The Arbitration Hall looked different at night.
Lanterns glowed softly along the circular walls, illuminating the engraved names—some shining faintly, others crossed out so deeply they seemed carved in anger. The air inside was calm, but Li Yun felt the weight immediately.
Not pressure.
Attention.
Every presence in the hall was deliberate.
---
The Stonewater Council
Seven figures sat around the central platform.
Not elders in robes.
Not sect patriarchs.
Merchants.
Veteran cultivators.
City wardens.
Each carried a stable Foundation Establishment aura, some deeper than others, all carefully restrained.
The gray-robed woman stood at the side.
"Li Yun," she announced. "Unanchored Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Li Yun inclined his head.
One of the council members spoke first—a broad-shouldered man with scarred hands.
"You struck Zhao Kui," he said bluntly.
Li Yun nodded.
"He challenged me," Li Yun replied. "I responded."
The man grunted.
"Fair."
Another council member leaned forward, eyes sharp.
"But you destabilized a district," she said. "People panicked."
Li Yun met her gaze.
"I ended the conflict in one exchange," he said calmly. "That's restraint."
Silence followed.
Several members exchanged glances.
---
Why Neutrality Is a Problem
The gray-robed woman finally spoke.
"Stonewater City exists because no single power controls it," she said. "Neutrality is how we survive."
She looked directly at Li Yun.
"But independent Foundation cultivators are unpredictable," she continued. "They don't answer to treaties or alliances."
Li Yun listened without interruption.
"That makes you dangerous," she said.
Li Yun responded evenly.
"And valuable."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Yes," she agreed. "That's the issue."
---
The Offer That Binds Without Chains
An older man with white hair tapped the table lightly.
"We won't ask you to swear loyalty," he said. "Nor bind you with contracts."
Li Yun raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Then why am I here?"
The man's gaze sharpened.
"Because power like yours draws conflict," he said. "And Stonewater cannot afford uncontrolled escalation."
He gestured.
"We propose a designation," he continued. "Not as a citizen. Not as an enforcer."
Li Yun waited.
"A Registered Neutral Foundation," the man finished.
The hall was silent.
Li Yun understood immediately.
Visibility.
Acknowledgment.
Boundaries.
"What does it require?" Li Yun asked.
The gray-robed woman answered.
"When conflict arises involving Foundation cultivators," she said, "you will choose whether to intervene. If you do, your actions will be recognized as stabilizing force."
"And if I don't?" Li Yun asked.
"Then we won't hold you responsible," she replied. "But neither will we shield you."
Li Yun considered.
"And restrictions?"
"No initiating violence within city boundaries," the woman said. "Outside them, we don't care."
Li Yun smiled faintly.
"That's already how I operate."
---
A Line Drawn Publicly
The council conferred briefly.
Then the broad-shouldered man nodded.
"Agreed."
The gray-robed woman gestured.
"Place your hand," she said.
Li Yun stepped forward and placed his palm against the stone platform once more.
This time, the glow was different.
Clear.
Defined.
Unattached.
The platform etched a new line among the names.
Not glowing.
But solid.
---
Reactions Travel Fast
Before Li Yun even left the hall, news spread.
"Stonewater registered an unanchored Foundation cultivator."
"He's not under contract."
"They acknowledged him publicly."
Some reacted with relief.
Others with irritation.
Zhao Kui woke up that night in a healer's chamber and learned what had happened.
He laughed bitterly.
"So now he's official," he muttered.
---
Neutrality Has a Cost
Li Yun left the hall under open sky.
No escorts followed him.
But he felt it clearly now.
Eyes weren't watching to see if he'd break rules.
They were watching to see how he'd move.
Neutrality had been recognized.
And that meant—
Expectation.
---
A Test Arrives Immediately
Before Li Yun reached his temporary lodging, the air shifted.
A ripple passed through the city's defensive formations—not an alarm, but a signal.
Foundation-level conflict.
Outside the western gate.
Li Yun paused.
No order had been issued.
No request made.
This was the moment the council had meant.
Choice, he thought.
He turned toward the gate.
---
Beyond the Walls
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators faced each other in the open field beyond the city. Their Qi clashed violently, tearing trenches through the ground.
One wore the markings of a regional clan.
The other was clearly a wandering cultivator—desperate, cornered.
Li Yun approached calmly.
The clash stalled as both sensed him.
"Stonewater territory," Li Yun said evenly. "Take it elsewhere."
The clan cultivator sneered.
"And who are you?"
Li Yun met his gaze.
"Registered Neutral."
Silence followed.
The clan cultivator hesitated—then withdrew.
The wandering cultivator exhaled shakily and fled without a word.
The field grew quiet.
---
A Role Accepted
Li Yun stood there for a moment, then turned back toward the city.
No applause.
No thanks.
But the conflict ended.
That was enough.
---
Stonewater Adjusts
By morning, Stonewater City felt different.
Not safer.
Clearer.
Li Yun cultivated briefly before leaving, Qi flowing smoothly, untroubled by the previous night.
He had not chosen a faction.
But he had chosen a place.
---
Moving Forward With Weight
As Li Yun departed Stonewater City, he felt the invisible lines stretch outward.
Other cities would hear.
Other powers would react.
Some would test him deliberately.
Foundation Establishment no longer meant survival.
It meant presence.
Li Yun exhaled slowly.
Let them come, he thought.
I'll decide where I stand.
---