[Perspective: Arya Chen]
I waited for my carriage to be brought around.
The Spirit Cauldron Sect had fallen due to internal rot. The Verdant River Palace, it seemed, was suffering from a different kind of rot.
The Golden Core elder inside, blinded by the perceived strength of his sect and his own status, had tried a heavy handed extortion tactic.
He had genuinely believed he could intimidate the heir of the Chen Family into becoming a hostage alchemist.
It was laughable. But it was also informative.
The great powers were not as unshakeable as they appeared. They were prone to the same petty greeds and foolish miscalculations as any street thug.
"System," I commanded. "Activate Celestial Luck Scan."
I scanned the map. And then, I saw deep within the inner sanctum of the sect, near what appeared to be the sect master's private peak, a light blazed with brilliant gold.
[Target Identified: Luck Grade: Gold (Protagonist Template).]
Just as I finalized the design and initiated the deployment, the sound of clopping hooves and the rattle of iron rimmed wheels broke my concentration.
My carriage pulled into the courtyard.
The captain, his face concealed by a dark helm. "We are ready to depart, Young Master."
"Good," I said. I stepped into the carriage, and I glanced one last time toward the inner peaks of the sect.
[Perspective: Elder Lin]
Elder Lin hurried down the corridor of the guest pavilion, his usually calm demeanor fractured by a growing sense of unease.
He had left Arya Chen in the meeting room with Elder Zhao, expecting a mutually beneficial negotiation.
The Chen family needed a buyer, the palace needed a supplier. It was simple economics.
But when he reached the meeting room doors, he found them slightly ajar.
He pushed them open and froze.
Elder Zhao, a man known for his arrogant bluster and formidable Golden Core cultivation, was sitting on the floor.
His robes were disheveled, and his face was a mask of terror. He was staring blankly at the empty chair where the Chen Family heir had been sitting just minutes ago.
"Elder Zhao?" Elder Lin asked, stepping cautiously into the room. "What happened? Did the negotiations fail? Was the discount insufficient?"
"Discount?" Elder Zhao let out a chuckle. "Elder Lin... I think I have made a terrible mistake."
Elder Lin crossed the room. "What did you do?"
"I... I tried to press our advantage," Elder Zhao stammered. "The Chen Family is rich, but they are just merchants. We are a great sect. I thought... I thought I could intimidate the boy. I offered to make him a disciple here, to take him as a hostage to ensure they supplied us for free."
Elder Lin stared at him, his mouth falling open in disbelief. "You... you tried to extort the heir of the Chen Family? Are you insane?!"
"I thought I could force his hand!" Elder Zhao protested weakly.
"And?" Elder Lin demanded.
Elder Zhao shuddered, a full body tremor that rattled his teeth. "Elder Lin, the aura he released..."
He grabbed the front of Elder Lin's robes. "He is a Nascent Soul expert!"
Elder Lin felt the blood drain from his face.
A twenty one year old nascent soul expert. It was impossible. But the abject terror in Zhao's eyes was undeniably real.
"Come with me to the sect master," Elder Lin whispered.
When they arrived at Central Peak, where the Sect Master's grand hall sat, a high level meeting was already in progress.
Two elite disciples guarded the doors.
"We must see the Sect Master immediately," Elder Lin told the guards. "It is a matter of the utmost urgency."
The guards exchanged a glance, then one nodded and slipped inside. A moment later, he returned and opened the doors wide.
At the far end, seated on a throne of carved jade, was Sect Master Qing Mu. Flanking him were several Elders, the pillars of the sect's power.
Before the Sect Master could speak, Elder Zhao collapsed to his knees, pressing his forehead against the floor.
"Sect Master!" Elder Zhao cried out. "I beg for your punishment! I have committed a grievous mistake!"
The low murmur of conversation among the elders ceased instantly.
Sect Master Qing Mu leaned forward, his brow furrowing. "Elder Zhao. Rise and speak plainly. What mistake?"
Elder Zhao remained on his knees, his voice trembling as he recounted the disastrous meeting.
He confessed his attempt to intimidate Arya Chen, his plan to hold the heir hostage for free pills, and finally, the terrifying revelation of Arya's true power.
Elder Zhao whimpered. "His aura... it was undoubtedly that of a nascent soul expert."
A stunned silence fell over the hall. The Elders exchanged glances of shock and skepticism.
"A nascent soul expert at twenty one?" the grand elders spoke, his tone dripping with disbelief. "Preposterous. You must have been caught in an illusion art, Zhao. The Chen family is wealthy, yes, but they are not invincible. We can compensate them for offending and renegotiate the contract. It is not a fatal mistake."
"You don't understand, Grand Elder!" Elder Zhao pleaded, looking up with desperate eyes. "It was not an illusion! The pressure was physical!"
Sect Master Qing Mu stood up slowly, his imposing figure silencing the murmurs of the elders.
Qing Mu pointed a finger at Zhao. "You have taken the family that holds the monopoly on the very resources our disciples need to survive… and you have turned a potential ally into a bitter enemy!"
Qing Mu turned to address the grand elder who had spoken. "And you, Grand Elder. Do you not know that the Chen family already possesses a Nascent Soul ancestor? Patriarch Chen Tianyuan is not a man to be trifled with. And now, the boy who will lead them is also in the Nascent Soul realm?"
The Grand Elder opened his mouth to argue, but Qing Mu cut him off.
"If the boy is truly stronger than you, Grand Elder, are you prepared to fight him to defend Zhao's foolishness?"
The Grand Elder's mouth clicked shut.
He looked away, suddenly finding the intricate patterns on the floor fascinating.
The reality of facing a young Nascent Soul expert was a sobering thought.
Qing Mu turned back to the trembling Elder Zhao. "Your rank as a Core Elder is suspended indefinitely. Furthermore, your stipend is forfeit for the next five years."
Elder Zhao didn't dare protest.
Qing Mu turned to Elder Lin, who had remained silently standing nearby. "Elder Lin. The Chen heir. Where is he?"
"He departed the guest pavilion shortly after the incident, Sect Master," Elder Lin reported quickly. "He is likely already en route to the city gates."
"Go to the treasury," Qing Mu commanded, tossing a jade token bearing the Sect Master's seal toward Lin. "Withdraw the entirety of Elder Zhao's five year stipend."
Lin caught the token, bowing deeply.
Qing Mu ordered. "Convey our sincere apologies. Assure him that Elder Zhao's actions were a rogue idiocy that in no way reflects the stance of the Verdant River Palace. Tell him Zhao has been severely punished."
"I will not fail, Sect Master," Elder Lin vowed.
He turned and sprinted from the hall. He rushed to the central treasury.
He flashed the Sect Master's token to the guards, who immediately parted. Inside, he presented the order to the head treasurer.
The process took a few minutes as the treasurer verified the seal and calculated the exact value of a Core Elder's five year stipend.
Lin paced nervously as the treasurer loaded a spatial ring with hundreds of spirit stones, several vials of cultivation pills, and a handful of valuable defensive talismans.
"It is done, Elder Lin," the treasurer said, handing over the silver ring.
Lin snatched it without a word, turning and sprinting toward the beast pens.
He commandeered a Swift Wind Falcon, a rare and incredibly fast aerial mount reserved for emergencies.
He leaped onto the bird's back, urging it into the sky. The falcon shrieked and launched itself into the air, tearing toward the outer gates of the sect.
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