The air inside Elder Ming's private pavilion was thick enough to chew. It didn't smell of stale sweat and blood like the training yards, nor of the dusty parchment of the library. It smelled of ozone and crushed expensive herbs—the scent of wealth and suffocating power.
Kai stood in the center of the room, his head bowed, his posture a masterpiece of practiced humility. But his eyes, hidden by the angle of his face, were scanning everything.
The room was a testament to the benefits of high cultivation. The walls were lined with shelves of Spirit jade, glowing with soft, internal light. A rack of weapons against the far wall held swords that hummed with their own sentient intent. In the center sat a low table made of Ironwood, and behind it sat Elder Ming, placing a black stone onto a Go board with a sharp clack.
"Sit," Ming commanded, not looking up.
Kai obeyed, sinking onto the cushion opposite the Elder. He kept his movements fluid, efficient.
"You look at the board," Ming said, his voice smooth as silk wrapped around a razor. "Do you play?"
"I know the rules, Elder," Kai replied evenly. "But I have never had the luxury of time to master the strategy."
"Time," Ming mused, finally lifting his gaze. His eyes were like chips of flint—hard, sparking with intelligence, and utterly devoid of warmth. "A resource the poor lack and the powerful waste. Tell me, Kai Chen. What do you see on this board?"
Kai looked down. The black stones were surrounding a cluster of white ones, slowly choking off their "breaths"—their liberties. It was a strangulation formation.
"I see a trap," Kai said. "The white stones believe they are building a territory, but the black stones are cutting off their escape."
"Crude, but accurate." Ming picked up a white stone, rolling it between his fingers. "Now, tell me what you see in this room. Not the objects. The reality."
"He is testing your perception," Azrakoth whispered, his voice a dry rustle in Kai's mind. "He wants to know if you see the world as a peasant or a predator. Do not disappoint him."
Kai allowed a fraction of his qi to circulate to his eyes—a trick he'd picked up from the forbidden texts in the library. The room shifted. The "decorations" weren't just displays of wealth; they were a formation. The swords were positioned to act as a killing array if triggered. The Elder himself was a vortex of energy, his Foundation Establishment aura repressed but coiled, ready to strike.
"I see a fortress disguised as a study," Kai answered, his voice devoid of tremor. "I see a killing formation in the weapon rack. And I see a man who expects enemies even in his own sanctuary."
Ming's lips twitched—not quite a smile, but an acknowledgment. He placed the white stone on the board, but not in a defensive position. He placed it aggressively, deep in the black territory.
"Good. You have eyes that see, not just look. That is rare." Ming leaned back, steepling his fingers. "Now, a question of philosophy. What is the purpose of a sword?"
"To kill," Kai said instantly.
"Too simple," Ming countered. "A falling rock can kill. A plague can kill. Is a plague a sword?"
Kai paused. He thought of the plague that had ravaged Willow Creek1111. The senselessness of it. The lack of intent.
"A sword has a hilt," Kai corrected himself, his tone cold. "It has a wielder. A plague kills indiscriminately. A sword kills who it is told to kill. Its purpose is to extend the will of its master."
"Precision," Ming nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Will. Intent. Ambition. These are the things that separate us from the beasts and the commoners. You have ambition, Kai. I saw it in the courtyard. You didn't just defeat Han Bao; you dismantled him to send a message. What was the message?"
"That I am not prey," Kai said.
"No," Ming corrected sharply. "That was the message for the sheep. The message for me was that you are willing to break the unspoken rules of decorum to achieve victory. You are ruthless."
The Elder leaned forward, the pressure in the room spiking. "The Verdant Peak Sect is dying, Kai. It is a great tree, rotting from the inside. The Grand Elder and his faction believe in 'stability.' They believe in maintaining the status quo, coddling the children of merchants like Han Bao, and letting talent wither if it doesn't come with a pedigree."
Ming's eyes bored into Kai's. "I do not believe in stability. I believe in evolution. I believe that power belongs to those with the strength to take it, not those who inherit it. I am sharpening a blade to cut out the rot."
"He is recruiting you for a coup," Azrakoth chuckled darkly. "Or at least, a purge. How delightful. Chaos is a ladder, boy."
Kai met Ming's gaze. "And you wish to know if I am sharp enough."
"I wish to know if you are loyal enough," Ming corrected. "I can sharpen a dull blade. I cannot use a blade that turns in my hand. The Han family will not forgive what you did. They are already moving against you. Without protection, you will be found dead in a ditch within the week, your 'Dragon Lineage' nothing more than a footnote."
It was a threat, plain and simple. But it was also an offer.
"What do you propose, Elder?"
"I offer you my patronage," Ming said. "Access to the inner sect's true resources. Pills that actually aid cultivation, not the scraps thrown to the common disciples. Private instruction. And protection from the Han family's petty vendettas."
"And in return?"
"In return, you become my piece on the board." Ming gestured to the Go game. "When I need a territory seized, you seize it. When I need a rival humbled, you humble them. When the time comes to challenge the Grand Elder's stagnation, you will stand with my faction."
Kai looked at the board again. The white stone Ming had placed—the suicide move deep in enemy territory—was a distraction. It forced the black stones to react, opening up weakness elsewhere.
Ming wanted Kai to be that stone. A distractor. A disruptor. A weapon.
"He thinks he is the player," Kai thought, the calculation running cold and smooth through his mind. "He thinks he owns me because he offers me scraps of safety."
"Take the deal," Azrakoth advised. "Let him think you are his hound. We will eat his meat, grow strong on his resources, and when we are big enough... we will see who holds the leash."
Kai bowed low, touching his forehead to the floor. It was the perfect picture of a grateful disciple pledging allegiance.
"My sword is yours, Elder Ming. Point, and I will cut."
"Good." Ming waved a hand, and a small object flew across the room, landing on the table in front of Kai.
It was a token made of black jade, carved with the image of a soaring hawk.
"This is a clearance token for the restricted section of the Grand Library," Ming said. "The second floor. You will find techniques there that suit your... aggression. Do not show it to anyone."
Kai took the token. It felt cold and heavy, humming with Qi. This was what he truly needed. Knowledge. Forbidden arts. The "Heart Cultivation" notes he had found were just the beginning2.
"One last thing, Kai," Ming said, his voice dropping to a whisper that vibrated in Kai's bones.
Kai looked up.
"Do not mistake my patronage for charity," Ming said, the lethal intent in the room suddenly coalescing into a physical weight that made it hard to breathe. "I am investing in you. If you rust, if you break, or if you try to cut me... I will shatter you myself. Do we understand each other?"
"We do, Elder," Kai said, his heart rate steady, his fear chemically excised by the demon within.
"Then go. You have work to do."
Kai stood, bowed once more, and backed out of the room.
As he stepped out of the pavilion and into the cool night air, he felt the heavy token in his sleeve. The moon was high, casting long shadows across the garden.
"A dangerous game," Azrakoth mused. "Ming is no fool. He will be watching you closely."
"Let him watch," Kai replied internally, his face settling into that terrifyingly blank mask. "He sees a weapon to be used against his enemies. He doesn't realize he just invited the enemy into his own house."
Kai walked back toward the dormitory, the black jade token burning cold against his skin. He was a piece on the board now, placed deep in enemy territory.
But pawns, if they survived long enough, could become queens. And Kai intended to survive.
He had a library to visit.