The safe house sat in a valley between contested territories, hidden by formations that Wang Ben recognized as core formation-level work. Whoever had established this location wanted it to remain unseen by both kingdoms' forces.
Shen Wuyan waited inside, his presence filling the small structure with the weight of power he no longer needed to conceal.
"Wang Ben." His voice carried the same measured quality he remembered from their encounters in Redstone City. "You look tired."
"The fortress doesn't allow for much rest."
"No, I expect not." Shen Wuyan gestured to a chair across from where he sat. "Join me. We have much to discuss."
Wang Ben settled into the offered seat, studying the man who held two of his remaining favors. His cultivation was still masked, but pressure emanated from him in waves. Nascent soul. Wang Ben knew that much from their previous encounters. But knowing the realm didn't make the weight of that power any easier to bear. The air itself felt thin in his presence.
"The second favor," he said. "You mentioned personal connections."
"I did. But first, context." Shen Wuyan spread documents across the table between them, maps and intelligence reports marked with Phantom Gate seals. "The war has entered a new phase. Iron Gate's fall demonstrated vulnerabilities that both sides are now exploiting. The Frozen Jade Kingdom is preparing for an extended campaign, not just border raids."
"This is known. Commander Feng has been preparing for exactly this scenario."
"What's less known is why." Shen Wuyan indicated a specific section of the intelligence reports. "The Frozen Jade Kingdom isn't fighting simply for territory or resources. They're searching for something. Something they believe exists within Azure Sky Kingdom's borders."
Wang Ben felt the familiar tightening in his chest, but said nothing. Whatever they were searching for, it might connect to his grandfather's surveillance network.
"They call it the Founding Site." Shen Wuyan's voice was quiet. "An ancient location they believe exists within Azure Sky Kingdom's borders, likely in the regions your grandfather was monitoring."
"The Founding Site." The name resonated with implications he couldn't yet grasp.
"The Yue Clan holds significant influence within Frozen Jade's royal court, and they've been directing resources toward this search for years." Shen Wuyan's finger traced a route on the map. "What exactly is the Founding Site? Why does the Yue Clan want it so desperately? What will they do if they find it? These are the questions the Phantom Gate needs answered."
"And you want me to find out."
"I want you to infiltrate Frozen Jade territory, gather intelligence on the Yue Clan's operations, and determine the nature of their search." Shen Wuyan met his eyes directly. "The mission will be dangerous. You'll be operating behind enemy lines for an extended period, likely several months. Discovery would mean capture or death."
[MISSION BRIEFING: Frozen Jade infiltration]
[Objective: Intelligence gathering on Yue Clan activities]
[Target: "Founding Site" search operations]
[Duration: Estimated 2-3 months]
[Cover identity: Traveling formation specialist]
[Support: Phantom Gate operative network]
[Risk level: Extreme]
[Personal connection: Yue Clan is subject's mother's former family]
Wang Ben processed the briefing, adding it to everything he had already gathered about the Yue Clan. His mother's sealed bloodline. His grandfather's surveillance network. The Dark and Ice energy signatures from the Blackwood anchors.
"Why me?" he asked. "You have agents more experienced in this kind of work."
"I do. But you have unique advantages." Shen Wuyan's voice carried careful consideration. "Your formation skills provide genuine cover, not just pretense. You can actually perform the work a traveling specialist would do. More importantly..."
He paused, studying him.
"More importantly?"
"The Yue Clan marked your mother for death. She was 'pruned' from their lineage, deemed impure. Her grandmother hid her before they could complete the purge. Whatever connection exists between your bloodline and theirs, it may prove useful in ways we can't predict."
Wang Ben felt cold settle into his bones. Shen Wuyan knew about his mother's origins. Knew more than he had revealed in their previous encounters.
"How long have you known?"
"Since before our first meeting. The Phantom Gate researches thoroughly before entering arrangements." Shen Wuyan's expression held no apology. "Li Mei's maternal grandmother, Yue Bingqiu, was from a minor Yue Clan branch. She fled with help from allies and her daughter married Li Cheng of Ironforge City's Li Clan, but the Yue Clan marked the bloodline for purging. When Li Mei was born and inherited that bloodline through her mother, her paternal grandmother Xu Lanying placed seals on her to hide the connection. Li Mei's mother died not long after, under what were officially called natural circumstances."
Yue Bingqiu. His maternal great-grandmother's name, the woman who had fled the Yue Clan. A name he had never heard until now.
"What did she do? Why was she marked for death?"
"That's part of what you'll investigate. The Yue Clan's records are extensive, and their recent activities suggest renewed interest in bloodline matters." Shen Wuyan leaned forward slightly. "This is why the mission connects to your personal concerns. Whatever you learn about the Yue Clan's search may also reveal the truth about your mother's past."
The offer was clear. Information about his family's secrets, exchanged for service to the Phantom Gate. The same pattern that had defined his relationship with Shen Wuyan from the beginning.
"What resources will I have?"
"Three Phantom Gate agents will accompany you to the border and establish initial contact with our network inside Frozen Jade territory. After that, you'll operate with local support only. Communication will be limited to emergency protocols."
"My cover identity?"
"Wei Ming, formation specialist from a minor clan near the contested territories. Documented background, established reputation. The identity has been used before and is known to be reliable." Shen Wuyan slid a packet of documents across the table. "Study these thoroughly. Your new history, your professional credentials, your reasons for traveling."
Wang Ben opened the packet, scanning the carefully constructed biography. Wei Ming had a family in the border regions, a teacher who had died years ago, a specialty in defensive array repair. The details were specific enough to be verifiable, vague enough to allow improvisation.
"When do I leave?"
"Tomorrow at dawn. The agents are preparing supplies and equipment now." Shen Wuyan rose from his chair. "There's one more thing. Elder Wang Hongwei has been briefed on the true nature of your mission. The cover story about Blackwood investigation will hold for your parents and colleagues, but the elder knows you're operating for the Phantom Gate."
"He agreed to this?"
"He understood the necessity. Your grandfather had similar arrangements during his service years." Shen Wuyan's voice carried something almost like respect. "Li Cheng worked with multiple factions when the situation required. The Wang Clan has always been pragmatic about such matters."
Wang Ben absorbed this revelation. His grandfather, working with organizations like the Phantom Gate. The pattern repeating across generations.
"One question."
"Ask."
"When this is done, when the intelligence is gathered, what happens? What does the Phantom Gate intend to do with information about the Founding Site?"
Shen Wuyan's expression became unreadable. "That depends on what you discover. Some secrets are better left buried. Others... others require more active intervention."
It wasn't a satisfying answer. But it was the only one he would get.
...
The farewell happened in the safe house's small garden, where Wang Ben found Zhao Yu waiting.
His friend had followed them from the fortress, tracking the Phantom Gate operative's trail with the instincts his Battle Soul provided. The determination in his expression said he wouldn't be easily dismissed.
"You're not going to the Blackwood." Zhao Yu's voice was flat. "I could tell when you said goodbye. The lie was written in your posture."
"Zhao Yu..."
"I'm not asking where you're really going. I'm asking to come with you." His expression was stubborn, determined. "Whatever this is, you shouldn't face it alone."
"I can't take you." Wang Ben's voice was gentle but firm. "The mission requires a specific skill set. Formation work, infiltration, extended operation without support. Your Battle Soul is valuable, but it affects how you move, how you react. Anyone watching would notice. It would compromise the entire operation."
"I can control it better now. The training has helped."
"Not enough for this." Wang Ben placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Stay at the fortress. Protect my father. And if something happens to me, watch over my mother and Chen'er in Redstone City."
"Nothing is going to happen to you." Zhao Yu's jaw tightened. "You're coming back. You always do."
"I intend to. But the world doesn't always cooperate with intentions." Wang Ben met his friend's eyes directly. "Promise me, Zhao Yu. If I don't return, you'll make sure my family is safe."
Zhao Yu stared at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
"I promise. But you're coming back. I'm going to hold you to that."
"I'll do my best."
Zhao Yu clasped his shoulder once, then turned and departed, making his way back toward the fortress where duty and family waited.
Wang Ben watched him go, the promise he had extracted settling into his chest like stone.
Come back safely. Keep my family safe. Don't let any of this be for nothing.
...
Elder Wang Hongwei arrived at the safe house that afternoon.
The elder's expression carried concern that he didn't bother to hide, his cultivation signature heavy with years and responsibility. He had traveled from the fortress quickly, using techniques that shouldn't have been comfortable for someone of his age.
"The Phantom Gate." His voice was quiet. "Your grandfather warned me this day might come."
"You knew about his arrangements."
"I knew he had obligations beyond the Wang Clan. He never shared the specifics, but the pattern was clear enough." Elder Wang Hongwei settled onto a bench in the garden. "Li Cheng spent years building relationships with organizations that operated in the shadows. He said it was necessary for the clan's survival."
"And now I'm following the same path."
"It seems so." The elder's gaze was searching. "Are you prepared for what this will require? Operating behind enemy lines, maintaining a false identity for months, gathering intelligence that could affect the war's outcome?"
"I don't have a choice. The debt is owed."
"There are always choices, Wang Ben. But I understand why you feel constrained." Elder Wang Hongwei was quiet for a moment. "I wanted to share something before you leave. Something about cultivation that may prove relevant."
"What is it?"
"You've been advancing quickly. Too quickly for your apparent cultivation level. The formation masters have noticed, even if they can't explain it." The elder's voice dropped lower. "At your current pace, you'll reach foundation establishment within a few years. When that happens, you'll face a decision that cannot be undone."
Wang Ben felt the System stir, recognition patterns activating at the elder's words.
"What decision?"
"Core formation requires element locking. Once you form your core, your cultivation becomes permanently aligned with a single elemental affinity. Whatever element dominates your qi at that moment becomes the foundation of everything that follows." Elder Wang Hongwei's expression was serious. "For most cultivators, this is natural. They develop strong affinities during qi condensation and foundation establishment. By the time they reach core formation, the choice is already made."
"But I don't have a strong affinity."
"No. You seem to work with multiple elements equally well. I've seen it in your formation repairs." The elder leaned forward. "This is unusual, Wang Ben. Most cultivators can adapt to different elements, but they always favor one. You don't seem to favor any."
[ARCHIVE REFERENCE: Core formation element locking]
[Standard progression: Cultivators develop dominant elemental affinity during early cultivation]
[At core formation, qi crystallizes around dominant element]
[Effect: Permanent alignment, enhanced efficiency with locked element, reduced compatibility with others]
[Note: Scripture cultivation methods may interact differently with this process. Insufficient data for prediction]
Wang Ben processed the information, adding it to his understanding of cultivation's deeper mechanics. Element locking. The reason core formation cultivators rarely demonstrated the flexibility he had been developing.
"Why tell me this now?"
"Because you're about to spend months in Ice-dominant territory, absorbing qi that most Azure Crimson cultivators would reject." Elder Wang Hongwei's voice was firm. "Whatever you're doing with your cultivation, be careful. The choices you make now will echo through every realm that follows."
"I understand."
"I hope you do." The elder rose, preparing to depart. "Be safe, Wang Ben. Return to us when the mission is complete. The fortress needs you. Your family needs you. The clan needs you."
"I'll return."
"See that you do."
Elder Wang Hongwei departed, leaving Wang Ben alone with his warnings and the mission that waited at dawn.
...
The cultivation session that night was focused on preparation.
Wang Ben settled into meditation, drawing spiritual energy through patterns that would need to sustain him through months of hostile territory. The qi flowed smoothly, his efficiency stable above the first milestone threshold.
[CULTIVATION SESSION: Hour 2]
[Qi absorbed: 412 motes]
[Qi retained: 57 motes]
[Retention efficiency: 13.9%]
[Elemental composition:]
[- Earth: 19 motes (38.8%)]
[- Metal: 13 motes (26.5%)]
[- Fire: 9 motes (18.4%)]
[- Ice: 6 motes (12.2%)]
[- Wood: 2 motes (4.1%)]
[Environment: Neutral territory (Mixed signatures)]
[Pre-mission assessment: Host's elemental flexibility should allow adaptation to Ice-dominant environment. Recommend monitoring for integration anomalies]
The Ice content was higher than his usual cultivation, traces of the territory's mixed qi signature. Wang Ben absorbed it without difficulty, his meridians treating the cold energy no differently than Fire or Metal.
Element locking, he thought. The choice that comes with core formation.
He was years away from that threshold, but the warning lingered. Whatever advantage his elemental flexibility provided now, it might complicate matters later. The Scripture's methods were ancient, developed for cultivators who existed in a very different era. How they would interact with modern cultivation structures remained unknown.
Another mystery for another time. Tonight, he needed rest.
Tomorrow, he crossed into enemy territory.
Dawn came cold and clear.
The three Phantom Gate agents assembled outside the safe house, their preparations complete. They wore the nondescript clothing of travelers, carrying packs that concealed weapons and supplies beneath innocuous exteriors. Their faces were forgettable by design.
"The border crossing is half a day's hard travel distant," the lead operative said. "We travel through contested territory until nightfall, then make the crossing under cover of darkness. From there, you're on your own until you reach the first contact point."
"I understand the protocols."
"Good. Lord Shen emphasized the importance of this mission. Don't disappoint him."
They departed as the first light touched the valley, leaving the safe house's protection behind. Ahead, the landscape shifted toward territory that no Azure Sky cultivator should enter willingly.
Wang Ben walked among them, his mind already cataloging the challenges that waited. Cover identity. Intelligence gathering. Yue Clan operations. The Founding Site.
And somewhere in all of it, the truth about his mother's past.
Debts owed, he thought. Favors earned. The price of protection.
The mission had begun.