Chapter 56 — Five Peaks, One Problem

Qin Feng arrived early.

Shen Yuan considered that petty.

When Shen entered the Azure Origin Sect's main council hall, all four other Peak Masters were already seated around the central table. Gu Tianhe occupied the head position, Mu Qinglan had several formation diagrams spread before her, and the remaining seats were occupied by Qin Feng and the masters of Vermilion Flame and Black Tortoise Peaks.

Qin Feng looked up.

"You came."

Shen took his seat. "Unfortunately."

"I was told you wouldn't."

"Who told you?"

"Chen An."

"Reliable man."

Qin Feng stared at him for a moment.

Then he understood.

"You told him to lie to me."

"I told him to deliver a message."

"That you weren't attending."

"Yes."

"While planning to attend."

"Yes."

Qin Feng's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Shen poured himself tea.

"Uncertainty."

Across the table, Mu Qinglan lowered her head toward her diagrams. Her shoulders moved once.

Gu Tianhe sighed. "Can we begin?"

"We already have," Shen said.

"No. You haven't."

"Then begin."

Gu looked briefly toward the ceiling, perhaps wondering which poor decision in his cultivation journey had eventually led to this position.

Then he placed a hand on the largest formation map.

"Western spirit vein."

The room settled immediately.

That was one advantage of cultivators who had managed entire peaks for years. They could move from nonsense to serious matters without needing a transition.

Mu Qinglan rotated the map so everyone could see.

"The first phase of the formation redesign succeeded. Heavenly Sword Peak's eastern transfer loss has fallen by nearly half, Vermilion Flame's three replacement housings remain stable, and Black Tortoise's two priority nodes are handling their new load without significant degradation."

She tapped several sections.

"Those improvements increased usable spiritual energy across the network."

The Vermilion Flame Peak Master leaned forward. "Which increased demand."

"Partly. More importantly, it increased transfer."

Mu traced a line through the formation network. "Energy that previously dissipated doesn't disappear anymore. It continues through the system. That's what we wanted, but the existing network was shaped around centuries of inefficiency."

The Black Tortoise Peak Master frowned. "So we're repairing the formation faster than the weak points can adjust."

"Exactly."

Qin Feng looked at the western section. "How bad?"

"Not dangerous yet."

Shen glanced at her.

"Yet?"

Mu gave him a flat look. "That's why we're meeting before it becomes dangerous."

Reasonable.

Shen approved of problems that announced themselves before trying to kill anyone.

They were surprisingly rare.

The western spirit vein had always been the weakest of Azure Origin's three primary veins.

Not crippled.

Not secretly corrupted.

Not sitting on top of an ancient tomb.

Just weaker.

Its natural flow was less consistent than the other two, and several secondary branches had gradually degraded over centuries. Azure Origin's formation masters had compensated through additional nodes, reduced draw and careful redistribution.

It worked.

It simply wasn't efficient.

That had been acceptable when the rest of the sect's formation network was equally inefficient.

Now it was becoming the bottleneck.

Mu Qinglan placed three smaller diagrams beside the main map.

"The previous Spirit Marrow test confirmed that the vein responds well to gradual nourishment. But direct integration of another Five-Element Earthheart Crystal would increase local spiritual density faster than these secondary nodes can distribute it."

The Vermilion Flame Peak Master asked, "Failure?"

"Best case? Repeated overload and forced shutdowns."

"And worst?"

"We damage the vein we're trying to strengthen."

No one suggested using the crystal after that.

Mu moved to the next diagram.

"My recommendation is still the same. Reinforce first. Nourish second. Integrate stronger sources only after the network can handle them."

Gu Tianhe nodded. "Materials?"

Mu looked at Shen.

That was unnecessary.

Shen was sitting quietly.

He had done nothing.

Mostly.

"Peak Master Shen suggested three substitutions yesterday," Mu said.

Qin Feng immediately looked suspicious.

"Suggested?"

"Yes."

"Shen?"

Shen drank his tea.

Mu ignored both of them.

"Compressed Earthscale Stone for pressure buffering around the western secondary nodes. Hollow Spirit Copper at the transfer junctions. Blue Vein Flowglass along the unstable water-aspected branch."

The Black Tortoise Peak Master considered the first material.

"Earthscale Stone is defensive foundation material."

"Usually," Mu said.

"It handles repeated pressure well."

"Exactly."

The Vermilion Flame Peak Master tapped the second name. "Hollow Spirit Copper is mediocre."

"Yes."

"Then why use it?"

Shen answered before Mu could.

"Because it's mediocre."

The Peak Master looked at him.

Shen set down his cup.

"The western branch doesn't need maximum conductivity. It needs enough conductivity without drawing more energy than the surrounding nodes can tolerate."

Silence lasted for a moment.

Qin Feng looked at Mu. "He's right?"

"Annoyingly."

"Good," Shen said.

Mu continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"The lower conductivity becomes useful here. We can stabilize the route without forcing the next junction to be rebuilt immediately. The Flowglass serves the same principle. It won't increase the water branch's maximum capacity much, but it should smooth fluctuations before they reach the weakest nodes."

Gu Tianhe looked over the estimates.

"Cost?"

"Significantly lower than the original plan."

That got everyone's attention.

Shen understood why.

Apparently sect leaders cared about money.

He was learning many things.

"Availability?" Gu asked.

Mu hesitated.

"That's the problem."

There it was.

Shen had been waiting.

Compressed Earthscale Stone was common enough.

Small quantities were easy to purchase. The issue was that Azure Origin needed a great deal of it from batches with relatively consistent density.

Hollow Spirit Copper was even easier to find, but the sect needed a specific impurity range. Material refined too cleanly would conduct spiritual energy better—which was precisely what they didn't want.

The Blue Vein Flowglass was the real problem.

"The nearest reliable source is the Qinghe basin," Mu explained. "Several workshops buy raw material from the deposits there, but supply has been inconsistent this season."

"Why?" Qin Feng asked.

"Flooding."

Shen looked at the map.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Of course.

Water-aspected material had become difficult to obtain because there was too much water.

Cultivation remained sensible.

"The deposits aren't underwater," Mu continued. "But several channels feeding the mining and refining settlements have shifted. Transportation has slowed, and spiritual fluctuations in the basin have made extraction less predictable."

"Dangerous?" Gu asked.

"Not especially. The local sects and clans are still operating."

Shen noticed the qualification.

"Not especially."

Mu looked at him. "For us."

Better.

The Qinghe basin sat far enough from Azure Origin that sending ordinary outer disciples would be unreasonable, but close enough that the journey didn't require elders.

Gu Tianhe looked around the table.

"We can purchase the Earthscale Stone locally and have Vermilion Flame prepare the Hollow Spirit Copper. For the Flowglass, I want someone to inspect the source directly before we commit to a large order."

The Vermilion Flame Peak Master nodded. "Agreed. If the quality has changed because of the altered water flow, buying by old specifications would be foolish."

"Formation expertise should go," Mu said.

Gu nodded.

Then everyone looked at Shen.

Shen frowned.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Qin Feng smiled.

"Uncertainty."

Shen decided he disliked that word now.

"I have disciples," Shen said.

Gu Tianhe's smile disappeared.

That had apparently been the wrong thing to say.

"So do we," Qin Feng replied.

"Congratulations."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

Mu Qinglan tapped the map. "Lin Yue should go."

Shen looked at her.

She continued before he could answer.

"She reads changing spiritual flows unusually well. Reed Grave proved that, and her control during the Profound Sword incident wasn't limited to combat."

Shen's expression didn't change.

He had been thinking the same thing.

That didn't mean he enjoyed hearing someone else say it.

Gu Tianhe leaned back.

"This isn't a punishment assignment or an emergency mission. We need younger disciples who can inspect the area, work with the local suppliers, verify material quality and return with a recommendation."

"Then send formation disciples."

"We will."

Mu said, "Liu Meiying."

That made sense.

Unlike Lin, Liu Meiying had actual formal training in formations. Lin could perceive patterns Liu might miss, but there were plenty of technical details Liu would understand better.

The Vermilion Flame Peak Master added, "Tang Rui should go if we're evaluating raw material."

Also sensible.

The Black Tortoise Peak Master thought briefly.

"Han Bo."

Gu looked at him.

"The basin is unstable terrain. If something collapses, floods or ruptures, someone should be able to stand in front of it."

Reasonable.

Shen disliked how reasonable everyone was being.

Qin Feng looked toward him.

"Jian Wuchen?"

"No."

The answer came immediately.

Qin raised an eyebrow.

"He's resting."

Qin stared.

"Jian Wuchen?"

"Yes."

"Voluntarily?"

"No."

"That makes more sense."

Shen ignored him.

Jian's Fifth Sword Meridian was approaching its next developmental stage. More importantly, the last several weeks had revolved around his past, his father, the Profound Sword Sect and a trail of old decisions that had nearly dragged him backward.

He had earned three days in which no one asked him to solve anything.

Possibly four.

Shen would decide later.

Gu Tianhe looked at the proposed group.

"Lin Yue, Lu Chen, Liu Meiying, Tang Rui and Han Bo."

Shen glanced at him. "Lu?"

"Field experience."

"He just came back from field experience."

"So did Lin Yue."

"Exactly."

Gu looked at him.

Shen looked back.

Qin Feng said, "Are you trying to keep them home?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

Shen considered that.

There wasn't one.

That was irritating.

Lu needed situations where brute force wasn't automatically the answer. His recent development in force distribution had advanced because he had been forced to apply it under imperfect conditions. A basin filled with unstable terrain and shifting spiritual flows might actually be useful.

More importantly, Lin needed something different.

Not another assessment.

Not another situation where Shen stood nearby and everyone knew that an Immortal Realm master could end the problem whenever he chose.

She needed responsibility.

Shen looked again at the map.

"Who leads?"

Gu Tianhe didn't answer.

Neither did Mu.

That was answer enough.

Shen sighed.

"Lin Yue."

The meeting continued for another hour.

Most of it involved details Shen had previously been very successful at avoiding.

Supply quantities.

Transport costs.

Formation tolerances.

Which peak would provide what.

How much Hollow Spirit Copper Vermilion Flame could refine without delaying existing artifact work.

How many temporary training rotations Cloudveil could support without interfering with the direct disciples' facilities.

That last one attracted Shen's attention.

"Not the core facilities."

Gu nodded. "Obviously."

"The Lunar Pool is Lin Yue's."

"Yes."

"Sword Intent Tempering Hall stays restricted."

"Yes."

"Chaos Body Refinement Chamber too."

"Shen Yuan."

"What?"

"We know."

Shen looked around the table.

"Good."

The ordinary Azure Origin disciples currently training on Cloudveil were using peripheral terraces, general-purpose gathering formations and several newly adapted practice grounds. None had access to the facilities built around his direct disciples' paths.

That distinction mattered.

Cloudveil could help the sect without flattening everything unique about the people Shen was actually teaching.

Mu Qinglan unfolded another diagram.

Shen's mood worsened.

"Another one?"

"This is relevant."

"They're all relevant. That's the problem."

"This concerns Cloudveil."

"Worse."

Mu ignored him.

The diagram showed several of Cloudveil's lower terraces connected by a simple network of adjustable formation nodes.

"We can build limited derivative training environments here."

Shen studied it.

"Derivative?"

"Not copies of your disciple facilities. Nothing that specialized. But we've learned enough from the surrounding formation behavior to reproduce some basic principles."

She pointed to one terrace.

"Variable spiritual pressure."

Another.

"Controlled directional force."

Another.

"Basic Yin-Yang environmental transitions."

Shen's attention sharpened.

Those weren't direct replicas.

They were simplified training conditions based on principles already observed through Cloudveil's facilities and disciples.

Ordinary cultivators could use them.

More importantly—

"Special Opportunities," Shen murmured.

Mu looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing."

The system had included training environments, trials, inheritance access and similar developmental circumstances under Special Opportunities from the beginning.

Shen had used facilities before.

He had received cashback from disciple-specific infrastructure before.

But Cloudveil's growth suggested something broader.

If a training environment was deliberately created for a disciple's developmental need, and the disciple genuinely benefited from it, what exactly determined whether the system treated that as an investment?

Ownership?

Construction?

Access?

Purpose?

Causal contribution?

He already knew enough not to make the beginner's mistake of asking whether training environments could count.

They could.

The better question was where the system drew the boundary.

Shen's fingers tapped once against the table.

That was worth testing.

Later.

Properly.

Not by building thirty-six identical rooms and marching disciples through them until the system became offended.

He had standards.

When the meeting finally ended, Qin Feng caught him outside the hall.

"You volunteered Lin Yue quickly."

"I didn't volunteer her."

"You said her name."

"After everyone else had already decided."

"That's called volunteering with extra steps."

Shen continued walking.

Qin followed.

"You're worried?"

"No."

"You're a bad liar."

"I'm not lying."

That was true.

Worry wasn't quite the right word.

Lin Yue could handle herself. Against ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, the question was no longer whether she could win. Even stronger opponents had to take her seriously.

The Qinghe basin wasn't known for high-level danger.

That wasn't why Shen was sending her.

Which was precisely why the mission mattered.

"I want to see what she does when I'm not there," Shen said.

Qin's expression lost some of its amusement.

"Ah."

Shen glanced at him. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Then stop making that face."

"What face?"

"That one."

Qin smiled.

Shen immediately regretted speaking.

Lin Yue was still at the Lunar Pool when Shen returned to Cloudveil.

Her cultivation hadn't advanced.

Her Third Lunar Channel had.

[Third Lunar Channel Development: 74% → 75%.]

More importantly, the circulation no longer stalled at the point of release.

The returning flow was faint, but stable.

Shen watched for several breaths before speaking.

"Enough."

Lin opened her eyes.

The frost around the pool slowly receded.

She stepped from the water and dried her robes with a controlled movement of spiritual energy.

"How long?"

"Long enough."

Lin looked at him.

Shen clarified.

"You're leaving again."

She was silent for a moment.

"When?"

"Two days."

"Where?"

"Qinghe basin."

"Why?"

"Azure Origin needs Blue Vein Flowglass."

Lin waited.

Shen waited.

She knew him too well.

"There's more."

"You're leading."

That got more of a reaction than the projected three-stage cultivation jump had.

Lin's eyes widened slightly.

"Who?"

"Lu Chen. Liu Meiying. Tang Rui. Han Bo."

"Jian Wuchen?"

"Resting."

A pause.

"Still?"

"Against his will."

Lin accepted that immediately.

She looked toward the pool.

"What do I need to do?"

"Inspect the material source. Work with Liu Meiying and Tang Rui. Don't let Lu Chen test floodwater with his body."

From somewhere downhill came a distant metallic clang.

Lin looked in that direction.

"That may be difficult."

"Leadership."

Lin was quiet.

Shen could see the shift happening behind her expression. She wasn't afraid of fighting. She wasn't afraid of making decisions for herself.

Making decisions for other people was different.

At Reed Grave, she had begun doing it because circumstances forced her to.

At Profound Sword, she had taken control of a battlefield because someone needed to.

This time, she would know from the beginning that the responsibility belonged to her.

"Master," Lin said.

"Hm?"

"What if Liu Meiying knows more about the formations?"

"She does."

Lin blinked.

"What if Tang Rui knows more about the material?"

"He does."

"Han Bo knows more about defense."

"Probably."

"And Lu Chen—"

Shen waited.

Lin thought.

"Lu Chen is Lu Chen."

"Correct."

Another metallic clang came from below.

Neither of them commented on it.

Lin frowned. "Then why am I leading?"

That was the correct question.

Shen looked toward the Lunar Pool.

"Because leading isn't knowing everything."

Lin waited.

"If Liu Meiying knows more, listen to her. If Tang Rui knows more, listen to him. If Han Bo sees danger first, listen to him."

"And Lu Chen?"

"Sometimes listen to him."

Lin's mouth moved slightly.

Almost a smile.

Shen continued.

"Then decide."

The humor faded from her expression.

She understood.

Shen didn't need Lin Yue to become the best formation master in the group.

He didn't need her to know more about materials than Tang Rui or defend better than Han Bo.

He needed her to understand the whole situation well enough to let everyone else be good at what they were good at.

That was harder.

"Yes, Master."

"Good."

Lin started toward the path.

"Lin Yue."

She turned.

"Your cultivation."

She waited.

"Don't force the Third Channel before you leave."

"I wasn't going to."

Shen looked at her.

Lin remained completely serious.

He decided to believe her.

Mostly.

Lu Chen received the news differently.

"We're leaving again?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Two days."

"Is there fighting?"

"Hopefully not."

Lu's enthusiasm fell slightly.

"Flooding?"

"Possibly."

It returned.

"Can I—"

"No."

"I didn't ask yet."

"I know."

Lu frowned.

Shen pointed at the training plate.

"Your job is control. Not finding the largest thing in Qinghe basin and letting it hit you."

"What if it hits me first?"

"Then learn something."

Lu considered this acceptable.

"Can I bring the plate?"

"Yes."

"Can Tang Rui fix it first?"

From across the terrace, Tang Rui shouted, "Finally!"

Lu immediately changed his mind.

"No."

Shen left them to resolve that themselves.

Jian Wuchen was meditating when Shen entered his courtyard.

Clear Wind lay across his knees.

Shen looked at the sword.

Then at Jian.

Jian opened his eyes.

"Light circulation."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were going to."

Shen sat across from him.

"Lin Yue and Lu Chen leave in two days."

Jian's expression didn't change. "Mission?"

"Qinghe basin."

"Who else?"

Shen told him.

Jian nodded.

"I'm staying."

"Yes."

"Because I'm resting."

"Yes."

Jian was quiet.

Then:

"Good."

Shen raised an eyebrow.

That was unexpected.

Jian looked down at Clear Wind.

"I need time."

Now Shen understood.

Not emotional time.

Although perhaps some of that too.

Jian's internal Sword Qi had become increasingly active around the route where the Fifth Sword Meridian would eventually form. His Sword Heart had stabilized after the truth about Jian Shou, and the external pressure that had distorted his path was fading.

For once, Jian wasn't trying to rush forward.

Shen opened the system.

[Disciple Inspection: Jian Wuchen.]

[Sword Heart Development: 58%.]

[Sword Meridians: 4/9 Stabilized.]

[Fifth Sword Meridian Formation: Preliminary Resonance detected.]

Shen's gaze sharpened.

There.

Not initiated.

But approaching.

He checked the stored Sword-Tempering Reed Root.

[Compatibility: 87.4%.]

[Current Suitability: 96.2%.]

[Recommended Timing: Fifth Sword Meridian Formation — Initial Structural Phase.]

Higher than before.

Still not yet.

Shen closed the system.

"Three days."

Jian looked up.

"Still?"

"Still."

"What happens after three days?"

"We check again."

Jian nodded.

No argument.

Shen stood.

That was almost concerning.

That evening, Lin Yue sat alone in one of Cloudveil's upper courtyards.

Below her, the mountain was busier than it had been when she first arrived.

She remembered those early days.

Empty paths.

Empty residences.

A master who seemed deeply inconvenienced by the fact that he'd acquired a disciple.

Now eight residences held temporary trainees.

Lu Chen was arguing with Tang Rui somewhere below.

Jian Wuchen was supposedly resting.

Liu Meiying had already sent Lin three notes about Qinghe basin formation patterns.

The third was twice as long as the first two combined.

Lin looked at them.

Then at the mission slip Gu Tianhe had sent.

At the top was one line.

Mission Lead: Lin Yue — Cloudveil Peak.

She read it again.

Fighting was simple.

Someone attacked.

She decided whether to block, evade, restrain or kill.

Leading was less convenient.

Liu Meiying would know things she didn't.

Tang Rui would know things she didn't.

Han Bo would notice dangers she might overlook.

Lu Chen would probably notice something no one else considered important until it became important.

And Lin would still have to decide.

Footsteps approached behind her.

She didn't turn.

"Master."

Shen stopped beside the courtyard wall.

"How did you know?"

"You walk quietly."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"Exactly."

Shen looked at her.

That sounded familiar.

He wasn't sure he approved.

Lin handed him the mission slip.

"I'll do it."

Shen glanced at the paper.

"I know."

"What if I make the wrong decision?"

"You will."

Lin looked at him.

Shen returned the mission slip.

"Eventually."

"That's reassuring."

"Good."

"It wasn't."

"Still good."

Lin stared at him for a moment.

Then, despite herself, laughed quietly.

Shen looked toward the lights below.

Perhaps Cloudveil was becoming too influential.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"If something happens that's beyond us?"

"Leave."

"Immediately?"

"If you can."

"And if we can't?"

"Then make the best decision you can with what you know."

Lin waited for more.

There wasn't any.

Shen wasn't going to tell her that he would secretly follow.

Because he wouldn't.

He wasn't going to promise that nothing dangerous could happen.

Because it could.

He wasn't going to tell her every correct decision in advance.

Because then she wouldn't be leading anything.

After a while, Lin nodded.

"Understood."

Shen turned toward the stairs.

Behind him, Lin looked once more at the mission slip.

Then she folded it and put it away.

The Third Lunar Channel moved faintly inside her.

Absorption.

Saturation.

Release.

Return.

For months, Lin Yue had learned how to control what happened inside herself.

In two days, she would have to control nothing.

Only understand enough to decide what came next.