“I see.” A familiar voice— softly spoken, wrapped in power, subtly pressuring— only the faintest echo of presence and yet for it all the more dominating. If the world of East Saffron’s mortals was one of faint impressions and qi built up over long years of life, living— her voice was a blade, a shroud of bloody qi that seemed to almost pulse with strength. “A noble view, at least… in theory, resources should go to those who need them most. In practice, competition is the way of things, from these base halls to the lofty peaks of the sect. There is never enough for everyone.” All that without directly pressuring them with her presence. Mingtian could admit— he’d been wrong with his initial impression of her. She could be a refined cultivator when the opportunity called for it.
Everyone else around them froze in stunned, almost afraid silence. If Mingtian had been a stone in their small lake, the outer disciple was a mountain. She’d shown up out of nowhere— well, not completely out of nowhere, but the technique that she used to hide herself from mortal sight was incredibly refined.
Begrudgingly, he let himself be a little impressed. If he didn’t look for her with his domain every time they had one of these meetings, he’d probably have missed her entirely.
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He sighed, turning to face her, clasping his hands together and bowing respectfully. “Instructor Mingtian greets outer sect disciple.” Belatedly snapping out of their shock, the others quickly did much the same.
The outer sect disciple waved a hand, smiling softly. “None of that now, please.” The aura of it, the presence she exuded, had vanished entirely. Most of the mortals probably couldn’t tell, but she’d pulled back her aura completely— she was less noticeable to his spiritual senses than a mortal was. “I try my best to keep an eye on the Precinct. With the coming difficulties, the job of outer disciples has only become ever the more difficult. I think it is admirable—” there was a weird… lilt to her voice there, inflection and a touch of her aura— “to try and preempt conflict where we can. We have enough enemies outside the walls. If we fight each other within, then how are we any greater than the beasts of the wild?”
Nobody dared to respond.
It was logical, for the most part. A rational explanation for a ration action… and Mingtian did not believe it for a second. Frowning slightly, he gave Jie his best faux sincere look. “I’ve got to go now. I didn’t want to stay here too long to begin with…” Jie nodded back innocently, bidding him farewell as he stepped away from the circle of still-stunned instructors and— a mortal wouldn’t have been able to tell, but he could. The outer disciple was following him.
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Discord.
