Zhao Gang woke to a knock on his 'cell' door. His consciousness was muddy and he realized, somewhat amazed, that he had slept for the first time in a very, very long time. Even low-level cultivators rarely slept, to say nothing of those who had transcended the mortal realms. After a moment to gather his thoughts he sprang up to answer the door.

“Immortal Zhao,” said a servant respectfully, “You have been summoned by the Eternal Throne. You have ten minutes to make arrangements, then we must depart.” The Eternal Emperor must have known he was still sleeping and had sent someone to wake him, lest he shows up to his audience looking disheveled.

“I am in your debt for this timely warning,” Zhao Gang said blearily. “Give me a few moments to collect myself.”

The servant immediately denied the debt. “Think nothing of it. I am merely performing my duty. Find me here when you are ready,” said the servant, stepping back and taking up a post across the hall, obviously intending to wait there.

Zhao Gang didn’t dare to hesitate, applying himself completely to the task of washing and changing. In less than five minutes he walked out of his provided apartment to find the servant waiting stoically. “Let’s not keep his Imperial Majesty waiting,” said Zhao Gang. The servant didn’t respond, simply responding with a motion of his hand to lead the way.

While they walked, Zhao Gang took the time to bring himself to full alertness. It didn’t take long and he soon found himself lost in reminiscence of the previous day. The memory of having his consciousness read by the Eternal Emperor had taken on a fuzzy quality, his memories of the time more akin to a waking dream than anything real or actual. One thing was certain, however - his thoughts regarding his past were much clearer and more orderly. They had a tinge of sharpness to them that had faded over his long existence. Even better, the moment of blinding clarity, of divine inspiration, regarding the Dao still lingered, no longer the pure and unclouded vision it was but providing him a surety of heart nonetheless. He need only think of that road paved out before him to know that he yet had far to travel on that path, something he had known instinctively before but had not truly settled into his heart. Now the fire of resolve and ambition that all cultivators required to succeed had been stoked once more and he found himself excited to see where future breakthroughs might lead.

His recollections continued for some time as they made their way back to the great hall, cutting off only when the open doors of the vast chamber once again came into view. He smiled slightly seeing those doors again, knowing that whatever the outcome, this time they boded no true danger. On the contrary, his biggest concern was now the girl, whose fate had likely already been decided while he slept. If she had been killed already he would have no recourse but he instinctively knew that was unlikely.

Once again he made his way down the aisle left by the most powerful and ancient forces of existence. He remained on his guard, unwilling to hazard paying anyone too much attention. This time, however, he felt their figures were a little clearer in his peripheral vision, the thick illusions and distractions their very natures presented were a little less compelling. Whatever it was that the Eternal Emperor had done, Zhao Gang did not doubt that he had benefited greatly from it.

He halted his approach in the appointed place and knelt to offer obeisance once more. Silence descended throughout the hall as more figures approached from a side door. While Zhao Gang couldn’t see them and didn’t dare extend his consciousness to probe their identity, he could clearly feel at least one aura, that of the Great Ancestor Denglong.

“Brother Denglong,” said the Eternal Emperor, “Thank you for joining us. We have come to a resolution regarding this matter, having probed Immortal Zhao’s memories to the fullest extent. He is innocent in every respect. Both the method of his experiment and the results are within the boundaries of the edicts of the Eternal Throne. You have a decision now, brother. He has not stolen from you. The girl’s condition is nothing more than an accident, albeit one that was pursued. What is to be her fate?”

There was a long silence as the gathered court waited to hear the Great Ancestor’s verdict. In truth, very few of those gathered had any doubt about what his decision would be. The Great Ancestor Denglong had been vicious, almost rabid, regarding the protection and purity of his bloodline heritage. Few doubted that the girl would become the victim of this ‘happy accident’.

Thus the words of the Ancestor Denglong invoked no little surprise from the gathered immortals, though beings of this caliber showed barely a flicker. Of course, such flickers were the equivalent of shouts of surprise from a mortal crowd, if one were observant enough to catch them. “Brother,” said the Great Ancestor, “Since you find no fault with Immortal Zhao, how can the girl be guilty? It is obvious that her part in this experiment, whatever it was, was wholly in ignorance. I will not reap the life of an innocent just because they have experienced fortune, even if that fortune is anathema in my eyes.”

The Ancestor Denglong waited for the span of two heartbeats before continuing, his words obviously meant to carry great weight. “Since this girl is not condemned then I must acknowledge her. Henceforth let it be known that she is my kin, in spirit if not in blood.” The resounding silence this proclamation evoked was not truthfully uncommon within the great hall, but this time it carried a weight that was more than it would seem from the outside. The air grew heavy with suppressed emotions; shock, calculation, puzzlement, and a myriad of other complex feelings filled the hall for several moments before the court once again had complete control of itself.

“Very well. This matter is concluded. We hope, Immortal Zhao, that you are more careful in the future with your experiments. What is done in innocence once cannot be excused a second time. You are dismissed from the court.”

Zhao Gang couldn’t help but breath a deep sigh of relief. The words of the Eternal Emperor might have sounded a threat, but they were in truth a tacit acknowledgment that his students would be allowed to continue using the developed technique as long as he was more careful in which aspects he chose to endow them with in the future. Since there were only three inheritances forbidden by edict of the Eternal Throne - the Denglong, the Emperor-Beast, the Peng-Kun, the bodily incarnation of the great cycles, and the Yangwu, the great three-legged crows who dwell in the heart of stars - he was not overly concerned with avoiding such folly again. In truth, he should have known better than to do so this time, but the Emperor had been correct in saying that he had not in any way known that the method would grant a true connection.

Having been dismissed, Zhao Gang kowtowed thrice and collected the girl, eager to depart. He had not seen the Denglong couple since he arrived and was confident they could care for themselves so he had no reason to linger. As he stepped from the great hall, however, a figure stepped out to walk beside him. Unlike previously, when he had been accompanied by a servant, the aura of this person made it obvious that it was an avatar of the Great Ancestor Denglong.

They walked for a few minutes in companionable silence before the Denglong spoke. “Immortal Zhao, I will have to trouble you to care for my kin.” The words were soft but their purpose was clear - now that he had acknowledged the girl the Great Ancestor would not abide harm coming to her.

“Naturally,” said Zhao Gang. “It will be my honor.”

“There will come a day when her gifts exceed your understanding. This will be through no fault of your own, but rather a consequence of what you have wrought. She carries the full measure of the Denglong spiritual gifts. When those gifts manifest, contact me.”

“Great Ancestor, if you say the girl will require guidance I can hardly disagree. Is this tutor to take her from my care?” The question was important to Zhao Gang. He had intended to keep the students of his sect close. He had no intention of letting them wander off or be taken away. They would simply know too much.

“No,” denied the Denglong firmly. “I have spoken with the Eternal Emperor on this. He was quite firm that your secrets should remain secrets. Thus I find it necessary that, at some future point, I will be entrusting a second of my kin to your care, since the idea of the girl being untutored is unconscionable.”

Zhao Gang resisted the urge to curse. Not only would he have to protect the girl, the Great Ancestor’s kin in spirit, but he would also have to protect one of his flesh and blood kin. The duty was a double-edged sword, providing protection from all but the most powerful or stupid, while simultaneously offering the opportunity for him to lose his fool head if some harm should befall either.

“I shall treat the honored tutor as a guest elder,” said Zhao Gang firmly. He loathed the idea of accepting the tutor, preferring to send the girl away with them if she was going to be that much of a problem, but the Great Ancestor had already closed the door on that path. All he could do now was give them status, no matter how flimsy a shield it was.

“That would be unwise,” said the Denglong. “The one I will be sending will be the child who you used for your experiment. They should be old enough by the time tutoring is necessary. Still, an honorary disciple would be more appropriate.” Zhao Gang cursed in his heart again. Even though he planned for his sect to be different, the average sect’s disciples competed fiercely, often ending in deaths, whether accidental or not. If he were truly to accept this Denglong child as an honorary disciple, how could he possibly keep them safe?

“Great Ancestor, it is not that I doubt your wisdom, but the atmosphere among disciples is one of rabid competition, often unto death. There are many preparations I could make to safeguard your kin, but ultimately I could not guarantee their safety.” Admitting any form of weakness to this all-powerful figure was akin to swallowing broken glass, but Zhao Gang knew better than to be anything but absolutely truthful.

“You had better hope that isn’t the case,” said the Denglong. “I have no patience for excuses. Since I am entrusting my kin to you, I will expect that you will guard them as you would your own.”

Zhao Gang could only bow in acceptance. “It will be as you say, Great Ancestor.”

“Very good,” he replied before falling silent. The rest of the walk was awkward, the threat of impending doom not having endeared either to the other. Zhao Gang parted ways with the Great Ancestor gratefully when they reached the unrestricted area nearly an hour later, careful to observe every courtesy. Their appearance together caused no small commotion and Zhao Gang knew that the task of keeping his sect hidden and safe had likely just become much more difficult. He swore to revisit the protective formations as soon as he got back and do everything in his power to enhance them. Previously he believed they would be enough but… well, it never hurt to over-prepare.

Piercing the veil, he stepped back onto the school grounds with a grateful sigh. The girl had slept for the entire week they had been gone, so she would remember nothing of their trip, small mercy. He immediately passed her to one of his disciples and had her returned to her rooms to finish her recovery.

“Master,” came Xinasa’s cool voice. He could tell at once that she was displeased, though she would never display her displeasure openly. “How did things go?”

“I’ve returned. The girl has returned. I’d say things went quite well.” Deciding he’d said enough he changed the topic. “We have much to do. I will need to procure other, lesser beasts for the other students. We will need to set up formations that allow us to feed the necessary Qi to multiple students at once while being flexible enough to collapse without detonation when a student makes a breakthrough. Gather the other disciples, we have much work to do if we’re going to minimize future delays in developing their cultivation. And send Kwan Odan to Immortal Gian in Gulgarro. Tell him we will need beasts of superior bloodlines, though none may be of heritages protected by divine edict. Collect a variety, the stronger the better. We will need to begin looking for suitable cultivation techniques for each constitution we forge. Leave the girl’s to me.”

Zhao Gang’s rapid-fire orders displayed his firm desire to proceed immediately. In the face of them, Xinasa didn’t hesitate, sending orders out with her consciousness even as he gave them. Finally, he paused and looked up at her, making sure to catch her eye before he continued. “Spread the word - the Great Ancestor Denglong has recognized the girl as kin. If true harm befalls her he is likely to kill us and all our clans. However, this does not mean I want her coddled. Our plan has always been to treat the students as equally as possible. This news does not change that plan. I won’t have her shadowed by bodyguards or something stupid like that. I will take some precautions, so there should be no accidents.”

He saw his disciple freeze up at the news, unsure quite how to process the implications. History was rife with examples of the Great Ancestor Denglong exacting justice for wrongs against even the least of his kin. He rarely indulged in wholesale slaughter, but those who maliciously targeted a member of his family quickly found themselves wishing for death. She was suddenly very glad that they had decided against allowing the disciples to compete in the usual fashion.

“It will be as you say, Master.”