The hall's beams and pillars, and its furnishings, were all somewhat dilapidated, though it had at least been swept tolerably clean.

Elder Yang sat squarely on his prayer mat, watching the crowd file in below.

He had not managed a word with Shen Yi himself, but his eye fell on Tong Xinchuan and Xu Qing'er, whom he had met before, and that put some spirit back into him.

Set beside that monster of a talent, the two of them were somewhat dimmed, it was true.

But inside the Clear-Moon Sect they would both be very fine prospects indeed — especially the girl, who at her age had narrowly beaten Yan Wencheng on the disc through sheer gift and comprehension.

Once her realm came up, what she might achieve later would be beyond measuring.

Just then Elder Yang received a message. He frowned, took out the jade slip, and Liu Qianyun's voice came out of it.

"This disciple, Liu Qianyun. I am going out on business and urgently need support. Does Elder Yang have a steward free? The cultivation need not be high — the third layer of Return-to-Void will do."

"Ah."

Elder Yang sighed. As the outer-gate elder for formations, every time this lot went out they all came wanting a formation-skilled steward off him, to guard against accidents.

Where was he to find that many people to lend?

"You're idle in any case. Why don't you go?" Elder Yang looked back at Yan Wencheng beside him.

The disciple might be only first-layer Return-to-Void, but given time to lay a formation he would not necessarily lose to a third-layer steward.

And in all likelihood Liu Qianyun only wanted help identifying formations. By the rules, a steward leaving the sect on this sort of errand had to be led by a full steward of the fourth layer at least; there would be no call for a formation master to fight at all.

If it was book knowledge she wanted, that was less trouble still.

"……"

Yan Wencheng was silent a moment. He would rather have stayed and talked further with Shen…