Shen Liang stepped off the cloud ferry with a yawn so wide it made the junior attendant flinch.
"Honored instructor, we have arrived at Azure Dawn Sect," the boy said quickly, bowing low. "The mountain path is a bit steep, but—"
"Mm." Shen Liang waved him off. "As long as the beds are softer than the ferry benches, I'll manage."
The boy blinked, clearly unsure how to respond, then scurried away to help the other arrivals. Shen Liang adjusted the simple travel bag on his shoulder and took his first proper look at the sect that was supposed to be his new home.
Azure Dawn Sect sprawled across a ring of peaks like a lazy dragon draped over stones. Outer sect buildings clung to the lower slopes, white-walled and blue-tiled, while inner courtyards and elder pavilions glittered higher up like polished gems. Thin ribbons of light traced along defensive formations etched into the rock, shimmering faintly in the noonday sun.
The spiritual qi here was… decent. Not the densest he'd ever felt, but steady, with a clean, bright flavor that reminded him of early morning mist. More importantly, he could already see several quiet courtyards, a bamboo grove, and what looked suspiciously like a lakeside pavilion.
He exhaled, tension he hadn't admitted loosening from his shoulders.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
A stern voice cut across the bustle of arrivals. "Instructors, this way! Disciples, form lines according to your recruitment tokens! Do not wander off the path."
A middle-aged man in plain dark-blue robes stood at the head of the mountain path, hands clasped behind his back. His hair was bound in a simple topknot, streaked with early gray, and his gaze swept over the crowd with practised efficiency.
Shen Liang recognized the type immediately—mid-tier sect administrator, probably an elder's disciple, the kind of man who could make your life comfortable or miserable with a single stroke of a brush.
He didn't bother hiding his laziness; that would have required effort.
He walked over at an unhurried pace, joining the small cluster of men and women gathered around the administrator. Some wore flashy robes stamped with clan crests, others plain cloth like his. A few already eyed each other with the sharp, measuring glances of cultivators rehearsing future rivalries.
"You must be Shen Liang." The administrator's gaze paused on him for a fraction longer than politeness required. "Assigned from…" He consulted the bamboo slip in his hand. "A regional recommendation, hmm."
Regional recommendation was a polite way of saying someone with enough face had pushed his name through. Shen Liang offered a mild smile.
"That's me. I heard the sect was in need of instructors."
"Azure Dawn always has need of good teachers," the man said. "I am Instructor Wei. For now, you may address me as Senior Wei. The sect master will decide your exact ranking once you have been properly assessed."
Properly assessed. Weighed, measured, and slotted into whichever niche best benefited the sect.
"Of course, Senior Wei," Shen Liang said. "Where should I put my things?"
Wei's lips twitched, just once. "We will handle housing assignments after orientation. For now, follow."
He turned and started up the stone steps that wound around the mountain. The other instructors hurried to keep pace. Shen Liang followed at his own steady rhythm, not fast enough to seem overeager, not slow enough to be called disrespectful.
Halfway up the path, the qi density deepened by a degree. Wei paused at a landing marked by a carved stone arch, beneath which a formation circle glowed faintly.
"Outer sect boundary," he said. "Beyond this, sect rules apply in full. Duels must be authorized. No flying within the inner ring without explicit permission. Any questions?"
No one spoke.
Shen Liang took a breath as they crossed the boundary. The qi here was a little richer, the spiritual currents more ordered. Comfortable. Like a room that had been cleaned and aired just that morning.
He let his senses slip out, just a little, tasting the terrain.
The mountain had a solid, grounded presence. The formations were simple but well maintained, layered like neat brushstrokes. The sect's main leyline pulse brushed against his awareness, steady as a heartbeat.
If he nudged things just right, he could probably turn half this slope into a quiet training courtyard with built-in stabilizing effects, without anyone even realizing he'd done it.
Tempting.
"Instructors," Wei said as they reached a long, low building with open sides and a tiled roof. "This is the Instruction Hall. You will be assigned classes and schedules here. Until your evaluation is complete, you will observe and assist established instructors. Do not intervene in disciplinary matters without permission."
He led them inside. Rows of desks lined the hall, each with a jade slip and a stack of bamboo documents. A few older instructors looked up as they entered, appraising the newcomers before returning to their discussions.
Wei gestured, and a young female attendant hurried over with a tray of identity tokens.
"Azure Dawn respects experience," he said. "But we are not so arrogant as to think we cannot misjudge. For the first month, you will be treated as probationary instructors. Your performance will determine your permanent placement."
The others straightened at that, competitive sparks lighting their eyes.
Shen Liang's only real concern was whether probation came with a room and regular meals.
He accepted the waist token shaped like a stylized dawn cloud and affixed it to his belt. The jade was cool against his fingers, humming with a modest defensive charm.
Not bad craftsmanship. He could sleep in that.
Wei handed him a small stack of bamboo slips. "These are the sect rules, the current curriculum framework, and a map of the outer and inner sect. You will familiarize yourself with them."
Shen Liang glanced at the top slip. The ink was neat, the characters small and dense.
"I'll read them," he said, which, strictly speaking, wasn't a lie. He would read the parts that mattered.
Wei moved on to the next instructor, leaving him to stand near one of the hall's open sides. Beyond the railing, a broad training ground stretched out where outer sect disciples practised basic forms under the shouted corrections of a harried instructor.
The training ground's qi circulation was… mediocre. Edges frayed, flows uneven, a few subtle dead spots where the students' movements kept snagging. They were compensating with brute effort, the way most young cultivators did.
He watched for a moment, then let his own aura seep out a fraction more. Not enough to be noticed, just enough to align the local qi with his preferences—smoother, steadier, like smoothing wrinkles from a blanket.
The dead spots softened. Circulation evened.
On the field below, several disciples stumbled mid-form, then blinked as their movements suddenly became easier.
The instructor frowned, glancing around.
Shen Liang withdrew his aura and suppressed a smile. Yes, he could work with this place.
"You are comfortable, Instructor Shen?" Wei's voice came from just behind his shoulder.
Shen hadn't heard him approach. That was mildly impressive.
"Comfortable enough," Shen said. "The qi here is pleasant."
"Azure Dawn's mountain veins are modest compared to the great sects," Wei said, eyes on the training ground. "But we take pride in our stability. Disciples may not become legends, but they live to see their efforts bear fruit."
There was a faint warning in that, the kind a man used when he'd seen too many ambitious talents burn out or blow up a courtyard.
"Stability is good," Shen said. "Burning bright sounds exhausting."
Wei huffed, the sound almost a laugh. "You may find some of our disciples disagree. Ambition runs hot in youth."
"That's what instructors are for, isn't it?" Shen asked. "To keep them from tearing their meridians apart chasing someone else's pace."
Wei's gaze sharpened at that, just a little.
"You speak as if from experience."
Shen shrugged. "I've seen a few idiots cough up blood trying to imitate someone stronger." He left the rest unsaid.
Wei studied him in silence for a moment more, then nodded as if confirming something.
"Very well," he said. "The sect master has authorized a small intake of new instructors due to the… unique nature of our current disciples. Some classes have become… difficult."
Ah. There it was.
"Difficult how?" Shen asked mildly.
"Talented but undisciplined. Poor foundations. Clashes of personality. Some were placed here by patronage, others as a last chance before expulsion." Wei's mouth tightened. "They disrupt other classes and resist standard instruction."
Shen could already see where this was going. Dumping ground. Problem children. A headache, unless you were very patient—or very strong.
He thought of quiet courtyards and naps in the shade.
If he took them all at once, they wouldn't be scattered across the sect making noise.
"I assume," he said, "you'd like someone to… consolidate your problems."
Wei's eyes flicked to him, then away.
"If you are willing," Wei said, "there is a class that needs… firm guidance. No one will complain if you employ unorthodox methods, so long as you do not violate sect rules and the courtyard remains standing."
So long as the courtyard remained standing.
Shen considered it. A class of misfits would attract attention if they caused trouble, but it would also be an excuse to carve out his own training ground—and anyone who wanted to interfere would have to take responsibility for them.
Responsibility was a powerful shield when wielded correctly.
"How many?" he asked.
"Four core disciples," Wei said. "Plus a handful of attached outer disciples as needed."
Four was a small number by sect standards. Manageable.
"I'll take them," Shen said. "On one condition."
Wei raised a brow. "Name it."
"I want a courtyard I can set up as I please," Shen said. "Within reason. If I'm to fix foundations, I'll need a training ground that doesn't fight me."
Wei hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"We have an unused courtyard on the east slope," he said. "It is… somewhat removed from the main grounds."
Removed. Out of sight, out of mind. Perfect.
"That will do," Shen said. "I'll make sure your problem children stop disrupting other classes."
He didn't say they wouldn't disrupt anything.
Wei seemed to understand that, but he inclined his head anyway.
"Very well. I will arrange the transfer. The disciples will report to you tomorrow morning." He paused. "For today, the sect master has requested to see all new instructors. Consider it a formality."
A formality. An evaluation. A chance to sniff out threats.
"Lead the way," Shen said.
The sect master's audience hall was less ostentatious than Shen had expected. Broad wooden pillars, polished by age; a simple dais with a chair carved in the same dawn-cloud motif as the sect tokens; incense curling lazily in the air.
Only a handful of elders were present, seated to either side. Their auras were carefully restrained, like swords left in their sheaths but with the hilts visible.
The man on the central chair looked younger than some of his elders, with clear eyes and a calm expression. His cultivation was veiled, but the faint pressure in the air put him at least two major realms above Shen's current façade.
"New instructors of Azure Dawn," the sect master said, voice warm but carrying. "Welcome."
The group bowed as one. Shen bowed with them, neither deeper nor shallower than etiquette required.
"Our sect values stability and steady progress," the sect master continued. "We are not the strongest in the region, but we have endured. Those who teach here will shape not only the strength of our disciples, but their temperaments."
His gaze swept over the group, lingering for a heartbeat on each face.
When his eyes passed over Shen, there was a faint, almost imperceptible pause.
Shen kept his expression politely blank.
"Instructor Wei has briefed you on our rules and expectations," the sect master said. "I will not repeat them. Instead, I will ask one question of each of you."
He gestured to the first instructor on the left.
"In one sentence, what is the most important quality you wish to cultivate in your students?"
The man straightened. "Ambition, Sect Master. Without ambition, a cultivator cannot reach higher realms."
The next said, "Obedience. Discipline without wavering leads to safety and success."
Confidence, courage, ruthlessness—each instructor named their favorite virtue like a banner they would plant in their students' hearts.
When it was Shen's turn, the sect master's gaze sharpened just a fraction.
"Instructor Shen?" he asked. "And you?"
Shen considered the question. He thought of shattered meridians, of disciples vomiting blood on training grounds because some instructor had decided terror was a good motivator.
"Sense," Shen said.
An elder on the right arched a brow. "Sense?"
"The ability to tell when to push," Shen said, "and when to stop. When to fight, and when to step aside. When to work, and when to rest." He let his tone stay light, almost lazy. "A cultivator who lacks sense dies early and wastes resources. That seems… inefficient."
A faint ripple went through the elders.
The sect master's eyes held his for a breath, then he smiled.
"A practical answer," he said. "Azure Dawn values practicality."
He shifted his gaze away, addressing the group as a whole once more.
"You will find that our disciples are not all ideal students. Some are driven, some complacent, some… troublesome." His lips quirked. "We trust you to guide them in a way that strengthens the sect rather than damaging it. If you find yourself overwhelmed, seek assistance rather than resorting to extreme measures."
Shen wondered what counted as extreme in Azure Dawn's history.
The sect master rose, robes whispering against the polished floor.
"That is all for today. Rest, familiarize yourselves with the grounds, and report to the Instruction Hall at dawn tomorrow. May your lessons bear fruit."
The elders echoed the blessing. The audience dissolved into polite bows and murmured thanks.
As Shen followed the others out, one of the elders—a thin man with ink-stained fingers—spoke quietly to the sect master.
"That one," he said, eyes flicking toward Shen. "The lazy-sounding instructor. His qi is… unusual."
"Unusual how?" the sect master asked.
"Difficult to pin down," the elder admitted. "Like a domain folded in on itself."
The sect master hummed, gaze distant.
"Then let us see what sort of garden he grows," he said. "If his laziness hides rot, it will show soon enough. If it hides strength…" His smile returned, small and sharp. "Azure Dawn could use a few more comfortable seats at the table."
Later, as the sun slid toward the horizon, Shen Liang stood in the doorway of the east slope courtyard that was now, temporarily, his.
The place was dusty and a little overgrown. A single training platform occupied the center, ringed by cracked stone markers. A half-dead tree leaned over one corner of the yard like an old man too stubborn to fall.
He stepped inside, shut the gate behind him, and closed his eyes.
His domain slipped out, quiet as a sigh.
Qi stirred. Dust motes swirled and settled. The dead spots in the courtyard's circulation smoothed out as he nudged the existing formations into better alignment, not enough to trigger any alarms, just enough to make the space breathe again.
The broken edges of stone and wood lost their sharpness, the air taking on the gentle stillness of a cool afternoon nap.
Better.
He opened his eyes. The courtyard felt… promising now, a place where effort would move smoothly instead of grinding against invisible grit.
"Four problem children," he murmured to himself. "A quiet courtyard. A sect that likes stability."
He looked up at the sky, where the first stars were beginning to appear.
"Let's see how much work it takes," he said, "before it becomes too much trouble to nap."