High atop the Heavenly Accord Pavilion, nestled in the Imperial Sky Terrace of the Loc Empire's capital, a table of dark jade sat under an open dome carved with shifting constellations. The four men gathered beneath it were not just cultivators—they were power incarnate.
Sect Leader Kang of the Azure Sect sat quietly, arms crossed. His silver-blue robes billowed faintly, even in still air. Across from him sat Prime Minister Pei Li, clad in the crimson-black of the Imperial Ministry. His eyes held the weight of countless decisions and betrayals.
To Kang's left sat Grandmaster Yuelan of the Emerald Phoenix Sect, her eyes closed in silent focus, hands resting atop a sword wrapped in blue silk.
To his right, a bearded man of massive presence—Sect Lord He Tai of the Warbound Monastery, whose cultivation aura pressed heavily against the very atmosphere.
Prime Minister Pei Li broke the silence first.
> "The Beast Crown has appeared. And with it, the vultures gather."
Sect Leader Kang exhaled.
> "It spawned within Scorpions Pass. That makes it Loc territory."
> "It makes it natural-born, Kang," Grandmaster Yuelan cut in. "Cultivation Artifacts are not claimed by borders. Not until they are found."
> "Indeed," said Sect Lord He Tai. "Even a demonic relic born in my own temple can be taken by a foreign rogue if they find it first. That's the law of Martial Rules. The gods are dead, and nature has no citizenship."
Kang frowned. "Still, it invites chaos. Already a sect in the Central Plains—the Silent Ridge Sect—has dispatched shadow disciples. Reports say they're forming alliances with wandering beast tamers."
Pei Li nodded grimly.
> "And the Kingdom of Noryan, to the north, has fallen. Beasts broke through their capital walls. Survivors claim they saw a man with a glowing crown of obsidian horns riding a Soul-Tier Wolf. We have no confirmation, but..."
> "It could be a mimic," Yuelan said. "Or the real Crown, prematurely awakened."
> "Regardless," Kang replied, "it's a signal. A power shift is coming."
Pei Li leaned forward now.
> "And we must act like rulers, not just watchers."
> "The 6 Sword Kings are wandering," he said softly. "No one knows where they are. Perhaps three remain within the Empire's reach—perhaps none."
At the mention of the Sword Kings, all three sect leaders fell quiet.
> "You forget," Pei Li said, "they built the Loc Empire. The throne, the court, the sects… they are instruments of the Kings' will. We act in their name. But if all six are truly gone, we must have another anchor of deterrence."
Kang responded cautiously. "You want the Crown."
> "We need the Crown," Pei Li corrected. "Or at least, ensure it does not fall into rival hands. With the Crown and new Gold Seal Stage Masters, we can hold the Empire steady for the next era."
He Tai rumbled low.
> "Gold Seal Masters do not grow from prayer and policy."
> "No," Pei Li admitted. "But the Void is thinning, and breakthroughs are happening more rapidly. If we prepare disciples with high soul power and heritage techniques... some may survive tribulation."
Yuelan added coolly, "We each have a candidate in the running. The Crown could give one of them the beast authority needed to elevate their sect and draw in ancient legacies."
Sect Leader Kang looked to the sky.
> "I already dispatched a team."
> "Your Head Disciple?" Pei Li asked, arching a brow.
Kang didn't answer—but the flicker in his gaze gave the answer.
> "He's young," Yuelan noted. "But... there are rumors."
He Tai smirked. "Let's see if your boy survives Scorpions Pass. If he does, he may be worthy of the storm that follows."
Pei Li rose.
> "Regardless of outcome, we must remember: we cannot stop other cultivators from entering Loc borders. That is Martial Law. But we can send our best and move quietly."
> "And if the Sword Kings return?" Yuelan asked.
The Prime Minister looked toward the imperial horizon.
> "Then the world will bend again."
A sudden stillness settled over the Heavenly Accord Pavilion.
The faint ripple of Qi, barely perceptible to mortal senses, hit all four leaders like a shift in the heavens themselves. A gentle quake rolled across the floor of jade, and the sky above the pavilion shimmered faintly with golden threads.
Prime Minister Pei Li turned sharply to the Grand Observation Bell, which rang once—clear and deep.
> "A breakthrough," Kang whispered.
Grandmaster Yuelan's eyes opened, sharp and alive. "No ordinary one."
Sect Lord He Tai rose to his feet, fists clenched with restrained excitement.
> "It's a Gold Seal Stage ascension."
Pei Li waved his sleeve, summoning the Imperial Cross Mirror, a rare artifact that allowed the empire to detect major fluctuations in cultivation throughout its territories. The mirror spun with ancient script, locking onto a glowing formation over a distant mountain range far east of the Azure Plains.
The image stabilized, revealing a woman seated atop a lotus of blazing starlight—her aura coiling into a golden seal behind her. Her eyes were closed in focused silence.
Sect Leader Royi of the White Leaf Pavilion.
Yuelan allowed herself a rare smile. "So that's why she refused the summons."
Kang, arms crossed, murmured, "Her ascension will shift the sect balance across the continent."
> "White Leaf Pavilion just became a core pillar in the empire's future," He Tai rumbled. "The other great sects will respond."
Pei Li nodded, though his eyes were fixed on the mirror. "One more Gold Seal Master on our side is a blessing. But timing is no coincidence. Realm unrest is accelerating the pace of breakthroughs—some natural, some... engineered."
> "Cultivation no longer follows patience," Yuelan said. "It follows necessity."
Just then, an attendant wearing the robes of the Imperial Messenger Division entered and bowed.
> "My lords and lady—urgent news from the Western Watchforts and the Scorpions Pass outposts."
Pei Li gestured for him to continue.
> "Our scouts have spotted foreign cultivators within two miles of Scorpions Pass. One party bears the Silent Ridge Sect's markings. Another, likely from the Amber Root Sect of the Southern Crescent."
> "And the border?" Kang asked, his voice low.
> "Several individuals unaffiliated with sects have crossed from Broken Sun Kingdom ruins to the west. They appear to be lone cultivators and beast tamers. Some wear Bone Crescent Tattoos."
That got Yuelan's attention.
> "Bone Crescent? That's a forbidden sect. They were annihilated two centuries ago."
Pei Li's expression darkened.
> "Then someone is rebuilding them. Or worse—using their name to scare us."
He Tai thumped a fist into his palm.
> "Let them come. We've been too soft. It's time the outer realms remember the strength of the central plains."
> "They remember," Kang said, rising at last. "But they also see our delays, our politics, our hesitation."
He looked toward the mirror, watching Royi's form fade as her ascension completed and the clouds overhead split into gold and white trails.
> "We need more than strength. We need purpose. Royi will hold the east."
> "And the Crown?" Yuelan asked.
Pei Li looked at each of them in turn.
> "Let it be a test."
> "Whichever sect claims it shall define the empire's future."
> "And whichever disciple proves worthy... shall shape its soul."
A quiet settled again, but this time it was not hesitation—it was resolve. The empire stirred, powers moved across borders, and the silent war for the future began to burn brighter beneath the surface.