The main cavern's concourse that had been littered with food carts, stalls, and performance stages were musicians had performed had been dismantled and removed during the night. What was left was an open field, with a center stage. The field had the same dimensional magics that our lodgings had but was more responsive, as more and more people began to crowd into the area, the field grew larger and larger. People were much more subdued than they had been yesterday. There was none of the jostlings, no voices raising hawking goods or arguing for better deals.

Screens had been placed at strategic places. Made of sheets of metal, they were polished to a high sheen and were enchanted with arrays so that illusion could be reflected. They were this world's version of television screens and the illusion arrays were capable of reproducing images from transmitting jade mosaic that could be controlled from a nearby obelisk. As each new screen was moved into place, supported by scaffolding on wheels for easy movement, the image from the main stage would be transmitted and reproduced. The increasing number of screens would allow everyone to see the Emperor once he took the stage.

The Emperor when he appeared would have been easily overlooked. There was none of the air of regal splendor or wealth one might expect. He had concentrated his aura, marshaling his power so there was no leakage of Qi intent. There was nothing that differentiated him from any other Elder. Even his Hanfu was more pedestrian than you would think for someone of his rank. He wore no jewels, no crown, no medals, anything of substance to denote his rank. He was simply an Elf, hard to determine age the same as any other Elf, no different from the common citizen.

If anything, I would categorize his appearance as that of a rumpled professor. He had the same mien as a few of my teachers in my previous life that was focused on research or study to the exclusion of everything else. I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but he appeared to be the type of person that had little concern for propriety. The Emperor was shepherded into position on the stage by his handlers, his attendance as controlled as ours had been. We were all gathered and maneuvered into position by circumstance, each here to fulfill a role.

"Welcome," he began after clearing his throat a few times. This sign of obvious nervousness helped to humanize him. "I am sure many of you have noticed that the tournament this year is different than what you have come to expect. The reason for this has to do with our Hindel allies.

"They have monitored some volcanic activity in their demesnes lately. An archipelago of islands becoming active after thousands of years of dormancy. Normally this wouldn't be much of a concern, but the tectonic activity is spread across miles of the ocean bottom as well as an island surface. Ocean depths where the Hindel have built their own cities and communities have faced unprecedented destruction.

"They have approached us about one of the larger island chains, an area where we have built towns and cities with ports to facilitate trade. These harbors and cities have essentially been Hindel protectorates, but with the new volcanic activity, they find themselves spending vast resources protecting their own cities, rebuilding, leaving almost nothing to protect the settlements that Elves had made home.

"One of the smaller towns was recently completely destroyed when one of the volcanos on Delph Island erupted. Most of the citizenry survived, the cultivators following the beast companion path giving advance warning and ferrying the people to a safe location. But they are homeless now, all assets destroyed in their haste to evacuate.

"A survey of the area, once the volcano had quieted down, was done by a team of Hindel and Elves. They happened to chance upon a new area of confluence, an area where Earth, Fire, Water, and Air Qi coalesced into one of the strongest locations we have ever discovered.

"They tracked that confluence of elements to Mount Seia. A volcano that lies along with the same tectonic plate as the one that erupted. It should have become chaotic, whatever planetary event that occurred that stimulated one volcano to erupt should have spread outward from the seismic epicenter. Instead, the mountain has remained dormant, with one exception. There has been an increase in fire elements detected, an increase that is harmonizing with the dense earth, air, and water that were already plentiful.

"The Hindel people have offered to exchange the rule and ownership of the Delph Island chain for resources that will allow them to rebuild their destroyed cities. Their only stipulation, that the area discovered be ruled by a new Sect, not one that has already been founded, and that trade between our two people remain free of taxes and tithes in perpetuity.

"The Empire has agreed to their offer and their stipulations," Emperor Halycon informed us.

"This tournament will be used to select those Cultivators that would make ideal additions to this new Sect, people powerful enough or talented enough to survive land that has been mostly unexplored. You will compete for a spot as founding members, in this new Sect. Those that earn a spot as Inner Sect, or Elder, will be classified as a founding member. The advantages of this designation will only increase as the new Sect develops."

The crowd exploded in boisterous excitement. Questions began being shouted as people seemed to lose all sense of propriety at the enormity of the announcement the Emperor had just made. A new Sect had not been formed in hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The process for expansion, made purposively difficult, was exhaustive as politics and in-fighting often resulted in a collapse of negotiations.

But this seemed to be a fait accompli.

The Emperor had bypassed and ignored the politics and regulations of Sect and nation. He had created by government fete, using his own authority Sect creation based on ancient laws and treaties. The first Emperor had created the Sects in this manner, but the practice had fallen out of practice long ago. That he was willing to embrace those royal prerogatives, that were his by right, spoke to how important he thought Delph Island was.

I quickly found Elder Shadow in the confusion, searching his face to see if I could find any clue that he had foreknowledge of this announcement. He had to have known about this before we arrived, it would explain so much. The Elders that were being considered for positions within the new Sect would have to have been informed. The Empire would need people of talent to take up the task and become the founding Elders for this new Sect. If people like Elder Shadow were to be recruited and accept that invitation, there would need to be some groundwork done.

Elder Shadow returned my assessment with the same cool appraisal directed towards me that had typified our relationship. His lack of reaction was all the assurance that I needed. He had been approached, and my guess was he had accepted the offer. The twinkling in his eyes increased, the only sign he gave that he read the emotions and thoughts that flitted across my face, and found them amusing.

I finally understood why Elder Shadow and Tye had not been too worried about reprisals from Elder An and his faction after I had returned to the Sect with Nero's body strapped to my back. They expected me to earn a place in this new Sect. It was why they had suggested I hold off before claiming the Fief I would rule as Baron.

For most of the Elders and Inner Members that had already accepted a spot, and agreed to the transfer, their fiefs had already been claimed, the territory they ruled was firmly entrenched on the mainland. For me, this would be a completely new and fresh start. If I was lucky, I could grasp this opportunity and establish a place of safety for my parents to establish their House. Without the threat of Elder An and his ilk, I could make something that withstands the test of time.

The island location would also allow for a period of protection for my parents to set up and build a new business, giving them time to create products that were tailored to the local market. Access to new spirit plants, new beasts, and new wealth would mean new potions, new formulas, and new customers. If I placed well enough in this tournament, I would be part of the people that helped create the soul, the mission statement for this new enterprise. I was shocked at how badly I wanted to grasp this brass ring, to take my chances.

I wanted to spread my wings, out from under the shadow of Braun and Nero.

The ability to harness new types of water and air elements would also be beneficial. I expected the ocean to have a presence to it, a sense of timelessness and weight that the fast-moving river located near Flowing Water Sect could never match.

The air currents should be a part of the planet's jet streams, and if that were the case, the air element would be quantitatively different from the zephyrs and gusts that played within the peaks of the mountain Flowing Water was built on.