The sun dipped below the jagged silhouette of the five peaks and the Cloud-Mist City transformed. Thousands of spirit-lanterns floated into the air and were casting a warm golden glow over the plaza.

  The Founding Banquet had officially begun.

  Usually, in the cultivation world, a banquet was a rigid exercise in hierarchy. The strongest sat on raised daises, looking down on the weak. The food was graded by tier, the wine poured according to status. It was a visual map of power.

  Li Yu had scrapped all of that because he didn’t like the idea. Since it was his alliance, people would have to play on his terms. For better or worse.

  "Remove the dais," Li Yu had ordered earlier that day, much to Sect Master Zhou's horror. "And the velvet ropes. Put everyone on the ground."

  Now, the result of that order was visible.

  The massive plaza was filled with hundreds of round tables. They were all identical, all sitting on the same stone pavement. The food and drinks were all the same as well with no special treatment unless someone brought out something themselves to share.

  At one table, the terrifying Commander Lei of the Thunderclap Mercenaries was clinking cups with a nervous Foundation Establishment elder from a small clan.

  At another, Matriarch Su was discussing silk prices with a merchant who looked like he might faint from being so close to such a powerful expert. Li Yu’s idea was good in thought but he failed to realize that it made some uncomfortable.

  People were used to how things were. They were used to talking to someone from their own station. Sat next to someone so much stronger than they were, they were nervous and on edge.

  However, his idea was working. As the drinks poured, many became bolder and conversation began to flow more freely. Those that would never get a chance to talk to someone well above their station were now having a friendly conversation and talking about how they could help the alliance.

  There were no VIP sections. There were no "untouchable" zones.

  The leaders of the Five Mountain Alliance, seasoned veterans of a thousand political battles, noticed it immediately. Sect Master Mu of the Verdant Hill Sect raised an eyebrow as he took his seat next to a low-level alchemist.

  "A bold move," Mu murmured to Sect Master Shi of Obsidian Ridge. "He forces integration. He tells the small fish they are swimming in the same pond as the dragons. It builds loyalty."

  "It also makes the wine taste better when you don't have to crane your neck to see the host," Shi chuckled, pouring himself a drink. "I like it."

  Li Yu moved through the crowd, a cup of wine in his hand. He eventually settled at a large table near the center. It was not the exact center but close enough to the statue to be ironic.

  Seated there were Shen Tu, his family, the three other Five Mountain leaders and several other people.

  Shen Tu's presence was undeniable and drew many looks. Some people tried to get a bit closer to him while walking just to be able to brag the next day that they were close to the most influential man in their known world. He sat with the stillness of a mountain that had weathered a million storms. His power wasn't in his size; it was in his absolute stability.

  "Commander Li," Shen Tu greeted while raising his cup. His voice was warm, stripped of the battlefield command tone. "A unique arrangement. My wife was just saying how refreshing it is. She is able to meet all sorts of people that would be too scared to ever approach her."

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  "Hierarchy is exhausting," Li Yu smiled as he sat down next to Shen Tu. "Besides, if I sat on a platform, everyone would just be staring at my boots. And they have mud on them."

  Lady Yun, Shen Tu’s wife, laughed softly behind her sleeve. She was a woman of refined beauty, her amber robes shimmering in the lantern light. She looked at Shen Tu with a gaze that held centuries of affection.

  "You have a practical heart, Commander. It is rare to see that in such a young man." she said. "It reminds me of my husband when we first met. Though he had less mud."

  "Is that so?" Li Yu asked as he glanced at the calm leader. "Was Alliance Leader Shen Tu always this... steady?"

  "Steady?" Lady Yun’s eyes twinkled mischievously. "When I first met him, he was just a youth from a branch family. And he was very nervous because he was being presented for inspection."

  Li Yu blinked. "Inspection?"

  Shen Tu smiled but was swirling his drink faster. "I know the rumors about you too, Li Yu. The 'Boy Toy' of the Wind Matriarch?"

  Li Yu groaned. "Please don't remind me. I don’t know how that happened."

  "Do not despise the title," Shen Tu advised sagely. "It is a valid path to power. I should know. I was a concubine. Or rather, I was betrothed as one."

  Li Yu’s jaw dropped slightly. The leader of the Five Mountain Alliance... a concubine?

  "My clan, the Yun Clan, was powerful," Lady Yun explained. "I was the heir. To secure alliances, my elders arranged a political harem. There were to be several concubines, one from each major vassal sect. The Shen clan offered Shen Tu as their tribute."

  "I was one of five candidates from the Shen clan but I beat the other four in the assessment. They were not a match for me!" Shen Tu chuckled. “Then everyone gathered in a single place to meet her.”

  "There was a swordsman from the Si clan, an alchemist from the Zhao... I was just the one with the earth affinity. I stood in the line, head bowed, hoping I wouldn't be rejected and sent back in disgrace."

  "But I saw him," Lady Yun interrupted, placing a hand on Shen Tu’s arm. "The others were posturing, trying to impress me with one thing or another. Shen Tu just stood there, solid as a rock. I saw his potential. I never wanted multiple concubines either. So, I did something reckless."

  She smiled at her husband.

  "I cancelled the other contracts. I told my elders: 'I don't want a collection. I want this one.' It caused a scandal. The other sects were furious. My clan said I was throwing away political power for a nobody."

  "And look at him now," Lady Yun said proudly. "That nobody holds up the sky of the Eastern Continent."

  "Indeed," Sect Master Tie of the Iron Peak Sect chimed in from across the table and was grinning. "We always joke that Shen Tu is the most accomplished concubine in history! He rose from the harem to the throne!"

  Li Yu looked at Shen Tu with newfound respect.

  "To Lady Yun's vision," Li Yu toasted.

  "To vision," Shen Tu agreed with a smile and clinked his cup. Li Yu turned his attention to the three younger people at the table.

  "And these must be the results of that vision," Li Yu said.

  "Our pride," Shen Tu nodded. "Introduce yourselves."

  The oldest son, Shen Bo, stood up and bowed. He was a tall and serious looking man.

  "Shen Bo," he said. "Early Core Formation realm. I am two hundred and ten."

  The second son, Shen Lang, stood up. He had his mother's eyes. "Shen Lang. Peak Foundation Establishment. I am one hundred and fifty."

  The daughter, Shen Yan, bobbed her head. She was bright-eyed and curious. "Shen Yan! Nearly peak Foundation Establishment! I just turned one hundred and twelve!"

  "In the cultivation world, that is very young for her cultivation level," Shen Tu noted proudly. "To reach Late Foundation Establishment at barely a century is a sign of great talent."

  Shen Bo looked at Li Yu, his eyes narrowing slightly in assessment. He couldn't help it; Li Yu's aura was slippery and it seemed like he had no cultivation at all. Like he wasn’t even there.

  "Commander Li," Shen Bo asked respectfully. "Forgive my rudeness but your achievements are legendary. You stand as an equal to my father in strength from what I have heard. May I ask... how many centuries have you cultivated to reach such a state?"

  The table went quiet.

  Shen Tu and the older Sect Masters exchanged amused glances. Shen Tu already knew and the Sect Masters were veterans; they had scanned Li Yu’s bone age the moment they stepped off the ship. They knew the truth but they were waiting to see the reaction of the younger generation.

  Li Yu scratched his cheek awkwardly.