After Ji Lianyu had spoken his final words, he rose gracefully, his long sleeves fluttering like drifting clouds. He stepped to Gene's side, laid a firm yet encouraging hand upon his shoulder, and said a few quiet words of reassurance before dismissing him.
Outside the great hall, Tian Tongzi was waiting, as if he had known exactly how the audience would end. Without a word, he gestured for Gene to follow. On their way back down the mountain paths, the older cultivator's demeanor was subtly changed. When Gene had first arrived, Tian Tongzi's tone toward him had been cold and aloof, treating him as little more than a stranger fortunate to still be breathing. But now his steps were slower, his words gentler. He took the time to point out various peaks, halls, and courtyards of the Soul-Suppressing Alliance, speaking with the air of a senior guiding a junior.
Gene understood the shift in attitude. It came down to two things. First, he had not been foolish enough to request Lingyue's hand from Ji Lianyu, the Alliance Master. That restraint proved that his act of saving her had sprung from courage and compassion, not ambition. Second, he had suffered grievous injuries on her behalf and, in the end, received a cultivation art—the Threefold True Fire—that no one could cultivate. In other words, he was seen as both noble and harmless: a man of integrity who posed no threat.
As Tian Tongzi spoke, Gene absorbed more about the Alliance that now sheltered him. The Soul-Suppressing Alliance was not a single sect but a coalition of many orders, bound together by a common vow: to guard against the being known as Tian Zhu. Once sealed away, Tian Zhu had now broken free and was corrupting the land with his terrifying creations—the Blood-Reversed Guardians. These undead abominations ravaged the southern wilds, leaving devastation wherever they walked. The Alliance had fought them time and again, yet no decisive victory had ever been achieved.
Thus, the recent grand selection had not been a mere tournament. It had been a search for rare talents who might one day help form a formation capable of restraining Tian Zhu once more. The exact nature of this formation was cloaked in secrecy. Perhaps Tian Tongzi truly did not know. Or perhaps he knew all too well, and such matters were not for Gene's ears.
The Alliance was structured like a vast city-state. At its head stood the Elder Council, with other branches handling discipline, martial training, and administration. The Inner Affairs Hall—the place Gene had been assigned to—was responsible for the daily life and functioning of the Alliance. Within it were numerous sub-divisions:
The Kitchen Court, the largest, with dozens of cooks and helpers who fed the entire Alliance.
The Supply Court, responsible for acquiring grain, vegetables, and other provisions. A lucrative position where favors and "extra" profits flowed freely.
The Cleansing Court, whose members swept courtyards and emptied latrines—a humble, thankless task, yet oddly quiet.
The Clothing Court, where older women mended robes and uniforms.
The Fodder Court, tasked with raising livestock and, more importantly, tending the cultivators' mounts—beasts of extraordinary bloodlines.
The Fuel Court, which cut wood and prepared charcoal, especially vital in the harsh winters.
Each court was overseen by a Steward, with an Assistant Steward to support them. Ji Lianyu had already decreed that Gene would serve as a Steward—an appointment that meant he would command others rather than toil with his own hands.
Back in the secluded residence where he was to recover, Gene began to feel the ripples of his decision spread outward. Even Third Aunt, who had once eyed him with suspicion, now treated him warmly once she learned he had not sought to marry Lingyue. People, Gene reflected, were quick to guard their interests. Avoid offending those interests, and life became much smoother.
He returned to his bed and unrolled the scroll Ji Lianyu had copied for him: the manual of the Threefold True Fire. The ink flowed like dragon traces across the page, every character refined, as if written by an immortal hand. Yet though Gene recognized the words, their meaning was elusive—like trying to grasp mist with bare fingers. The knowledge remained locked away, heavy and mysterious, as though the scripture itself resisted comprehension.
Still, he felt no bitterness. His true purpose in joining the Alliance was to look after Haolan on the long journey. If the cost was a duty in the Inner Affairs Hall, then so be it. Lingyue's feelings… those, too, he could not return. Their worlds were too far apart. To pursue her would only bring her harm.
Day by day, his wounds knit. He spent much of his time beneath the shade of a great tree in the courtyard, listening to Third Aunt chatter. She had long served Lingyue but was officially part of the Inner Affairs Hall, and her gossip gave Gene deeper insight into its workings.
The Kitchen Court was crowded and noisy, with too many mouths and too many egos. The Supply Court was lucrative but had grown stagnant since the outbreak of the Blood-Reversed Guardians; supply lines had collapsed, leaving its stewards idle. The Clothing Court was filled with sharp-tongued old women, where petty squabbles brewed daily. The Cleansing Court was despised, its name alone enough to stain reputations. The Fuel Court involved hard, wearying labor—hacking at the endless forests with elderly men for companions.
Only the Fodder Court appealed to Gene. Not for the swine and poultry, but for the mounts: extraordinary beasts cultivated and bred by cultivators. Dragons of cloud and mist, qilin-blooded stallions, cranes whose wings spanned ten feet. To be near such creatures stirred something in him.
When at last Tian Tongzi returned to escort him to the Inner Affairs Hall, Gene made his choice.
The Hall's master was Tian Xiangzi, a kindly elder with a round face and soft eyes. Unlike the iron-willed Elders of the martial halls, Tian Xiangzi radiated gentleness. He welcomed Gene with words of sympathy and quiet praise—words that only confirmed what Gene already knew. Refusing to exploit Lingyue had raised him in everyone's eyes. And the Threefold True Fire, inscrutable as it was, made him seem less a rival and more a man marked by misfortune.
Together with Tian Tongzi, Tian Xiangzi guided him through the courts. The current stewards looked uneasy, their gazes sharp with suspicion. They had heard the rumors. A newcomer favored by Ji Lianyu himself might displace them. Gene saw their fear and decided not to stir conflict unnecessarily.
He bypassed the Kitchen Court, leaving it to Steward Dong Daliang. He passed on the Supply Court—too idle in these dangerous days. He dismissed the Clothing Court and the Cleansing Court alike, unwilling to be drawn into squabbles or scorn. The Fuel Court he found joyless.
At last they came to the Fodder Court. Its Steward was a stooped, wrinkled old woman known to all as Granny Hu. She looked at Gene with sunken eyes but did not seem displeased when he expressed his interest. The court lacked an Assistant Steward, and Gene humbly took that position rather than replace her.
The air lightened instantly. The other stewards, once tense and defensive, relaxed. No one had lost their station. Gene had gained a role that suited him. And so, harmony was preserved.
For the first time since entering the Alliane, Gene felt he had made a choice entirely his own.