The river curved eastward like a living boundary.
Li Yun followed its course for two days, neither hurrying nor lingering, allowing the land to reveal itself naturally. Villages became towns. Towns hinted at cities. The Qi in the air grew more structured, less wild—shaped by long-term habitation and layered formations.
Civilization.
And with it, rules.
Not written ones.
Understood ones.
---
The City Without a Sect
On the third day, Li Yun reached Stonewater City.
It had no banners flying above its walls. No sect insignia carved into its gates. Instead, its defenses were practical—interlocking formations powered by spirit veins embedded deep beneath the streets.
Independent city-state.
Rare.
Dangerous.
The guards at the gate were not ordinary soldiers. Each carried a faint but steady Qi presence, disciplined and alert.
They noticed Li Yun immediately.
One stepped forward.
"Foundation Establishment?" the guard asked plainly.
"Yes," Li Yun replied.
The guard nodded and stepped aside.
"No trouble inside the city," he said. "Or you'll meet all of it."
Li Yun inclined his head and entered.
---
Weight Without Display
Stonewater City pulsed with life.
Cultivators moved openly among civilians. Artisans worked spirit-infused materials. Merchants traded pills, techniques, and information with practiced discretion.
Li Yun did not conceal his realm.
Nor did he announce it.
But those who mattered felt him.
Conversations shifted subtly as he passed. Some avoided his path. Others watched closely, measuring.
He was not prey.
But he was not welcome either.
---
The Hall That Balances Power
Li Yun followed the flow of Qi to the city's core.
A circular building stood there, stone walls engraved with countless names—some crossed out, some glowing faintly.
The Arbitration Hall.
Where disputes between Foundation Establishment cultivators were resolved.
Or ended.
Li Yun stepped inside.
Immediately, several gazes locked onto him.
At the center stood a woman clad in gray robes, her aura calm and deep.
Foundation Establishment — Mid Stage.
She met his eyes.
"You're not registered," she said.
Li Yun nodded.
"I'm passing through."
She studied him carefully.
"Passing through Foundation Establishment cultivators tend to leave footprints," she replied.
Li Yun smiled faintly.
"I try not to."
---
Registration Is a Line
She gestured to a stone platform.
"Place your hand," she said. "Declare neutrality or affiliation."
Li Yun stepped forward and placed his palm against the stone.
The platform glowed softly.
No faction.
No oath.
No binding.
The glow dimmed.
The woman's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Unanchored," she said.
"Yes."
She nodded slowly.
"Then understand this," she said. "In Stonewater City, neutrality means you resolve your own conflicts."
Li Yun met her gaze.
"That's how I live."
---
When Neutrality Is Challenged
The challenge came before nightfall.
Li Yun felt it while walking through a market street—a sharp, deliberate flare of Qi aimed not to attack, but to provoke.
He turned.
A man stood atop a nearby rooftop, arms crossed, aura unrestrained.
Foundation Establishment — Mid Stage.
"You're drawing attention," the man called down. "And you don't belong here."
Li Yun looked up calmly.
"I registered," he replied.
The man laughed.
"That doesn't mean acceptance."
Li Yun sighed.
So it's going to be like this.
---
A City Holds Its Breath
People cleared the street instinctively.
This wasn't panic.
This was experience.
The man leapt down, landing lightly, Qi coiling around him like a serpent.
"Name's Zhao Kui," he said. "I keep this district quiet."
Li Yun nodded.
"Then keep it quiet," he replied. "By walking away."
Zhao Kui's smile vanished.
---
Foundation Against Foundation
The clash was controlled—but devastating.
Zhao Kui struck first, releasing a wave of compressed Qi designed to crush Li Yun's circulation. Li Yun met it head-on, his foundation anchoring instantly, dispersing the pressure into the ground beneath him.
Stone cracked.
Zhao Kui's eyes widened.
Li Yun stepped forward.
One strike.
Not a technique.
A statement.
Zhao Kui flew backward, crashing into a wall hard enough to crater stone—but not kill him.
Silence followed.
Li Yun did not pursue.
He turned and walked away.
---
Judgment Without Words
The gray-robed woman appeared moments later, standing between Li Yun and Zhao Kui's fallen body.
"You crossed no rules," she said quietly.
Li Yun nodded.
"But you crossed a boundary," she continued. "He will remember this."
Li Yun met her gaze.
"So will others."
She smiled faintly.
"Yes," she said. "They will."
---
A Name Etched Without Ink
That night, Li Yun cultivated atop a quiet rooftop overlooking the city. His Qi circulated smoothly, deeply, untouched by instability or strain.
Stonewater City adjusted.
He felt it.
Routes changed.
Eyes recalibrated.
Expectations rewritten.
Foundation Establishment was no longer theoretical.
It acted.
---
The First Invitation That Matters
Near midnight, a jade slip arrived silently, carried by a formation he hadn't noticed activate.
> Stonewater Council requests your presence.
Li Yun closed his eyes briefly.
Here it is, he thought.
The moment when neutrality stopped being invisible.
He stood.
---
The Line Between Standing and Being Pulled
As he walked toward the Arbitration Hall once more, Li Yun felt something new.
Not pressure.
Interest.
Not hostility.
Possibility.
Foundation Establishment did not grant freedom.
It demanded position.
Li Yun exhaled slowly.
Let's see what kind of lines they want to draw.
---