The joint strategy session began at dawn.
Wang Ben arrived early, finding the council chamber already occupied. Patriarch Wang Tiexin sat at the head of the long table, his ancient face carved from patience and stone. Grand Elder Wang Feng stood at his right hand, scarred features unreadable. Elder Wang Qing occupied the left, spectacles catching the early light as he arranged scrolls and maps across the wooden surface.
And across the table, three figures in the black and white robes of the Dao Clan.
Grand Elder Dao Lingwei was a severe woman in her fourth century, her silver hair pulled back in a style that suggested she'd stopped caring about fashion sometime around her foundation establishment breakthrough. Her eyes swept the room with the practiced assessment of someone who had survived more political maneuvering than most cultivators would see in a lifetime.
Beside her sat Elder Dao Ming, a thin man with ink-stained fingers and the distracted air of someone whose mind was always three steps ahead of the conversation. And at the end, positioned precisely where Wang Ben would have placed a junior observer, Dao Zhen.
Their eyes met briefly. Something passed between them that might have been acknowledgment.
"Now that we're all present," Patriarch Wang Tiexin said, his voice dry as autumn leaves, "let us begin."
The first hour was maps and patrol routes.
Grand Elder Dao Lingwei produced detailed charts of her clan's territorial holdings, marking the areas where Xue Clan pressure had increased over the past months. Wang Feng responded with similar documentation, and slowly the picture emerged of a coordinated squeeze, pressure applied from multiple angles with timing too precise to be coincidence.
"They've been planning this for years," Elder Dao Ming observed, his ink-stained fingers tracing the pattern of encroachment. "The land purchases. The patrol adjustments. The economic pressure. This isn't opportunism. This is strategy."
"Funded by someone with deep pockets," Wang Feng said. "We've confirmed external backing. The source remains unclear, but the scale suggests regional involvement."
Wang Ben watched Dao Zhen's reaction to this information. The heir's expression didn't change, but his posture shifted slightly. Interest sharpening into focus.
"You have evidence of external funding?" Grand Elder Dao Lingwei's voice carried an edge.
"Spending patterns. Correlation analysis." Wang Feng glanced at Wang Ben. "Our intelligence operation has produced results."
The attention of the room shifted. Wang Ben felt the weight of three core formation cultivators and two foundation establishment elders settling on him like physical pressure.
"The young Wang," Grand Elder Dao Lingwei said. "I've heard interesting things about you."
"I observe patterns," Wang Ben said carefully. "Sometimes the patterns reveal things people would rather keep hidden."
"Such as?"
"The Xue Clan has spent approximately 2,400 mid-grade spirit stones in the past six months. Their annual revenue is roughly 800. Someone is financing their campaign."
Silence. Then Elder Dao Ming let out a soft breath that might have been appreciation.
"You tracked their expenditures?"
"With help. The Zhao family has contacts in Ironforge who provided merchant records. The rest was arithmetic."
Grand Elder Dao Lingwei studied him for a long moment. "Your father's son, I think. He always did see what others missed."
Wang Ben kept his expression neutral, but something warm stirred in his chest at the comparison.
"There's more," Wang Feng continued. "We've identified an information leak within our compound. Rather than eliminate it, we've chosen to control it. The Xue Clan is now receiving intelligence we want them to have."
"Counterintelligence." Dao Zhen spoke for the first time, his voice sharp with sudden understanding. "You're feeding them false information through their own spy."
"Confirmed yesterday. They adjusted their patrol routes based on fabricated plans we allowed to leak." Wang Feng's scarred face showed grim satisfaction. "From now until the conflict begins, we control what they learn about our preparations."
The Dao Clan delegation exchanged glances. Something passed between them, a silent communication born of years of shared purpose.
"Full disclosure," Grand Elder Dao Lingwei said finally. "You've held nothing back."
"As promised." Patriarch Wang Tiexin's voice was quiet but carried the weight of centuries. "If we stand together, we stand with truth between us. If we fall, we fall knowing we gave everything to the alliance."
Another long pause. Then Grand Elder Dao Lingwei nodded once, decisively.
"Then let me share what we know of Crimson Bastion movements in the region."
The second hour was revelation.
The Dao Clan's intelligence network was different from the Wang Clan's, focused on external threats rather than internal politics. But their contacts in the southern cities had noticed something troubling.
"Three delegations in the past two months," Elder Dao Ming reported, spreading a series of dated reports across the table. "All traveling under trade credentials. All meeting with Xue Clan representatives."
"Trade delegations don't typically require foundation establishment escorts," Grand Elder Dao Lingwei added. "And they certainly don't spend two weeks in a frontier city with nothing to show for it commercially."
Wang Ben studied the dates. They aligned with spikes in Xue Clan spending that his analysis had flagged.
"The Crimson Bastion is backing the Xue Clan directly," he said. "Not through intermediaries. Direct funding in exchange for... what?"
"That's the question." Dao Zhen's voice was thoughtful. "What does the Bastion gain from destroying two minor clans in a frontier city?"
"Access to the Blackwood." The words came from Elder Wang Qing, who had been silent throughout most of the session. "The beast tide displaced creatures from the deep forest. Some of those creatures are valuable. Very valuable. And the Blackwood's boundaries are contested territory, administered jointly by the four major clans."
"Remove two clans from the equation," Wang Ben continued, following the logic, "and the remaining two, Huo and Xue, split the territory. The Xue Clan gets preferential access to whatever the Bastion is interested in."
"The ironclad bear," Dao Zhen said slowly. "The one that died in the tide. It was Rank 4 Peak. Half-step mortal shedding. That kind of beast core is worth a fortune."
"And there may be more." Grand Elder Dao Lingwei's voice was grim. "Whatever drove the tide, whatever killed that beast sovereign we all felt die, it's still out there. And it's pushed the deep forest's treasures closer to the surface."
The implications hung in the air. This wasn't just a clan war. It was a resource grab, orchestrated by powers far beyond Redstone City's borders.
"Four days," Patriarch Wang Tiexin said quietly. "Four days until the grace period ends. And then we discover whether our alliance is strong enough to survive what comes next."
The strategy session continued for another hour, but Wang Ben's mind kept returning to the larger picture. The Crimson Bastion. External funding. A coordinated campaign that had been years in the making.
They weren't just fighting the Xue Clan. They were fighting the Xue Clan's backers, with all the resources and reach that implied.
When the session finally concluded, Dao Zhen caught his eye and gestured toward the door. Wang Ben followed, leaving the elders to their continued discussions.
They walked in silence through the compound until they reached the training grounds. Empty at this hour, most disciples occupied with war preparations elsewhere.
"Different beatings today," Dao Zhen said, drawing his practice sword. "I promised."
Wang Ben retrieved his own weapon from the rack. "What did you have in mind?"
"Teaching." The word seemed to cost Dao Zhen something. "I've been trying to figure you out for three days. How you read attacks you shouldn't be able to read. How you anticipate movements before they happen. I can't explain it."
"Neither can I."
"I know. That's what makes it interesting." Dao Zhen settled into a ready stance, but his posture was different today. Open rather than aggressive. "So instead of trying to beat the mystery out of you, I'm going to see if I can give you something to work with."
Wang Ben felt something shift in the dynamic between them. Not friendship, not yet. But the beginning of something that might become respect.
"The footwork you used yesterday," Dao Zhen continued. "In the third exchange, when you stepped into my blind spot. That wasn't any form I recognize. But it was effective. If you'd been qi condensation, if you'd had the speed to follow through, I'd have taken a real hit."
"I didn't know what I was doing."
"Your body knew." Dao Zhen's eyes were sharp. "Somewhere, somehow, you've learned things your conscious mind doesn't remember. I can't teach you what you already know. But I can teach you how to use it."
He moved forward, blade rising, and the lesson began.
The third spar was nothing like the first two.
Dao Zhen didn't try to overwhelm him. Instead, he demonstrated, explained, corrected. When Wang Ben's instincts produced a movement that worked, Dao Zhen would stop the exchange and analyze it.
"There. That pivot. You're compensating for reach disadvantage by changing the angle of engagement. That's a mid-stage qi condensation concept. Where did you learn it?"
"Dreams, maybe." Wang Ben heard the frustration in his own voice. "Nothing that makes sense when I'm awake."
"Then let's make it make sense." Dao Zhen adjusted his grip, showed the movement in slow motion. "The principle is called Flowing Water Stance. You rotate your core while stepping, which lets you redirect incoming force instead of absorbing it. You're doing it instinctively, but sloppy. Let me show you the proper form."
For the next hour, Wang Ben learned.
Not the overwhelming defeat of the first spar. Not the grinding endurance of the second. This was actual instruction, the kind of teaching that a clan heir would normally reserve for siblings or sworn brothers. Dao Zhen was patient, precise, and surprisingly good at explaining the logic behind each technique.
[OBSERVATION: Subject techniques contain optimization patterns]
[Analysis: Principles align with 67% of archived combat forms]
[Note: Subject is teaching fundamentals that underlie advanced techniques]
[Recommendation: Absorb instruction. Foundation knowledge accelerates future development]
The System's cold assessment matched Wang Ben's own conclusions. Dao Zhen was giving him something valuable, something that would pay dividends for years.
"Why?" Wang Ben asked during a brief rest. "You don't owe me anything. This alliance benefits your clan regardless of whether I improve."
Dao Zhen was quiet for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was thoughtful.
"In the strategy session, you saw things the elders missed. You connected patterns that should have been obvious but weren't. You're fifteen years old and body refinement, and you contributed more to that discussion than I did."
"I was just..."
"Don't." Dao Zhen cut him off. "Don't minimize it. I've been trained since birth to lead my clan. To analyze threats. To think strategically. And a boy nine years my junior, a full realm below me, saw the Crimson Bastion connection before anyone else in the room."
Wang Ben didn't know how to respond.
"I don't understand you," Dao Zhen continued. "I probably never will. But I know value when I see it. If you survive the coming war, if you reach qi condensation, if you fulfill even a fraction of whatever potential is hiding behind those eyes..." He shook his head. "I'd rather have you as an ally than an enigma."
"Is that why you're teaching me?"
"Partly." Dao Zhen's lips curved slightly. "And partly because the mystery was driving me insane. If I can't figure you out, I might as well make you more effective."
Wang Ben felt something loosen in his chest. Not trust, not quite. But the beginning of something that might become it.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We've got four days until war, and you're still body refinement." Dao Zhen raised his practice sword again. "Let's see how much you can learn before someone tries to kill you."
Wang Ben found Zhao Yu in the forge district, helping his father with a rush order of blade repairs.
"There you are." Zhao Yu set down the sword he'd been polishing and wiped his hands on a rag. "I heard you've been spending all your time with the Dao Clan heir. Should I be jealous?"
"He's teaching me. Apparently my mystery was annoying him enough that he decided to make me useful instead."
"That tracks." Zhao Yu fell into step beside him as they walked away from the forge. "Father says the alliance is real now. Not just signatures on paper. After this morning's session, the Dao Clan is committed."
"They shared intelligence we didn't have. Crimson Bastion involvement, confirmed."
Zhao Yu's expression darkened. "So it's not just the Xue Clan we're fighting."
"It was never just the Xue Clan." Wang Ben kept his voice low, mindful of the disciples passing nearby. "They're the blade, but someone else is holding the handle."
"Great. As if a clan war wasn't enough." Zhao Yu ran a hand through his hair. "Father's Ironforge contacts say the mercenaries left three days ago. Traveling fast. They'll arrive within the week."
"After the grace period ends."
"Perfectly timed. The Xue Clan gets deniability until the formal conflict begins, then immediate reinforcement." Zhao Yu's jaw tightened. "We're going to be outnumbered."
"Quality over quantity. The alliance gives us two clans' worth of coordinated response. The Xue Clan will have mercenaries who don't know the terrain, don't know each other's techniques, and don't have anything invested beyond their payment."
"You sound confident."
"I sound prepared." Wang Ben shrugged. "Different thing. I don't know if we'll win. I just know we've done what we can."
Zhao Yu was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Fair enough." He glanced sideways at Wang Ben. "You've changed, you know. Since the beast tide."
"Have I?"
"More serious. More... I don't know. Like you're carrying something heavy."
Wang Ben thought about that. "Maybe I am."
They walked in companionable silence through the compound. Around them, the clan prepared for war. Disciples drilled in formation. Supplies were catalogued and distributed. The rhythm of a community transforming itself from peaceful settlement to military force.
"I reached peak body refinement yesterday," Zhao Yu said finally. "Stage 9. Father says I should start preparing for qi condensation."
Wang Ben stopped walking. "That's... Zhao Yu, that's incredible."
"It's terrifying." His friend's voice was quiet. "I've been body refinement my whole life. It's all I know. And now I'm supposed to somehow condense qi, build a foundation, become something more than human." He shook his head. "What if I can't do it? What if I'm stuck at the peak forever?"
"You won't be."
"You don't know that."
"I know you." Wang Ben gripped Zhao Yu's shoulder. "I've watched you train. I've seen how you fight. You have something most cultivators never develop. An instinct for combat that goes beyond technique."
[NOTE: Subject Zhao Yu displays Battle Soul phenotype]
[Reminder: Host awareness of this assessment; Subject unaware]
[Recommendation: Encouragement appropriate without revealing specific knowledge]
"The breakthrough will come," Wang Ben continued. "Maybe not when you expect it. Maybe not how you expect it. But it will come. And when it does, you'll be ready."
Zhao Yu studied his face for a long moment. Whatever he saw there seemed to ease something in his posture.
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Make people believe things." Zhao Yu's smile was more genuine now. "You say something, and it sounds true. Even when it shouldn't."
"Practice." Wang Ben released his shoulder and started walking again. "Lots of practice."
That evening, Wang Ben sat with his father in the eastern workshop.
The space was beginning to feel familiar now, the cramped shelves and awkward cauldron position no longer strange. Wang Tian had adapted to the new environment with the pragmatism of someone who understood that survival mattered more than comfort.
"Your mother wants you home for dinner," Wang Tian said, not looking up from the herbs he was sorting. "She's worried."
"She's always worried."
"She's always right to be." His father's hands paused. "The strategy session this morning. I heard it went well."
"The alliance is real now. The Dao Clan is committed."
"Good." Wang Tian resumed his work. "And Dao Zhen? I heard he's been teaching you."
"He decided that making me useful was better than being frustrated by my existence."
"A reasonable approach." Something that might have been amusement flickered across his father's face. "He's a good match for you. Pride tempered by pragmatism. You could learn from each other."
Wang Ben watched his father work for a moment. The precise movements, the careful attention to detail. The hands that had once trembled with damaged meridians now steady and sure.
"Father. The promise you asked for. About stopping you if you lose yourself to anger."
Wang Tian's hands stilled.
"I meant it," Wang Ben continued. "But I need you to understand something. I don't think you will lose yourself. I think you're stronger than you know."
His father was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was rough.
"How can you be so certain?"
Wang Ben hesitated, searching for the right words. "Because I've watched you. For years, you thought... you thought you were a failure. That everything was your fault." He paused, feeling the weight of what he was trying to say. "And you didn't give up on us. On me. You kept trying." He met his father's eyes. "That's not weakness."
Wang Tian looked away, but not before Wang Ben saw the moisture gathering in his eyes.
"The anger I feel toward the Xue Clan," his father said quietly. "It's... consuming. Some days I think about nothing else. What they took from us. What they almost destroyed."
Wang Ben reached out and gripped his father's arm. "Then use it. Just... don't let it be the only thing."
Wang Tian was silent for a long time. Then he nodded, once, and returned to his herbs.
"Your mother's cooking will be cold if you don't go soon."
"I know."
"Go. Be with your family." Wang Tian's voice was steady again, though something had shifted in his posture. Something that looked like hope. "Four days isn't long. We should make the most of them."
Wang Ben rose and headed for the door. At the threshold, he paused.
"Father?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For the pill. For the teaching. For everything."
Wang Tian's hands stilled once more. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible.
"Thank you for believing I was worth saving."
That night, Wang Ben stood in his courtyard and counted the remaining days.
Four until the grace period ended. Ten or less until the mercenaries arrived. And somewhere beyond that, a war that might reshape everything he knew about his world.
[STATUS UPDATE]
[Body Tempering Pill absorption: 53.7%]
[Physical enhancement: +91% baseline]
[Projected advancement to Stage 9: 2-3 weeks]
[Note: Current trajectory optimal for pre-conflict preparation]
The System's assessment was clinical as always. Numbers and projections. Data without emotion.
But Wang Ben found comfort in the cold precision. It was something to hold onto when everything else felt uncertain.
Four days.
He turned and went inside, leaving the stars to keep their silent watch.
END OF CHAPTER 36