A recovered Wu Jian sat upon his throne, staring down at the two Feng Clan elders that stood in his meeting hall with an imperious gaze. They had been introduced by one of his servants, but neither side spoke, for to do so was to be portrayed as the weaker side. Usually, the Wu Patriarch would've initiated the conversation, being that there was only one Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in his clan. However, after his recent exploits in battle, it would be inappropriate of him to concede the first words in his own clan, a place even more closely connected with him than the area where he had fought. The Feng elders knew of his feat, Feng Lin having been asked to tell them by her future husband in order to raise his standing in their eyes. She was, surprisingly, on board with this, despite them being her clansmen. But it seemed that Wu Jian's goodwill was more important to her than the inconvenience she would cause her family.

Eventually, perhaps sensing that the Wu Patriarch was not going to budge on this, the mid stage elder broke the silence.

"We have arrived, as per our agreement."

She was a amiable looking woman called Feng An, whose face was creased with smile lines. Now, though, her mouth was curled in a frown as she looked her clan's newest ally up and down, judging him and apparently finding him unworthy.

"I am grateful for your assistance."

Wu Jian replied, not willing to strain their relationship by using more power plays. In the end, his allies being more friendly would be better than whatever small benefits raising his position any further in the alliance would grant him.

"Our enemies are set to be upon us in 2 days. We have reason to believe that the Gao Clan is aiding them in their crusade and that they have recently gained a lot more motivation to lend more of their strength towards suppressing us."

He continued.

"We will support your forces as best we can. But we will retreat upon any true threat to our, or the Young Miss', lives."

The second elder, a hawk like woman called Feng Chen, who had a permanently aggressive look in her eyes, spoke up.

"I would ask no more of you."

Was his response, knowing full well that they would not hesitate to abandon him should the going get tough. This was part of the reason he had to project strength at the start of the meeting, as looking weak would cause them to leave the upcoming battle much sooner.

"Would you like a demonstration of our power?"

The amiable woman asked.

"There is no need."

Wu Jian answered, having already got the measure of their strength from their auras. Surprisingly, it was Feng An whose aura was the bloodiest of the two, her skills seemingly honed on the edge between life and death despite her friendly appearance. That wasn't to say that Feng Chen hadn't seen her fair share of deadly battles, she most certainly had, but her lower stage compatriot had been dancing on that fine line for almost her entire path of cultivation.

"Very well then."

The Feng elder said, her eyes gleaming with interest as she adjusted her evaluation of him. Feng Chen's facial expression changed slightly, letting the Wu Patriarch know that his guests were communicating through divine sense. He patiently waited for them to finish, and when they did, Feng An turned to him.

"Then we would like a demonstration of yours."

She spoke, and as soon as the words left her mouth the room turned chilly and vicious shadows started to dance on the walls. Cold rage flickered on Wu Jian's face, storms brewing within his eyes. He let his aura leak, laced with the same killing intent that had led him to destroy the souls of the Zhao clansmen, the killing intent that had been forged through brutal training throughout his childhood and the battles since. He could take being battered, beaten, and pierced through, but anyone who had disrespected him or his clan now lay dead, imprisoned and awaiting execution, or had their souls removed from the cycle of Samsara, that was something he could not accept. These guests, his so called allies, sought to test him. Not only that, but they did it in his home. Anger clouded his mind but he knew he couldn't strike them down, and that only served to make it worse. He stared them down, the Feng elders viably cowed by his furious gaze. But then, in the red fog, he saw images of his clan under the thumb of another, images that would come to pass should he act on his impulses. He reached into his soul sea, straining to beat back the overwhelming emotion, and rung his bell of calm.

The room returned to normal, the suffocating pressure that he released died down. He had no idea what had come over him, and he resolved to find out later, but right now he was going to take advantage of it. He smiled, a cold smile devoid of any warmth, and spoke slowly, in a steady tone.

"Is that sufficient?"

He asked, smile widening as they cringed away from his voice.

"Y-yes."

Came the muted response, Feng An having resisted just a bit better than her fellow elder.

"Then that will be all. My clansmen will see that you are suitably looked after. I hope the rooms are to your liking."

He got control of his expression, changing it to be more neutral.

"You are dismissed."

He waved them away, servants coming to lead them out when they turned and left, shocked to the point of instantly obeying his words. Once they were gone, Wu Jian looked down, closed his eyes, and began to search himself, and his cultivation base, with his divine sense.

"What is wrong with me?"

He whispered as his search continued.