Half a month later, word came from Tengen.
Sōjun Minamoto was training at his residence when he sensed a faint tremor in the barrier. A moment later, a message surfaced in his mind. These barriers served as Tengen's eyes and ears, and Sōjun Minamoto had already prepared countermeasures—embedding an anti-surveillance barrier. As a result, the message he received was vague and unclear.
The general idea: Come…Tombs of the Star…
Tengen had made up his mind and wanted to meet at the Tombs of the Star.
Sōjun Minamoto tidied up briefly and made his way to the main hall at a relaxed pace. Right away, he noticed subtle changes to the barrier. A quick scan told him everything he needed to know—these adjustments were tailored specifically to keep him out.
Entering wouldn't be as easy as last time.
"You're here," Tengen said, stepping outside.
Since his evolution, he hadn't allowed anyone else into the Tombs of the Star. The wariness in his posture was unmistakable, especially toward Sōjun Minamoto.
Sōjun Minamoto didn't mind at all. In fact, he preferred interactions like this—clear-cut, no nonsense. If you had a problem with someone, say it. If you hated them, fine. That didn't mean you couldn't cooperate.
With a casual expression, he swept his gaze around and shrugged.
"Didn't you call me here?"
A greeting always came first—it made things smoother. That was Tengen's wisdom from a thousand years of experience. He stepped forward and stopped at a carefully measured distance beside Sōjun Minamoto.
"About that collaboration we discussed before—how exactly do you want to do it?"
"Simple. Normally, we don't interfere with each other's business. You do your thing, I do mine. But if the higher-ups start targeting either of us, we form an alliance and have each other's backs."
Sōjun Minamoto added,
"No need to go overboard—just protect our basic rights."
Tengen frowned and thought for a moment. The idea of mutual non-interference was deeply tempting. He already had an inclination toward cooperation. Lately, he'd grown tired of outside affairs and just wanted to be left alone in his own little domain. With the higher-ups constantly stirring up trouble, he'd had enough.
He made up his mind.
"I agree."
"And how about letting you handle the maintenance of all the barriers outside the Tombs of the Star?" Tengen added, either making a request or offering a benefit.
"You may act like you don't care, but gaining control over those barriers will give you significantly more influence with Jujutsu High."
Now it was Sōjun Minamoto's turn to weigh the pros and cons.
Outside the Tombs of the Star—meaning the areas beyond the Divine Tree, the barriers connecting the Ten Great Barriers, and the main hall of the Tombs of the Star.
What was inside? That covered Jujutsu High's defense system, alert network, identity verification, protection of the Forbidden Vaults, and several secondary barriers.
In other words, none of the critical or high-level sections were being offered. And the parts that required constant interaction with the higher-ups? Also off the table.
His intentions were so obvious.
Still, Sōjun Minamoto decided not to refuse. This was a deliberate political play. As Tengen said, having control over that section would dramatically increase his influence within the Jujutsu High.
He had plans of his own—teaming up with Masamichi Yaga's faction to seize the principal's seat as soon as possible.
Masamichi Yaga's student-aligned faction was already beginning to gain momentum, while the higher-ups were starting to seem disconnected and fragmented. In a few years, as more and more Jujutsu High graduates entered the world, who the school ultimately answered to—whether the traditional three clans or Masamichi Yaga—would no longer be certain.
Even if Masamichi Yaga had no such ambitions, Sōjun Minamoto could still push him to the top. If the adults wouldn't take action, should the younger ones be left to handle it?
He had high hopes for Masamichi Yaga.
"Well then, here's to a smooth partnership."
Sōjun Minamoto extended his hand.
Tengen glanced at it, showing no intention of shaking, and replied coolly, "Likewise."
How rude. Sōjun Minamoto withdrew his hand.
As barrier masters, both had a clear understanding of how boundaries were divided. With just a few words, the two settled the matter of barrier jurisdiction.
After leaving the Tombs of the Star, Sōjun Minamoto headed straight to the Bone Tree. He reached out and lightly touched a branch. Blood welled up at his fingertip, staining the bark.
This wasn't assimilation—just awakening. The Bone Tree was already one with him by nature.
He then pulled out a Golden Core and pressed it into the trunk. Blood-red markings spread outward, pulsing for a few moments before vanishing. In their place remained a golden eye, which blinked twice before shutting tight, forming a vertical slit-shaped mark.
To the people at Jujutsu High, the Bone Tree merely looked like a technique in action. They didn't realize it could also serve as an anchor—Sōjun Minamoto's anchor.
A wedge driven into the Jujutsu High barrier.
After reaching an agreement with Tengen, the latter willingly handed over control of the Jujutsu High barrier and focused entirely on stabilizing the Tombs of the Star and the connections between the Divine Tree and the Ten Great Barriers.
Sōjun Minamoto had no objection. Using the Bone Tree as the core, he would slowly dismantle the old system and construct a new barrier layer by layer on its foundations.
One side stepped back, the other stepped in—the transition was seamless. They had to move quickly, before the higher-ups had time to react. Everything needed to be finalized by then.
The formation of the new barrier was quiet, subtle, and completely undetected.
Sōjun Minamoto gazed at the refined Bone Tree before him. Its jade-like surface was smooth and cool, and through its outer layer, he could see faint traces of red and green veins. The crown stretched proudly into the sky, defiant and unrestrained, as though challenging the Divine Tree to a contest of height.
Of course, it was still young.
The invisible barrier radiated outward from the tree's crown, spreading down to the ground below, encompassing even the Tombs of the Star. Shaped like a sphere, it completely replaced the old barrier, covering all of Jujutsu High.
It was done.
...
"What exactly are you people trying to do?"
The higher-ups realized far too late. By the time they reacted, Sōjun Minamoto was already back in the Medical Department, tending to patients and going about his usual routine. Only then did they send someone to summon him for a meeting.
The location was another tower-like structure—the original had already been overtaken by the Bone Tree, which had since become the core of the barrier and nearly impossible to displace.
"Do you people have no sense of order?!"
An irate old man slammed the table and roared.
"Tengen, you've really overstepped this time. We entrusted you with a crucial responsibility, gave you our trust, and this is what you do? Do you think the barrier is your personal property? Handing it off to an outsider..."
Sōjun Minamoto entered just in time to hear the elders berating Tengen. Tengen's barrier avatar sat quietly off to the side, calm and indifferent.
The moment Sōjun Minamoto stepped in, the room fell silent.
Under the sharp gazes of the elders, he strolled over and sat down beside Tengen.
He had no intention of speaking. Let Tengen handle the verbal sparring. He'd do the heavy lifting when things got physical.
In this group, it seemed like the older you were, the higher your status—except for Tengen, who had no interest in such things.
The eldest among them slowly raised his head and looked at Sōjun Minamoto. His voice was hoarse and airy.
"If you have any demands, we can discuss them."
He was so ancient his teeth were nearly gone, and his speech leaked through his gums. Sōjun Minamoto rested his chin on his hand, casually scanning the room, quietly gauging how much force it would take to break through the defenses. After the last incident, these old men had clearly taken precautions, with various countermeasures now hidden throughout the room.
Their guarded tone angered the other elders, but none dared to speak first.
Still, the old man's voice remained steady.
"We're all working for the sake of the jujutsu world. If there's a problem with the barrier, we all bear responsibility, and we can't explain that to the higher-ups. But since Tengen trusts you, we won't question it further. We just hope you'll shoulder this responsibility."
He paused for a while, then added,
"In the end, the jujutsu world belongs to you younger generations."
The others were just about to speak up when the old man tapped the ground lightly with his cane. The room fell silent again.
He continued,
"Report the details of the new barrier afterward, make sure the Forbidden Vault keys are all in sync, and I'll leave the maintenance to you."
With that, he set the tone. The rest of the arrangements were quickly made. Some still looked like they wanted to object, but no one dared voice open dissent.
Sōjun Minamoto sat up straight and glanced at the old man. Whether his attitude was genuine or just for show, Sōjun Minamoto didn't care. He wasn't some rebel looking to overthrow the system, but that didn't mean he'd let anyone trample over him without responding.
He simply wanted to stay unaffected, focus on his own goals.
Since the man's stance was reasonable, Sōjun Minamoto had no reason to make things difficult.
He stood, gave the man a polite nod, and left.
He hadn't expected things to go this smoothly.