The Silent Path Company operated from a modest building in Redstone City's eastern trade district, far from the prestigious shops that had refused Wang Ben service. No gilded signs or ostentatious displays of wealth marked the entrance. Just a simple wooden plaque with the company's name carved in clean, practical strokes.
Wang Tian paused at the threshold. "Let me lead the negotiation. Watch how she responds to different approaches."
"I understand."
They entered to find a woman waiting for them in a receiving room that matched the building's understated exterior. Lin Suyin was perhaps forty in appearance, though the steadiness of her foundation establishment cultivation suggested she might be older. Her robes were expedition-grade, practical rather than formal, and her hands bore the calluses of someone who still worked alongside her teams rather than simply directing them.
"Master Wang." She rose and offered a respectful bow. "And Young Master Wang. Your father's inquiries mentioned you'd be joining us."
"My son has a particular interest in formation materials," Wang Tian said, settling into the offered seat. "The project we're discussing is primarily his design."
Lin Suyin's eyes found Wang Ben with new assessment. "A formation master at your age. That's uncommon."
"I've had good teachers."
"And unusual instincts, from what I hear." She didn't elaborate on her sources, but the implication was clear. Word traveled in the expedition community. "Please, sit. Tell me what you need."
Wang Tian produced a list that Wang Ben had prepared. Resonance crystal fragments, formation chalk, binding agents, stabilization compounds. The components of a sophisticated array, though nothing on the list would reveal its true purpose to anyone who didn't already know.
Lin Suyin studied the document with professional focus. "Most of these are straightforward. We can acquire them within two weeks, standard expedition rates. The crystal fragments might take slightly longer depending on quality requirements."
"Grade seven or eight," Wang Ben said. "Fragments are acceptable. The array design accounts for imperfect resonance."
"That's... flexible." She set the list down. "I appreciate clients who understand material limitations. Too many expect perfect crystals at fragment prices."
[ASSESSMENT: Subject Lin Suyin displaying genuine professional respect]
[Behavioral analysis: Direct communication style, values competence over status]
[Probability of fair dealing: High (87%)]
[Note: Contrast with Clear Spring Company profile significant]
"There's one item not on that list," Wang Tian said carefully. "Something we hoped you might have insight into acquiring."
Lin Suyin's expression didn't change, but something in her posture shifted. "I'm listening."
"Void-touched essence. Refined, not raw."
The silence that followed stretched longer than comfortable.
"That's not a standard formation material," Lin Suyin said finally. "In fact, I'm not certain it's a formation material at all. Most applications are... specialized."
Wang Ben had expected this reaction. Void-touched essence was rare, expensive, and associated with practices that respectable cultivators preferred not to discuss openly. Its primary use was in arrays designed to interact with spiritual phenomena beyond normal cultivation, the kind of work that bordered on forbidden arts in most kingdoms.
The kind of work necessary to protect someone during a nascent soul breakthrough from entities that shouldn't exist.
"We're aware of the material's reputation," Wang Tian said. "We're also aware that it has legitimate applications that don't involve anything prohibited."
"May I ask what application you have in mind?"
Wang Ben answered before his father could deflect. "Spiritual isolation. The array is designed to create a protected space during a... sensitive procedure. Void-touched essence provides insulation against external interference."
It was true, as far as it went. It simply didn't mention what kind of interference he was insulating against.
Lin Suyin studied him for a long moment. Whatever she saw in his expression seemed to satisfy something, because she nodded slowly.
"I don't deal in void-touched essence directly. The sources are too complicated, and the legal situation is too murky." She held up a hand before they could respond. "But I know someone who does. A broker who specializes in materials that legitimate suppliers won't touch."
"And this broker is trustworthy?"
"He's reliable. Trustworthy is a different question." Lin Suyin's voice carried the weight of experience. "His name is Fang Wei. He operates in the grey spaces between legal and prohibited. His materials are genuine, his prices are fair, and he doesn't ask questions about what you're using them for."
"What's the complication?"
"Fang Wei doesn't just sell materials. He collects favors." Lin Suyin met Wang Ben's eyes directly. "Not formal debts like cultivation contracts. More like... future considerations. He helps you today, and someday he might ask you to help him with something. Nothing illegal, nothing that would destroy your reputation. But something."
Wang Tian's expression tightened. "We're not in a position to accumulate obligations."
"Then you're not in a position to acquire void-touched essence. Not through any channel I know of." Lin Suyin spread her hands. "The legitimate suppliers are all reporting shortages. The Crimson Bastion has been stockpiling anything remotely connected to spiritual isolation for months. Whatever they're planning, they've cornered the market."
[ALERT: Information correlation detected]
[Crimson Bastion stockpiling spiritual isolation materials]
[Youming Sanctuary Array requires similar materials]
[Probability of coincidence: Low (12%)]
[Assessment: Bastion may be aware of Youming threats at institutional level]
Wang Ben filed that information away for later analysis. Right now, he had a more immediate problem.
"How do we contact this Fang Wei?"
The meeting with Lin Suyin concluded with contracts for the standard materials. Wang Tian negotiated firmly but fairly, securing reasonable rates without the aggressive tactics that might have soured the relationship. By the time they left the Silent Path Company's offices, they had a timeline for most of their needs.
Everything except the void-touched essence.
"We should discuss this before proceeding," Wang Tian said as they walked through the trade district. "Accumulating another obligation..."
"I know." Wang Ben kept his voice low. "But we don't have alternatives. The legitimate channels are blocked, the grey market is controlled by people who want future leverage, and we're running out of time."
"How much time?"
Wang Ben calculated. The array design was nearly complete. He'd been refining it for months, incorporating everything the System's ancient knowledge suggested about Youming entity behavior. But without the void-touched essence, the isolation layer would have gaps. The array would still function, but its protection would be incomplete.
"Spring. That's when the breakthrough attempt is scheduled. If we don't have all the materials by then..."
He didn't finish the sentence. Wang Tian understood the implications.
"Then we contact this Fang Wei." Wang Tian's voice carried resignation rather than enthusiasm. "But I want to be present for any negotiations. And we make it clear that any future consideration has limits."
"Agreed."
They walked in silence for a time, passing through streets that still watched them with wary curiosity. The political isolation hadn't lifted, even with the Silent Path Company's willingness to deal. Merchants who sold to Lin Suyin's expeditions still wouldn't sell directly to the Wang Clan.
Progress came in indirect channels now. Compromise rather than conquest.
Shen Ruoxi arrived at the compound that evening without announcement.
Wang Ben sensed her approach before she appeared, the distinctive pressure of mortal shedding cultivation washing over his enhanced perception. She'd dropped her usual suppression, letting her true power radiate freely within the compound's boundaries.
A statement. Or possibly a warning.
He met her in the courtyard garden, where winter-bare branches traced patterns against a grey sky. She wore silk that seemed inappropriate for the season, light fabrics that ignored the cold as thoroughly as her cultivation ignored mortal limitations.
"Little formation master." Her smile carried its usual predatory edge, but something beneath it seemed brittle. "I hear you've been busy."
"Progress is being made."
"Progress." She repeated the word like she was tasting it. "Such a careful term. Neither success nor failure. Just... progress."
[BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS: Subject Shen Ruoxi displaying anxiety indicators]
[Microexpressions: 23% deviation from baseline confidence patterns]
[Voice stress analysis: Elevated tension markers]
[Assessment: Subject experiencing significant emotional stress regarding upcoming breakthrough]
Wang Ben watched her pace through the garden, her movements too quick, too restless. The predator who had terrified Jin Lang's men, who had killed three mortal shedding cultivators without breaking stride, looked almost fragile in this moment.
"The materials are being gathered," he said. "Most will arrive within two weeks. One component is proving more difficult, but we have a lead."
"Difficult." Ruoxi stopped pacing. "Define difficult."
"Available through unofficial channels only. The legitimate sources have been... consolidated."
"By whom?"
"The Crimson Bastion, apparently."
Something flickered across her face. Recognition, perhaps. Or concern. "They're stockpiling spiritual isolation materials?"
"According to my source."
Ruoxi was silent for a long moment, staring at the bare branches above them. When she spoke again, her voice had lost its playful edge entirely.
"Do you know what happens during a nascent soul breakthrough, little formation master? Not the cultivation theory. The reality of it."
Wang Ben considered his answer carefully. "The cultivator's spirit separates from the physical form. The nascent soul crystallizes from accumulated spiritual energy, becoming a vessel for consciousness independent of the body. During this process, the cultivator is... vulnerable."
"Vulnerable." That brittle smile returned. "Such a polite word for it. During that moment of separation, when my spirit hangs between flesh and transcendence, I will be utterly defenseless. Every enemy I've made in eight centuries could walk up and end me, and I couldn't lift a finger to stop them."
"That's why the array matters."
"Yes. That's why the array matters." Ruoxi turned to face him fully, and for the first time, Wang Ben saw something like fear in her ancient eyes. "I've watched cultivators attempt this breakthrough before. Strong cultivators. Confident cultivators. Cultivators who had every advantage and every preparation. Do you know how many of them survived?"
"The success rate for nascent soul breakthroughs varies by..."
"One in three." She cut him off. "Across all recorded history, with all possible advantages, one in three. And that's not counting the ones who technically survive but emerge... wrong. Changed in ways that make death seem merciful."
The garden felt colder suddenly.
"You could wait," Wang Ben said quietly. "Mortal shedding peak can sustain itself indefinitely. You have centuries more if you choose not to attempt the breakthrough."
"I could." Ruoxi's voice was soft. "I could remain as I am forever. Powerful by most standards. Comfortable. Safe."
"But you won't."
"No. I won't." She looked at him with those ancient, terrifying eyes. "Do you know why I'm telling you this, Wang Ben? Not 'little formation master.' Not the child I've been pretending to dismiss. You."
"Because my array is the only thing standing between you and those odds."
"Because you're the only one who might actually understand." Ruoxi's smile held no humor now. "My brother sees my breakthrough as an investment. My fellow contractors see it as entertainment. But you... you're building something to protect me. You're spending your time and resources and political capital on keeping me alive during the most dangerous moment of my existence."
"I owe your brother."
"You owe my brother a favor. Three favors, technically. But you didn't have to pour yourself into this design. You didn't have to refuse shortcuts that would have made your life easier. You didn't have to treat my survival as something worth protecting."
Wang Ben didn't know how to respond to that. The truth was complicated. He was doing this partly for the debt, partly because the System's knowledge demanded application, partly because watching someone die when he could prevent it wasn't something he could accept.
And partly, he was beginning to realize, because Shen Ruoxi wasn't quite the monster she pretended to be.
"The array will work," he said finally. "I can't guarantee the breakthrough itself, but I can guarantee the isolation. Nothing external will reach you during the attempt."
"Nothing external." Ruoxi laughed, and there was genuine humor in it this time. "The threats from within are my own to face. That seems... fair."
She began to turn away, then paused.
"The void-touched essence. Your difficult material. Don't let anyone convince you to accept substitutes. The isolation layer won't hold without it."
"I know."
"And Wang Ben?" She looked back over her shoulder. "Thank you. For treating this like it matters."
She vanished between one breath and the next, leaving only the fading echo of her cultivation pressure and the lingering sense that something important had shifted.
The decision crystallized in Wang Ben's mind over the following hours.
He found his father in the family study, reviewing ledgers by lamplight. Wang Tian looked up as he entered, reading something in his son's expression.
"You've decided."
"We contact Fang Wei. We acquire the void-touched essence. We accept whatever future consideration he demands, within reason." Wang Ben settled into the seat across from his father. "The alternative is an incomplete array, and an incomplete array means Ruoxi dies."
"You're certain the material is essential? Not just beneficial?"
"The System's..." Wang Ben caught himself. "The design specifications are clear. Without proper isolation from external spiritual interference, the array provides protection against physical threats but leaves spiritual vulnerabilities. During a nascent soul breakthrough, spiritual vulnerability is fatal."
Wang Tian studied him for a long moment. "You almost said something else."
"I almost revealed more than I should."
"The mysterious knowledge you won't explain."
"Yes."
Wang Tian nodded slowly. "I've stopped asking where it comes from. Whatever the source, it's kept us alive through situations that should have killed us. If it says the void-touched essence is necessary, I'm willing to accept that."
[OBSERVATION: Subject Wang Tian displaying trust-based acceptance]
[Note: Father has chosen to support son's judgment without demanding explanation]
[Assessment: Family relationship dynamics have evolved significantly]
[Warning: Pattern of anomalous knowledge demonstration is becoming more visible]
[Risk factor: External observers may begin to question knowledge sources]
"There's something else," Wang Ben said. "The Bastion is stockpiling the same materials we need. That's not coincidence."
"You think they know about... whatever Ruoxi is preparing for?"
"I think they know something. Maybe not the specifics, but something." Wang Ben leaned forward. "Which means our activities might draw their attention. Every material we acquire, every preparation we make, could be noticed."
"We're already being watched."
"This is different. This is participating in something they're actively trying to control." Wang Ben met his father's eyes. "When we contact Fang Wei, when we acquire the essence through unofficial channels, we're not just accumulating a debt. We're potentially exposing ourselves to Bastion scrutiny."
Wang Tian was quiet for a long time. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of decades navigating dangerous waters.
"Then we make sure it's worth the risk. We complete the array. We fulfill the favor. And we use the protection that earns us to become strong enough that Bastion scrutiny doesn't matter."
"That's a long-term strategy."
"All the good ones are." Wang Tian rose from his chair and moved to the window, looking out over the compound where guards walked their reduced patrol routes. "Contact Fang Wei tomorrow. I'll handle the negotiation. You focus on the array design."
"Father..."
"We're committed, Ben'er. Whatever compromises we have to make, we make them. Whatever debts we have to incur, we incur them. Because the alternative is being too weak to survive what's coming."
Wang Ben watched his father's silhouette against the lamplight, seeing the man who had been broken by loss and rebuilt by determination. The man who had chosen to trust a son who kept impossible secrets.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet. Thank me when we're still standing on the other side of all this." Wang Tian turned back, and something like a smile touched his weathered features. "Now get some rest. Tomorrow we start buying our way through the grey market."
That night, Wang Ben stood on the compound wall again, watching stars emerge through breaks in the winter clouds.
The moral compromise was made. Not dramatically, not in a single moment of crisis, but through the accumulation of small choices. They would deal with Fang Wei. They would accept his future consideration. They would acquire materials through channels they couldn't fully trust, from sources they couldn't fully verify.
All for an array that would protect a predator during her most vulnerable moment.
[ANALYSIS: Current decision pattern review]
[Observations: Subject Wang Ben demonstrates sophisticated strategic thinking]
[Risk management approach: Advanced for stated age and experience]
[Knowledge application: Consistent with resources beyond apparent access]
[Note: External observers with sufficient analytical capability may identify anomalies]
[Recommendation: Consider methods to obscure decision-making patterns]
The System's warning was clear enough. He was becoming too visible. His choices, his knowledge, his capabilities were creating a pattern that didn't match what a seventeen-year-old qi condensation cultivator should be able to produce.
Somewhere, someone would notice.
But that was a problem for another day. Right now, he had materials to acquire, an array to complete, and a woman's life to protect.
The stars continued their silent turning overhead, indifferent to the small dramas playing out beneath them. Wang Ben watched them for a long time before finally returning inside, where warmth and family waited.
Tomorrow, the compromises would begin.
END OF CHAPTER 75