Chen Yuan stepped out of the Registries with the three scrolls hidden inside his robe.
The sunlight felt heavier now—not warm, but watchful.
Every step carried weight.
He had the proof.
But proof alone was nothing.
He needed someone who could wield it.
Someone who could walk into a sect tribunal and not be devoured alive.
Someone who knew laws, precedents, political traps, loopholes…
someone who could survive verbal combat against Elders.
An offense lawyer.
Chen Yuan paused in the street.
Where, in the name of the heavens, would he find a lawyer in the middle of the Ascendant Grounds?
This was a land of Hunters, Warriors, Scholars, and Beasts.
Not lawyers.
He frowned, mind racing.
Who do I know that deals with information?
Who understands records?
Who understands history?
Who can access people and resources outside the usual circles?
A name surfaced immediately.
Lu Fu.
The Scholar.
Chen Yuan felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
Lu Fu wasn't just a bookworm—he belonged to one of the most reputable academic circles in the Ascendant Grounds. Scholars weren't cultivators, but they were connected, especially to the universities and academies that existed outside the sect structure.
If someone knew a lawyer…
It would be him.
Chen Yuan made his way toward the School of Archeology, moving quietly through the stone paths that branched away from the Central District. The familiar sand-colored banners flowed lazily in the breeze, and the carved sigils above the entrance still depicted old empires and forgotten symbols.
Inside, the halls smelled of old ink and dust.
Students whispered.
Paper rustled.
Quills scratched.
Chen Yuan found Lu Fu in his usual place—sitting cross-legged among towering stacks of parchment, marking notes about imperial banners with an intensity that suggested the universe depended on his ink.
"Lu Fu."
The scholar flinched so hard he nearly tore the page he was writing on.
He turned, saw Chen Yuan, and brightened instantly.
"Ah! Chen Yuan! I thought you died in that canyon!"
"…I almost did."
"Excellent," Lu Fu said, nodding enthusiastically. "That means the research site is real."
Chen Yuan forced a tired smile.
"I need your help."
Lu Fu blinked.
"Help? Me? What for? I only know books, not swords."
"It's not about swords."
Chen Yuan sat down in front of him and lowered his voice.
"I need a lawyer."
Lu Fu stared at him.
Then stared harder.
Then squinted.
"A… what?"
"A lawyer."
Lu Fu blinked repeatedly.
"You're serious."
"I'm very serious."
Lu Fu pushed his papers aside, leaned forward, and whispered as if the bookshelves had ears.
"Who are you fighting?"
"Elder Zhao."
Lu Fu inhaled sharply, hand flying to cover his mouth.
"You're insane."
"Probably," Chen Yuan admitted. "But I have proof."
He briefly showed Lu Fu the scroll concerning debt exploitation and the hidden disciplinary directive. Lu Fu's eyes widened with each line.
"This is… this is actually enough to open an internal tribunal," Lu Fu whispered.
"That's why I need someone who understands the law. The real law. Someone who can argue for me."
Lu Fu tapped his lip, thinking rapidly.
"In the Ascendant Grounds? Almost impossible… Cultivator courts usually use elders as judges and defendants. Lawyers are rare here."
Chen Yuan's expression fell.
"But…" Lu Fu continued suddenly, "if you leave the Grounds, in the academic circles, there are legal departments. Especially in the University of Qiu Chen. They study ancient and modern laws. And…"
He smirked slightly.
A little proud.
A little smug.
"…I may have friends there."
Chen Yuan exhaled slowly.
"Can you contact them?"
"Of course. I'm not a fighter, but I know people who like fighting with words. And they owe me favors for letting them cheat on history tests."
"Lu Fu—"
"You didn't hear that!" Lu Fu squeaked.
Chen Yuan almost laughed for the first time in days.
Lu Fu continued, rubbing his hands together.
"I'll send a hawk message immediately. The Qiu Chen legal department has two famous practitioners: one who specializes in debt law, and another who hates corrupt elders more than I hate incorrect footnotes."
Chen Yuan felt hope rise.
Real, tangible hope.
"Thank you, Lu Fu."
Lu Fu adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat dramatically.
"Don't thank me until we survive. University lawyers are terrifying creatures, Chen Yuan. Terrifying. They win arguments with footnotes alone."
He shivered.
"But if you want to bring down Elder Zhao legally—"
He tapped the scrolls.
"These will help."
Chen Yuan nodded, resolve returning to his eyes.
For the first time since receiving Act II, he felt like he had a path forward.
A difficult path.
A risky one.
But a path nonetheless.
Lu Fu stood up.
"I'll call for help. Prepare yourself. If the lawyers accept, there will be a hearing."
Chen Yuan rose.
"I'll be ready."
He stepped out of the School of Archeology, the scrolls pressing warmly against his chest.
Elder Zhao had strength, influence, and authority.
But Chen Yuan had something else now.
Truth.
And soon—
Someone who knew how to wield it.