As the evening progressed, Wei compound had settled into a rhythm of conversations and deliberate mingling's.
Several hours had passed since the initial introductions, and the natural hierarchy of the gathering had begun to assert itself.
The lesser forces those minor clans and merchant families whose presence served more ceremonial than strategic purposes had begun to take their leave with appropriate gratitude and well-wishes.
Their departures were graceful but purposeful, recognizing that the truly significant discussions would occur later among those with greater influence and resources.
However, the major powers remained firmly in place, their representatives showing no signs of departure despite the advancing hour.
Elder Gu continued his subtle assessments of the Wei Clan's resources and potential, while Elder Feng Bi engaged in increasingly detailed discussions about cultivation theory with several senior alchemy members of the family.
Patriarch Zhao maintained his position near the center of the hall, his twin daughters serving as both social ambassadors and information gatherers as they moved through the remaining crowd.
Wei Chen observed the gradual thinning of the crowd with growing interest.
As the lesser forces slowly departed, leaving only those with Golden Core level backing and above, he felt an unusual stirring in his enhanced spiritual senses.
His incubus bloodline, combined with the Soul Law Scripture the Desire Emperor had taught him, was picking up subtle spiritual fluctuations .
His gaze fell upon the Zhao twins, who continued their graceful navigation through the remaining guests.
There was something about them that had been nagging at his consciousness all evening—a subtle wrongness that his awakened incubus bloodline seemed to detect on an instinctual level.
I should approach them, he decided, the feeling growing stronger as he watched their interactions. Whatever this sensation is, I need to understand it.
Wei Lin had emerged as a focal point of attention, moving through the gathering with the graceful confidence of someone who had spent three years proving herself.
Her interactions with representatives from pavilions, independent merchants, and various clan scions demonstrated a political sophistication that impressed even the most experienced observers.
Each conversation she engaged in carried multiple layers of meaning.
When speaking with the Zhao twins, her words carried the careful respect due to potential allies while maintaining the authority of her newly announced position.
With the merchant representatives, she displayed an understanding of economics that surprised those who had expected a purely martial focus from someone fresh from the savage lands.
"Young Miss Wei," one of the merchant princes addressed her near the refreshment pavilion, "your reputation in the borderlands has reached even our distant trading posts. The stability you helped bring to several contested regions has been... profitable for our operations."
Wei Lin's smile carried both warmth and calculation. "Commerce and security often go hand in hand, Master Chen. The stability you helped bring to several contested regions has been... profitable for our operations."
The merchant nodded approvingly, recognizing both the implicit offer of continued cooperation and the subtle warning about the consequences of opposing such arrangements.
"Indeed. Perhaps we might discuss opportunities for mutual benefit in the near future?"
"I believe such discussions would prove fruitful," Wei Lin replied diplomatically, her tone suggesting genuine interest while avoiding specific commitments.
As Wei Chen made his way toward the twins, weaving through the remaining conversations with practiced ease, he felt his enhanced spiritual sensitivity growing more acute.
The unusual sensation that had been drawing him toward them was intensifying with each step.
When he finally approached the area where the Zhao twins were engaged in conversation with several other young masters, he waited for an appropriate moment before stepping forward.
"Young Miss Zhao Mei, Young Miss Zhao Ling," he said with a respectful bow, "I am Wei Chen. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier I was still recovering from my recent ordeal."
The twins turned toward him with synchronized grace, their expressions showing polite interest mixed with careful assessment.
"Young Master Wei," Zhao Mei responded first, her voice carrying a musical quality that seemed to resonate strangely in his enhanced hearing. "We had heard of your remarkable recovery. It is indeed an honor to meet you."
""Few could have endured what you faced and emerged stronger."
As they spoke, Wei Chen felt the unusual sensation reach a crescendo. His incubus bloodline, awakened during his recent ordeal, was detecting something extraordinary about their souls a fluctuation that seemed to pulse with both attractive and repulsive forces, as if their very spiritual essence contained contradictory elements that somehow harmonized.
The feeling was unlike anything he had experienced before, even during his most intense cultivation sessions.
The Soul Law Scripture that the Desire Emperor had imparted to him had heightened his sensitivity to spiritual fluctuations, and it was as if their souls were exerting a natural magnetism that both drew him in and pushed him away simultaneously.
What is this sensation? he wondered, while his enhanced senses analysed the phenomenon. Their souls... there's something fundamentally different about them.
From the ring the Desire Emperor felt the soul fluctuations, the desire had felt such frequency only a few dozen times during his long years.
"Dao Souls" the desire Emperor told wei chen , how ever encountering them in the mortal realm is beyond rare, few in of hundreds of million .
"These individuals souls contain fragments of dao that have somehow become integrated into their very essence. When manifested, they provide accelerated comprehension of whatever dao fragment that person possesses. The soul fluctuations they create are distinctive a simultaneous attraction and repulsion that reflects the fundamental nature of dao itself."
'There were three ways he knew of situation where or when this would appeared. knows , ways one would posses such soul
Heaven blessed! natural born gifted beyond their peers. 'this is the first and most likely to appear.
'A soul that had been an immortal in there life and cultivated to a high level of cultivation and managed to retain their Dao even after reincarnation due to using some forbidden techniques or immortal treasures.'
Soul possession a strong figure , who possessed new body with special means , would realised such fluctuation dude to the Original consciousness being wither away to take full position . This tends to released such fluctuation , those only to be felt by certain individual.
'As you are now can you detect which one are they ?' we chen asked
'Possibily…. get as close ill try can get a better feel.' desire emperor
As Wei Chen continued his polite conversation with the twins, he felt increasingly certain that he was witnessing exactly what the Desire Emperor had described.
The unusual soul fluctuations, the way their very presence seemed to create subtle ripples in the spiritual atmosphere around them—all of it pointed to the incredibly rare phenomenon of Dao Souls.
"Your clan's reputation for producing exceptional talents is well-deserved," Wei Chen said, choosing his words carefully while continuing to analyze the spiritual phenomena he was detecting. "I sense that both of you possess remarkable potential."
The twins exchanged a brief glance, something flickering in their eyes that suggested they were not entirely unaware of their own uniqueness.
"You are quite perceptive, Young Master Wei," Zhao Mei replied, her tone carrying a hint of something deeper than mere politeness.
"We have indeed been blessed with certain... advantages in our cultivation."
"Though we have found that such advantages often come with their own complexities," Zhao Ling added, his expression suggesting depths of experience that seemed unusual for someone of his apparent age.
As these conversations continued throughout the hall, the atmosphere suddenly shifted with the sound of a powerful cry that resonated through the very air itself—the unmistakable call of a phoenix, but deeper and more profound than any ordinary spiritual beast.
The assembled guests turned toward the sound's source with varying degrees of surprise, curiosity, and growing recognition. Through the compound's outer courtyards came a carriage that commanded immediate attention and respect.
The Carriage itself was a masterwork of both artistry and spiritual engineering. Its frame was constructed from Peak ranks 4 Heavenly Profound Iron, a material so rare and valuable that most cultivators would never see it in their lifetimes, let alone witness it being used for transportation.
The iron had been worked with crimson gold inlays that formed intricate patterns resembling phoenix feathers, each line pulsing with contained spiritual energy that spoke of master craftsmen and imperial resources.
Drawing this magnificent carriage were four Hell Phoenix Bloodline horses, each one a Peak third-grade spiritual beast whose individual value exceeded the total wealth of most minor clans.
Their coats gleamed with an inner fire that cast dancing shadows across the compound's walls, while their hooves struck the ground with force that sent subtle tremors through the earth itself.
Most significantly, the carriage bore the imperial seal of the Crimson Phoenix Empire a symbol that transformed the evening from a regional celebration into an event of continental importance.
The seal itself seemed to burn with inner fire, its presence radiating a spiritual pressure that made the very air feel heavier and more charged with potential.
As the carriage settled in the designated landing area, the atmospheric pressure throughout the compound shifted noticeably.
Conversations became more subdued, spiritual energies were carefully controlled, and even the most powerful guests present found themselves unconsciously adjusting their postures in response to the imperial presence.
From the carriage emerged two figures.
The first was a woman a mature figure both power and beauty.
Her figure was curvaceous and full, her bearing carrying the confident authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed without question.
Her robes were crafted from materials that seemed to shimmer between crimson and gold, their cut emphasizing both elegance and the practical requirements of a high-level cultivator.
The second figure was younger, appearing to have just reached her eighteenth year, but her presence was no less commanding.
She walked with a combination of pride and arrogance that spoke of absolute confidence in her abilities and position.
Her cultivation aura, carefully controlled but unmistakably powerful, marked her as someone who had achieved remarkable heights at an age when most cultivators were still struggling with basic techniques.
The compound's guards, despite their Foundation Establishment cultivation levels, immediately recognized that these visitors operated on a completely different level of power.
Rather than attempt any formal protocols, they simply maintained respectful distances while one of their number immediately dispatched a message toward the inner compound where the family's could respond appropriately.
As the two imperial figures made their way toward the main hall, their approach created a ripple effect throughout the gathering.
The ongoing celebration, which had been in full swing with music, conversation, and the general atmosphere of a successful social event, gradually paused as awareness of their presence spread.
Many of the assembled guests found themselves bowing instinctively, their bodies responding to spiritual pressures that their conscious minds had not yet fully processed.
This was not merely political courtesy when faced with cultivation differences of such magnitude, the physical response became almost involuntary.
However, the representatives of the truly great clans those whose own backgrounds included significant cultivation achievements and political connections responded differently.
Rather than bowing, they simply made way, creating clear paths while offering respectful nods that acknowledged status without suggesting subservience.
These individuals had sufficient background and confidence to interact with imperial representatives, though they were careful to show appropriate respect.
Whispered conversations began spreading throughout the hall as guests shared their recognition of the arriving figures.
"The older woman... isn't that Imperial Aunt Feng Mei?" someone murmured near the eastern wall.
"Sister to the Empress Dowager herself," came the confirming whisper.
"Her cultivation reached Peak Nascent Soul decades ago."
"And the younger one..." another voice added with a mixture of awe and trepidation, "that has to be Princess Feng Yue, daughter of the current Empress."
"The Phoenix Bloodline talent," someone else confirmed quietly.
"They say her cultivation has already reached Middle Golden Core, and she's not yet nineteen."
The implications of their presence began to settle over the gathering like a heavy blanket.
This was no casual social visit or diplomatic courtesy.
Imperial Aunt Feng Mei held a position of tremendous influence within the Crimson Phoenix Empire's power structure, serving as one of the Empress's most trusted advisors and representatives.
Her personal cultivation at Peak Nascent Soul made her one of the most powerful individuals on the continent, someone whose decisions could reshape entire regions.
Princess Feng Yue's presence was equally significant, though for different reasons.
As the current Empress's daughter and possessor of the rare Phoenix Bloodline, she represented both the present and future of imperial power.
Her cultivation achievements at such a young age marked her as a once-in-a-generation talent, someone whose potential rivalled the greatest figures in the empire's history.
Wei Jian, receiving urgent word from his guards, felt his own spiritual energy fluctuate slightly as he processed the implications of this unexpected development.
The secret message he had sent through Elder Song had mentioned his son's potential in terms designed to attract imperial attention, but he had not anticipated such a rapid and high-level response.
They came personally, he realized with a mixture of satisfaction and concern. The message suggested talent comparable to the Empress herself... they've sent the Imperial Aunt and the Princess to verify such claims directly.
As the two imperial figures approached the main hall's entrance, the atmosphere throughout the compound continued to shift.
What had begun as a regional celebration had suddenly become an event of continental significance.
The gathered representatives of various major clans found themselves reassessing not just their relationships with the Wei family, but their positions relative to the Crimson Phoenix Empire itself.
Alliance opportunities that had seemed straightforward moments earlier now carried the potential for imperial favor or displeasure depending on how they were handled.
Wei Chen, still talking to the Zhao twins where he had been extending the conversation to allow the desire emperor to analysing their unusual soul fluctuations, felt the change in atmosphere like a physical weight settling across his shoulders.
His enhanced spiritual sensitivity, a benefit of his incubus bloodline and the Soul Law Scripture, allowed him to perceive the true magnitude of the power approaching them.
He thought as he watched the approaching figures through the hall's entrance, though part of his mind remained focused on the extraordinary discovery he had just made about the twins' Dao Souls.
The evening that had begun as a celebration of his recovery and his sister's achievements was about to become something far more significant a defining moment that would determine not just his personal future, but the trajectory of the Wei Clan for generations to come.
As Imperial Aunt Feng Mei and Princess Feng Yue crossed the threshold into the main hall.
The dance of power that had been playing out among regional forces was about to be joined by players whose influence could reshape the entire continent.