Min's heart raced as she led Inquisitor Yoonji to the third-floor entrance of the tower. Master Noren had taken Brother Stone and the younger acolytes earlier to practice cultivating, and they'd probably still be there. The Inquisitor did not speak as they went. Min tried to figure out how the woman had gotten such a crazy notion in her head. Someone must have told her lies about Morning Mist, but who and why? Min didn't know, but this woman could have them all executed with no more than a word, if she didn't just do the job herself.

Min might not have reached the Peak of Bodily Refinement yet, but she could sense a high-ranked cultivator. This woman was one of the highest she'd ever met. And she thought Chang-li was a traitor to the empire. Min's blood ran cold as she tried furiously to think her way out of this one.

Master Noren had the disciples in the meadow where she, Hiroko, and Chang-li had trained just a few weeks ago. Min hadn't been inside the tower since before the tower break; she'd been too busy dealing with the aftermath. She only remembered to begin cycling herself once she saw Noren and the disciples, and found somewhat to her surprise that her core's capacity seemed greater than it had before. Was she close to her second core condensing?

The Inquisitor glanced at her. "You have started progression yourself, Lady Morning Mist?"

Min drew herself up proudly. "I have. My husband has guided me well, so far."

The Inquisitor shrugged. "It's a thing that goes in and out of fashion for cultivation spouses. None of my husbands ever cared for it, which is probably why they all dropped dead by age 60."

Min didn't know what she ought to say to that, so she held her tongue and marched into the meadow. Noren glanced at them as they approached but did not even slow his lecture.

"Now, if you use that pattern solely, you'll reach Bodily Refinement in a few months of dedicated work. But I need you to be thinking ahead already to the Peak of Mental Refinement. For that, you're going to have to sharpen your awareness, not just the amount of lux your core can hold. In addition to this method, you are going to all practice with the Way of the Far-Seeing Eye, which Senior Disciple Stone will demonstrate to you now." He snapped his fingers.

Brother Stone came forward from where he'd been cycling and bowed to the group. They all bowed back. Brother Stone began to instruct the students, who were doing a very good job of not looking about as Min and the Inquisitor approached.

Noren said, "I'll leave it to you then," and took a quick leap, 30 feet in the air. He alighted a few feet in front of Min and the Inquisitor, light as a feather. Min blinked. She hadn't been expecting it, and had to school herself not to react.

Noren strode forward, smiling widely. "You don't need to bother with that, Your Eminence."

Min glanced sideways. The Inquisitor had a weave fully formed in her hand. Min hadn't even felt her forming it. The Inquisitor held it, studying Noren. "You are the Grandmaster of Morning Mist?"

"So my disciples name me," Noren said grandly. "What can I do for you, Your Eminence?"

The woman was looking him over, frowning. "Have I met you before?"

"I should hope not," Noren said. "They tell me that coming to an Inquisitor's attention once is bad luck, twice is a dire misfortune, and three times you'd better be making your funeral preparations. I am Noren, Grandmaster of the sect of Morning Mist."

"I am Inquisitor Yoonji of the Adamant Cultivators."

"What can I do for you, Inquisitor Yoonji?"

"I have a few questions that need answering about your sect."

"Shall we?" Noren gestured broadly. "Let us allow my disciples to continue their lessons." He waited for the Inquisitor's nod and then set off, Yoonji beside him, Min trailing along because she hadn't been dismissed. And if she was going to figure out what was going on here, she needed more information. This woman had an agenda. Min wanted to know what, so she could plan — not to oppose it. That would be suicide. To chart a course through that would bring her sect and her family to safety.

"Where were you on the night of the tower eruption?" Yoonji demanded of Noren as they headed toward the Nikata tree grove.

"At the party, like everyone else," Noren said promptly. "I was enjoying some wine and good company, and the next thing I knew, tower beasts were emerging, the whole city was shaking, prisms fighting it out in the sky overhead. You don't forget a thing like that soon."

"And you took no action?"

"On the contrary," Noren said. "I rallied my sect to the defense of the city. You can ask anyone in Riceflower, and they'll tell you how vital Morning Mist was to our defense. I was able to assemble my senior disciples and send them into the tower, rightly determining that the only way to stop the tower from destroying itself was to summon the Emperor. Fortunately for us, that had already been arranged. All they had to do was win the bridal competition, which they did. Have you spoken with our Emperor's newest bride?" He asked casually. "Li Jiya, formerly of Morning Mist. She'd be happy to vouch for us."

"And these other two young masters," Yoonji asked, ignoring Noren's question, "Wu Chang-li and this, uh, Joshi. I saw, according to the records, he is betrothed to an Indigo Princess, but the Court of Gems moved on from here several days ago without him."

"Yes, yes," Noren said. "Princess Hiroko rightfully wishes to marry a cultivator worthy of herself and has challenged Young Master Joshi to reach the Peak of Spiritual Refinement. To that end, he and my other disciple, Wu Chang-li, have gone out to discover for themselves. Do you remember what that was like, Inquisitor, when you were only at the Peak of Mental Refinement, desperately seeking that next revelation that would aid your cultivation? Heady times. Sometimes I wish I was still there rather than nearing the end of my own journey and facing the fact that I will never become the prism I dreamed of. It hits hard, doesn't it?" His tone was unexpectedly intimate. Min noticed the Inquisitor's shoulders flinch as though she'd been struck. Noren must know something about this Inquisitor Min did not.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

To be an Inquisitor meant you had to be at the Lux Dominator rank, she thought. And after that, there was only really Prism still to go — at least, that was her understanding, but she might be very wrong about that. So if this woman wasn't a Prism, then maybe it rankled her.

"It's convenient, isn't it?" Yoonji said, "that your disciples are out of the city so quickly after such an event. One might almost say they were in a hurry to get away, or perhaps to rejoin their conspirators."

"Rejoin?" Noren said, looking astounded. "What are you talking about?"

Yoonji pointed a finger at him. "I suspect that your sect is nothing more than a front organized by Prism Eri to distract the Emperor's eyes and hands, such as myself. She has layers upon layers of plans, and this is one of them. She's left you behind to lay a false scent while your juniors join up with her. Perhaps they have another treasure to collect."

Noren's mouth hung open. He looked as astonished as Min felt. "Inquisitor, I assure you, of all the things my sect may or may not be guilty of, we are not allied with Prism Eri. I have no interest in getting us involved with a Prism war."

"A naive view," Yoonji snapped. "If there is to be a war, no one will be permitted to stand on the sideline. Refusing to join the Emperor is the same as joining his enemies. So you tell me you do not know the details of Eri's plan. Your disciple was not part of a plot to distract Prism Nai Honh and maneuver him into a place where Eri could murder him most advantageously."

Min felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. This woman thought Chang-li had helped kill a prism? It was all she could do not to protest, but right now she was helping him most by not speaking up.

"I..." Noren's eyes crossed, and then he shook his head, a smile crossing his face, and he laughed. "You think Chang-li is involved in an assassination attempt on a Prism?" He chuckled, slapping his leg. "Oh, I only wish he were here for this. He would die of shame. No, Inquisitor, if there is one man in this entire empire who has never even dreamed of overthrowing a Prism and taking his place, it's Wu Chang-li. Ask his wife if you don't believe me." He pointed to Min, who was standing to one side trying not to look particularly interesting. "Gao Min is the ambitious one of that couple, and I'll tell you, she has been raised with a healthy dose of 'make sure you understand what you're getting into before you get involved.'"

Uncertainty crossed Yoonji's face. Min didn't dare speak up. This was scheming at a level she'd never been tutored in. At last, Yoonji spoke, her voice still cross. "I am inclined to believe you. But not yet convinced."

Noren spread his arms wide. "How may I prove myself to you?"

She looked him over. "You are a Lux Endowment-level cultivator?"

"I am," he said.

Yoonji seemed to twitch for a moment. It seemed like she'd shrunk. Min blinked, not sure what had just happened.

"I have veiled myself down to your level. You know the Truth Strike technique?"

"I do," Noren said.

"Then I, Inquisitor Yoonji of the Adamant Cultivators, Grand Inquisitor of the Empire, Servant of his Divine Majesty, challenge you, Grandmaster Noren, to three exchanges of Truth Strike."

Noren's eyes went wide. "Ah, Inquisitor, of course, but allow me to dismiss my disciples first. They are not prepared for—"

"Then take care to shape your blow." Yoonji raised her hand skyward. A fierce wind struck from nowhere. Min shielded her face with her hands.

The wind died. Min lowered her hands. Noren and the Inquisitor were gone. She turned on the spot, looking for them. A quarter mile off, the disciples still practiced, but there was no sign of either high-ranked cultivator.

Min heard a noise overhead. She raised her eyes to the sky. In the brilliant blue of the false sky inside this tower level hung two dark specks.

Min's stomach dropped out as both of them conjured long, dark shapes; weapons, too hard to make out from here.

Then she caught hold of herself. Whatever was about to happen, she needed to warn the disciples. Min took to her heels and raced back to where Brother Stone was putting the disciples through their paces.

"Cultivator duel!" she panted as she broke in.

Brother Stone stopped mid-word. "What? Where?"

She pointed overhead. "There! Noren and the Inquisitor!"

The sky darkened. A wind whipped up. Min shielded her face as dust and debris blew from the nearby grove of fancy trees. The disciples, shepherds, shouted in dismay, huddling together. Brother Stone was organizing the senior disciples as Disciples Shou and Cui urged the juniors into a circle.

"Lady Min," Brother Stone called. "Hurry!"

She ripped her attention away from the sky, where the clouds were forming a backdrop for the two cultivators. Each was outlined with a glow of light. The long, dark weapons in their hands took on a blue and orange hue. Min joined the others.

"We're working a mental shield technique," Brother Stone shouted. "Cui and I will handle the weaving. Just pass it along through you. Join hands." He demonstrated.

Min seized the hands of two of the disciples. As Brother Stone began the weave, lux flowed through the circle, mostly green and blue. It felt like a warm summer breeze surrounding her. Overhead, the cultivators hung ready. The sky swirled, the clouds infused with what looked to Min like shades of purple.

"What are they doing?" Brother Stone called to her.

"I don't know. The Inquisitor called it Truth Strike."

"Never heard of that," Brother Stone said grimly.

The two cultivators flew toward each other, their weapons extended outward. There was an enormous crash of thunder as they struck. Light blasted away from them. A shockwave hit Min and the others. Their protective weave buckled but did not break. The grove of Nikata trees shook in the wave, leaves falling to the ground like a golden rain. A rock pig burrow just beyond their protective circle exploded upward in a shower of dirt. The two figures broke apart.

Min took a deep breath. Then, as she felt Brother Stone slacken the technique, she shouted, "The Inquisitor said three blows. They're not done yet."

Brother Stone cursed. "Keep it up," he shouted to disciple Cui, who began the weave again. The cultivators in the sky crashed against each other once more. Min was prepared for it this time. As the shockwave hit, she gritted her teeth and stood her ground.

All around, more destruction struck. Trees were blasted The sky grew even darker. The hair on Min's arms stood up, the prickling feeling like a lightning storm. This was more intense than the first two blows had been. The sky overhead was definitely shaded to purple. Did that mean they were using indigo lux in their technique? Or perhaps forbidden violet? Min didn't know.

She braced herself as the final blow fell. As the shockwave hit, the protective weave was blown to pieces. Min was blasted off her feet by the force, knocked backward, her hands ripped from the grip of the disciples. She remembered the lessons Chang-li had taught her and strengthened her body with red lux as she hit the ground. It knocked the wind from her, but she didn't think she'd broken anything.

The wind died down. Min looked up. The disciples were picking themselves up off the ground. Nobody seemed too badly injured. One junior disciple cradled his arm to his chest, moaning. Brother Stone was striding toward her, looking worried.

"Elder Sister, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Min said, catching her breath. She looked around. "Where's the Inquisitor and the Grand Master?"

"I don't know," Brother Stone began, but they were interrupted by Noren, who strode into their midst with his hair unruffled, his robes unwrinkled, looking as though he'd just finished a stroll through a park.

"Well," he said cheerfully, "I think that will wrap up our training here for the day. If you would care to join me, Lady Min, in helping escort the disciples back out of here?"

"Where's the Inquisitor?" Min asked, looking around.

"She was satisfied by our discussion," Noren said, but Min sensed he was hiding something. She held her tongue for now. She would need to think about what had just happened and what their next move should be.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.