Dawn arrived in silence.
Wang Ben sat in the small cultivation chamber that had become his refuge over the past three months, breathing in the measured patterns his grandfather had taught him years ago. Standard Wang Clan techniques, refined over generations but ultimately no different from what every cultivator on Azure Sky World practiced.
He exhaled slowly, feeling spiritual energy settle into his meridians with the familiar rhythm of conventional cultivation.
[CULTIVATION SESSION: HOUR 3]
[Qi absorbed: 847 motes]
[Qi retained: 29 motes]
[Retention efficiency: 3.4%]
[Elemental composition:]
[- Wood: 15 motes (51.7%)]
[- Earth: 10 motes (34.5%)]
[- Water: 4 motes (13.8%)]
[Environment: Blackwood region (Wood/Earth dominant)]
[Note: Standard Azure Sky efficiency. Scripture cultivation methods unlocked but not yet integrated]
The numbers confirmed what his body already knew. Like every cultivator on Azure Sky World, Wang Ben's techniques wasted nearly everything he absorbed. Three months of diligent practice had advanced his qi condensation cultivation at the expected rate, no faster, no slower.
And yet he remained at early-stage qi condensation. Rushing toward breakthrough would attract attention he couldn't afford.
[CULTIVATION PROJECTION]
[Current progression: Qi Condensation Stage 3 (mid stabilization)]
[Time to natural Stage 4 threshold: 2-3 weeks at current rate]
[Recommendation: Maintain current pace. Scripture integration to begin during fortress deployment. Accelerated advancement not advisable given political visibility]
Wang Ben opened his eyes as the final cultivation cycle completed. The morning light filtering through the chamber's narrow window had shifted from grey to gold, three hours passed in what felt like moments.
Three months since the assassination attempt. Three months since Shen Wuyan's appearance had reshuffled the political deck. Three months of careful cultivation, quiet advancement, and the gradual return of something resembling normal life.
He rose, stretching muscles that had grown stronger despite the sedentary practice. His body was developing well, following the standard progression of qi condensation cultivation.
The System had shown him glimpses of what the Scripture could offer, cultivation methods that promised efficiency beyond anything Azure Sky World had ever seen. Soon, he would begin integrating those techniques. But not yet. First, there was a fortress deployment to survive.
The Wang Clan compound stirred with the rhythms of a household that had survived crisis and emerged stronger for it.
Wang Ben walked the familiar paths toward his father's workshop, passing clan members who greeted him with respect that had deepened since the political resolution. Three months ago, he had been a talented young master with an uncertain future. Now he was the formation master whose work had attracted attention from both domain and kingdom powers.
The attention came with obligations, but it also came with protection. No one was likely to attempt another assassination while Phantom Gate's shadow loomed over the clan's interests.
Wang Tian's workshop occupied a building near the compound's center, its location chosen for both security and proximity to the family quarters. Wang Ben heard the familiar sounds of alchemical work before he reached the door: the crackle of spirit fire, the measured grinding of materials, the quiet muttering of a man wrestling with challenges that should have been behind him.
"The Frostbind Herb isn't releasing properly."
Wang Tian stood before his worktable, hands hovering over a cauldron that glowed with the pale blue light of controlled spirit fire. His foundation establishment cultivation maintained the flames with ease, but his expression held the frustration of someone fighting a battle he should have already won.
"The temperature gradient is uneven," Wang Ben observed, stepping into the workshop. "The herb's essence is being released faster on one side than the other."
His father glanced up, a mixture of relief and embarrassment crossing his features. "Ben'er. I didn't hear you come in."
"You were concentrating." Wang Ben moved to stand beside his father, studying the cauldron's contents. The Frostbind Herb floated in the alchemical solution, its crystalline structure releasing medicinal essence in visible wisps. But the wisps emerged unevenly, stronger on the left side where the spirit fire burned hotter.
[ANALYSIS: Alchemical process deviation]
[Temperature variance: 3.2% above optimal range (left quadrant)]
[Probable cause: Spirit fire control inconsistency]
[Note: Subject Wang Tian's early-stage foundation establishment cultivation provides adequate power for Grade 7 work. Control precision is the limiting factor]
Wang Ben didn't share the System's analysis directly. Instead, he gestured toward the cauldron's base. "Try reducing the flame intensity on this side. Just slightly. The herb should stabilize."
Wang Tian's hands made the adjustment, his spirit fire responding to his will with the steadiness of foundation establishment cultivation. The visible difference was minimal, but the effect on the Frostbind Herb was immediate. The wisps of essence began flowing more evenly, their release rate synchronizing across the entire crystalline structure.
"Better." Wang Tian's voice carried gratitude that went beyond the simple correction. "You see things I miss. Even after decades of practice."
"You were sabotaged for nine years." Wang Ben kept his voice gentle. "Your instincts are catching up to your capability. It takes time."
"Time we may not have." Wang Tian focused on the cauldron, his movements more confident now that the process had stabilized. "This is my third attempt at this formulation. The first two failed at the extraction phase."
"And this one won't."
Wang Ben watched as his father completed the extraction with the precision that had once made him one of the region's promising alchemists. The Frostbind Essence condensed into a small vial of pale blue liquid, its quality evident in the way it caught the light.
[ASSESSMENT: Grade 7 Frostbind Essence]
[Quality tier: Mid-grade (acceptable for most applications)]
[Comparison to historical Wang Tian output: 78% of pre-sabotage peak]
[Note: Significant improvement from initial post-recovery attempts]
"Good enough to sell," Wang Tian said, holding the vial up to the light. "Not good enough to earn recognition. But progress."
"The Alchemist Association examiner isn't coming for months yet." Wang Ben had learned to read his father's anxieties in the small tensions of his posture, the careful way he handled successful products as if expecting them to fail. "You have time to refine your techniques."
"Time." Wang Tian set the vial aside with the others, a small collection of completed work that represented weeks of effort. "That's what I thought before. That I had time. And then nine years vanished into a fog of failure that wasn't even mine."
The guilt in his voice was an old wound that refused to heal completely. Wang Ben understood that no amount of reassurance would erase it. His father had to work through the trauma in his own way, at his own pace.
"Speaking of time," Wang Tian said, changing the subject with visible effort, "how is your mother this morning?"
Li Mei sat in the family's private garden, her hands moving through a series of gentle exercises that the physicians had prescribed for her ongoing treatment.
The formations that sealed her cultivation had stabilized over the past three months, their ancient protective barriers no longer at risk of catastrophic failure. But stability wasn't the same as understanding. Whatever threat had prompted her grandmother to seal her bloodline remained unknown, its nature hidden in mysteries that spanned generations.
Wang Ben approached through the garden's winding paths, taking a moment to observe his mother before announcing his presence.
She looked better than she had during the crisis months. The constant tension that had tightened her features had eased, replaced by a calmer wariness that acknowledged danger without being consumed by it. Her qi condensation cultivation remained sealed at the early stage, but her physical health had improved noticeably.
Wang Chen played at the garden's edge, the two-year-old exploring the world with the determined curiosity of early childhood. His small hands grabbed at fallen leaves and interesting stones, each discovery prompting sounds of delight that carried across the quiet morning.
"You're watching me again."
Li Mei's voice carried no accusation, only the resigned acknowledgment of someone who had grown accustomed to being observed for signs of decline.
"Checking on you," Wang Ben corrected, approaching to sit beside her on the garden bench. "There's a difference."
"Is there?" She continued her exercises, the movements flowing with practiced ease. "The physicians check on me. Your father checks on me. Now you check on me. Everyone watching for problems that might appear."
"We care about you."
"I know." Li Mei's hands completed their pattern and settled in her lap. "I also know that caring doesn't make the watching less exhausting."
Wang Ben didn't argue. His mother's pragmatism had been tempered by months of uncertainty about her own body, her own heritage. The sealed cultivation that had protected her also imprisoned her, and the treatments that stabilized her condition also reminded her constantly of the danger she carried.
"The formations are holding," he said instead. "Great-grandmother Xu Lanying's work was more sophisticated than we initially realized. Whatever she placed on you was designed to last."
"My grandmother." Li Mei's voice held complicated emotions that Wang Ben couldn't fully parse. "The woman who disappeared when I was barely older than you are now. Without explanation. Whose formations sealed my cultivation without my consent. Whose letters mentioned dangers she never named."
[CORRELATION: Xu Lanying disappearance]
[Duration: Approximately 33 years]
[Last known location: Blackwood Forest region]
[Formation signature match: 94.7% correlation with Li Mei's protective seals]
[Hypothesis: Xu Lanying's disappearance connected to whatever threat the seals protect against]
The System's analysis confirmed what Wang Ben had suspected for months. His great-grandmother's vanishing act wasn't abandonment. It was something else, something connected to the mysteries surrounding Li Mei's bloodline.
"We'll find answers," Wang Ben said. "When you're ready to look for them."
"When I'm ready." Li Mei's smile was thin but genuine. "As if readiness were a choice when the questions live in my own body."
Wang Chen toddled over, clutching a particularly impressive rock in his small fist. He presented it to his mother with the solemnity of a cultivator offering tribute, and Li Mei's expression softened as she accepted the gift.
"Thank you, little one." She turned the stone over in her hands, examining it as if it were a rare treasure. "This is a fine specimen."
The child beamed, then wandered off in search of more offerings.
"He grows so fast," Li Mei murmured. "Sometimes I forget that he's only two. That a year ago he was still learning to walk."
Wang Ben watched his brother's exploration, remembering the crisis that had nearly destroyed their family. The assassination attempt had threatened more than just his own life. It had threatened everyone he loved, everyone who depended on him.
"The political situation is stable for now," he said. "The Bastion arrangements are settled. The kingdom's war front obligations don't begin until spring. We have a few months of relative peace."
"Peace." Li Mei tested the word like something unfamiliar. "I'm not sure I remember what that feels like."
"Then we'll help you remember."
The news arrived with the mid-morning messenger.
Wang Ben was reviewing formation diagrams in his study when the clan's communication officer appeared at his door, his expression carrying the weight of information that demanded immediate attention.
"Young Master Wang. A message from the Azure Dragon Fortress. It's marked priority dispatch."
Wang Ben accepted the sealed scroll, noting the formal stamps and insignia that identified it as official kingdom military communication. The wax bore the impression of the Western Front Command, a designation that carried weight in the current political climate.
[DOCUMENT ANALYSIS]
[Source: Azure Dragon Fortress, Western Front Command]
[Priority: Standard military dispatch (not emergency)]
[Seal integrity: Intact, no signs of tampering]
[Date: 3 days prior to delivery (standard courier time)]
He broke the seal and unrolled the scroll, scanning its contents with growing attention.
To the Wang Clan of Redstone City:
The Western Front Command acknowledges receipt of formation services arrangements negotiated through Prince Huo Zhanlong's office. As per agreed terms, the Wang Clan's twenty-day annual contribution to kingdom military support will commence with the spring season deployment cycle.
Current situation summary for planning purposes: The western defensive line has experienced elevated pressure from Frozen Jade Kingdom forces over the past three seasons. Casualty rates among formation support personnel have increased 23% compared to the previous year. The Azure Dragon Fortress specifically requests reinforcement of defensive array infrastructure.
The Wang Clan's reputation for formation expertise makes your contribution particularly valued during this challenging period. We look forward to your representatives' arrival at the designated reporting date.
May your cultivation bring strength to the kingdom's defense.
Commander Feng Zhaoyang Azure Dragon Fortress
Wang Ben read the message twice, parsing the formal language for the realities it concealed.
[ANALYSIS: Military communication subtext]
[Stated: Elevated pressure, increased casualties, infrastructure needs]
[Probable translation: War situation deteriorating. Formation support critical. Losses significant]
[Context: 23% casualty increase among formation personnel implies 400+ deaths per season minimum]
[Note: Message tone is diplomatic but underlying urgency is evident]
The war was going badly. The message dressed it in official language, but the implications were clear. The fortress needed help, and the Wang Clan's obligations would soon come due.
Wang Ben set the scroll aside and stared at the formation diagrams he had been studying. Three months of relative peace. Three months of quiet cultivation and family recovery.
That peace was about to end.
The clan council convened that afternoon.
Patriarch Wang Tiexin presided over the gathering from his elevated seat, his ancient presence lending gravity to proceedings that would shape the clan's immediate future. Wang Tian sat among the elders, his foundation establishment cultivation marking him as one of the clan's most powerful active members. Wang Ben occupied a position near the front, his status as formation master requiring his presence for the decisions to come.
"The fortress dispatch is clear," the patriarch said, his voice carrying through the council chamber. "Our obligations begin with the spring deployment. We must determine who will fulfill them."
Elder Wang Hongwei, the clan's senior formation master after Wang Tiexin himself, spoke first. "The agreement specifies formation consultation services. I should lead the delegation, with support from the younger formation masters."
"Your experience is valuable, Hongwei." The patriarch's response was measured. "But the fortress specifically mentioned infrastructure reinforcement. That requires hands-on work, not just consultation."
[ASSESSMENT: Formation delegation requirements]
[Azure Dragon Fortress needs: Active formation repair and enhancement]
[Elder Wang Hongwei: peak foundation establishment, extensive experience, limited field mobility]
[Alternative candidates: Wang Ben (early-stage qi condensation, exceptional technique), Wang Tiexin (late-stage core formation, leadership responsibilities limit availability)]
[Optimal composition: Mixed experience and youth, with emphasis on practical capability]
The discussion continued, elders and formation masters debating the composition of the formation team that would represent the clan at the western front. Wang Ben listened, watching the political currents that flowed beneath the formal proceedings.
The war was real now. Not an abstract concern or a distant obligation, but an immediate reality that would soon demand his presence in one of the most dangerous locations in the kingdom.
"Young Master Wang Ben has the most sophisticated technique work of the younger generation." Elder Wang Hongwei's observation cut through the ongoing debate. "His contributions to the defensive array designs during the Bastion negotiations demonstrated capabilities beyond his cultivation level. He should be included."
The patriarch's gaze found Wang Ben. "Ben'er. What are your thoughts?"
Every eye in the chamber turned to him. Wang Ben felt the weight of expectation, the knowledge that his answer would shape not just his own future but the clan's contribution to the kingdom's defense.
"I can contribute," he said carefully. "My formation work has improved significantly over the past months. But I would need to be part of a team, learning from more experienced formation masters while offering what insights I can."
"A reasonable position." The patriarch nodded slowly. "Then it's decided. Wang Ben will join the formation delegation to the Azure Dragon Fortress, under the supervision of Elder Wang Hongwei and the guidance of senior formation masters."
The council accepted the decision with murmured acknowledgment. The formal proceedings continued, discussing logistics and timing and the practical details of sending clan members to a war zone.
But Wang Ben's mind had already moved ahead, calculating what the deployment would mean for his cultivation, his family, his carefully hidden capabilities.
The fortress awaited. And with it, a reality he had known was coming but hadn't been ready to face.
War.
That evening, Wang Ben sat with his parents in the family quarters, the three of them gathered around a small table as dinner concluded and conversation turned to the day's decisions.
"The spring deployment." Li Mei's voice was quiet, her hands folded around a cup of tea that had long since cooled. "My son going to war."
"Formation support," Wang Tian corrected gently. "Not front-line combat. He'll be behind the walls, repairing arrays and maintaining defensive infrastructure."
"Behind walls that the message said are under increased pressure. Behind walls where casualty rates have risen 23% in a single year." Li Mei's eyes met Wang Ben's. "I read the dispatch. I know what it didn't say."
Wang Ben couldn't deny the truth of her observation. The fortress was dangerous. The war was going badly. His mother's fear was grounded in reality, not imagination.
"I have to go," he said. "The obligations are set. The clan's reputation depends on fulfilling them. And..." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I can help. My techniques are more effective than my cultivation level suggests. If the fortress needs formation support, I can provide it."
"Your techniques." Li Mei's voice carried an edge that spoke to months of watching her son demonstrate capabilities that exceeded what his training should have produced. "The techniques you won't explain. The knowledge you carry that seems to come from nowhere."
"Li Mei." Wang Tian's tone was gentle but firm. "We've discussed this."
"We've discussed nothing." But the fire faded from her words as quickly as it had appeared. Li Mei sighed, setting down her cup. "I know there are secrets. I know you're protecting me from something. Both of you. I've made my peace with not knowing."
She reached across the table to take Wang Ben's hand.
"Just come home. Whatever you're hiding, whatever advantages you have, use them to come home. That's all I ask."
Wang Ben squeezed her hand gently. "I will."
The promise hung in the evening air, a commitment he intended to keep regardless of what the fortress demanded.
His mother's fear was justified. The war was real, the danger was immediate, and the obligations that bound him to the kingdom's defense would soon test everything he had become.
But he had advantages that no one else possessed. Combat instincts refined over lifetimes. Knowledge archived in a consciousness that spanned millennia. And soon, cultivation methods that would make every breath of spiritual energy count in ways Azure Sky World had never seen.
He would go to war. He would serve his obligations.
And he would survive to keep his promise.
END OF CHAPTER 95