The winter sun struggled to pierce the heavy clouds hanging low over the Tianlong Family's dilapidated estate. The once-grand courtyard was now little more than cracks and faded ink—the sign of a mighty lineage long fallen from grace. Yet, amid the crumbling stone and fractured banners, a boy stood alone, silent as the cold wind that swept through the empty halls.
Adiren Tianlong was no ordinary child. Though only twelve, his sharp eyes glimmered with a mysterious depth, as if he carried entire epochs within. His black hair, marked with faint silver strands, brushed his shoulders, moving slightly with the breeze. Around his chest, barely visible beneath thin robes, was the faint glow of an ancient dragon coil—a mark that had both cursed and blessed him since birth.
"Why stand there like a ghost?" shouted a voice cutting through the cold. Adiren's head turned slowly to see the patriarch's nephew, Zheng Kai, striding forward with a smirk playing on his lips. Carrying a practice sword heavier than his size should allow, Zheng let it clatter at Adiren's feet in a deliberate provocation.
"Show me the Tianlong spirit," Zheng said mockingly, "or are you too scared to face your own clan?"
Adiren's gaze remained steady, calm, refusing to rise to the bait. The crowd gathered silently—the young cultivators from the second branch of the family, eager to watch the supposed "weakling" humiliated once more.
Instantly, inside Adiren's mind, the Face-Slapping System flickered to life again. The translucent interface hovered before him, its glow clear and steady.
Face-Slapping System
User: Adiren Tianlong
Event: Direct Contempt Detected
Severity: Moderate
Conversion Efficiency: 6%
Status:
Tempered Breath: Level 1 (Accumulated Qi Conduction)
Cultivation Realm: Spirit Root (32%)
Hidden Stats: Fortitude +2, Insight +1
Passive Buffs: Qi Flow Stabilization (Active)
Current Mood: Calm, Focused
Energy Flow: Stable
Combat Readiness: Low (Non-Aggressive)
Reward Pending: Tempered Breath +2
"Transform contempt into power. Use mockery as your ladder."
Adiren closed his eyes briefly, letting the system's calm instruction coat his anger like a fine mist. The insults of the past, the scorn of peers, the weight of his family's fading legacy—all were fueling the slow fire of growth within.
He opened his eyes and took a small step forward.
"You call this the Tianlong spirit," he said quietly, voice calm yet carrying an undercurrent of undeniable force. "Yet your arrogance betrays weakness. A spirit isn't shown by blades or words—but by perseverance beyond scorn."
A hush fell. Zheng Kai flushed, caught off guard by the boy's unexpected confidence.
"Enough words," Zheng snarled, raising his practice sword in a clumsy arc.
Adiren's movements were fluid, almost mesmerizing. He sidestepped, not with the desperation of the weak, but the grace of one who had learned patience from the winds themselves. The air seemed to ripple softly where he passed.
At that moment, the System dinged again:
Face-Slapping System
Event: Counterattack Executed
Effect: Qi Surge +3
Reward: Tempered Breath +2 granted
Cultivation Progress: Spirit Root (37%)
Adiren's palm flicked out—not striking to harm, but tapping Zheng's shoulder lightly with a precise pressure point. Zheng staggered, surprised, losing balance on the uneven stones.
"You fight with fury, but lack control," Adiren said coolly. "A true Tianlong cultivator masters both."
The crowd murmured, some eyes wide with respect, others narrowing in jealousy.
From the shadows, an elderly groundskeeper leaned on his broom, eyes gleaming faintly. He whispered to himself, "The dragon stirs…"
Later that night, beneath the faded banners of the old estate, Tianlong Meiyu approached Adiren. Her silver hair framed a face carved by centuries.
"How do you endure their venom?" she asked, voice soft but piercing.
Adiren looked up, resolve burning bright. "Like the root beneath the frozen earth," he answered. "Silent, but alive. Waiting for the sun."
Meiyu smiled sadly. "Good. The path ahead is darker than winter."
As she left, the chill of the courtyard seemed to deepen, carrying whispers of forgotten glories and unspoken curses.
Yet, somewhere beyond the mortal realm, deep within the Nine Heavens, a silent observer noted the awakening of a lost legacy. The cosmic game was beginning.
Adiren Tianlong's journey from scorn to supremacy had only just begun.