The skyship dock hovered like a floating crescent over the Azure Serpent Sect. Pillars of spiritual energy held up the rune-etched vessel—a sleek obsidian ship shaped like a blade, its surface engraved with glowing flight arrays.
Rayen Wu adjusted his satchel, making sure the Philosopher's Core was secure in its multi-layered containment orb. Lin Xue stood beside him, triple-checking the encrypted ingredient logs she had sent to the Symposium judges.
"So," she said, "any chance we just get there, quietly display our work, and no one tries to poison us?"
"Statistically?" Rayen replied. "Twelve percent."
:: Updated threat forecast: Four assassination attempts likely. High probability of competitive sabotage. Minimal likelihood of friendly networking. ::
The wind picked up as Elder Fan approached, carrying two jade medallions with interlocking hexagrams. "These are your Symposium identity tokens. They'll give you access to controlled zones, private vaults, and…" She hesitated. "Dueling rights."
"Wait," Rayen said. "There's dueling at a research conference?"
Fan sighed. "It's still a cultivation symposium. Intellectual disagreement sometimes escalates to open combat."
Rayen nodded. "So, academic discourse with fireworks."
"Essentially."
The trip across the continent took four days.
Rayen spent most of the time sketching theoretical improvements to Etherweave architecture. Lin Xue, ever pragmatic, refined their Harmonizing Catalyst into a faster-absorbing variant, while Q.E.D. ran personality simulations for anticipated rivals.
They practiced new techniques, modified their presentation modules, and added reinforcement seals to their exhibit crates. On the third night, they even tested their emergency escape talismans, just in case the 'Symposium' leaned more 'arena' than 'academy.'
On the fifth morning, the Symposium grounds came into view—a sprawling citadel of crystal and light suspended over a lake of molten starlight. Floating islands rotated in silent orbit, each bearing a unique function: labs, pavilions, training rings, duel halls. The air crackled with spirit energy and intellectual tension.
Rayen disembarked with Lin Xue, scanning the skies. "So many alchemists in one place. I can smell the ego."
"Careful," she said. "A poorly phrased question here could start a sect war."
They passed through the outer wards and entered the registration pavilion. Rows of alchemists and cultivators stood in perfectly straight queues, some glowing with Qi suppressing talismans, others scribbling down formulas even as they waited.
A tall woman in jade uniform looked up from her spirit tablet. "Azure Serpent Sect. You're late."
"Fashionably," Rayen said. "Is there a dress code for winning?"
She raised an eyebrow and handed them engraved plaques. "You're assigned to Dome 17. Also, Pillmaster Huang of the Sun-Spire Apothecary has issued a formal exhibition challenge."
Rayen blinked. "Who?"
Lin Xue paled. "Pillmaster Huang. He's notorious for volatile creations—spirit-reactive incense bombs, hallucinogenic brews, and a detox pill that once melted a tree."
Rayen sighed. "We're being challenged by a chemical chaos enthusiast."
:: Suggest observation before engagement. Also: carry anti-toxin gum. ::
Rayen rolled his shoulders. "Alright. Let's make a good first impression—preferably without spontaneous combustion."
As they made their way toward Dome 17, unseen eyes followed them from balconies and pagoda eaves.
The Quantum Alchemist had arrived.