Year 663 of the Stable Era,

First day of the eleventh month

Just a bit before the 12th Outer Hour

Xia Bao ran his fingers through his hair apprehensively, reassuring himself that both it and his ribbon were still neat and tidy. The green ribbon complemented his hair quite nicely, or at least he had thought it did when he bought it. He hadn't been expecting the occasion to wear it (and his good robes) to something as important as the opening ceremony to come up quite so soon, as the only even somewhat prestigious engagements he'd attended in his time in the sect so far had been Shen's birthday and his own acceptance ceremony.

He just hadn't thought that his position as a direct disciple was prestigious enough to warrant such an inclusion. Every disciple in his year had been accepted under one instructor or another, a fact that was apparently unusual most years, so he hadn't given too much thought to his relative rank within the sect.

But expected attendance in anything other than a general admittance seat was quite an honor. It meant that his Shifu was being held in a certain level of regard.

A level of regard that meant that Bao had to be careful about things like appearance and presentability, to avoid making him or his Shifu lose face in front of his rivals in the adjacent boxes.

Such scrutiny wasn't without its perks, though.

Rather than jostle against his peers on the stone benches of the arena, competing for both elbow room and refreshments, he had a comfortably padded chair, a personal table for his food, and the immediate company of only his four fellow disciples.

Five, once Chao Ren arrived. As ever, his youngest sworn brother was running late, no doubt caught up in some kerfuffle or another. He just hoped that it wasn't another duel.

Following the incident with that Shou fellow, he had become somewhat obsessed with training, using every moment he could to cultivate between their lessons. The fervor of the defeat had lingered in his veins, driving him to live up to the moniker that Lee Han had accidentally bestowed upon him. Or at the very least to restore his reputation from that disastrous second impression.

The title of Great Sage was far from easy to bear, as it conveyed ignominy just as easily as respect.

It had also attracted more than a few copycats, other disciples of their crop seeking to prove their skill over a perceived braggart. Fortunately, once Ren had fully recovered from his injuries, he'd been able to more than meet their challenges, winning far more of his duels than he lost. Their pace had died out a bit over the years, but he still faced challengers far more often than most cultivators Bao knew.

His record stood at thirty-three to fourteen, last he'd heard. Far from peerless, but one worthy of some respect as a promising talent. Certainly enough to change the way his nickname was used. To most of the peak the title now represented his diligence towards his cultivation rather than ego, as it was rare to see him in a moment of leisure.

It would be nice if he did relax a bit, Bao thought to himself, taking a bit from the bowl of fried rice next to him. Despite getting it almost half an hour ago, it was still the perfect temperature, thanks to an oddly patterned bowl that Shifu Yeung Lin had insisted he try. He would have to thank him for it later, once he got back from his part of the opening ceremony.

But still, in regards to Ren…he really did need to loosen up.

If it weren't for the fact that their residences were next to each other, Bao suspected that he might only see him at lessons. As it was, it had taken quite the effort to see him at mealtimes. Over the last few years he had managed to coax his junior into a ritual of shared meals with the help of his cooking, which had improved by leaps and bounds thanks to his access to real ingredients.

He was good company, once he warmed up to you. Though the problem was that it was always the initial warming that was the hard part. He could be quite standoffish at times, always quick to assume the worst of any interaction.

Paranoid, Lee Han had remarked on one occasion, although Bao preferred Shen's word for him: pessimistic.

It was a good word.

It felt nice on the tongue, and was almost too good a fit for Chao Ren. He was just so worried all the time, as if he always had to prove himself to the entire peak.

Perhaps I should try and organize another gathering of the direct disciples, Bao mused to himself, idly flipping a chopstick between his fingers. It's been enough time since the Dim Sum Incident for tempers to have cooled, and I'm sure we could all use a chance to talk about our last lesson. Getting together over a game of mahjong or cards would be a good way to build camaraderie, and more perspectives would help us all figure out Shifu's latest lesson.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

As he began to consider the best way of broaching the topic, the door to the box swung open, the sound barely audible over the growing murmur of the gathering crowd. Chao Ren, his face the shade of someone who had just run across half a mountain with as much care as possible, slipped in, gently shutting it behind him. Bao waved to him, patting the back of the empty seat beside him as he did.

Chao Ren took the chair gratefully, his gratitude growing once Bao passed him a cup of tea. He took a long sip, draining it after a single motion, before wiping away the few drops of sweat on his brow. Bao took the opportunity to refill the cup, which Ren finished with similar enthusiasm. The pot lifted and tipped another two times before Ren was content to leave his cup half-filled, placing the porcelain vessel in its saucer with a faint click.

"Lose track of time meditating again?" Bao asked with a chuckle. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened.

"Research," Chao Ren replied, shaking his head as he smoothed down the pale blue silk of his ceremonial robes, surreptitiously checking for any tears from his hastened arrival.

As Bao recalled, Shen had got them for him for his last birthday, in part to prevent him from wearing his previous set (which had been a distressingly garish red) to any future occasions. They were supposedly quite durable, made from…some sort of special silk or another, but that didn't seem to have reassured Ren much.

"I was going through the Five Element Unification Technique in depth, to make sure that it was a suitable technique. There's so much intricacy to the relationship between the elements, and I want to be sure that I properly understand their functions before I attempt to practice it."

"It hasn't even been a day yet!" Bao laughed. "You should really worry about today a bit more than tomorrow sometimes, you know. This is a rare opportunity. The least you could do is seize it a bit!"

"It's not too different," Chao Ren countered, gesturing to the bowl in his hand. "Same food, same noise, and if anything, we're further from the stage."

"Yeah, but the view is better," Bao protested, gesturing towards the packed arena.

Their box was part of the second ring, above all but the tier reserved for visiting dignitaries and the highest members of the Teal Mountain. It was quite a spacious one as well, especially compared to those below them. It contained a trio of tiered rows for the seats wide enough to necessitate an aisle between them, as well as a generous standing area in the back. The foremost row was currently occupied by their fellow disciples, who were having a spirit discussion about what order the visiting sects would be arriving in.

Bao had elected to remain in the last row so that he could finish his extra-large bowl of shrimp-fried rice in peace. He'd missed his mid-morning serving (on account of yet another poorly coordinated meet-up) and had been forced to double up his midday portion to accommodate it.

It's almost enough of a problem that I'd consider learning a communication technique to solve it, he thought to himself, for what felt like the third time in the last two days. It would certainly prevent anyone from running late again, which would mean that he didn't have to miss meals as often.

And he did hate when he had to double up a bowl.

He had to focus more on the act of eating it more than he liked, as while his family's cultivation technique wasn't so inflexible as to require him to perfectly time his meals, it was still quite a pain to miss a beat. There was a certain flow to it that was broken by the act, like the stumble after stubbing your toe on a particularly stubborn rock, and his stomach always ended up grumbling at him in annoyance over it.

"We can see the welcoming Elders without having to crane our necks," he added, respectfully gesturing in the direction of the sect's leadership, who were solemnly standing on their podium as they awaited their guests' arrival.

Their white ceremonial robes glittered with mountains threaded of dark, glossy silk, interspersed with veins of gold and teal. Their presence was like the sun, an undeniable certainty that he didn't dare stare at directly for too long. Even without being able to sense their qi Bao feel their power, the overlapping presences of the fourth stage cultivators only amplifying the instinctive sense of danger that even one of their number invoked.

"We'll also be able to see some of the other sects as they start to arrive, without having to wait for the projections."

"I suppose," Chao Ren conceded grudgingly.

"The food's also better," Bao added, taking a big bite out of a shrimp for emphasis as he turned back to his friend. "There's a pretty skillful spirit chef running a small kitchen around the corner. You get a small discount if you show him your token."

"Really?" Chao Ren asked, a hungry look in his eyes at the prospect of a cheap, well, cheap-er, meal. He had been making an effort to eat more spirit cooking as of late, as it was quite beneficial for strengthening his cultivation. A good deal would mean that he could stretch his budget further, in terms of either quality or quantity, depending on how the discount deal worked.

"Yeah, I got this for just—ah! It's starting!" Bao exclaimed, catching sight of the first of the approaching sects in the distance. The dots of the first ships had finally emerged over the horizon, visible to his improved vision as they descended from the swirling clouds. They went from the size of the tips of acupuncture needles to distant birds to approaching pebbles as he watched, their speed more apparent as they drew ever closer.

Shouts rang out from the side of the arena facing the ships as other disciples began to notice them, the sound growing like a wave as the awareness of the approach of the first ships compounded upon itself. The spectators turned as one to face the first arrivals, the glowing tapestries of light rimming the arena at even intervals rippling as the cultivator managing the artifact responsible for them directed it towards the approaching ships.

The sounds of the crowd redoubled as even the mortals in the crowd took notice, the attention of every soul save a few of the vendors on the five ships approaching from the south.

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