After the open classes, the assembly met to confirm the supervised-study rule it had approved earlier. Dangerous manuals would remain available under supervision rather than be burned or hidden. Mera asked what former initiates needed before they would consider a text. One wanted to see the entire source before paying; another wanted a teacher to name known risks before she began. The rule required a complete text, a teacher who understood its sequence, and a clear account of known harms. It did not force anyone to study or promise that a full manual would be safe.
A second group of followers gathered by the grove fence to leave after the confirmation. One man said, “I came because the stories suggested Yan had found a path anyone could share.”
Yan said, “I’m sorry I let that story travel without correcting it.”
The man looked at him. “You didn’t tell me to come.”
“No. But I liked being called a saint. I could have said sooner that my result belonged to me.”
The man looked toward the training yard. “I watched the bucket class. It doesn’t feel like the answer I came for.”
“It may not be.”
“I don’t want to be told it’s enough just because it’s safe.”
