The formal announcement of the trial's decisive outcome, delivered through Ah Jiu's careful diplomatic channel within the Tribunal's own fractured structure roughly two weeks after Rin Cho and Bei Rong's respective successful reckonings, brought Nine Heavens Sect into a period of genuine, considerable celebration mixed with careful, measured awareness that this significant victory, however momentous, likely represented a new beginning rather than final, comprehensive resolution. "The reforming faction has been formally, officially recognized as the mechanism's legitimate governing authority," Ah Jiu reported, her own ancient features carrying genuine, evident satisfaction during the celebratory council session convened to properly mark this historic achievement. "The Preservation's harsher tradition has been stripped of its previous, equal standing, reduced instead to what the formal ruling describes as a minority, dissenting perspective, permitted to contin

The months following Fen Lu's initial, successful contact with Feng Ru brought a careful, patient correspondence and occasional in-person visits that gradually, incrementally began the difficult process of unwinding two full centuries of deeply entrenched conviction — a process that Fen Lu understood, from her own considerable experience, would require considerably more sustained effort than any of Nine Heavens' previous interventions had ever demanded."I keep returning to my own original death," Feng Ru wrote, during one particularly significant exchange nearly three months into their careful, ongoing correspondence. "The betrayal and torture that first began my falling. I've spent two centuries believing that experience proved something essential and true about the fundamental nature of trust and connection — that genuine vulnerability inevitably invites exactly that kind of devastating exploitation. I don't know how to properly reconsider that conclusion, howe

Feng Ru's own approaching reckoning arrived nearly a year after Fen Lu's initial, careful outreach first began the difficult, patient process of reconsidering two full centuries of deeply entrenched conviction — a development that Ah Jiu brought to Cloudreach's attention with genuine, considerable significance given everything this particular soul's successful or unsuccessful conclusion might ultimately mean for the broader mechanism's continued, evolving trajectory."He's ready, or as ready as two centuries of accumulated conviction ever genuinely allows," Fen Lu reported, having maintained continued, careful presence alongside Feng Ru throughout his own difficult, extended preparation. "I believe this represents perhaps our most significant intervention yet, given his previous role as the Preservation's own chosen champion, and everything his successful acceptance might ultimately demonstrate regarding even the most deeply entrenched, formerly hostile souls' gen

Mei Chen's formal assignment to her own first independent intervention arrived on her twenty-third birthday, a timing that Wei Lian had carefully, deliberately arranged to honor the same milestone that had once marked her own grandfather Wei Feng's earliest, formative contributions to the sect's founding mission, generations before."I want you to understand this isn't merely ceremonial recognition," Wei Lian told her daughter, during the quiet, private conversation that preceded this significant assignment's formal announcement. "Fen Lu and I both believe you've genuinely demonstrated the careful judgment and compassionate wisdom this work requires. But I also want you to understand the genuine weight of responsibility you're about to assume. Every fallen soul we support carries their own considerable, complicated struggle. Your guidance will matter enormously to whatever outcome their own difficult reckoning ultimately produces.""I understand

Fen Lu's urgent report back to Cloudreach regarding Chen Bo's troubling, sophisticated methodology prompted immediate, considerable investigation from the broader council, Bai Yun's own scholarly expertise proving genuinely valuable toward properly understanding exactly what pattern this newly discovered threat actually represented."I've found references to similar cases scattered throughout our network's accumulated records," she reported, following several weeks of careful, thorough investigation. "Individual fallen souls who received guidance from practitioners claiming various alternative methodologies, all sharing certain common characteristics — sophisticated, superficially reasonable philosophical framing, combined with considerably lower actual success rates than either our own compassionate approach or even the Preservation's harsher, more punitive tradition typically achieves.""Do we understand the underlying motivation behind this p