Chapter 37 — What Cloudveil Doesn't Need

The next name appeared beneath Jian Wuchen's.

Tang Rui — Vermilion Flame Peak.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Tang Rui looked at Jian Wuchen.

Jian Wuchen looked at Tang Rui.

Tang Rui raised one hand.

"I'd like to formally request that you don't cut my fire in half."

Jian Wuchen considered this.

"No."

Tang Rui sighed.

"At least you're straightforward."

The bracket settled.

Three Cloudveil disciples remained.

Their next opponents were now confirmed.

Lin Yue — Liu Meiying.

Lu Chen — Han Bo.

Jian Wuchen — Tang Rui.

Shen Yuan studied the formation screen.

Interesting.

Not because he was particularly worried.

The tournament had already clarified something he had suspected since bringing his disciples down from Cloudveil.

Their registered cultivation realms were becoming increasingly poor descriptions of their actual combat ability.

Lin Yue had entered the assessment at Qi Refining Fifth Stage.

She had defeated Qi Refining Seventh and Eighth Stage opponents without drawing Moonfrost.

Jian Wuchen's cultivation structure couldn't even be classified properly by the sect's foundation stele, yet his Sword Qi had overwhelmed Chen Ziyu's at Qi Refining Ninth Stage.

Lu Chen technically still possessed no conventional cultivation realm at all.

He had nevertheless torn through a Qi Refining Sixth Stage binding technique with his bare hands.

If Shen Yuan judged them purely by realm labels, he would be doing a worse job than the assessment stele.

That would be embarrassing.

"Peak Master."

Chen An approached with a jade slip.

Shen Yuan accepted it.

"Tomorrow's schedule?"

"And the preliminary reward list."

Shen Yuan paused.

Rewards.

He had almost forgotten.

He opened the jade slip.

Contribution points.

High-grade Qi Gathering Pills.

Foundation Establishment Pills.

Access to restricted cultivation chambers.

Technique Pavilion privileges.

Mission priority.

Personal artifacts for the highest-ranked disciples.

Additional annual resource allocation for the best-performing peak.

Shen Yuan read the list twice.

There was nothing wrong with it.

For Azure Origin Sect, the rewards were generous.

Very generous.

For Cloudveil Peak...

Shen Yuan looked toward his disciples.

Lin Yue possessed an Immortal-grade spiritual root, an awakening Immortal Body, the Nine-Yin Lunar Scripture, access to the Nine-Yin Lunar Pool and Lunar Dao Spring Eye, and Moonfrost.

Jian Wuchen cultivated the Ninefold Heaven-Severing Sword Scripture beside a Primordial Sword Stone and inside a Sword Intent Tempering Hall.

Lu Chen was attempting to construct a Primordial Chaos Foundation inside a cultivation environment that probably violated several reasonable assumptions about the Mortal Realm.

Shen Yuan looked back at the Foundation Establishment Pills.

Useful.

Just not particularly useful to them.

Chen An noticed his expression.

"Is there a problem with the rewards?"

"No."

Shen Yuan returned the jade slip.

"They're good."

Chen An nodded.

That was true.

Something didn't become worthless simply because Shen Yuan happened to possess better things.

A Foundation Establishment Pill could represent years of savings for an ordinary disciple.

Restricted cultivation chambers were constantly booked.

Contribution points determined access to techniques, pills, materials, missions and instruction.

Even a high-grade spiritual artifact could alter the future of a talented inner disciple.

Cloudveil's circumstances were abnormal.

Azure Origin wasn't.

Or at least—

Shen Yuan glanced toward the Five Peaks.

Not yet.

The next morning, the arena filled earlier than before.

News traveled quickly inside a sect.

News involving three disciples from a previously empty peak traveled faster.

By the time Shen Yuan sat down, the number of spectators had nearly doubled.

Even several elders who had skipped the foundation assessment were present.

Gu Tianhe looked toward Cloudveil.

"You've become popular."

Shen Yuan settled comfortably into his chair.

"My disciples have."

"You're enjoying this."

"No."

Gu Tianhe stared at him.

Shen Yuan amended his answer.

"A little."

That was apparently more believable.

Qin Feng arrived shortly afterward.

He looked tired.

Shen Yuan understood why.

Jian Wuchen had probably occupied more of the Heavenly Sword Peak Master's thoughts than was healthy.

Mu Qinglan took her seat on Gu Tianhe's other side.

"Junior Brother Shen."

"Senior Sister Mu."

"If Lin Yue damages Liu Meiying, I'm sending the medical bill to Cloudveil."

Shen Yuan looked toward Jade Lotus Peak.

Liu Meiying was currently talking animatedly to Lin Yue while holding two cups of tea.

"They seem fine."

"That isn't what I said."

"I heard you."

Mu Qinglan narrowed her eyes.

Shen Yuan smiled.

Gu Tianhe rubbed his forehead.

The tournament hadn't even started.

Liu Meiying handed Lin Yue a cup.

"You said tea before freezing."

Lin Yue accepted it.

"I remember."

"Good."

They stood beside the arena drinking tea while an examiner checked the formations.

Liu Meiying glanced at Moonfrost.

"Are you going to draw that?"

"I don't know."

"That's reassuring."

Lin Yue looked at her.

"Would you prefer I decide now?"

"No."

"All right."

"Somehow that was worse."

Lin Yue took another sip.

A few steps away, Lu Chen watched them.

"Senior Sister Lin Yue made a friend quickly."

Jian Wuchen stood beside him, Clear Wind resting at his waist.

"Yes."

"Do you think they'll still be friends after fighting?"

"Yes."

"What if Senior Sister Lin Yue freezes her?"

"Still yes."

"What if—"

"Lu Chen."

Lu Chen stopped.

Jian Wuchen looked at him.

"Watch."

Lu Chen grinned.

"All right."

Shen Yuan heard the entire conversation.

At least Jian Wuchen had used Lu Chen's full name.

Progress came in unexpected forms.

"Lin Yue. Liu Meiying."

The examiner gestured.

"Enter."

The two finished their tea.

Liu Meiying carefully placed both cups outside the arena.

"Those are coming back intact."

Lin Yue nodded.

"I'll avoid them."

"I meant you."

"I know."

Liu Meiying stared.

Lin Yue walked onto the platform.

A second later, Liu Meiying laughed and followed.

Shen Yuan leaned forward slightly.

This matchup interested him more than Lin Yue's previous two.

Not because Liu Meiying had higher cultivation.

She was Qi Refining Eighth Stage.

That alone wasn't enough.

What mattered was how she fought.

Wei Shan had controlled distance through explosive movement.

Lin Yue had solved that.

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Her previous opponent had relied on long-range pressure.

Lin Yue had solved that faster.

Liu Meiying was different.

She didn't primarily fight the opponent.

She fought the space around them.

"Begin!"

Liu Meiying moved first.

Not toward Lin Yue.

Away.

Five formation flags left her sleeves.

They struck the arena floor.

Spiritual lines connected.

Lin Yue took one step.

The ground beneath her changed.

Not physically.

Her perception shifted.

The arena seemed to stretch.

Liu Meiying had already disappeared behind a curtain of refracted spiritual light.

"Five Petal Maze Formation," Mu Qinglan said.

Qin Feng glanced at her.

"Isn't that normally arranged before a fight?"

"For ordinary disciples."

Mu Qinglan smiled.

"Liu Meiying can deploy the simplified version while moving."

Shen Yuan watched the formation settle.

Good.

This was what he wanted.

Something Lin Yue couldn't solve by simply possessing better Qi.

At least, not immediately.

Inside the formation, Lin Yue stopped.

Three Liu Meiyings appeared.

Then six.

Then twelve.

"Senior Sister Lin Yue!"

The voices came from different directions.

"If you freeze the entire arena, I'm calling that cheating!"

Lin Yue looked around.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good!"

A formation thread struck from behind.

Lin Yue turned.

Too late.

The thread wrapped around her wrist.

A second approached her ankle.

Lunar Qi flashed.

The first thread froze.

Lin Yue pulled.

It shattered.

But the moment it broke, four formation nodes shifted.

The false images moved.

Shen Yuan smiled.

Liu Meiying had expected that.

Destroying the thread had altered the formation.

Lin Yue's strength was being used as information.

Clever.

Another thread came.

Lin Yue avoided it.

Then another.

She didn't attack.

Liu Meiying waited.

So did Shen Yuan.

Lin Yue had been learning something over the past several days.

Advance.

Recede.

Return.

The principle had started as circulation.

Yesterday, it became movement.

Now—

Lin Yue closed her eyes.

A thin layer of Lunar Qi spread from beneath her feet.

Not enough to freeze the arena.

Not enough to overwhelm the formation.

Just enough to touch it.

The formation reacted.

Lunar Qi advanced.

Six false Liu Meiyings changed position.

It receded.

Five changed back.

One didn't.

Lin Yue opened her eyes.

Shen Yuan's smile deepened.

There.

She had done something similar during yesterday's control trial.

Probe.

Observe.

Return.

But this time, Liu Meiying recognized it.

"Oh."

The real Liu Meiying immediately changed nodes.

Too late.

Lin Yue moved.

The maze shifted.

Lin Yue disappeared inside it.

Liu Meiying pulled three flags simultaneously.

The formation folded inward.

Lin Yue's path should have redirected.

Instead, frost appeared across one spiritual line.

Not breaking it.

Weighting it.

One side of the formation slowed by a fraction.

Lin Yue stepped through the mismatch.

She appeared in front of Liu Meiying.

Liu Meiying raised both hands.

"I surrender."

Lin Yue stopped.

Her palm hovered several inches from Liu Meiying's forehead.

Silence.

Then Liu Meiying looked at her hand.

"No freezing?"

"No."

"Good."

Lin Yue lowered it.

Liu Meiying pointed toward the arena.

"You used my formation against itself."

"Partly."

"That's formation thinking."

"You said something similar yesterday."

"I know. I'm taking credit."

Lin Yue considered that.

"All right."

Liu Meiying blinked.

"That was easier than expected."

The examiner raised his hand.

"Winner—Lin Yue!"

Applause rolled across the arena.

Shen Yuan barely heard it.

A system notification had appeared.

[Disciple Lin Yue has successfully extended a self-derived circulation principle beyond internal cultivation.]

[Nine-Yin Lunar Circulation comprehension: 11% → 15%]

[Lunar Dao comprehension increased.]

Then another line appeared.

[Disciple is beginning to convert cultivation method into personal Dao application.]

Shen Yuan's expression became more serious.

That mattered.

More than winning.

More than another minor stage.

A cultivation technique could teach someone how to circulate Qi.

A Dao began when the cultivator stopped asking what the technique said and started asking what the principle meant.

Lin Yue was doing that much earlier than most cultivators.

Of course she was.

Shen Yuan had fed her enough unreasonable resources to make "most cultivators" a poor comparison.

Still—

resources could accelerate.

They couldn't decide what she understood.

That part belonged to Lin Yue.

Shen Yuan found himself increasingly pleased by that distinction.

Mu Qinglan was quiet.

Shen Yuan glanced at her.

"Medical bill?"

"Be silent."

Gu Tianhe coughed into his fist.

Qin Feng looked away.

Mu Qinglan ignored both.

"She read the formation."

"Yes."

"At Qi Refining Fifth."

"Apparently."

Mu Qinglan turned toward him.

"What have you been teaching her?"

Shen Yuan considered the question.

"Recently?"

"Why did I ask?"

"She developed that part herself."

Mu Qinglan became quiet again.

Shen Yuan recognized the expression.

Qin Feng had worn something similar yesterday.

Perhaps Cloudveil was bad for the mental health of other Peak Masters.

He should investigate.

Eventually.

Lin Yue and Liu Meiying retrieved their tea.

It was cold.

Liu Meiying stared into the cup.

"You said you'd avoid freezing it."

"I did."

"Then why is it cold?"

Lin Yue looked at the arena.

Then at her cup.

"Ambient temperature."

Liu Meiying sighed.

"I'll bring a thermos next time."

Lin Yue nodded seriously.

"That would help."

Their friendship appeared to have survived.

Excellent.

The next Cloudveil match drew an entirely different kind of attention.

Lu Chen entered the arena.

Han Bo entered from the opposite side.

Neither carried a weapon.

Han Bo was broader than Lu Chen by nearly half again, with thick forearms and the steady stance characteristic of Black Tortoise Peak's body cultivators.

Qi Refining Ninth Stage.

Body Tempering specialist.

Defensive arts.

Among Azure Origin's younger generation, Han Bo was the person disciples least wanted to punch.

Lu Chen looked delighted.

Han Bo looked equally pleased.

"This is a terrible sign," Shen Yuan said.

Chen An nodded.

"I reinforced the nearest spectator barrier this morning."

Shen Yuan turned.

"You did?"

"Yes."

Shen Yuan looked at his attendant for several seconds.

"Good work."

"Thank you, Peak Master."

Reliable man.

The examiner looked between Lu Chen and Han Bo.

"No intentionally damaging the arena."

Both nodded.

The examiner remained suspicious.

"Begin."

Han Bo stepped forward.

Lu Chen did the same.

No technique.

No probing.

They punched each other.

Boom!

The formation barrier trembled.

The examiner closed his eyes briefly.

Shen Yuan understood.

Sometimes employment was difficult.

Han Bo slid backward three steps.

Lu Chen slid backward one.

The Black Tortoise disciples erupted.

Han Bo looked at his fist.

Then at Lu Chen.

"Again?"

Lu Chen grinned.

"Again."

They collided.

Boom!

This time Han Bo used Qi.

Black Tortoise spiritual power reinforced his arm, shoulder, spine and legs.

His body became a single connected structure.

Lu Chen used no Chaos Qi.

He met the punch with raw physical strength.

The floor beneath his heel cracked.

The examiner pointed.

"That counts."

Lu Chen looked down.

"It was small."

"Continue arguing and it becomes a deduction."

Lu Chen stopped arguing.

Han Bo laughed.

Then attacked properly.

Three strikes.

Elbow.

Palm.

Shoulder.

Each reinforced by Qi.

Lu Chen blocked the first.

Took the second.

Caught the third.

His feet moved backward.

For the first time, Han Bo's expression sharpened.

Lu Chen's did too.

This was different from Qiao Ren.

Qiao Ren had avoided Lu Chen's body.

Han Bo was testing it directly.

And Han Bo knew how to make cultivation support physical strength.

That was something Lu Chen still lacked.

Han Bo struck again.

Lu Chen blocked.

The impact traveled through his arm.

Shoulder.

Chest.

Spine.

Lu Chen froze.

Not physically.

Internally.

Something had moved.

Not Han Bo's Qi.

His own.

Chaos.

Arm.

Shoulder.

Chest.

Spine.

Down.

Return.

Lu Chen hadn't commanded it.

He hadn't thought:

I am the Anchor.

It simply happened.

Han Bo punched again.

Lu Chen's body reacted.

Chaos moved.

Barely.

A thread.

Almost nothing.

But it moved with him.

Shen Yuan sat upright.

[First Anchor Stability: 84% → 88%]

[Unconscious circulation persistence increasing.]

Han Bo attacked.

Lu Chen laughed.

Not because the punch was funny.

Because he'd finally noticed.

"There you are."

Han Bo paused.

"What?"

"Not you."

"That's mildly insulting."

"Sorry."

Lu Chen stepped forward.

Han Bo reinforced himself.

Black Tortoise Qi spread through his body.

"Mountain-Bearing Stance."

His feet rooted.

His spine straightened.

His entire body became heavy.

Stable.

A defensive art designed to receive force from stronger opponents.

Lu Chen looked at him.

Then at his own hands.

Shen Yuan watched carefully.

"Don't force it," he said.

Lu Chen heard him.

He nodded.

No command.

No transformation.

No attempt to make Chaos become Earth.

No demand that it become strength.

Lu Chen simply moved.

The tiny circulation followed.

He punched.

Han Bo blocked.

Boom!

Han Bo's Mountain-Bearing Stance held.

For one breath.

Then his feet slid.

One meter.

Two.

Three.

He stopped just before the arena boundary.

The crowd fell silent.

Han Bo stared down.

Two trenches marked where his feet had crossed the stone.

Lu Chen stared too.

"That was stronger."

Han Bo looked up.

"Yes."

"Again?"

Han Bo laughed.

"Absolutely."

The examiner looked exhausted.

Their next collision lasted even less.

Han Bo met Lu Chen's punch.

His defense held.

Lu Chen's circulation completed another unconscious cycle.

The First Anchor remained.

Han Bo's defense broke.

Not his body.

Not his foundation.

His stance.

He flew backward.

Crossed the boundary.

Landed outside the arena.

Still standing.

Han Bo looked at Lu Chen.

Then laughed so loudly it echoed between the peaks.

"Good!"

The examiner raised his hand immediately before anyone could request another round.

"Winner—Lu Chen!"

[First Anchor Stability: 88% → 91%]

[Primordial Chaos Foundation Mission: 97% → 98%]

Lu Chen looked toward Shen Yuan.

This time, Shen Yuan didn't need to ask whether he'd noticed.

Lu Chen's expression said everything.

Shen Yuan nodded once.

Lu Chen grinned.

Two percent.

But Shen Yuan had learned enough about this foundation to know the final two percent might be harder than the previous twenty.

That was fine.

Lu Chen was no longer trying to force the answer.

He was becoming it.

Han Bo returned to the Black Tortoise seats rubbing his arm.

His Peak Master looked at him.

"Well?"

Han Bo thought.

"He's stronger."

"Excellent analysis."

"Thank you."

"I was being sarcastic."

Han Bo considered that.

"Oh."

Shen Yuan almost smiled.

Apparently Cloudveil wasn't responsible for every short answer in the sect.

Jian Wuchen's match followed after two others.

Tang Rui entered with considerably more caution than his usual expression suggested.

His Fire Qi was stronger than Wei Shan's.

Qi Refining Ninth Stage.

High-grade Fire Root.

Excellent control.

And unlike Chen Ziyu, Tang Rui had absolutely no intention of putting a sword anywhere near Clear Wind.

This was sensible.

"Junior Brother Jian Wuchen."

"Senior Brother Tang Rui."

Tang Rui pointed at the broken sword.

"I've thought carefully about this."

Jian Wuchen waited.

"I will be standing over there."

He pointed toward the opposite end of the arena.

"Fine."

"And you will remain over here."

"No."

Tang Rui sighed.

"I tried."

The examiner lowered his hand.

"Begin!"

Flames covered half the arena.

Tang Rui didn't test Jian Wuchen.

He had watched Chen Ziyu do that.

He immediately used distance, area control and continuous fire.

Jian Wuchen drew Clear Wind.

The broken blade looked almost inadequate against the sea of red.

Then Sword Qi moved.

One cut.

The flames split.

Tang Rui's expression became offended.

"I specifically asked you not to do that."

Jian Wuchen advanced.

Tang Rui retreated while releasing three compressed fire wheels.

Clear Wind cut the first.

Avoided the second.

The third exploded behind Jian Wuchen.

Tang Rui changed direction.

Good.

Shen Yuan watched.

Tang Rui had already understood something Chen Ziyu learned during the match.

Don't contest Jian Wuchen where Jian Wuchen is strongest.

So Tang Rui made the arena itself hostile.

Fire remained behind every technique.

Heat accumulated.

Jian Wuchen's movement routes narrowed.

For several exchanges, Tang Rui successfully kept him away.

Then Jian Wuchen's Fourth Sword Meridian circulated.

Shen Yuan noticed immediately.

Different.

Yesterday, Jian Wuchen had used it after Chen Ziyu committed.

Today—

earlier.

Clear Wind moved toward the left.

Tang Rui reacted.

Then Jian Wuchen's internal circulation changed before the sword completed its path.

The blade went right.

Tang Rui's eyes widened.

He barely avoided it.

A thin cut appeared across his sleeve.

He retreated.

Jian Wuchen didn't pursue.

Tang Rui looked at the cut.

Then at Jian Wuchen.

"Your sword changed its mind."

Jian Wuchen thought about Shen Yuan's words.

"No."

Tang Rui waited.

"I did."

Shen Yuan smiled.

Better.

Tang Rui exhaled.

Then raised both hands.

Fire gathered.

Much more than before.

"Then I'll stop giving you choices."

A blazing furnace shape formed above him.

Several elders straightened.

Shen Yuan didn't.

Jian Wuchen's Sword Heart beat.

Clear Wind hummed.

The broken blade rose.

One sword.

One furnace.

They collided.

The furnace split down the center.

Jian Wuchen passed through the opening.

Clear Wind stopped against Tang Rui's shoulder.

Tang Rui looked at the broken blade.

Then at the two halves of his technique dispersing behind Jian Wuchen.

He sighed.

"I surrender."

The examiner raised his hand.

"Winner—Jian Wuchen!"

Tang Rui looked toward the sky.

"Wind."

The examiner pointed at him.

"Don't."

Tang Rui wisely stopped.

By afternoon, the tournament had narrowed dramatically.

Cloudveil Peak still had all three disciples.

That fact alone was beginning to affect the Five Peaks standings.

Chen An approached Shen Yuan with another jade slip.

"Current peak rankings."

Shen Yuan opened it.

Cloudveil was first.

He looked at the number of participating disciples.

Then at the rankings.

Then back at the number.

Three.

Cloudveil had entered three people.

He glanced toward the other peaks, each of which had entered considerably more.

"That seems unfair."

Chen An looked at him.

"To whom?"

Shen Yuan considered it.

"Everyone else."

Chen An didn't disagree.

Below them, the next round was being prepared.

But Shen Yuan's attention drifted elsewhere.

Toward the disciples who had already been eliminated.

Chen Ziyu was discussing his match with another Heavenly Sword disciple.

Wei Shan sat beside Tang Rui, arguing about whether splitting a fire technique counted as disrespecting artifact refiners.

Qiao Ren was helping Liu Meiying gather formation flags.

Han Bo was already asking an elder when the training grounds would reopen.

None of them were mediocre.

That thought remained.

Shen Yuan had spent so much time surrounded by impossible things that his sense of scale had become distorted.

Immortal scriptures.

Ancient remnants.

Transcendent resources.

World wounds.

Creator traces.

Then he came down the mountain and watched ordinary young cultivators work with what they had.

And they were good.

Chen Ziyu had adapted in the middle of fighting a cultivation structure he had never encountered.

Liu Meiying had built formations while moving.

Han Bo had taken Lu Chen's punch directly and remained standing.

Tang Rui had immediately changed his strategy after studying Jian Wuchen's previous match.

Zhao Tianming had reached Foundation Establishment through conventional preparation and discipline.

Azure Origin did not lack talent.

It lacked what almost every Mortal Realm sect lacked.

Resources.

Shen Yuan looked toward Gu Tianhe.

Then toward the reward jade slip in Chen An's hand.

"Chen An."

"Peak Master?"

"What happens to the peak allocation if Cloudveil finishes first?"

"It is transferred to Cloudveil's annual resource treasury."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

Shen Yuan looked around Cloudveil Peak's section.

Three disciples.

One attendant.

Himself.

Then he thought about the actual resources sitting on Cloudveil.

The comparison was almost insulting.

"Leave it with the sect."

Chen An paused.

"Peak Master?"

"If we finish first."

Shen Yuan nodded toward the jade slip.

"Cloudveil doesn't need the additional allocation."

Chen An understood.

"All of it?"

"All of it."

No system notification appeared.

No multiplier.

No reward calculation.

Nothing.

Shen Yuan waited half a second anyway.

Still nothing.

Good.

Apparently generosity remained financially irresponsible.

That was reassuring.

Chen An lowered his head.

"I'll inform the Sect Master after the final rankings."

Shen Yuan nodded.

Then added:

"Don't make an announcement."

"Understood."

He didn't need one.

Unfortunately, Gu Tianhe had excellent hearing.

He appeared beside Shen Yuan several minutes later.

"You're giving up Cloudveil's allocation?"

"Possibly."

"Possibly?"

"We haven't won yet."

Gu Tianhe looked at the remaining bracket.

Then at Lin Yue.

Then Lu Chen.

Then Jian Wuchen.

"You're insufferable."

"So I've heard."

Gu Tianhe sat beside him.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Gu Tianhe said:

"You know you don't have to."

"I know."

"Cloudveil earned those resources."

"Cloudveil has better ones."

Gu Tianhe looked at him.

Shen Yuan's expression remained relaxed.

But his eyes had returned to the arena.

"There are disciples here who can use them."

Gu Tianhe followed his gaze.

The eliminated younger generation.

The Five Peaks.

The sect.

Something in the Sect Master's expression changed.

Not dramatically.

Gu Tianhe had known Shen Yuan for too long for dramatic misunderstandings.

"Fine."

He stood.

"I'll make sure they're used properly."

Shen Yuan nodded.

That was why Gu Tianhe was Sect Master.

Shen Yuan had absolutely no desire to decide which disciple received how many contribution points.

A terrifying responsibility.

Gu Tianhe took two steps.

Shen Yuan spoke again.

"Sect Master."

Gu Tianhe stopped.

"I've been thinking."

Gu Tianhe slowly turned.

His expression became wary.

Shen Yuan frowned.

"Why do you look like that?"

"Nothing good has ever followed you saying those words."

"That's unfair."

"Is it?"

Shen Yuan thought about recent months.

"Maybe."

Gu Tianhe waited.

Shen Yuan looked toward the Five Peaks.

"How much would it cost to upgrade the sect's main Spirit Gathering Formation?"

Gu Tianhe became very still.

Shen Yuan continued.

"Not Cloudveil."

His gaze moved across Heavenly Sword.

Jade Lotus.

Vermilion Flame.

Black Tortoise.

Then back toward the central mountain.

"The whole sect."

Gu Tianhe stared at him.

Shen Yuan leaned back.

"What?"

The Sect Master slowly sat down again.

"Start from the beginning."

Shen Yuan sighed.

There went his peaceful afternoon.

Still—

below them, Lin Yue was discussing formations with Liu Meiying.

Lu Chen and Han Bo were comparing bruises.

Jian Wuchen sat with Clear Wind across his knees, studying the old jagged break as though Shen Yuan's lesson might somehow be hidden inside it.

Chen An was already reorganizing Cloudveil's records.

Shen Yuan looked beyond them.

Azure Origin had been his home long before the system appeared.

Before Immortal cultivation.

Before ancient mysteries.

Before disciples.

Six years of avoiding responsibility apparently hadn't changed that.

Perhaps becoming stronger didn't always mean finding somewhere higher to stand.

Sometimes it meant making the place beneath your feet stronger too.

A new notification appeared.

Shen Yuan glanced at it.

[No qualifying disciple transaction detected.]

Shen Yuan stared.

"I know."

Gu Tianhe looked at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The system had apparently decided to mock him after all.

Shen Yuan dismissed the screen.

Then he looked at Gu Tianhe.

"About that formation."

Gu Tianhe sighed.

"Yes?"

"How attached are you to the current one?"

The Sect Master's expression changed.

Shen Yuan smiled.

This might be more entertaining than expected.