Nine of the most powerful and influential people one could imagine were seated comfortably around a large, round table of polished marble. The sky above and around them was turbulent, riddled with swirling clouds thrown around by the stormy winds, yet the air immediately around them was so calm that not even the tea in their cups stirred.

The sect palace of the Parting Clouds Sect was a marvelous construct. Built entirely out of white marble that contrasted strongly against the dark rock of the mountain, it was a powerful relic of a bygone age, one which not a single person or group in the Northern Sect Alliance would have the capability to construct today. The control of the wind gave a clue as to its capabilities, but it was by far not its most eye-catching feature – that would be the fact that the whole palace was suspended in the air several dozen meters above the peak of the mountain.

For Jinjing Liqiu to invite elders of a foreign sect up here was a grand gesture of trust – trust that she didn't really have in most people here if she was being honest. She'd thought it necessary either way, since she needed to make absolutely sure that the Lunar Peaks Sect wouldn't join up with the Roaring Thunder Sect in opposition to hers in the coming weeks.

The debate of who would receive the honor of coming up here between them had been rather fierce considering it had been held only with looks and subtle body language – entirely without words – and over the span of no more than a couple of seconds. It had undoubtedly left behind some sour feelings and hurt egos, but as long as none of those were directed at her sect that was simply not Jinjing Liqiu's problem. There was no way in the world she was letting the entire cadre of the sect's elders come up here; five were already more than enough!

She focused on the five in question. Patriarch Zhao had been a given for obvious reasons. Elder Wei and Elder Liang were likewise obvious choices, their cultivation simply trumped all the others. Elder Ma Rong led his own faction within the sect, so his presence also made sense in a way – what threw her off a little was that Elder Bai wasn't among them.

From what she remembered, he was one of the most prominent figures of the sect and sect diplomacy was his specialty. Clearly something had happened in the meantime, though she had no idea what it could have been. Not that she was complaining though; she much preferred the gentle Elder Xia who was here instead over his famously bloated ego.

Besides the five and herself, Patriarch Ye and two elders from her sect were also here. Jinjing Liqiu took a sip of her tea before putting it down. As the hostess, it fell on her to initiate conversation.

"I'd like to thank you for doing our sects the honor of participating in our tournament."

Patriarch Zhao answered.

"It is us who are honored. We are thankful that you are giving our disciples the opportunity to measure their talent in such a grand occasion."

"It wouldn't be nearly as grand if it had to go without the talent of the Lunar Peaks Sect.", Patriarch Ye remarked.

"Our disciples are indeed remarkably skilled," Elder Xia answered, a playful smile on her lips, "but surely you have your own uncut gems to show off, don't you?"

"We sure do! But we'll have the tournament speak for itself on that."

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"Of course we shall."

What followed were several minutes of empty pleasantries, half of them exaggerated and the other half not even meant at all. It was the kind of talk that didn't require much attention to participate in once you got used to it and that barely anybody actually much cared about, but that was nonetheless necessary to maintain amicable relationships in these circles.

The trick was being able to pay just enough attention to catch the important bits in between because even as they were masked by the light conversation, negotiations were constantly being woven between the mundanity of the phrases.

An offhand mention of an elder of the Serene Plains Sect struggling on the cusp of a breakthrough turned into a direct request from Patriarch Ye for a special pill to Elder Ma Rong several minutes later. The old alchemist agreed – he and the patriarch, the oldest and the most powerful nature cultivator on the peninsula respectively, had a long history of cooperating with each other.

These kinds of deals were important enough to conduct and take note of, but not to warrant an actual, proper negotiation. Perhaps that was part of the reason this culture of longwinded, polite chats had developed in the first place.

They also got caught up on the latest events in each other's sects. Elders were of course not the most reliable source of information in that regard, since they would only ever open up about things they wanted the others to know, but since not all of their internal interests aligned with each other, there was still a lot to learn this way.

She was, for example, able to glean that Elder Bai had recently been in an altercation with Elder Wei, which probably explained his absence here. Even more interestingly, Elder Wei seemed to have joined up with the reform faction of his sect and taken over the Training Hall. Two actions that didn't fit at all with how she had been picturing him.

The Lunar Peaks Sect's entire situation was highly unique overall. On paper, it was probably the strongest sect of the current alliance, having the most members, the most Dao Contemplation Realm Cultivators – two of them in the eighth stage and two more in the seventh – and by far the best alchemists. Reality was much more complicated because it was plagued by an internal division, miles wider than any of the other leading sects. An entire subsection of the sect was more or less openly opposed to the ruling families and even the patriarch. And that faction appeared to be growing.

Jinjing Liqiu could only thank the heavens that no such challenge to authority was taking place in her sect. She would probably lack the patience to deal with it without bloodshed.

Regardless, after an eternity of varyingly interesting exchanges, the opportunity finally presented itself to bring up her true concern for this meeting.

"…I also heard that the Roaring Thunder Sect will be participating as well, is that correct?"

"It is. Xing Zhou and his followers are already on the way here, they should be arriving in a day or two. Speaking of which, there is a small request I'd like to make."

"Speak your mind."

"As you know, our two sects' relationship with the Roaring Thunder Sect has been… tense in recent years. We still hope to mend it and will be working in that direction in the coming weeks. But regardless of how it goes, I'd like to ensure that this doesn't get any larger than it already is, both for the sake of my sect and for the peace of the alliance. That is why I want to ask the Lunar Peaks Sect to remain a neutral party in this matter, if at all possible."

The five cultivators exchanged a look before Patriarch Zhao answered.

"Hmm… I think that's a reasonable request."

"If so, can you please guarantee that your sect won't interfere in our conflict?"

Another moment of silence, another round of looks. Then Patriarch Zhao rose to his feet and spoke, his tone solemn:

"I, Long Zhao, guarantee that the Lunar Peaks Sect won't interfere… unless given a pressing reason to, of course."

That wasn't quite optimal because there was plenty of room to shift around the definition of a 'pressing reason', but it was probably as good of a guarantee as she could get from someone as shrewd as Patriarch Zhao. Jinjing Liqiu stood up as well and ever so slightly inclined her head.

"I thank you for your consideration, Long Zhao. Your wisdom is praised so highly for good reason."

This had been the most important part to make sure for the tournament. It would probably all work out well now.

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