The Chu Clan Great Hall was quite no one daring to talk.
Incense burned to mask the lingering scent of scorched marble, but the air remained thick ,part smoke, part shame.
At the far end of the hall sat Chu ming, the clan patriarch, his fiery hair streaked with silver and his temper barely leashed.
Beside him stood Elder Yan Mu, Elder Lin Qing, and Chu Chen's fiance Saintess lan Yuexin, her expression serene but her eyes sharp as a frost-edged blade.
And in the center, before them all, stood Yue Zihan, blindfold in place, posture lazy yet somehow regal, as though the hall itself should thank him for standing in it.
No one spoke for a long time.
Only the crackle of torches and the occasional nervous cough filled the silence.
Finally, Patriarch Chu Heng cleared his throat.
"Your Highness Zihan," he began slowly, "today's… unfortunate incident was a misunderstanding. My son's zeal exceeded propriety."
"Zeal," Zihan repeated softly, almost tasting the word. "That's what you call trying to incinerate a royal guest?"
Elder Yan Mu bowed low.
"The Chu Clan takes full responsibility. Compensation shall be arranged ,three hundred mid-grade spirit stones, five vials of Solar Flame Essence, and access to our external library for seven days."
Zihan tilted his head. "Three hundred stones? How generous. You must truly value my continued existence."
Elder Lin Qing winced; Chu Ming looked ready to cough blood.
[System:]
Detected irony → Social pressure: +20 %.
Reward window available.
Claim compensation? [Yes / No]
Zihan:] Yes. Might as well get paid for the firework.
Two attendants hurried forward carrying a lacquered chest bound in gold-lined flame runes.
When they opened it, light spilled across the marble floor ,pure, tangible qi, humming with restrained heat.
Zihan reached out, his fingers brushing the air above the treasure, never touching it.
The chest sealed itself with a soft click as though obeying an unspoken command and disappeared .
[System:]
Resources absorbed into host inventory.
Sin +0.1 (acceptance of unjust apology).
Madness +0.2 (amusement at hypocrisy).
"Pleasure doing business," Zihan murmured. "Your clan truly has refined manners nearly burned me alive, then pays me for the privilege."
A ripple of discomfort passed through the elders.
Lan Yuexin stepped forward, her white robes shimmering like moonlight over snow.
Her voice was calm, melodic the kind of tone that could soothe or freeze.
"You wield an unusual power, Prince Zihan," she said, studying him. "Your aura is not fire, nor ice… it feels like both rejecting and devouring each other. I suspect you possess a Dual Origin Body, not yet awakened."
Her words drew murmurs. Even the elders leaned forward.
A Dual Origin Body was rare one who could cultivate two opposing daos in harmony.
Zihan smiled faintly beneath the blindfold.
[Zihan:] Oh, that's adorable. She's trying to make sense of it.
[System:] Shall I correct her?
[Zihan:] No. Let the myth grow — useful camouflage.
Aloud, he only said, "You're perceptive, Saintess. Perhaps I'll test your theory one day."
Her lips curved. "I look forward to it."
Chu Liang's fiancée, and yet her gaze lingered far too long.
Patriarch Chu Ming rose. "The Chu Clan values its relationship with the Imperial Palace. In addition to your compensation, we extend an invitation — the Flame Sovereign Conference in one month's time. You would bring honor by attending."
Zihan inclined his head. "If I'm not busy collecting apologies, perhaps I'll come."
The elders forced polite laughter.
Lan Xueyin hid a smile behind her fan.
As he turned to leave, the torches dimmed for just a breath the flames bowing toward him, as though recognizing something greater.
[System:]
Sin: 19 Madness: 18
Reward issued: Reputation + 10 (Mortal Realm: Unfathomable Noble)
New Quest: Attend the Flame Sovereign Conference.
Optional Objective — Obtain 50 Sin Points without exposure.
Zihan adjusted his blindfold, smirking.
"Let's see how bright their sun burns," he whispered, and left the hall, his footsteps echoing like the tolling of judgment.
Behind him, the elders argued in hushed tones.
Lan Yuexin looked out the window, eyes narrowed.
"Dual Origin, hm?" she murmured. "No… something deeper hides under that blindfold."
.....
The Chu family guest wing had fallen quiet by midnight.
Beyond its carved jade doors, Yue Zihan sat cross-legged in his chamber, blindfold still in place. The only light came from the faint crimson-blue aura coiling around his body chaotic qi compressed until it resembled a still flame.
The chest of compensation treasures rested open beside him: vials of Solar Flame Essence, still smoking faintly, and the glitter of mid-grade spirit stones stacked like miniature suns.
He didn't reach for them immediately. Instead, he breathed one, two, three until the air itself seemed to bend around the rhythm of his pulse.
[System:]
Chaotic Qi Stabilization: 74 %.
Recommended action initiate micro-cycle tempering to refine bone marrow.
[Zihan:]Let's see if the mortal realm's "laws" object.
[System:]Probability of environmental disturbance: 0.03 %.
[Zihan:]Perfect. I hate cleaning up.
Zihan lifted a single stone, pressing it to his palm. The spiritual energy didn't surge into him like a flood it spiraled, drawn in through precise threads of chaotic qi that cut, split, and re-knitted themselves with surgical grace.
Each strand coursed over his meridians like molten silk, burning away any remaining impurities, then reforming the locked gates preparing them
His bones began to hum not crack, not groan but sing, the deep vibration of metal reforged under divine hands.
[System:]
Primordial Body Stage late stage of body forging→ nearing realm boundary.
Chaotic Qi harmonization: 91 %.
Internal heat stabilized.
[Zihan:] So, this is what "progress" feels like when you're not exploding.
[System:] Efficient progress produces minimal noise.
[Zihan:] Tell that to the cultivators who think shouting the name of their technique makes it stronger.
He smiled faintly then inhaled, pulling the Solar Flame Essence into himself.
The golden liquid turned transparent as it entered his veins, meeting the traces of chaotic qi in his dantian.
For a heartbeat, the two energies hissed then fused, swirling into a new hue: violet shot through with silver.
A perfect equilibrium, fire balanced within chaos.
The air in the chamber grew heavy; the torches dimmed. A faint tremor ran through the marble floor then silence again.
Only his heartbeat echoed, slow and deliberate.
[System:]
Threshold reached.
Primordial Body – Realm I → Realm II.
New Attribute Unlocked: Chaotic Circulation Veins.
Effect — Increases energy absorption efficiency by +40 % while remaining undetectable to external senses.
Sin Value +0.5 (Indifference to natural laws).
Madness +0.3 (Control feedback).
Zihan exhaled, and with that single breath, every floating ember in the room flickered into alignment forming a tiny rotating spiral before fading away. He could now advance at anytime he wanted.
His cultivation had fully consolidated with the addition of the fire essence. Unexpected gain.
No explosion. No flash. Just quiet perfection.
He slowly opened one hand; a thin wisp of qi rose and condensed into a translucent lotus, half red, half blue.
It hovered there, serene, before dissolving back into his skin.
[Zihan:] Body forging consolidated. The mortals measure power by fireworks, but all real change is silent.
[System:] Observation logged. Philosophical mood detected.
[Zihan:] It's called being smug. Log that instead.
The System paused, perhaps confused.
He chuckled softly. "Don't look so serious, partner. We're just getting started."
[System:]
Upcoming Event: Flame Sovereign Conference -27 days.
Suggestion: acquire additional Sin or Madness points to unlock next Chaos Mutation.
[Zihan:] Naturally. One can't attend a conference without proper… entertainment.
He stood, stretching, the faint creak of cloth the only sound.
Outside, dawn was beginning to tint the horizon gold.
The world looked peaceful unaware that a quiet monster was already preparing its next polite smile.