Preparing for the Martial Meeting.

In total, I instructed members of the Hyūga Clan for a little over five hours. During that time, they were able to get a grasp on the basics of Soul Cultivation and started to establish a foundation for the future.

I left them some Cultivation techniques that fit their physique and waited for them to return to our discussion. Hiashi other leaders quickly gathered again, as, after learning the techniques I provided, their respect for me achieved new heights.

-"I apologize for making you wait, Your Excellency."

~"Don't worry, I understand how one can get engrossed in Cultivation."

-"We will keep up our end of the deal. I prepared copies of our techniques for Your Excellency, and we have already contacted Lady Tsunade expressing our support. Your Excellency was also accepted as a member of our clan. We can even provide Your Excellency with Byakugan if Your Excellency wishes for one."

This offer surprised me, as I knew how much importance the Hyūga Clan put on making sure one can't acquire Byakugan if he is not born with one. Thinking about it, while Byakugan won't be able to increase my power, it could give me more possibilities in the future, so I accepted the offer.

We exchanged everything and spoke a little more about possible future cooperation. In the end, only the last subject of training Hinata remained.

-"I have no problem with that arrangement. What do you think, Hinata?"

-"I would like to study under Yue."

~"Then so be it. I might not be free all the time, but Tsunade will help you contact me if something happens. For now, just focus on techniques I left in your family and your ninja missions. I will contact you later when the time for training comes."

-"Yes."

-"Please take care of my child, Your Excellency."

~"I'll make sure no harm comes her way."

After bidding farewell, I walked with the Keqing toward the entrance to the village, preparing to return to Hold.

~"What are yours feeling after that short vacation?"

-"I'm happy that we finally confirmed our relationship. I must say that you kept me waiting. But I would like to return here another time. Despite differences from Liyue, I kinda feel some familiarity with this place."

~"We will have an occasion to come back here."

-"Be sure to invite me then."

Smiling at each other, we exited Konoha and returned to Hold.

My avatar outside went directly to Sect to set everything up before the Martial Meeting. Meanwhile, inside, I worked with Hephaestus on the first prototype of the item that will allow us to easily revive Knights of Hold. After many failed ideas and tests, we finally settled on creating items we called 'Phylactery'. Each of them consisted of two parts: Soul Crystal, which stored the Soul of a person it was bound to, and an amulet that person had to wear for the Soul to be captured before it could dissipate.

The amulet acted as a conduit between Soul Crystal and the Knights so that they didn't have to spit their Souls to keep them in the Soul Crystal all the time. If a Knight were to die, their Soul would be sent to Soul Crystal, which is kept in Hold, from where they can be revived.

Now, after a successful proof of concept, we have to create a working prototype to perform some stress tests before finalizing the projects and supplying all Knights with the finished product.

~"Finally done."

-"Right, if not for Aranyani's, Fu Xuan's, and Albedo's assistance, we wouldn't be able to finish it so quickly."

~"Don't forget Yae's input by bringing those Phylacteries from stories she read."

-"If not for her idea, we might have still been trying to grant Phoenix's power of revival to Knights. What are your plans now?"

~"I will need twenty or so Phylacteries to send them to Nobu. After that, I am free."

-"Then can you accompany me for some time?"

~"Sure."

We needed around an hour to finish all twenty prototypes, and after handing them to Lin with additional instructions to pass to Nobu, I followed Hephaestus and exited the Palace, walking into the city.

~"So what do you want to do?"

-"Tsubaki asked me to visit my familia members who set up workshops in Hold. I was busy before, but as we finished all the important matters, I thought of visiting them now, and as you are free, how about we have ourselves a short date?"

~"I'm more than happy to accompany you."

After leaving the High Grounds, we walked toward the Hephaestus familia workshops. I covered us two with the power of Enigmata not to cause a commotion on the streets as we strolled on them.

-"Every time I walk those streets, something new would appear."

~"It's indeed hard to keep up with everything. Now Ningguang and Astraea are also working on bringing more people here, so it will get even more lively."

-"I'm a little worried that some of the new arrivals will disrupt the peace of this place."

~"I'm also troubled by that. I already sent my puppets to test the prospective citizens, but the results were poor."

-"How bad were they?"

~"In one group, around two-thirds would have earned themself the death penalty under Hold's laws in my short stay there."

-"Uff."

~"There were also nice groups, but the average is tragic for now."

-"It's better not to rush then. I don't want to even imagine someone setting up an underground here, let alone founding an organization akin to Evilus here."

~"Well, it's impossible for something like that to happen. Not only does Fu Xuan work hard to make sure the law is obeyed, but I also have many eyes around."

As I spoke, a small white fox jumped onto Hephaestus's shoulder.

-"A fox? So there is a story behind why there are so many of them here?"

~"It was Kokomi's idea. I'm working on creating a new race, but during my tests, I created a multitude of minor Spirits that now inhabit this world. Kokomi asked if it was possible to create spirits that would help people in the city, so those little foxes were created."

-"They can't be here just to help, right?"

~"Of course not. I named them Tenko. Their job is to be my eyes in the city. They are not independent beings but are split from me, so I can see and hear what they do, but more importantly, act as them when needed."

-"That's why Kokomi heavily focuses on propagating the image of coexistence and cooperation with the Spirits. Those foxes are your messengers and followers in the eyes of people, thus making you appear as a benevolent leader taking care of them."

~"Yes, but also, I can get rid of any shady elements easily. They are Spirits, so their actions are seen as good and right due to their nature. Also, their actions are not linked to me, as I'm not one doing them, but the outcomes are. They, as my messengers, saved or helped people, so I did save them that indirectly."

-"Almost no risk, but you can gain the rewards, huh."

~"By the way, you wouldn't believe how many small shrines that hold statues of foxes are in this city."

-"Hundred or so?"

~"Far off. Over a thousand of them exist. Almost one per street."

-"Truly?"

~"Almost every day, children would leave small pieces of tofu in those shrines and hide nearby to see a fox that would receive it. It's quite heartwarming."

-"That's cute. On the subject of foxes, I heard that in Orario, some gods tried to damage your image by lowering the image of foxes in the city, but that offended eastern gods and even a few War Games happened over the issue."

~"I also received some invites from Amaterasu herself to meet. She even invited me to her Palace in Takamagahara."

-"Hou? Easter gods are rather reserved, so this is a big deal in itself."

~"I know, I accepted the invite, but I'm to yet set a date for it."

-"You shouldn't keep them waiting for too long."

~"I plan to visit Orario after I deal with the matters in Sect. I promised Artemis to spend a day with her after her familia returned from their deployment, but I've been busy lately, and so it got postponed."

-"She is really acward with matters of heart, so please be patient with her."

~"I'm not much better with them, so don't worry."

-"Right, how is that Acheron girl?"

~"She is with my avatar in the Sect. Sigh. I hope she will be able to find a purpose in her life."

-"I also wish her all the best. Her story is beyond what most can bear."

~"We can only hope and give her support when she needs it."

A short while later, we entered Hephaestus familia workshops. Our visit caused a commotion inside, but we soon got everyone under control and calmly watched the progress familia members had made in their crafts.

The time passed quickly, and soon, five days went by. Today, I was to meet with other organizers of the Martial Meeting, so I finished the formation that manifested some of the Simulated Realm in this world and headed to the Sect Hall.

Acheron followed me a few steps behind, never letting me leave her sight since our fight. The upside was that we learned how to hold a conversation between ourselves, but she still remained a person of few words.

Meeting with Tyrande, Lunara, Illidan, and Elven representatives, I entered the Hall, where Shen Meng, Soaring Feather, and Empyrean Vast Universe were already talking.

-"You are finally here, Yue."-Soaring Feather was first to speak.

~"Yes, I had to finish the formation."

-"Good that you are here. Let me introduce you. This is Hao Yu, the Empyrean Vast Universe."-Shen Meng spoke as I sat next to her.

-"I have wanted to meet the man who stole Shen Meng's heart for a long time. I must say that I can't see through you."

~"I'm lucky to receive Meng's affection. A pleasure to meet you, Hao Yu. I'm Yue, Spirit Emperor."

-"Spirit Emperor, huh? I never heard of your power, but looking at those following you, I can see that you have the strength to call yourself an Emperor."

-"Let's return to the main subject."

~"Sure, can you give us a quick run down, Meng?"

Shen Meng nodded and explained the details of the Martial Meeting to me and the Elves. The most important points were the trials that we had to set up and the people that would take part in the Martial Meeting.

~"So the main issue is dealing with the entitlement of the people?"

-"Basically. While most should act properly as the face of us four is not something they dare to spit on, there are always some who think themself to be over the law."

~"What do you think?"~I looked at the Elves.

-"Let Watchers and High Elf Sentinels act in the open as a deterrent and show of force. Night Elf and Void Elf Sentinels will watch from the shadows, while the rest will respond when needed."-Lunara proposed.

-"I'll make Demon Hunters be guards for the trials. They won't let any brat ride their heads."-Added Illidan.

-"The Sisterhood will assist in healing and patrols, but please allocate some Sentinels to stand by them."

-"I'll have Nightborne accompany your priestesses, Tyrande."

-"Thank you, Thalyssra."

~"I think that a few thousand guards will be enough."

-"What about their strength?"

~"You don't have to worry, Hao Yu. While Empyrean may be beyond thier power, all here have the strength of a peak World King. An average Sentinel is Divine Lord, while Watcher is Holy Lord."

-"Impressive. I think only Good Fortune Saint Palace in the past could say to be greater."

~"Let's just say that those are not all forces of Spirit Empire, but they won't be needed to act during the Meeting."

-"Yes, Sect will take care of greeting and guiding the guests, while Spirit Empire will deal with the masses. Soaring Feather, you are to provide the treasures as the rewards. We will repay you later."

-"Just give me access to that Realm of your husband."

~"Sure, just keep in mind that vows will be needed."

-"I don't mind."

-"Hao Yu, you deal with the Semi-Finals."

-"Leave it to me."-Hao Yu turned to me and continued to speak.-"On the subject of trials, what will Qualifiers look like, Yue?"

~"I plan to simulate a large city under siege. In the beginning, all the contestants will become part of the military force there. They will be able to gather points by defeating opponents and helping the city. Those who have the most points by the end will move to the next round."

-"I don't believe that it's that simple. I know you. There must be some surprises hidden."

~"And you are not wrong, Soaring Feather. They will have to either climb the ranks of the military to receive the freedom to act or leave it all together and become mercenaries. While I won't restrict their strength, the leaders of the city will be much stronger than them, and if they don't get into the role they were given, they will understand the cruelty of martial law."

-"I see. You plan to force them to adapt and look at how they deal with both dangers outside and also challenges inside the city."

~"I plan to let them spend ten years under siege from many monsters, slowly raising the intensity. From time to time, I will send stronger beings to act as bosses to defeat. Most likely, I will let Herrschers test their strength against the participants to let them prepare for our war."

-"This can be interesting to see, but won't ten years be too long?"

~"I'll make it so that it will only take a month outside."

-"Then it's good. Can you tell us more about earning points?"

~"Points will also be currency in the city. Earned by defeating monsters, completing orders, working in the city, etc. Many methods will be available, but also, one would have to spend those on food, a place to live, and such. Trade between players is also possible, but theft and other crimes will be punished if caught, at least if one's standing is too low to sweep those under a rug."

-"Heh, I see you plan to give those children a reality check. This will be fun."

-"I also think so. Have you prepared everything?"

~"I still need some time, but the general structure is already prepared. In two weeks, you will be able to test the trial, Meng."

-"Why not? Let's gather some people and give it a test run then."

~"I'll take my guards to take part.~I turned to Elves.~"Would you also try?"

After they talked between themselves, they also expressed their interest in joining, but under circumstances where I would lead them, no simulated people would be given power over them.

Soaring Feather and Hao Yu also decided to add their people to the test, so we decided to hold the test run for one year rather than ten. Elves will act as the soldiers that will be simulated in the real trial, while other members will get full experience.

After that, we spoke about many other details before finishing this meeting a few hours later and returning to our tasks.