100: The Recovery Begins
The careful preceding small private centennial chapter of Su Yan's preceding-time first arc — by the careful preceding small private hour of one decoding's preceding small private close, by one careful preceding small private morning's preceding small private operational foundation, and by the careful preceding small private precise unhurried preceding hour of the careful preceding small private year-and-eleven-months that had elapsed since the careful preceding small private wedding — was the careful preceding small private hour of the *recovery's preceding small private first careful preceding small private mission*.
The careful preceding small private surviving ninety members of the Aleph-line — by Lin Wanyue's preceding small private decoded *category three* — were *distributed* across the mortal tier's preceding small private various continents in the careful preceding small private precise unhurried preceding pattern of the Hollow Veil's preceding small private hunt: *eleven members on the Azure Cloud Continent* (including Lin Wanyue herself, Su Yan, and *nine* other unnamed-to-the-Veil members the careful preceding small private decoded entries identified by name and current location); *fourteen members on the eastern continent* (the Bai-jing clan's preceding small private surviving eleven plus three Ye-cao); *thirty-eight members on the southern continent*; *twenty-seven on the western continent*.
Of the eleven on the Azure Cloud Continent, by the careful preceding small private decoded entries, *eight were unaware that they were Aleph-line*.
The careful preceding small private hunt had — by the careful preceding small private hour of two centuries of preceding small private Hollow Veil work — *removed* the careful preceding small private historical knowledge of the careful preceding small private line from the surviving members' preceding small private private bookkeeping. The eight had been raised, by their preceding small private parents and grandparents, as ordinary clansmen of their preceding small private respective clans, with the careful preceding small private hour of the *line's preceding small private private knowledge having been preceding-time withheld* to protect them from the Veil's preceding small private hunt.
Lin Wanyue, by her preceding preference at the careful preceding small private hour of the third month's close, *prioritized* the recovery of the careful preceding small private *Azure Cloud Continent's eleven members*.
By the careful preceding small private hour of *six months* of preceding small private quiet preceding small private private operations conducted by Cousin Su Wenfu's southern operations branch, by Cousin Su Lin's preceding small private intelligence-line, and by Hua Lin's preceding small private combat branch's careful preceding small private quiet escort capability, *eight* of the eleven were — by the careful preceding small private hour of one preceding standing recovery operation — *quietly contacted*, *informed of their preceding small private Aleph-line heritage*, *offered* the careful preceding small private courtesy of the *Voiceless Inheritance's preceding small private associate-tier membership*, and *integrated* into the careful preceding small private alliance's preceding small private quiet network.
Six of the eight accepted full membership.
Two accepted associate membership.
By the careful preceding small private close of the sixth month, the *Voiceless Inheritance* had — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *eight Aleph-line members* in addition to Su Yan and Lin Wanyue.
The eight included: a careful preceding small private *young woman of seventeen* in the careful preceding small private kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private third district named Tang Yuyao (a music cultivator with the careful preceding small private Yuyao zither's preceding small private inherited family heirloom); a careful preceding small private *senior alchemist of forty* in the kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private second district named Lin Yousu; a careful preceding small private *captain of the kingdom of Eastern Yan's southern guard* named Yan Ruoxi (the careful preceding small private third princess of the Yan royal family — by Han Yifeng's preceding small private quiet courtesy and by the careful preceding small private Crown Prince's preceding small private private acknowledgment of her preceding small private private heritage); a careful preceding small private *young swordsman of nineteen* of the careful preceding small private Northern Iron Cult named Qing'er; a careful preceding small private *fire princess of the kingdom of Eastern Yan's eastern provinces* named Yu Mei'er; a careful preceding small private *senior frost cultivator of the Frost Lotus Sect* named Mu Shuang (the careful preceding small private senior elder Mu Bingyu's preceding small private niece and the sect's preceding small private formation specialist); a careful preceding small private *wood-spirit beast companion* of one minor sect named Bai Linglong's preceding small private cousin (a Tier-3 wood-spirit named Bai Lingshu, who Linglong had — by Cousin Su Lin's preceding small private quiet courier exchange — preceding-time identified as her own preceding small private clearing's surviving cousin three months ago); and a careful preceding small private *retired senior cultivator of forty-five* in the kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private fifth district named Old Han, who had been preceding-time a friend of Su Yan's mother in the careful preceding small private hour before her preceding small private departure ten years ago.
By the careful preceding small private close of the sixth month, the *Voiceless Inheritance's* membership had — by Cousin Su Lin's preceding standing arrangement — passed *one hundred*.
By the careful preceding small private close of the eighth month, the careful preceding small private *eastern continent's preceding small private surviving fourteen members* had been preceding-time contacted by Cousin Su Wenfu's expanded operations branch and Master Qing's preceding small private quiet courier exchange. Eleven of fourteen accepted membership.
By the careful preceding small private close of the eleventh month, the careful preceding small private *southern and western continents' preceding small private remaining sixty-five members* had been contacted. Forty-three of sixty-five accepted membership.
By the careful preceding small private close of the careful preceding small private second year of the quiet decade — exactly two years from the careful preceding small private wedding — the *Voiceless Inheritance* had — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *one hundred and seventy-three members*, with *seventy-two* of them being preceding-time recovered Aleph-line members, *forty-six* of them being preceding-time recovered allies of Lin Wanyue's preceding small private original hidden list and the careful preceding small private patriarch's preceding standing arrangements, *forty-five* of them being careful preceding small private trained combat operatives, and *ten* of them being careful preceding small private senior alliance members of the kingdoms of Eastern Yan, Northern Iron, Western Verdant, Southern Mistspring, and the Frost Lotus Sect.
The Voiceless Inheritance was, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping at the careful preceding small private close of the second year, *the careful preceding small private most operationally sophisticated, geographically distributed, and politically connected private organization the careful preceding small private mortal tier of the cosmos had registered in the careful preceding small private hour of two thousand years*.
It remained, by Cousin Su Lin's preceding small private bookkeeping, *not visible* to any kingdom's preceding small private standing intelligence-line at the careful preceding small private level of operational detail required to disrupt it.
The careful preceding small private kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private public read of Su Yan continued, by the careful preceding small private hour of two years of post-wedding preceding small private observation, to *settle* into the careful preceding small private rhythm of one royal son-in-law conducting his preceding small private private cultivation at *Foundation Establishment Late displayed*.
His preceding small private undisplayed cultivation, at the careful preceding small private close of the second year, had reached *Sovereign Throne Late*.
He held, by his preceding preference, the displayed reading.
The careful preceding small private centennial chapter of his preceding-time first arc — by the careful preceding small private hour of one Voiceless Inheritance's preceding small private full preceding small private operational establishment, by one Aleph-line's preceding small private full preceding small private recovery, and by one alliance's preceding small private full preceding small private consolidation — *closed*.
The careful preceding small private hour of the *next twenty-five chapters* — by Su Yan's careful preceding small private bookkeeping — would, by his preceding preference, conduct the careful preceding small private hour of *the careful preceding small private final preceding small private preparation for the careful preceding small private rise to the Lower Immortal Realm*, by the careful preceding small private hour of approximately *eight further years* of preceding small private quiet preceding small private patient preceding small private private work.
The careful preceding small private *first arc's preceding small private formal close* — by the careful preceding small private hour of the careful preceding small private rise's preceding small private formal beginning — would, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping, *open* the careful preceding small private hour of the careful preceding small private *second arc*, in which the careful preceding small private *Lower Immortal Realm* would — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping of the cellar's preceding small private history books — *receive* its preceding small private first preceding-time Aleph-line cultivator's preceding-time successful preceding small private rise in the careful preceding small private hour of thirty thousand years.
In Su Yan's chest, the ember pulsed — slow, considered, *gentle* — and the dry voice, very quietly, said: *Honored. By every careful preceding small private bookkeeping. The careful preceding small private hour ahead will, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping, *change* the careful preceding small private cosmos.*
Su Yan inclined his head, in the careful preceding small private silver-gold light of the foundation platform of the Mirror of the Caged Sky, in the direction of the ember.
The careful preceding small private *quiet decade's preceding small private second year* — by the careful preceding small private hour of the careful preceding small private centennial chapter's close — *closed*.
The careful preceding small private *eight years of preceding small private final preparation* — by the careful preceding small private hour of one centennial chapter's close — *began*.