“Master, you have returned!”

Alex's own mood immediately lightened at the sight of Seneschal Dong Xiao’s heartfelt smile. The healer Alex had pulled from a spirit’s waking dream to true life with all the memories and wisdom of a Deep Silver healer thought nothing of dirtying his exquisitely embroidered robe of finest silk when he kowtowed before Alex, the small square hat upon his head saved from falling over only by the jade pin securing it to his top knot.

The air suddenly rang with the sound of startled guards radiating the potency of Silver Giants banging the butts of their fangtian ji’s upon the stone tiles before the palatial entrance before slamming hands to steel-covered chests in salute.

Alex couldn’t help smiling when his friends, who before had only been treated to a brief stay in his personal suite, were now gazing with wonder at the sight before them when they stepped through Alex's gate leading to the front entrance of the place he now called home. A fairy tale palace made up of magnificent towers, soaring pagodas, edifices capped in brilliant domes of gold, and sparkling minarets that somehow came together in one grand unified whole. A masterwork of glorious extravagance that would put the manorial excesses of the world he had once called his own to shame.

A wonder that was well and truly his own.

"We'll be heading to my quarters shortly, Dong Xiao."

Dong Xiao flashed an understanding smile, flowing into a perfect 90 degree bow. "Of course, my lord. We will await your presence within." With those words, he and the guards marched inside the towering front gates Alex doubted even Gold Titans could pound through, his seneschal somehow knowing without anything further being said that Alex and his friends just needed a minute to process all that had happened. And, for his friends, to appreciate the view before him.

"It truly is magnificent, Alex." Cheng Lei said, his unabashedly handsome kung fu brother flashing Alex an approving smile. "The wonders of your personal quarters within were grand enough. But seeing it as a whole?"

"Kings would wage wars to obtain such a palace," said Cheng Lei's distant cousin, his stocky frame and rough features radiating a certain handsomeness that was more sheer vitality than anything else, though also a prince of a nation that might well incorporate a surface area equal to the greatest empire that had ever exited on the face of Earth, had that conqueror actually managed to master the entire globe.

"That they would," whispered Princess Cui Chan of CuiJing Principality, one of the ten territories making up the nation of ZhengTu kingdom. Which adjoined YanTu nation, the home of the Red Prince, a power mad tyrant who had effectively claimed the reins of power after possibly disposing of his father and forcing his sister and her daughter Princess Xian Hong to flee for their lives, that latter whom Alex had rescued and befriended on his journey to Baidushi, the capital of CuiJing Principality, and the home of both Princess Cui Chan and the Royal Phoenix Academy which was now tied to Alex's destiny in ways Alex still couldn't believe.

Haunted eyes belonging to a once strikingly beautiful woman who had been the master of her own fate before being scarred and brutalized, emotionally and physically, by monsters Alex had happily butchered, grew hard with worry. "If that damned bastard Dongfang Hong ever discovers our sanctuary, he would devote countless resources to taking control and slaughtering everyone who thought to escape here."

"True. Which is why I suggest none of us reveal the slightest hint about this sanctuary and our escape from the Red Prince's designs," Cheng Lei said, his concerned gaze fastened upon Alex once more. "And that's also why I recommend we leave out all mention of your magnificent ascension, Alex. Because if rumors of this sanctuary and your amazing accomplishment ever got out..."

"The rumors would spread like wildfire," said Caojin. "No one will believe a Ruidian actually defeated the Headmaster, let alone slaughtered him and over a score of his cronies. But if rumors link a mysterious sanctuary and a divine palace with the ascension of a new headmaster, that people would believe. Too many people," the newly forged Gold who had declared himself a Prince of the Yellow declared.

He frowned at Alex. "You do understand, don't you, Ruidian? If word actually got out, people who would brush off the rumors of either of these feats would be more than willing to believe that a headmaster could indeed possess his own pocket realm. Then we would have to deal with power hungry nobles who would be all too willing to chase down rumors of such a windfall waiting to be claimed by men with the resources to claim it."

"Yes, I get it, Caojin. And I'm not actually a Ruidian, but never mind that," said Alex.

"What's truly concerning is that they would know just where to look for portals leading to your realm, Alex," Cheng Lei cautioned, looking back through the shimmering golden portal at what was now a fully restored inner and outer sanctum of the academy library he had claimed as his own. He then flashed an approving smile Alex's way. "Because you are determined to make good on your promise, with hidden paths leading to sanctuary that only those who give their oaths may access. I admire your spirit and good intentions, Alex, though I regret that the gates are now oathbound to you."

Alex winced and nodded. After all he had done to watch his words and maneuver his foes so that the oaths they swore would assure his own safety or give him the edge he had desperately needed to survive numerous matches against opponents who would have happily destroyed him, it had been quite the lesson in humility to find that the pair of gates he had forged in a sublime act of charity and compassion for the hundreds, perhaps thousands still trapped in the academy, had taken the form of a binding oath.

It was chilling to find that he couldn't break those two portals without sending negative reverbations through his own foundation.

"Probably because of everything that happened," Alex said, quickly closing the gate behind them and taking scant comfort that he could at least close the portal leading from his front gate to the inner sanctum of the school library in an eyeblink, no oath binding it. He then pulled out the soul-linked talisman he had earned at the school that had changed so drastically since his battle with the former headmaster. What had once been an almost translucent jade talisman marked with the symbol of the fox was now dark as midnight, and included additional sigils as well. A gold-etched jade crown at the very top, and words that only Alex could read.

Thrice won is sacred.

No living soul may refuse your challenge.

And that second line was everything. The absolute inverse of 'No challenge may be refused.' which had truly forged him in fire while still a student of the academy. Now utterly transformed with the death of the headmaster into an incredibly powerful artifact that would now make Alex immune to any challenge he didn't wish to face at the school. And perhaps...

Alex shook his head, his suspicions about just how strong an artifact it was being something he had to put on hold. And what did it matter in any case, when an invading army had effectively taken over the school entire with hundreds if not thousands of troops hidden in the underground tunnels within, thanks to a corrupt headmaster, now eagerly making their subtle conquest an overt power grab?

He sighed and shook his head. "And I know for a fact that I didn't make any promises with those gates, but now..."

"Now you truly are the headmaster, Alex," said Cui Chan softly. "Headmaster is more than just a fancy word. It represents your dominion over the academy and all her lands." She flashed a sad smile. "You told us the conditional oath-binding sanctuary you promised all those who would enter your pair of gates. Words that had little consequence when you were a lone student struggling against powerful forces eager for your destruction. But those words are also symbolic, as far as the fates are concerned, with a Ruler protecting his people. For all we know, that had been as much a catalyst for your ascension as your victory over that bastard Sudong. But your oathbinding path of rescue for the sake of countless cultivators who had risked so much to find sanctuary and growth at that school now constitutes a bond that cannot be broken by the citizens who serve, or the ruler who guides them, without severe repercussions."

Alex blinked. "But I'm no king. No ruler. Save in my own lands, perhaps."

Cui Chan flashed a gentle smile. "That is not entirely true, hero. You are now the headmaster of the grandest Academy in all of Cuijing Province, and are now technically of administerial rank, even if it's not a hereditary title. And even if that monster Dongfang Hong, our nation's supposed beneficent neighbor, has revealed his true colors, unsheathing his claws and established his dominion over nearly the entire school, filling it with his soldiers as he prepares to annex our lands..."

"The library is still mine," said Alex, still recalling that fierce rush of exultation he had felt from the moment he had formally declared his ascension when, at the behest of Cheng Lei, he placed his talisman upon the pedestal at the heart of the innermost sanctum his friend had shown him with a certain amount of ceremony.

In that instant, he had sensed every single inhabitant of both the hidden library and the outer library beyond. Interfacing perfectly with his map. And how his eyes had lit with a fierce fire when he sensed scores upon scores of reds and just a few whites hiding within his library.

"That it is, hero," Cui Chan said, her features lightening in what was once more a beautiful smile, teeth fully restored and scars faded so that only traces could be seen, thanks to his seneschal's magnificent prowess. "Though I had feared for the worst, seeing you use the sanctum's spirit crystals to pit your will against our foes, trying to compel them to leave, it was they who fled the battlefield of the mind, not you!" She shook her head in wonder. "What a sight it was to see the faces of those arrogant soldiers fill with sudden terror, one second swearing at the walls and ceiling that they would see all our heads on pikes when your voice carried through the walls, and the next moment, they were shrieking like babies and fleeing for the exit."

Alex couldn't help but flash a cold smile at that. For all that it had barely achieved Bronze Rank, Alex was now almost certain that Willpower was one attribute that couldn't be enhanced via ascending or leveling up as he still thought of it. Rather, it ranked only by honing one's own focus and determination, forcing oneself to overcome one's own limitations. Rank 1 Bronze, or 20, might actually be a fairly decent score, whatever one's cultivation rank.

And after all he had endured....

Xun Hu chuckled softly, the thin kitsune girl he had rescued flashing a mischievous grin. "Those fools actually dared to threaten Alex, pitting their minds against WiFu's champion. A man who laughs at death and happily takes baths in waters that would send anyone else's soul racing for the next life as fast as they could."

"The water really isn't that bad," Alex qualified. "As long as you don't mind the cold. It numbs off pretty quick, once you get used to it. Like a dip in a mountain lake during the first days of spring."

He held his smile, despite the furrowed brows sent his way.

"Alex... you were taking your ease in the Waters of the Dead," said Cheng Lei.

Caojin snorted. "No doubt he was visualizing swimming in those very waters when battling for mental dominance within the library, and that's what terrified all those fools actually stupid enough to cross a figure straight out of religious texts." He shook his head. "And we all saw what the outer sanctum looked like before our hero, clever just like his patron, somehow gated in a lake's worth of water, washing out all the traces of that slaughter before there was any point to us restocking all those shelves."

Alex winced. Because Caojin was right. That had been exactly the case. Even when he felt the pressure of a dozen zealous minds eager for his death, the moment Alex had flooded his Spirit Link connection to the library's inhabitants with what it felt like to sink into the River of Souls... the sheer terror he had sensed, the screams that the inner sanctums communication crystals so perfectly conveyed, had made it utterly clear who had won that round.

Caojin's bemused smile grew. "I was right. I knew I was right! See? This is why I don't get involved in religious matters. So damned perilous even Silvers and Golds best run for cover." He then turned his gaze back to the magnificent palace shimmering in the golden sunlight once more. "Though in this case, I might make an exception."

Alex laughed at that, finding himself grateful to have his friends by his side, even Caojin's rough but good-natured demeanor growing on him, and doubly glad to find that they had been willing to help him restore the inner and outer sanctum.

Because replacing all the books he had claimed, just like he had feared, had been required of him. Only at least this time fate didn't twist his arm with threats of dire disaster overtaking millions if he didn't comply. Rather, it was a requirement of his status as Headmaster that he had instinctively sensed, and, much to his pleasure, absolutely nothing prevented him from keeping copies of every book he had touched for his own World Seed's library, which he had. If anything, he thought whatever force influenced his status at the academy approved of the dissemination and protection of knowledge.

And it wasn't like he had anything better to do while waiting out what he thought of as his timer before he'd be free to return to his realm without rupturing the gate, after daring the burden of the River of Souls.

It was main reason why he only used his most perilous attack when absolutely necessary. Besides the fact that he was directly channeling death's waters through his soul, he temporarily lost access to his primary means of transportation, his gates to any location he had ever seen or been to before, whenever he dared to use Soul Cleave. It might take a handful of seconds to summon those gates, making them poor tools when facing off against super-humanly quick cultivators in the heat of combat, but with them, he could effectively teleport anywhere if he had time to form them beforehand.

Gates that seemed to work pretty effectively as barriers as well.

He gazed around him, smiling at his friends all of them still gazing appreciatively at the wonder before them, taking a moment to appreciate just how far he had come. As much as he knew he'd have nightmares about the horrific slaughter he had been forced to catalyze in a desperate bid for his own survival, he was determined to be grateful for all he had accomplished, awed and overjoyed by his now Silver Tier Strength and Vitality, and all the ways he had grown as he walked the Path of Perseverance and embraced the Crucible of Fire that was his life as he forged himself into the strongest cultivator he possibly could.

And if that meant he keep certain secrets close to minimize any risk of rumors spreading when people eventually leave, then so be it. And if it also meant that he had to win over his kingdom's newest inhabitants by his words and deeds, and not by his status as the architect of this realm, then he was all for that as well.

Alex nodded. "I think you all are right. Best we not share my unexpected status as headmaster with anyone else while were here. The important thing is that the library's secure." He chuckled softly. "And how good it felt to slam down that forcefield once I basically kicked everyone out. Including a certain asshole of a librarian who never did like me."

Alex smirked at the memory of the stuck-up librarian Guan who had tried to swindle Alex out of credits from the moment they had met, doing nothing to hide his derision once he thought he had the best of Alex, before gazing at the heavens in terror and shrieking for his life when visions of the River of Souls sent everyone fleeing the library in absolute panic, whether they were Neutral or the Red Prince's chosen.

"And if we're really lucky... no one will realize that I'm actually the new headmaster in the world we left, either."

Cheng Lei nodded. "We were in dire peril while we were there. I have no doubt that Dongfang Hong instantly sensed that a challenger had just destroyed his favorite pawn. And if we had stayed, effectively trapped, while he gathered ever more forces to overcome the library by force..." He pinched his lips, clearly displeased by his own train of thought. Before flashing a brilliant smile. "But you, dear Alex, had the perfect escape. And save for your old master Bang Jiao and a shattered Duo Ku, I doubt there is anyone alive who even knows your face, let alone that you were anyone of significance at all."

Strangely, it was Xun Hu who nodded. "And I don't think you have to worry about them," she said. "You utterly destroyed Duo Ku. Broke and humiliated him when he was forced to accept defeat by a man he had held in such contempt, melting his entire face off. Which means he has probably sworn a blood oath to destroy you at all costs, assuming he recovers. But I doubt someone as arrogant as him would risk losing face even admitting what had happened to another, let alone begging for help. And as for your former master..." her eyes turned pitying. "Did you truly not understand the look of despair upon Bang Jiao's face? I thought with your skills..."

Alex frowned. "What?"

"He was broken, Alex. Even I could sense it," the kitsune girl softly said.

Alex's eyes grew heavy with sudden regret. Now wondering if his former masters had been half so bad as he had thought... or if they had been so disparaging and cynical to combat the bitter helplessness that came from realizing they were now pawns in every sense of the word, utterly defeated by monsters who thought nothing of using the school for the darkest purposes imaginable.

Alex just shook his head. "Nothing more that we can do than what we have. I just hope the portals I'm forced to leave open don't get anything but people eager for shelter." He furrowed his brow, turning to his friends. "In fact, now that I think about it... best no one think I'm anything other than a fellow refuge. The few who know otherwise? They know enough not to say a word to anyone else."

This earned him a number of furrowed brows.

"But Alex, this is your domain!" Caojin said, a look of confusion upon his features.

Alex nodded. "It is. And the last thing I want to do is paint a target on my back, even if the only thing I need fear are deadly rumors linking me to school and my world seed, should disgruntled former refuges be exiled back to where they came from, because they did something stupid. Best no one who might cause trouble know anything at all."

His friend Cheng Lei gave a concerned frown. "Alex, I know royal titles can be a bit troublesome, but a fair amount of a ruler's power does rely on appearances, on conveying an image of authority and stability. If you were to shirk that task..."

"It wouldn't affect things here in the least." Alex flashed a hard smile. "This isn't just land I have a legal title to. It IS my world. I'm pretty damn sure neither staff nor guards would ever think of betraying me. It's almost like I'm their..."

"God?" Caojin asked.

Alex shook his head. "I'm just a Bronze who remembers the horror of his own death. The last thing I am is a god. But it was all forged by my will. Though WiFu did help with the first room. At least he seems to like what I've done with the place, whenever he thinks to stop by."

This, like nothing else, got his friend's undivided attention that he absolutely refused to think of as speechless awe. They were Silvers and Gold. He? Still a mere Bronze. But at least he was making progress.

He flashed a teasing smile. "And this way I get out of whatever bureaucratic busywork looking after the needs of absolutely hundreds of refugees, all who probably want access to what I'm realizing might be too few rooms after all, might entail."

Cui Chan actually laughed a this, sharing a smile with the pair of princes. "He actually has a point, there."

"If any of you actually feel like babysitting the needs and concerns of our guests, or otherwise turning the flood of refuges I'm sensing back into a proper school... just let me know."

This earned a polite chuckle or two, but the gazes he sensed were strangely intent.

"Alex, do you realize how significant an offer you're making?" Asked an oddly intent-looking Cui Chan. "I know you're knew to this game, but you're offering to delegate your power, your authority. Assuming you can find friends and advisers who are both thoughtful and worthy of your trust, you're effectively forging your inner circle.

Her eyes suddenly widened as she caught the bemused smiles of the pair of princes beside her. A slow flush crept up her cheeks. "Forgive me, Alex. You are the sovereign lord of these lands, and I'm speaking to you as if I were your counselor. It's just, well, Mother did her best to instruct me when I took my first steps along a similar path." She swallowed. "Before my enemies..."

"Died in the most horrific fashion you can imagine," Alex said. "Those who didn't run like the cowards they are. And the monster who shattered your trust with unforgivable crimes was forever stripped of his Golden Core." Alex's gaze hardened. "In this life, and every other."

Four pairs of solemn gazes locked with Alex's own.

"Because you tore it free of his soul and devoured it," Cui Chan whispered.

Alex nodded. "Yes. I did." He flashed his brightest smile. "So, who would like to be part of my inner circle?"

And for all that the Yellow Prince blanched for long moments, Alex soon found himself facing three royal scions and one fierce-eyed kitsune bending to the ground with one knee and fist touching the sands before him, swearing to serve as advisers who would never veer from the truth, and who would keep his confidences sacred from everyone, save the emperor himself.

Alex gracefully accepted their oaths, sharing a bemused smile with Xun Hu at their sole clause. They were royal scions. Of course the emperor came first. But save for that clause, Alex knew he couldn't ask for more, and assumed the emperor was the trump card to any deck and the odds of conflict there were, he hoped, utterly miniscule.

Caojin was the first to get up, brushing off his slacks, looking quite pleased. "I look forward to assisting you in forging your empire, Alex. And it goes without saying that should you be able to facilitate my safe arrival within HuangTu Kingdom, my father will happily acquiesce to our forming the grandest of trade and cultural alliances!" He frowned thoughtfully. "Just how big is your kingdom anyway, Alex?"

Alex grinned at that. "It's a work in progress, at the moment. Ask me again in a couple of weeks."

Even Cui Chan blinked at that, before turning to Xun Hu, flashing her an approving smile. "And now you and I are both members of a royal council of a realm with so much raw potential it defies all belief. Truly we are laughing at our enemies now, aren't we, little one?"

Xun Hu matched her grin, squeezing Cui Chan's hand as if she were an elder sister. "The wise fox doesn't shy from the juicy hen, no matter how imposing some may find her," she said by way of justification, earning a chuckle from Alex.

"I think our patron would approve," he had said. "Besides, it's always good to get a JiangHu take on things, if you ask me."

The latter comment made Xun Hu flush as the other members of their circle gazed thoughtfully at her, save for a grinning Cheng Lei. "You do have an eye for these things, friend Alex. If I didn't know better..."

"He is," Xun Hu had said with a smile every bit as clever as Alex's own. "And he'd best instruct his mistress to be very, very careful before daring Baidushi. Because Dongfang Hong's conquest isn't the only one that's been in play for the past couple of years."

Cheng Lei chuckled softly when Alex felt a sudden heat in his cheeks and cleared his throat. "A coup within the JiangHu sphere explains so many things. You're inner circle is proving useful already, Alex!"