"…Which is why, for my closing statement, I want to reiterate: Since the day it was founded, the core principle that our school has adhered to has always been loyalty. Through the millennia, it has always been our students' loyalty to us that allowed us to operate like we do…"

The speaker paused, gesturing around the debate parlor. It was filled to the brim, every seat occupied, and additional ones having been added into normally empty space. Where most debates would only see attendance between a couple dozen and one or two hundred people, this one had almost a thousand attendees. And every single person in this room was a former student of their school. Some of them had stayed behind as teachers or other staff, but most had become independent cultivators operating throughout the alliance. But now that the school had sent out its call, they had all returned here.

"… and in turn it has always been our loyalty to the Serene Plains Sect that has secured our place in this world. It's a friendship that reaches back further than any living person could remember; a friendship and an oath. And like our students have not abandoned us in our time of peril, we can't abandon them either.

"The Roaring Thunder Sect, I tell you, has no love for us. They care not for principles, honor or tradition. Oaths and loyalty are as valueless to them as the dust carried by passing winds. The only thing they understand, the only thing they assign value too, is strength. Raw strength. And the only thing they accept in the face of their strength is absolute submission. If you believe that our school could continue to exist under such an overlord, you are sorely mistaken.

"There is no way forward for us but resistance. Difficult? Certainly. Futile? Perhaps. But meaningless? Never! We are made by principle. Survive by principle. If need be, let us be undone by principle."

With that, the speaker stood down, leaving his words to linger in the silence that the room fell into. It was a powerful speech, and everyone took the time to appreciate it in their own way. Only when the silence grew heavy did a new speaker rise from the crowd, taking his place at the opposite podium to the former.

"My dear colleague, let me make this short. You speak of loyalty, but I ask you: to whom? You speak of an ancient friendship to the Serene Plains Sect, but I ask you: Where are they now? You speak of protection, but I ask you: Where has that lead us?

"If we want to repay the loyalty of our former students, shouldn't we be loyal to them, first and foremost? If the Serene Plains Sect values this relationship as much as we do, why didn't they send any reinforcements now that we are faced with destruction? If they are what protects us, why are we the ones now facing the army of their enemy alone?

"I share your sentiment about the Roaring Thunder Sect, let me assure you of that. If I held in my hands the power to strike them down right here and now, don't think I'd hesitate for a second. But I don't hold that power, neither does anybody else in this room. You speak of meaning in defeat, but I can't see it. Blood cares not for the hand that spilled it, not for the right or wrong of its spilling, its color remains the same. A defeat can only have meaning if it changes an outcome. If it doesn't, it's merely a sacrifice to misguided notions of honor.

"I too am a teacher at this school, just like you. And though you may not believe it, I take just as much pride in that as I know you do. I have dedicated my life to passing on the gifts I received myself to my students. Am I wrong in not wanting to see all of them bleed out on a field of battle?"

Silence fell over the room once more. No whisper escaped the crowd as everyone once again mulled over the arguments they had heard today. It hadn't been the first debate on this topic. All four preceding days had seen the same topic discussed again and again. But, seeing as to how the approaching army was only two days away from reaching the school now, it had been the last. Unfortunately, even a cursory glance over the faces of the attendees revealed that opinions were still split down in the middle. They wouldn't reach a conclusion today either.

Grandmaster Fang Gong let out an inaudible sigh before rising from his seat. His small figure and wrinkled face were enough to betray his age, but never before had he felt this old. The weight that seemed to press down on his shoulders made even breathing seem like a chore, let alone standing up. But he did so anyways.

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His unassuming figure and soundless movement did nothing to prevent even a single pair of eyes in the room from immediately centering on him. In times past, he would have needed to flex his presence to achieve this, but nowadays it had become wholly unnecessary.

"Dear speakers, I thank all of you for sharing your opinion in this debate today. You have demonstrated that the urgency of the situation has only served sharpen your wits even more. The time has come to wrap up today's proceedings. As is tradition, we shall put the matter to a vote now.

"If you believe we should fight back against the approaching army of the Roaring Thunder Sect, please answer me now, your voice clear and your conscience clearer, with 'yay'."

A choir of voices responded, loudly shouting out their approval.

"Thank you. If you believe we shouldn't resist the army and instead seek to negotiate a surrender with the Roaring Thunder Sect, for better or worse, respond to your fellow attendees' exclamation with one of your own, voting 'nay'."

Once more, a choir of voices rose, equally as loud. As Fang Gong had predicted and feared, there was no consensus to be reached here.

"Thank you for expressing your opinion as well. As we have heard, the debate has not reached a consensus, nor a clear majority. With the fifth debate in a row ending up like this and the enemy approaching us with speed, I do not believe that it will be possible for us to find an agreement in time. Thus, as Grandmaster of the School of Blooming Dawn, I shall have to weigh in on the debate."

Approving nods came from throughout the crowd. Fang Gongs standing within the school was uncontested and universally accepted. If he had made his opinion known from the start, the debate would have swayed in that direction and there was no doubt in his mind that the school would rally behind his decision. If only he himself could trust his judgement as much as everyone around him seemed to do.

"Alas, my own heart is as torn on this question as you all are yourself. You will have to leave me some more time before I can make a decision. With the enemy only two days away from us, I shall announce my conclusion tomorrow at noon. Until then, this meeting is adjourned. Continue with your preparations and ready yourself for either outcome."

With that, Fang Gong sat back down. It took a while for the crowd to start moving, but once it did the hall began emptying at a steady pace, Fang Gong watching as it did. He remained unmoving until the last people had exited, closing the door behind them and leaving him alone. Then, he stood up and began pacing around, wrestling with his thoughts as he did.

If it was only himself, he wouldn't hesitate to fight. But it wasn't only himself. Students, teachers, free cultivators. All of them, old and young, would follow his actions. Share his fate. He was old, older than humans were supposed to grow. He had lived a long and fulfilling live, that he didn't fear laying down. But that simply couldn't be said about everyone at this school. Could he forsake their lives as well?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, unexpected sound.

"Tomorrow at noon is unfortunately a little late for your announcement."

The cold, yet smooth female voice made Fang Gong freeze completely. He was alone in here.

"Your enemy will have arrived here by then."

The voice came from almost directly behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Instead, the full focus of his soul sense turned to its origin… and found nothing. Absolutely nothing. He was alone in here.

"They plan on marching through the night, intending to take you by surprise."

There was no one within the bounds of this school who could fool his senses like this. Which meant, in turn, that this person had not only escaped his own detection, but also that of all of the sect's formations.

Fang Gong regathered his focus. This hadn't happened to him in centuries. Freezing up like this was something he had left behind when he had still been a student himself. It was unacceptable for a cultivator of his age. Hesitation alone was defeat, freezing like this was suicide. He forced himself to turn around.

There, seated in one of the chairs as if she naturally belonged there, was a woman. Her hair was dark as the night, as were her clothes. The shadows seemed to weave around her body as if alive, playing tricks on his perception and making it difficult to focus his attention on her.

She was beautiful, her skin light and unblemished, but her face was void of emotion, seeming lifeless, almost like a mask of white porcelain.

Fang Gong had never seen her before. He rarely left the school, his responsibilities keeping him well occupied while he was here. That didn't make him uninformed though and he didn't need to ponder for a single moment to know who she was.

"Lady Zhong?"

One of the Lunar Peaks Sect's monsters, the lady of shadow. A faint smile crossed her otherworldly face.

"Grandmaster Gong."

She stood up from her seat and walked towards him. As she did, the shadows seemed to fall off of her body, color returned to her face and her presence became less chilling. By the time she stood before him, she seemed like a regular woman, if still graceful and with a somewhat cold aura. Nothing remained of the unnatural darkness that had enveloped her form just moments before.

"I apologize for sneaking up on you. I didn't want to interrupt your debate."

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