The hum of defensive runes was a warning and a challenge. Lin Xue raised a single palm, her Qi surging in measured arcs as her fingers traced a preliminary ward seal. Rayen, ever the pragmatist, didn't flinch.
"Let's not pretend this is a misunderstanding anymore," he said, voice calm but edged. "Your glyphs match our corrupted sample exactly. The roots reached toward your walls. That's more than coincidence—it's resonance."
Elder He Yun's lips thinned. "This is a serious accusation. One that could unravel sect relations."
Rayen countered, "Then consider it a revelation. We came to offer a chance to explain. What we found was confirmation."
Behind He Yun, a younger Violet Sun cultivator stepped forward. His robe bore the triple-ring insignia of an experimental department. His face was pale, tight with tension.
"I… I didn't mean for it to go that far," the man blurted.
He Yun turned sharply. "Jin Tao!"
He bowed low, hands trembling. "I was trying to replicate the Philosopher's Core. Only partially! Just the outer lattice structure! But the energy… it became unstable. I never intended to release it."
Rayen's eyes narrowed. "Did you use a resonance converter without phase shielding?"
Tao nodded weakly. "I thought a two-layer buffer would be enough."
Lin groaned. "It's always the buffer layers."
He Yun's shoulders dropped. She turned to Rayen. "You have your proof. What now?"
Rayen studied her. "We don't want blood. We want containment, cleanup, and a signed declaration of responsibility—backed by your sect's council. Acknowledge the theft, and we'll keep this from going public."
He Yun hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Agreed. Jin Tao will be placed under investigation. The formula will be surrendered, and the mutated strains purged."
Rayen extended a data crystal. "Here's a diagnostic protocol. Use it before your entire herb garden turns into a symbiotic nightmare."
They returned to the Azure Serpent Sect two days later, tired but triumphant. Elder Fan stood waiting on the landing platform, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"Well?" she asked.
Rayen tossed her the signed declaration. "Diplomatic incident averted. Barely."
Fan read it, then tucked it away. "Good. Because the Grand Council is meeting next moon, and you're both being invited to present your case."
Lin blinked. "The Grand Council?"
Fan nodded. "Word's spreading about the Philosopher's Core. You're not just representing our sect anymore. You're shaping doctrine."
Rayen ran a hand through his hair. "So instead of a lecture, we get politics."
Fan smiled faintly. "Welcome to the next stage of cultivation. Survival isn't just about Qi. It's about navigating power."
Later that night, back in Lab 7B, Rayen stood before the suspended Philosopher's Core. It glowed gently, responding to his presence.
:: Core stability holding. Adaptive phase response refined. No sign of resonance contamination. ::
Rayen placed a hand on the orb. "We nearly lost this. Because someone else tried to shortcut understanding."
Lin entered quietly. "We've made something too powerful to ignore."
Rayen nodded. "Which means we either control the narrative… or someone else will."
Outside, the first winter winds swept through the mountain peaks.
Inside, the lab glowed with the light of invention—and the quiet awareness that the age of passive alchemy had ended.