The morning after Rayen's duel victory found Dome 17 swamped with visitors. The Philosopher's Core diagram was now a trending topic in three major sect forums, and someone had already written a fan ballad about the "Silver Rain Harmonizer."
Rayen leaned against a support beam, sipping bitter alchemist tea. "This much attention feels dangerous."
Lin Xue glanced at the line outside their dome. "We're not just getting attention. We're getting copied. Look at booth twelve."
Rayen turned. Across the symposium plaza, a group of disciples from the Violet Sun Hall were presenting what looked suspiciously like a reversed formula structure of their Harmonizing Catalyst. The ingredients were cruder, and the Etherweave facsimile lacked any dimensional routing, but the aesthetic was… familiar.
"Flattery by forgery," Rayen muttered. "Classic."
:: Recommend action: patent enforcement via Qi-based copyright glyph. Alternative: public shaming via live demonstration. ::
He rubbed his temples. "Q.E.D., we can't copyright Qi. That's not how cultivator law works."
Just then, a shadow fell over them.
"Impressive work," said a tall, middle-aged woman in robes stitched with glyphs that shimmered like the stars. She bowed slightly. "I am Elder Maixian of the Court of Alchemical Truth."
Lin Xue straightened. Rayen blinked. "You're one of the Ten Hands of Refined Origin."
She smiled. "Titles are tools. But yes. The Court would like to speak with you privately. Today, before the final Symposium assessments."
Rayen glanced at Lin. She nodded.
The Court's pavilion sat on a floating lotus that pulsed with stabilizing runes. Inside, the air was heavy with authority—and well-aged incense.
"Your work is… disruptive," Maixian said, pouring tea. "And disruption can be dangerous. But it's also necessary. The Court has monitored your experiments, Rayen Wu. Your integration of Etherweave with dynamic pill resonance—especially the Philosopher's Core—shows promise."
Rayen shifted. "You're about to say something that sounds like a compliment but functions like a contract."
She chuckled. "Smart. We'd like you to join the Court's visiting scholar program. Six months of travel, joint development with our own archives, access to resources most alchemists dream of."
"And the price?" Lin asked flatly.
"You'll be monitored. Restricted from publishing without review. And anything you develop may be subject to shared custodianship."
Rayen's fingers tapped the table.
:: Ethical flag: high control risk. Long-term innovation probability decreased. ::
"I appreciate the offer," Rayen said finally, "but I didn't get here by coloring within institutional lines."
Maixian sipped her tea. "So you'd rather keep blazing your own path?"
Rayen smiled. "I'm a quantum alchemist. I prefer paths in superposition."
She nodded. "We expected that. Still, know this—the Court will be watching. If you ever seek stability over independence… the door is open."
Back in Dome 17, Lin Xue exhaled as they returned to their booth.
"We just turned down the most prestigious alchemical alliance on the continent."
Rayen was already back at his workbench, scribbling revisions to the Catalyst's lattice resonance.
"We're not here for prestige. We're here to ask questions no one else is ready to answer."
Lin grinned. "Good. Because after today's symposium, the real world starts paying attention."
And with the next round of presentations looming, Rayen Wu prepared to step into the spotlight again—not as a disciple, but as a pioneer of the alchemical unknown.