The group left the smoking, ruined area behind, the silence of the desolate mountains a stark contrast to the violent chaos of the preceding hours. They returned to the Golden Tide Clan, the mission a resounding, brutal success.

Their original plan had been to rest for a day and figure out their next move. The idea was to consolidate their gains and wait to see what the Beast Faction would do next, letting the enemy react to their devastating strikes. However, as they were discussing this in the main hall of the clan headquarters, Li Yu’s communication token chimed.

The message was from Lysander, the Elder of the Forest of the Radiant Dawn. It was brief and to the point: “The Gate Keepers are looking for you. They have requested a meeting. They propose our headquarters in the north as a neutral ground. Let me know if you agree to this meeting or not.”

The room fell silent. This was a significant development. The Gate Keepers were an ancient, mysterious organization that they were told about just recently. A summons from them was not something to be taken lightly, the answer came quickly. Li Yu immediately decided that they will go, they were just waiting for the Beast Faction to react anyways. “We will go,” he said simply.

He began to select the team that would accompany him. “I will go, along with Jian and Cyra. Kui will need to be there as the official head of the Guild. Spine and Shara,” he said, looking at the two of them, “you will return to the Koi Sanctuary for now.” They both nodded in understanding.

It was then that Jian spoke up, a thoughtful, strategic glint in his eye. “Young Master, I suggest we bring Bai Yan and Kael as well. Let them stand behind us as guards. It will be a good opportunity to show the Gate Keepers the full depth of our Guild’s power. Let them see that we have multiple peak Core Formation experts who are not even part of our main council.”

It was a long shot, but he also wondered if these ancient Gate Keepers might recognize the two of them, or be thrown off by their presence. Perhaps there were people among them that would know of these two, traitors perhaps. They had discussed this before, there were only a few ways to get from continent to continent. Having access to the arrays was the simplest way, albeit the most expensive.

Li Yu agreed, seeing the wisdom in the move. It made sense to present a powerful unified front as well. With the decision made, they boarded the newly upgraded Golden Voyage and immediately headed north. Along the way, they made a brief stop to pick up Kui, who was accompanied by his ever-present personal guard, Zhong.

On the ship, Kui, with his usual cheerful demeanor, immediately went to greet the two newest high-level members. “Kael! Bai Yan! It is a pleasure to formally meet you both. I am Kui, the Guild Master. I’ve heard great things about your strength. Welcome aboard!”

He made some light-hearted small talk, asking about their journey and making them feel like valued members rather than captured subordinates. Li Yu started calling Kui’s tongue his most dangerous weapon, not his shell. He had a way with people that just made everyone like him, it was amazing to see.

Later, as Kui was busy managing Guild affairs from the ship’s communication room, Zhong approached Kael and Bai Yan. The three of them talked for a long time, finding common ground as powerful experts who had, through different circumstances, ended up in the service of the same master.

Zhong, being the first to have joined, took on the role of a mentor. “My life in the Guild has been surprisingly peaceful,” he told them. “To be honest, the power of a 9th stage Core Formation expert isn’t really needed much on this continent for day-to-day matters. So, most of the time, I am simply a figurehead, a deterrent. It means I have a lot of free time to cultivate, using the incredible resources available to me.”

He then leaned in, his voice becoming more serious. “A word of advice: Kui is an amazing boss, and you should get close to him. He is a genuinely cheerful person and has always been very nice to me and everyone else. But do not be fooled by his lower cultivation. He is weaker than us, but he holds an incredibly important position. He is one of the closest people to the Young Master. You must treat him very well. His word carries more weight than the Grand Elder’s in the Guild’s operations.”

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During their long conversation, Zhong declared, “Since we will be brothers and a sister in arms, we should have a proper hierarchy! The order will be when we pledged our service, much like any clan or sect. I was the first that joined, so I will be the big brother.”

He then looked at Kael. “You joined after me from what I have heard and then it was Bai Yan, if only by just a few hours, so you are the second brother.” He finally looked at Bai Yan with a grin. “And you joined last, which makes you our little sister.” Bai Yan wasn’t thrilled, but she found herself swayed by the easy camaraderie and eventually agreed.

Later, Li Yu made some small talk with Zhong, approaching him on the deck. “Zhong, thank you for helping Kael and Bai Yan settle in. I appreciate you taking the initiative.” Zhong immediately bowed respectfully, his flattery smooth and sincere. “It is my honor, Wise Host. Guiding new pillars of the Guild is the least I can do. Under your wise leadership, we all prosper.”

He called him Wise Host, a copy of what Kui did, even though he couldn’t enter the Koi Sanctuary. It really didn’t make sense to call him that but the term was used more as a sign of respect now among some of his people.

They talked and interacted a bit more, with Li Yu asking about his cultivation progress and Zhong providing a brief report, the simple exchange solidifying the respect between the two. Zhong mainly worked with Kui so it was his chance to get to know Li Yu who is the boss behind it all. He didn’t think too much of the boy, everything seemed normal enough, he was expecting a bit more arrogance or being harder to talk to but that wasn’t the case.

They finally arrived at the headquarters of the Forest of the Radiant Dawn in the north. The serene, ancient forest welcomed them like old friends. Lysander himself came out to greet them, which is the highest of honor they could get when coming here. “We are glad you could make it. The Keepers will be here in a day, so you have time to rest and prepare.”

The team thanked Lysander for arranging the meeting. It seemed most likely that Theron’s message to the Keepers had prompted this summons. They were shown to a quiet, elegant guest compound to wait. Everyone broke off in their own little groups to chat and relax before the meeting. Some went out to explore around the area, in places they were allowed to go to.

The next day, the Gate Keepers arrived. They were a group of three, their auras seemingly ancient and powerful. They were led by a woman whose power was a deep, calm ocean. Jian’s eyes lit up; he could feel it instantly. She was a 4th stage Soul Formation expert, his exact equal in cultivation level.

He was impressed by her aura and immediately wondered to himself if he could beat her. He would love to have a spar with her after they were done talking, but he kept it to himself for now. With her were two others, a man at the peak of the Core Formation realm, and another woman at the 7th stage of Core Formation. An extremely powerful group.

The lead woman’s calm expression faltered the moment her gaze swept over Li Yu’s assembled delegation. She was stunned by the sheer power she sensed. Theron had told them that the Second Grand Elder was a 4th stage Soul Formation expert, so she wasn’t surprised by Jian. But to see so many other powerful experts, including two more at the peak of the Core Formation realm standing there as well… it was far more than she had anticipated.

Weirdly enough, the person she was most cautious of was not Jian, whose power was as open and sharp as a drawn blade. It was Li Yu, the youngest of them all and seemingly the weakest. While Jian’s power was a raging inferno, Li Yu’s was tranquil and deep like the ocean.

Her unique gift, the reason she had been sent, was her extremely powerful soul, much stronger than was typical for someone at her level. It allowed her to sense the rough strength and intentions of others, to feel if they were lying or not. It was an essential tool for her role in evaluating others.

And when she looked at Li Yu, she felt… nothing. It was like looking into a deep, starless abyss. Her powerful soul which would allow her to gauge another person was useless against him. It was as though his soul was a step above even hers, which was completely unthinkable to her.

Perhaps he has a nascent soul? That would somewhat explain what was going on but that was even more unthinkable, he hadn't even stepped into Soul Formation yet. Just what was going on with this boy. His power was a complete mystery to even her, and that was the most terrifying thing of all.