The soft rustling of parchment wings heralded the arrival of a jade white paper crane, gliding through the open window of the Verdant Dawn Sect’s Verdant Hall. Yu Tian, seated in quiet contemplation at his desk, extended a hand, catching the delicate construct between his fingers. With a faint pulse of Qi, the crane unfurled into a parchment strip, inked with meticulous precision by Elder Jianyu’s trusted disciple, Lin Yue.

Yu Tian’s brows furrowed as his eyes traced the message. A secret realm discovered within the Wilds. Heaven grade herbs. The Iron Tower Sect and Medicine Valley united. His fingers tightened around the parchment as he absorbed the implications.

This was both an opportunity and a disaster.

The Iron Tower Sect, already stronger than Verdant Dawn, had joined forces with Medicine Valley, a sect renowned for its alchemical mastery. Alone, Yu Tian and his disciples could not hope to contest such an alliance. Any attempt to seize a portion of the secret realm by force would be suicidal.

His mind moved swiftly. There were only two choices, bend and beg for scraps or manipulate the board so that even the strongest pieces could not move freely.

With a breath, Yu Tian rose. A flick of his sleeve incinerated the message into faint embers of Qi. He turned toward the hall and, after a moment of contemplation, summoned Elder Mei, one of the sect’s most politically adept figures.

When she entered, Yu Tian met her gaze squarely and spoke without preamble. “A secret realm has been discovered within the Wilds,” he said, his voice measured. “It contains heaven grade herbs, and the Iron Tower Sect has already allied with Medicine Valley to claim it.”

Mei faltered, her brows lifting in shock. “A secret realm? And they’ve already joined forces?”

Yu Tian nodded. “We are too weak to challenge them directly. But if negotiations break down, I want you to contact the Golden Flame Sect.”

Mei’s brow furrowed as she absorbed the information. “They will demand a high price for their intervention.”

“They will,” Yu Tian acknowledged. “But a fragmented realm is better than one ruled by our enemies. If Xiang Wuyi refuses me, I will make certain no one rules the realm at all.”

With that contingency set, Yu Tian turned toward the looming reality of his next task. He would have to meet Xiang Wuyi himself.

Shortly after, Yu Tian exited the Verdant Hall and rode the wind towards the Iron Tower Sect. Soon, the Iron Tower Sect’s fortress loomed ahead, a sprawling bastion of dark stone and towering walls, exuding the same unyielding presence as its patriarch. Before approaching the massive, rune etched gates, Yu Tian halted just beyond the boundary of the sect’s protective formation.

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Channelling his Qi, he projected his voice forward, steady and composed.

“Yu Tian of the Verdant Dawn Sect seeks an audience with Patriarch Xiang Wuyi.”

A tense silence followed, the air humming with the latent power of the formation. Then, after a brief pause, the runes flickered, dimming slightly as a passage opened. Two disciples emerged; their expressions neutral but their posture rigid with formality.

“You are expected,” one said, gesturing for Yu Tian to follow.

With measured steps, he crossed the threshold, allowing himself to be led through the fortress’s vast halls, where cold torchlight flickered against polished black stone. At last, he arrived before a towering set of black-iron doors, their weighty presence a testament to the authority of the man waiting within. Xiang Wuyi a man who carried authority as naturally as he breathed.

Xiang Wuyi did not rise to greet Yu Tian. His chiselled features remained impassive, though his dark eyes glinted with the confidence of a man who had already won.

“Patriarch Yu Tian,” he intoned, his voice smooth, edged with iron. “I am surprised to see you here. I had assumed you would recognize your position and stay silent.”

Yu Tian neither bowed nor flinched. “I have come to ensure that your position remains secure, Patriarch Xiang.”

A beat of silence. Xiang Wuyi tilted his head, amusement flickering across his sharp features. “Is that so? And how do you propose to do that?”

Yu Tian’s gaze was unwavering. “By securing a portion of the secret realm for the Verdant Dawn Sect.”

Xiang Wuyi exhaled through his nose, a sharp, unimpressed sound. “You think you are entitled to such a thing?”

“No,” Yu Tian admitted. “But I think you will prefer that to the alternative.”

Xiang Wuyi’s fingers tapped idly against the armrest of his throne. “Enlighten me.”

Yu Tian took a single step forward, his voice calm but heavy with intent. “Deny me, and I will bring in other sects. Golden Flame. Stormbreaking Sword Sect. Perhaps even the Cloudpiercer Pavilion. You may believe you hold the advantage, but if I scatter the spoils across too many hands, you will hold nothing.”

The Iron Tower Patriarch’s expression darkened. The flickering torchlight cast sharp shadows across his face as the air between them thickened with unspoken tension.

“You overstep, Yu Tian,” Xiang Wuyi growled, his Qi subtly pressing against the space between them like an impending storm.

Yu Tian stood firm. “I am ensuring we all walk away with something, rather than watching larger beasts descend to feast upon what you tried to hoard.”

Silence stretched between them, taut as a bowstring.

Then, after a long pause, Xiang Wuyi exhaled sharply, leaning back against his seat.

“I do not like being forced into a corner,” he admitted, his tone dangerously low. “Medicine Valley already irritates me with their demands, and now you present me with another choice I would rather not make.”

Yu Tian remained silent, knowing the decision had already been made.

Finally, Xiang Wuyi’s lips curled into something between a sneer and a smirk. “Very well. You will have a share, but do not overreach. You are still a small player in this game, Yu Tian.”

“I have no interest in games, only survival,” Yu Tian replied, bowing his head slightly but never lowering his gaze.

Xiang Wuyi studied him for a moment longer before dismissing him with a wave of his hand. “Then let us survive, for now.”

Yu Tian turned and strode from the hall, knowing full well that he had only bought time, not peace.