The entire Phoenix Soul Pavilion seemed to hold its breath.
Not a leaf rustled. Not a flute dared chirp. Even the koi in the pond had stopped swimming, as if they too were bracing for the arrival of the uninvited titans.
Servants stood frozen mid-step. Cultivators exchanged quick, silent glances. Tension clung to the air like thick incense.
And in the middle of it all stood Fang Yuan, perfectly composed on the outside.
On the inside?
Complete and utter chaos.
What do they want? Why are they here?
In an attempt to do something other than stand like a confused statue, Fang Yuan cleared his throat and looked toward the calmest elder in the room or so he thought.
"Elder He," he said with a respectful bow, "You're the oldest among us. Do you perhaps have any insight as to why the Divine Ice Sect might grace us with their presence today?"
A sharp breath was drawn somewhere in the crowd.
Oh no.
Even the wind paused again.
Elder He slowly turned to face Fang Yuan. His eyes narrowed slightly. His fingers gently tapped his teacup—tap. tap. tap.
Elder He had been called many things over the years—Fossil, Gramps, Antique, even Relic of the Past.
He bore these names with silent indignation.
After all, he was the oldest among those present. That much was undeniable.
But what made it worse, what truly gnawed at his pride, was that he was also the weakest.
A mere middle-stage Golden Core cultivator, seated among peak rank golden cores.
He stared at Fang Yuan, his gaze long and unreadable.
The boy's words echoed in his ears,
"You're the oldest among us…"
A twitch. A pulse of inner flame. The familiar ache of age and ego stirred in his chest.
And yet—
Elder He exhaled slowly through his nose.
He chose, with all the dignity of a hundred years of back pain, not to take offense.
Not today.
With a deliberate slowness honed over decades of ignoring disrespectful juniors, he turned his gaze toward the horizon.
And pretended Fang Yuan didn't exist.
Elder Zhao looked away, stifling a cough that suspiciously resembled laughter.
Elder Lin stared intently at a nearby peony bush, suddenly very invested in botany.
Elder Wu clenched his jaw so tight his mustache twitched.
Fang Yuan, still smiling, blinked at the silence.
"…No thoughts, Elder He?" he asked, with the hopeful enthusiasm of a man about to dig his own grave.
Elder He sipped his tea.
Loudly.
Then placed the cup down, firmly.
"I have no idea, Fang family head," he said, voice calm yet laced with the weight of millennia-old grudges.
The silence was now physically painful.
Fang Yuan, after a brief pause, nodded slowly and murmured, "..Looks like we can only wait."
The tension in the room escalated as the doors to the pavilion opened, and a chill breeze swept through.
The air shifted, as if the very atmosphere had become charged with the weight of the unexpected guests.
Into the room stepped the Divine Ice Sect's entourage.
A figure in front led the group with an air of imposing dignity.
His robes were a glistening white, streaked with strands of ice-blue, and his long silver hair cascaded down like a frozen waterfall.
His eyes were sharp, his expression lofty, as if he looked down upon all beneath him both literally and figuratively.
He raised his chin slightly and scanned the room before his gaze fell on Fang Yuan.
"Greetings," Elder Mo said, his voice smooth, but carrying a distant, almost aloof tone. "I am Elder Mo, emissary of the Divine Ice Sect, here to pay my respects to Fang Yuan, Clan Head of the Fang family."
The way he spoke Fang Yuan's name was deliberate, measured, yet with a touch of respect that felt almost... begrudging.
Behind him, a small group of disciples stood, but their gazes were all firmly on the ground, silent, their presence a mere shadow compared to Elder Mo's overwhelming force.
Fang Yuan felt the weight of the moment as Elder Mo's eyes lingered on him.
For a brief moment, the room seemed to tilt ever so slightly until Fang Yuan's mind cleared and he forced himself to smile.
He stepped forward, raising his cup in greeting, maintaining his composure with effort. "Elder Mo, it is an honor to have you grace my humble abode. Please, make yourself comfortable."
His eyes flicked briefly to the other elders, who were all still frozen, caught between polite curiosity and suppressed shock.
Elder Mo, however, gave a slight nod, but his gaze never left Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan's senses immediately sharpened, and the casual greeting became a subtle examination.
Elder Mo was no ordinary cultivator. His aura was immense, and Fang Yuan, with his sharp eye for power, immediately noticed the weight behind it.
Peak stage of Golden Core... no doubt about it.
Fang Yuan's heart skipped a beat, as he recognized the implications. Elder Mo stood just a hair's breadth from the Nascent Soul Realm, a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator.
That level of power was not something to be taken lightly, especially in the dangerous political landscape of the cultivation world.
For a moment, his mind wandered. How had such an individual even found his way here? And why?
But he pushed the thought away, keeping his smile in place.
Elder Mo, still standing proudly with his hands clasped behind his back, finally spoke again, this time with a touch of mockery in his tone.
"A fine place, Clan Head Fang. Though…" His eyes flicked briefly to the four elders, before returning to Fang Yuan. "I would have expected a more… grand celebration for such an important occasion. But perhaps the Fang family does things differently?"
Fang Yuan met his gaze, his smile unwavering. "We prefer simplicity," he replied, "especially in the company of such esteemed guests."
There was a flicker of something, surprise, perhaps, or admiration, in Elder Mo's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"Indeed," he said, his voice cool once more. "A fitting response. Clan Head Fang, I trust you are ready for the opportunity our Sect brings?"
Fang Yuan's heart gave a small jolt, but his face remained perfectly composed.
He raised his cup again, this time to Elder Mo's words, responding with genuine curiosity laced with caution.
"I am honored by the opportunity, Elder Mo. Please, let us discuss how we may be of service to each other."