters. But Du Yanze's conviction was becoming something they couldn't easily categorize.

How do you counter someone who believes absolutely in eventual victory, no matter how many times they fail? How do you reflect the determination of someone who's willing to die a thousand deaths for the chance to save his people?

The Tribunal's techniques were designed for normal Disbelievers; people who were not steadfast, people whose doubt made them vulnerable to philosophical attacks. But Du Yanze wasn't doubting anymore. He was certain, with the kind of certainty that could only come from direct experience, that he would find a way to win.

That certainty was becoming a weapon.

***

"I can see the future," Du Yanze said calmly in the fortieth loop, standing before the assembled crowd in the courtyard. It wasn't technically accurate, but it was close enough.

Feng Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow. "Divine One, what do you mean?"

"The Tribunal forces will arrive in four hours and thirty-six minutes," Du Yanze continued, checking the position of the sun. "Seven total: one World-Writ Sovereign named Zhao Mingwei leading six Crowned Heart Realm specialists. They'll form a hexagonal absorption formation designed to turn our own techniques against us."

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He began walking through the crowd, pointing at specific individuals. "You'll try to bind Zhao Mingwei with chains of conviction. The formation will absorb your technique and reflect it back as pure righteous fury, which will erase you from existence in approximately twelve seconds."

Feng Zhaoyang's face had gone pale. "How could you possibly—"

"You'll try to protect Little Bloom with your branches," Du Yanze continued, turning to the ancient oak. "They'll use purifying fire that burns spiritual essence directly. You'll die screaming her name."

The massive tree's branches rustled with unease. "Young Master, this level of detail—"

"And you," Du Yanze knelt beside Little Bloom, his voice growing gentle, "will ask if I'm going to use my special writing to scare away the bad men. You'll offer to help fight with your root techniques. You'll call me Big Brother Yanze right up until the fire reaches you."

Little Bloom's tiny form went very still. "Big Brother... you're scaring me."

Du Yanze felt his heart break again, but he pushed through it. "I know. But this time, I'm going to stop them."

And for the first time in forty loops, he actually believed it might be possible.

***

The cultivation breakthrough came during the battle itself. As Zhao Mingwei's reflected technique bore down on him, the same energy that had killed him thirty-nine times before, Du Yanze felt his spiritual foundation finally crystallize into the next stage.

Mid-stage World-Writ Sovereign.

The advancement flooded his Throne of Will with new power, his Mandelbrot pattern blazing brighter as it incorporated the enhanced energy flow.

With his improved cultivation, Du Yanze could suddenly see the Tribunal formation's weaknesses. The hexagonal absorption matrix required perfect synchronization between all six escorts. If even one was disrupted...

Du Yanze's brush moved with newfound precision, writing characters that blazed with mid-stage authority: Unity Fractures Under Pressure.

The technique struck the weakest link in their formation: the fourth escort, the one who always glanced at Little Bloom first. His concentration shattered, and the entire hexagonal matrix collapsed.

"Impossible," Zhao Mingwei breathed as his reflected attack fizzled harmlessly. "How did you—"

Du Yanze didn't give him time to finish. Forty loops of memorizing attack patterns had taught him exactly where each Tribunal member would be at any given moment. His counterattacks landed with surgical precision, each technique targeting a specific vulnerability he'd observed and catalogued.

In twelve minutes, all seven Tribunal members lay unconscious in the courtyard. Not dead; Du Yanze had been careful about that. He'd learned the difference between justice and revenge somewhere around the twentieth loop. There was no need to kill them, not when there was still a chance to convert them.

"We did it," Feng Zhaoyang said, staring at the bound figures in amazement. "We actually won."

"Young Master," Li Qiang whispered. "Everything you predicted... it all happened exactly as you said. The formation, their techniques, even their individual fighting styles..."

Little Bloom bounced excitedly around Du Yanze's feet. "Big Brother Yanze really can see the future! You knew exactly what the bad men would do!"

"The time loop," Feng Zhaoyang said slowly, his eyes widening with dawning realization. "You weren't suffering from divine madness. You were telling the truth."

Du Yanze felt something he hadn't experienced in forty loops: the profound relief of being believed. For the first time, his friends were looking at him not with pity or concern because they thought he was going mad, or horror and guilt when they realised he was right all along, but with wonder and understanding.

"How many times have we done this?" Feng Zhaoyang asked quietly.

"This is the fortieth time," Du Yanze said, his voice thick with emotion and fatigue. "And the first time you’re all still alive after seeing the truth."

"Oh, Big Brother Yanze," Little Bloom whispered. "You've been watching us die over and over again?"

Before Du Yanze could answer, the sky turned gold.

Five new figures descended like falling stars earlier than expected, their spiritual pressure so overwhelming that several of the weaker converted guards collapsed just from proximity. These weren't advance scouts or local enforcers. These were the real threat: five World-Writ Sovereigns with centuries of experience in eliminating Disbeliever uprisings.

"No," Feng Zhaoyang breathed, understanding flooding his features. "This is what kills us, isn't it? This is why you've been—"

"A mid-stage sovereign," the lead figure murmured, studying Du Yanze's spiritual signature. "Interesting. It's been some time since we've encountered organized resistance at this level."

Du Yanze felt his newfound confidence crumble, but this time it was different. This time, as he looked around at his friends' faces, at their horror and determination and desperate love, he knew something crucial.

He'd found the key. Defeating the first Tribunal wave was the way to make them believe. In future loops, he would give his predictions and then focus entirely on the real challenge, which were the enemies floating before him.

Even with his cultivation breakthrough, five World-Writ Sovereigns were beyond his current ability to handle, but at least now he had a path forward.

The battle lasted six minutes.

Du Yanze managed to wound two of them before they coordinated their attacks and tore him apart.

As consciousness faded, his last thought wasn't bitter anymore. It was determined: the time loop had been designed to let him eventually win, and now he finally understood the first step of that victory.