8 Declaration.

In the grand Golden Palace within a 12-dimensional space, the three Matriarchs - Blossom Dragon Moon (Yuèhuī Ménglóng), Blossom Dragon Star (Liáng Xīnyuè), and Blossom Dragon Sun (Míng Huīrán) - were steeped in a game of Azure Tree Xangqi.

Each move they made influenced the fate of miniature worlds represented by cosmic roots.

As Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè contemplated her next move, a sudden disturbance caught her attention.

Mu Lingxi had entered their space.

Out of respect and humility, she made a deep bow. "Greetings, great Matriarchs," she spoke.

The sudden intrusion drew inquisitive looks from the Matriarchs.

Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè hesitated as her grip loosened on the Xangqi piece.

Intrigued, the Matriarchs studied the newcomer.

Matriarch Míng Huīrán expressed her curiosity, strumming her dark red hair as she stared at Mu Lingxi with her golden eyes. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Mu Lingxi. The first daughter of Chief Mu."

This sparked some recognition from Matriarch Míng Huīrán, stirring her memory. She rubbed her chin, "Chief Mu... Hmm, I've heard that name before..."

"He's one of the five chiefs of the Dragon's Peak Mountains," Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng told her.

Matriarch Míng Huīrán snapped her fingers. "Yes! That's it!"

"It's surprising you can even forget such a clan."

"Eh," Míng Huīrán chuckled. "We all make mistakes don't we...?"

"I, Yuèhuī Ménglóng, don't."

Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng, at her elevated position in the palace looked at Mu Lingxi.

"Elite Disciple Mu Lingxi, it's been several years since we last spoke."

"Roughly 40 years, give or take," Mu Lingxi candidly mentioned.

"How have you been doing?"

"Quite well, 3rd Matriarch... I'm honored that you would ask."

Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng keen gaze noticed the change in Mu Lingxi's cultivation.

"Just from looking at you, it's obvious you've grown quite strong since we last met, a 2nd Path Cultivator is no easy feat."

It took some several centuries to reach that level, and others would never hope to reach it.

The acknowledgment from the Matriarch prompted Mu Lingxi to express her gratitude, bowing her head delicately.

"I'm not worthy of such praise."

Matriarch Míng Huīrán smiled. "You may lift your head," she urged Mu Lingxi.

Her asual demeanor softened their exchange.

"So, what do you need?" she asked with her usual gentle smile.

"Well..."

Before Mu Lingxi could articulate her reason for stepping into their space, Yang Wei walked in.

The unusual energy surrounding Yang Wei caused all three Matriarchs to freeze momentarily.

Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè, engrossed in her Xangqi game, dropped the piece she held out of shock.

Yang Wei's presence invoked an unexpected attack to their senses.

They hadn't sensed energy this powerful in a while, so the sudden reemergence of such energy felt like an overwhelming surge.

It wasn't something they could overlook or ignore.

The eyes of all three Matriarchs bulged out, even the Dragon Blossom Moon who was rarely expressive.

Unlike the lower level cultivators, 3rd Path Cultivators could sense other forms of energy more profoundly, so their level of shock was higher.

Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng calm voice echoed through the chamber, "Who's this?" Her eyes scrutinized Mu Lingxi, as if trying to decipher her motives.

Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè eyes burned with anger as she confronted Mu Lingxi, "You would dare bring a man into our domain?"

Mu Lingxi, overcome with nervousness, inclined her head and hurriedly explained, "No, great Matriarch, it wasn't my intention."

Matriarch Míng Huīrán interjected with a chuckle.

"Come on, give her a chance to explain herself. You'll make us seem like rude people to the disciples who are yet to see us?"

"As if I care," Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng mentioned.

Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè sighed. She then said, "Alright then."

It wasn't that female cultivators despised the male ones, no, far from it.

The few men within the sect were respected for their wisdom and strength, serving as valued members of the community.

However, only very special male cultivators could seek an audience with the Matriarchs.

Mu Lingxi sighed a bit.

Senior Sister Ling didn't tell me this...

Meanwhile, Yang Wei observed the confrontation and remarked, "Seems I was right; this world is full of edgy feminists who don't know their place."

His words ignited fury in Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè, who clenched her jaw, "You dare?!"

Yang Wei gracefully flew upwards to be on the same standing as these Matriarchs.

"What is he doing?" Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng asked rhetorically.

Hovering above them, Yang Wei maintained a calm smile, "I don't like being looked down upon by unsightly people."

Liáng Xīnyuè was even further annoyed. "You would dare call us, 3rd Path Cultivators, unsightly?"

Unruffled, Yang Wei took a meditative stance, stating, "You lack manners, so why not? I'm sorry, but I won't tolerate disrespect."

Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè nearly rose from her seat but was halted by Matriarch Míng Huīrán. "Calm down," she urged.

When she complied, Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng turned to Mu Lingxi, her expression stern, "You had better have a proper explanation for this."

Yuèhuī Ménglóng's expression was almost always stern, and sometimes it was deadpanned.

But this time her expression looked "more serious".

"I deeply apologize for his lack of respect, great Matriarchs," Mu Lingxi bowed deeply once more. "He isn't accustomed to the rules of this world," she explained.

"Accustomed?" Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng repeated as her eyes narrowed.

...

It took Mu Lingxi a full ten minutes to provide a thorough explanation of the situation at hand.

After she had finished, Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè cleared her throat, fixing her gaze on Mu Lingxi with a scrutinizing look before addressing her directly,

"To make sure I understand this correctly, you're saying that this man, Yang Wei, hails from a realm outside cultivation and simply appeared here without his consent? And furthermore, you, a disciple in the 2nd Path Cultivation, was unable to defeat him?"

Mu Lingxi lowered her head and muttered an affirmative response.

"It sounds a little unrealistic..." Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè added.

Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng then said, "But it would answer the strange energy that surrounds him..."

Matriarch Míng Huīrán observed Yang Wei. She grinned slyly as she addressed him, "You must be quite powerful to hold your ground against a female cultivator who's in the inaugral stages of the Spirit Ascension Realm."

Yang Wei merely shrugged, replying nonchalantly, "It's not the first time I've heard that."

"Overly confident are we?" Matriarch Míng Huīrán chuckled.

To which Yang Wei responded, "Why not? If you possess strength, why not display it?"

In response, Matriarch Míng Huīrán said, "Hah, yes! I like you already!"

Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng openly stated, "I for one, don't."

Ignoring her disdain, Yang Wei broke his meditative position momentarily to wink at Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng, assuring her, "Trust me, in the end, you will, everyone always does."

Unperturbed, Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng maintained her stoic demeanor, with her gaze fixed on Yang Wei as though he were insignificant.

Attempting to bring the focus back to the matter at hand, Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè intervened, asserting, "Let's try to stay on topic, shall we?"

Matriarch Míng Huīrán snapped her fingers, "Oh yeah!", and redirected her attention to Yang Wei, "So, Yang Wei? Why did you want to meet with us?"

Yang Wei cleared his throat and explained,

"I didn't look for you three specifically, rather, I simply wanted to speak with a pinnacle of power so that I would gain a greater understanding of your world's inner workings."

Puzzled, Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè sought further clarification, "What do you mean?" she asked.

This prompted Yang Wei to reply, "Well, first off, I have no intention to harm anyone... and I apologize if I may have come off in that manner."

Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng calmly reassured him, "Believe me, you couldn't harm us even if you tried..."

"3rd Matriarch, let's not get conceited," said Matriarch Míng Huīrán as she glared at Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng. "Yang Wei seems to want to relate with us on respectful grounds, if that's the case, then shouldn't we acknowledge that?"

Quick to accept her mistake, Matriarch Yuèhuī Ménglóng gently bowed her head. "I apologize," she said.

"So, Yang Wei, what do you want?" Matriarch Liáng Xīnyuè asked him.

Yang Wei rubbed his chin as he looked at them.

Initially, he simply wanted to use them to learn more about this world, but after his short fun with them, his choices had changed drastically - and likely for the better.

"I want to become a farmer..."

He had made his declaration.