Lady Bluebird narrowed her eyes in response to Jin’s question. She stood there, deliberating, until eventually curiosity got the better of her. The alchemist returned to her seat. “That will depend on the nature of the information you provide. I warn you not to play games with me. There is a limit to my tolerance.”

“Don’t worry. I have no doubt you’ll look back on this day and thank yourself for staying,” Jin replied.

The alchemist scoffed but did not respond to the remark. Her reaction, however, indicated that she had bought the bait - hook, line, and sinker. Not wanting to reveal all his cards at once, Jin took his time refilling tea for Yuri and Bluebird, before assuring the latter, “It is not my nature to spout nonsense, and I abhor wasting time on pointless matters. Trust me when I say, the bracelet may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us.”

“A bold claim, young man. I do hope you can back it up.”

“You will see shortly, but first I require that we each take an Unbreakable Oath first,” said Jin, noticing the alchemist flinch at his suggestion. The Unbreakable Oath was a spell that, once cast, bound the souls of vow makers to their words and deeds. A painful death awaited oath breakers. Jin further explained, “In the absence of trust, I want to ensure neither party has any incentive to betray the other.”

“Hmm, although it’s not a bad idea, we’ll need to find a third rank array master to perform such a ritual. I don’t know about you, but I have no such connections in this city,” Lady Bluebird pointed out the problem, taking a sip of her tea.

“If that’s your concern, then it appears we’re in luck. I just so happen to be one,” Jin casually revealed, much to Bluebird’s shock, who almost spat out her drink. Jin didn’t bother disclosing the fact that he possessed knowledge far exceeding the typical array master in the Lower Realms. The only real limitation to his knowledge was his cultivation rank. With his lack of a root, which dictated the rate of a cultivator’s qi absorption speed, Jin found himself virtually at a cultivation impasse. The Bridge of Exile had reduced his powers to the level of an early-stage qi master, and in the last half year since, he had noticed no improvements to his qi core. Unlike his first time around, Jin no longer had the luxury of absorbing the cosmic ether in the PonPon Market to substitute for qi.

Lady Bluebird glanced from Jin to Yuri, trying to figure out their angle. Despite her age and experience dealing in politics, the alchemist could not read the young man’s motives. Jin’s expressions betrayed no additional information.

Meanwhile, Yuri had remained silent up until now. The Okada heiress was not privy to Jin’s thoughts, but she trusted him to make the right call. When Jin had accepted her as a disciple, they also performed an Unbreakable Oath - one suited for a master-student relationship. Their destinies had become intertwined, for better or worse. Seeing the disbelief written on Lady Bluebird’s face, Yuri felt the need to support her master’s assertion. “I can attest he is telling the truth, esteemed Alchemist Bluebird. My husband has already performed an Unbreakable Oath with me.”

“Th...” Lady Blueword was at a loss for words, finding it hard to accept their claims at face value. “How old are you, young man?”

“Fourteen, almost fifteen, probably,” Jin readily admitted. It was a good question to ask. After all, how many third rank array masters looked as young as him in the Lower Realms?

“And what sect are you from?” Bluebird asked sharply. She felt a growing wariness, fear that she might be fraternizing with members of a rival sect. Bluebird had to make sure this wasn’t an elaborate trap set up for her.

“Neither Fenghuang nor I are members of a sect at the present. If you don’t believe us, we can swear it as part of the Unbreakable Oath.”

Jin had to give Bluebird points for taking his statements in stride. She seemed like the careful type, not prone to jump the gun. To her credit, impatience and recklessness were generally bad traits for a cultivator.

At this point in their conversation, there was little left to do other than for Jin to demonstrate his skills and appease the alchemist’s doubts. He got to work, extracting pure qi to the tip of his finger as he drew complex symbols in the air. The skillsets of an array master involved many components - a deep understanding of the ancient runic language and syntax, visualizing and determining the correct flow of qi within an array, and troubleshooting potential issues before they evolved into something dangerous, like accidentally blowing up the entire pavilion.

Similar to alchemy, the proficiency of an array master was determined on the basis of speed, efficiency, and efficacy. The better the practitioner, the fewer number of runes and lesser complications in syntax were needed for a given task. Moreover, a highly skilled practitioner could create arrays that required minimal amounts of external and internal qi to fuel. Jin purposefully slowed down his work and reduced its quality to hide his real skill level. It would serve him no benefit to show Bluebird his true talent. Perhaps another time.

“You are very remarkable, Master Jin. It is quite the honor to see you at work.” Bluebird changed her tone and language to reflect her newfound respect for Jin. If what Jin said about his age was true, then he was undoubtedly a top-tier genius and a valuable ally to foster. One’s progress in the cultivation world relied on many factors, not least of which was one’s ability to find loyal friends and useful allies.

“I’m very flattered,” Jin lied. In all honesty, he did not think his work left anything to be admired. It was a half-hearted job and terribly inefficient to boot. In fact, during the time it took to construct the array formation, Jin had been more distracted thinking about what details regarding the bracelet to reveal and what details to leave out. He wanted Bluebird to know as little as possible while still maintaining a decent level of interest.

Should he start with a story about the near-mythical doctor, Gao Sai, and his love for Midori Blossom, a young princess of the powerful Blossom Clan? After all, an image of a crowned turtle was inscribed on the bracelet. Gao Sai’s famous mark was well known to immortal scholars in the High Realms. The doctor had lived thousands of years ago, long before Jin’s and Yuri’s time, but the man’s legendary feats of selflessness and his inspiring love story with Midori Blossom had endured throughout the ages. The first time Jin laid eyes on the bracelet, he suspected it was the same one Gao Sai gifted to Midori - the keys to Gao Sai’s much sought after inheritance. Over the past few millennia, no small share of cultivators had searched for the divine sovereign’s treasures.

Once Jin completed the array formation, the vow making ritual was fairly straightforward. Jin, Yuri, and Bluebird pledged not to divulge any information discussed that night to others, about the bracelet or otherwise. Jin and Yuri also swore their noninvolvement in mortal sects, and both parties agreed not to consciously harm the other during the next three months, which by then Jin surmised their business would conclude. After the ceremony, a comfortable warmth invaded their bodies, evidence that the unbreakable vows had been sealed.

When the warmth dissipated, Yuri and Bluebird looked to Jin in anticipation. Seeing that the time was right, Jin flipped his sleeves, extinguishing the candles near the door and added his own privacy wards to the room’s already existent seclusion arrays.

He smiled to them and began with a simple question. “Have you heard of the story of Gao Sai, the Lord of the Twelve Turtle Kings?”