"You really are clever."
Aoyue confirmed Shen Yi's guess, her voice betraying little emotion.
"Someone will tell you the details of my history with Feng Qingyao later."
"But for now, you need to understand this: in the Immortal Sacred Land, especially before the other Hall Masters, Feng Qingyao's name may bring you trouble as well as protection."
Shen Yi fell silent for a moment.
He remembered Feng Qingyao's warning clearly. Now that one of the Seven Halls' masters had cautioned him in person, it seemed the Immortal Sacred Land's internal affairs were every bit as complicated as he had suspected.
Above him, Aoyue did not wait for Shen Yi to digest the news. She continued, her voice firm and decisive.
"So, within my power, I can offer you certain conveniences and warnings. These two Azure-Sky Spirit Flowers, for instance, may help you resist suppression or attacks from certain ice-based Authorities at a critical moment. You could also trade them for information or assistance you need."
"They hold a position unmatched by anything else among ice-based Authorities."
"What you do with them when the time comes is entirely up to you."
With that, her gaze returned to the two ice flowers floating in the air.
"But until they—particularly the other Hall Masters—attack you without cause or cross a line, I cannot intervene directly. Nor can I openly stand at your side against them."
"Those are the rules. They also preserve the balance."
"The Immortal Sacred Land has endured because certain understandings remain unbroken."
Silence returned to the Ice Crystal Palace. Only the endless ice-blue rules flowed soundlessly through the Ice Star Spring.
Aoyue stood motionless above the spring, wreathed in cold mist as she waited for Shen Yi's response.
The two Azure-Sky Spirit Flowers still hung in the air, giving off