The peaceful interlude lasted nearly two months before urgent news finally arrived, carried by an exhausted messenger bearing word from Jin Wei, whose own journey toward redemption had apparently drawn considerably more attention than any of them had anticipated."He's requesting immediate assistance," the messenger reported, handing over Jin Wei's hastily written letter to Xie Yan as the coalition council hastily reconvened to receive this unexpected development. "Order agents have surrounded his estate. He believes they intend to make an example of him, given his public rejection of their continued influence."Xie Yan read through the letter quickly, old concern for the merchant's genuine, hard-won transformation mixing with immediate strategic calculation. "He's been making considerable progress," he reported to the assembled council. "Continuing his amends with the rivals he'd previously harmed, even cooperating with formal legal proceedings despite the personal cost. If the Order

They departed Jin Wei's estate three days later, the merchant himself insisting on accompanying them partway, his gratitude for their intervention evident in his continued, earnest commitment to supporting their broader cause however his resources allowed. They parted ways at a familiar crossroads, Jin Wei continuing his own careful rebuilding while Xie Yan's team turned back toward Wren's Crossing, understanding the urgent need to properly investigate Overseer Kang's cryptic warning.They reached Su Wan's hidden archive within two weeks, the young scholar's expression shifting from warm welcome to grave concern as Xie Yan relayed Overseer Kang's unsettling words about whatever resided at the Order's central facility."Predates his own involvement," Su Wan repeated slowly, already moving toward her archive's oldest, most carefully preserved records. "That's a significant claim, if accurate. Overseer Kang himself likely represents decades of accumulated cultivation and Order service, p

They traveled toward the distant eastern facility with considerably more caution than their previous scouting mission, drawing on everything their encounter with Chen Bo had taught them about the Order's capability to detect and respond to surveillance attempts. The journey took nearly five weeks, their smaller, more carefully trained team moving with practiced, methodical stealth through increasingly familiar terrain. They reached their previous observation position roughly six weeks after departing the Sanctuary, finding the facility considerably more active than their earlier visit had revealed. Additional structures had been erected since their last observation, and the general atmosphere of purposeful, urgent activity Elder Shen Lian's scouts had reported proved immediately, visibly apparent. "They're definitely preparing for something significant," Senior Liang observed quietly, studying the facility's increased activity through careful, concealed observation. "Look at the ce

They reached the Sanctuary in record time, pushing their travel pace to its genuine limits given the urgent timeline now weighing on every decision ahead. The full coalition council convened within a single day of their arrival, every available representative gathering to receive their significant, concerning report. Xie Yan presented their findings with careful, methodical detail — the ceremonial platform's construction, the preparatory ritual they'd witnessed, the Founding Vessel's unsettling appearance and its apparent capacity to detect their presence despite considerable distance and careful concealment. The assembled council absorbed this information with mounting, visible gravity. "Six to eight weeks," Elder Zhao repeated once Xie Yan finished, her expression carrying genuine, significant alarm. "That's considerably less time than even our most urgent revised preparation timeline anticipated." "We need to decide, quickly, whether we're genuinely capable of preparing adequa

The journey toward the Order's distant facility took nearly six weeks, the team pushing their pace as hard as sustainable travel allowed while understanding the genuine urgency of reaching their destination before whatever ritual the Founding Vessel's ceremonial platform had been preparing for finally reached completion.They traveled with considerably more caution than any previous expedition, drawing on everything their intensive preparation had taught them about avoiding detection, though the unsettling knowledge that their target might sense their approach regardless of conventional concealment weighed heavily across every decision throughout their journey."We're cutting it close," Senior Liang observed during their fifth week of travel, studying the careful calculations he'd maintained throughout their journey. "If the System's original estimate proves accurate, we likely have less than two weeks remaining before the ritual's completion."Xie Yan felt that tightening timeline pr