Incense smoke drifted beneath the black beams of the Long Clan ancestral hall.
Rows of ancestral tablets stood in the back, names carved in gold. Silent. Watching.
At the center of the hall rested the Spirit Measuring Stone. Three meters tall. Dark jade. Cold.
Juniors stood below the steps by rank.
Main branch in front.
Side branches behind.
Kneeling closest to the stone were the direct descendants of the Patriarch.
Above, on the high seats, the elders sat like judges.
Their cultivation was visible in their aura alone.
Qi Refining 8th layer.
Qi Refining 9th layer.
Peak of the clan.
Long Zhenhai sat at the center.
Qi Refining 9th layer.
Calm face. Sharp eyes.
He did not raise his voice.
"The annual Spirit Root examination begins."
Silence fell instantly.
No one dared whisper.
The first junior stepped forward.
Fourteen years old. Nervous.
He pressed his palm to the Spirit Measuring Stone.
A green light flared.
"Wood Root. Two attributes mixed."
An elder nodded.
"Decent. With resources, Qi Refining 7th layer is possible."
The boy bowed repeatedly.
Next.
Blue light.
"Water Root. Moderate purity."
"Chance of reaching Qi Refining 8th layer."
Soft approval murmured from the hall.
Resources meant everything.
Better root meant more spirit stones.
Better pills.
Better techniques.
Then came brilliance.
A golden glow exploded from the stone.
The hall brightened.
"Single Metal Root!"
An elder's eyes widened.
"High purity!"
Murmurs erupted.
"Single attribute root has chance to form Jin Dan."
"Future elder material."
The boy trembled with excitement.
Long Zhenhai gave a faint nod.
"Enter the inner training courtyard."
The boy knelt.
"Thank you, Patriarch!"
Then—
A confident laugh.
Long Wei stepped forward.
Qi Refining 7th layer.
Seventeen years old.
Broad shoulders. Arrogant eyes.
He was the main branch's pride.
He placed his palm on the stone.
Flames erupted.
Bright red.
Pure.
The hall temperature rose.
"Single Fire Root."
The elder paused.
Then his voice hardened.
"High-grade purity."
Gasps spread across the juniors.
"Single Fire Root has strong compatibility with pill refinement and offensive techniques."
"Probability of forming Jin Dan: thirty percent, with clan support."
Thirty percent.
For small clans, that was heaven-defying.
Long Wei smirked.
He glanced sideways.
Toward the back.
Toward Long Tianyuan.
Tianyuan stood among the side branch juniors.
Qi Refining 3rd layer.
Calm expression.
Hands behind his back.
Long Wei laughed.
"Some people were born to refine pills."
He looked straight at Tianyuan.
"Some were born to carry buckets."
Soft laughter spread.
No one stopped it.
Long Zhenhai did not rebuke him.
He simply said, "Long Wei enters the core candidate list."
Long Wei bowed deeply.
"Yes, Patriarch."
Then—
"Long Tianyuan."
The name fell like a stone.
Silence.
Tianyuan stepped forward.
His mother stood behind the side branch row.
She did not speak.
Her fingers tightened slightly on her sleeve.
Tianyuan walked steadily.
He felt the pressure of dozens of gazes.
Elders.
Cousins.
Main branch.
Side branch.
All measuring him.
He was once considered inheritance candidate.
Because of his father.
Because of bloodline status.
Not because of talent.
Today would decide everything.
He placed his palm on the Spirit Measuring Stone.
Cold.
His qi flowed into it.
The stone flickered.
Dim light.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Yellow.
Mixed.
Uneven.
The glow weakened.
Then stabilized.
An elder frowned.
"Mixed Root."
He examined the stone.
"Impure."
Murmurs rose instantly.
"Mixed roots have conflicting meridians."
"Qi circulation inefficient."
"Difficult to break through late Qi Refining."
The elder's voice was blunt.
"Estimated ceiling: Qi Refining 6th layer."
The words echoed.
Qi Refining 6th layer.
Not even peak.
Long Wei laughed openly.
"Impure Mixed Root?"
He shook his head.
"So this is our 'inheritance candidate'?"
Some juniors snickered.
Tianyuan did not move.
His palm remained on the stone for a moment longer.
The light flickered once more.
Faint.
Then went dark.
He withdrew his hand.
Long Zhenhai leaned slightly forward.
"Impure Mixed Root."
His tone was flat.
"Your cultivation is Qi Refining 3rd layer?"
"Yes, Patriarch."
"At your age, that speed is average."
He paused.
"With this root, your future is limited."
Tianyuan did not bow his head.
"I understand."
An elder from the main branch spoke.
"Patriarch, resource allocation must be efficient."
His gaze was sharp.
"Single Fire Root has Jin Dan potential."
"Impure Mixed Root will struggle to pass mid Qi Refining."
"Continuing to allocate inheritance resources to him is wasteful."
The words were clean.
Logical.
Cold.
Long Wei crossed his arms.
"Cousin, don't misunderstand."
His smile was mocking.
"You can still serve the clan."
"Stable Qi Refining 6th layer is good enough to guard the outer warehouse."
Soft laughter again.
Tianyuan's eyes did not change.
Inside his dantian, qi circulated steadily.
Calm.
But deep inside—
A thread of killing intent formed.
Not explosive.
Cold.
Long Zhenhai looked down at Tianyuan.
"You were previously listed as potential successor due to bloodline seniority."
He spoke clearly so the entire hall heard.
"However, cultivation world respects strength."
"Without talent, status cannot stand."
The side branch elders remained silent.
No one defended him.
His mother lowered her eyes.
Her face was pale.
But she did not step forward.
Tianyuan spoke.
"Patriarch, does the clan decide everything by spirit root alone?"
An elder scoffed.
"Without root, how do you cultivate?"
"Hard work cannot change meridians."
Long Wei smirked.
"Unless you plan to refine pills for the rest of your life."
The hall laughed lightly.
Long Zhenhai raised a hand.
Silence returned.
"Talent determines upper limit."
"Resources are limited."
He looked at the elders.
"Proposal."
The main branch elder immediately said, "Remove Long Tianyuan from core candidate list."
"Reduce monthly spirit stone allocation to standard side branch level."
"Cancel advanced technique access."
Every word struck like a hammer.
Standard allocation meant—
One low-grade spirit stone per month.
No access to high-tier Qi Refining manuals.
No guidance from elders.
Tianyuan's ceiling would become real.
Qi Refining 6th layer.
Then stagnation.
His mother's fingers trembled slightly.
But she still did not speak.
She knew the rules.
Clan was not charity.
Long Zhenhai looked at Tianyuan.
"Do you object?"
The entire hall stared at him.
Humiliation pressed from all directions.
Like a mountain.
Tianyuan met the Patriarch's gaze directly.
"No."
The word was steady.
Long Wei blinked.
He expected anger.
Pleading.
Tianyuan continued.
"The clan allocates resources based on value."
He spoke calmly.
"Today I have little value."
"But cultivation path is long."
His eyes were clear.
"Final result is not decided at Spirit Root testing."
The hall grew quiet again.
An elder sneered.
"Delusion."
"With Impure Mixed Root, breaking through Qi Refining 7th layer is already difficult."
"Jin Dan is impossible."
Tianyuan did not argue.
Inside, he thought—
Then I will shatter that ceiling.
Long Zhenhai studied him for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"From today onward, Long Tianyuan is removed from core candidate list."
"Resources adjusted."
Decision finalized.
Long Wei stepped closer.
Lowered his voice slightly.
"Cousin."
He smiled.
"Know your place."
"If you behave, I won't make things difficult."
Tianyuan looked at him.
Qi Refining 7th layer.
Strong Fire Root.
Thirty percent Jin Dan chance.
He memorized it.
"Thank you for your concern."
His tone was even.
"But you worry too early."
Long Wei's smile stiffened.
"What did you say?"
Tianyuan turned away.
The hall moved on.
Next junior.
Another test.
More lights.
More judgments.
But for Tianyuan—
The matter was decided.
He returned to his position.
Side branch.
Behind.
Lower.
His mother finally approached quietly when the ceremony ended.
"You're not angry?"
Her voice was low.
"I'm clear."
He replied simply.
She searched his eyes.
Saw no despair.
Only something harder.
That frightened her more.
The elders began to leave.
The Spirit Measuring Stone stood silent again.
As Tianyuan walked past it—
His palm brushed the surface lightly.
Rough.
There was a faint sting.
A thin cut across his skin.
A drop of blood slid down.
It touched the dark jade.
Then disappeared.
No one noticed.
Not even Tianyuan.
The ceremony concluded.
The hall emptied.
Night fell slowly.
Lanterns were extinguished one by one.
Ancestral tablets remained in shadow.
Wind passed through the cracks of the hall doors.
The Spirit Measuring Stone stood alone.
On its surface—
A faint hairline crack appeared.
Thin as a thread.
Invisible unless one looked closely.
No one did.
Deep inside the stone—
Something pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Like a heartbeat.
On the high altar, one ancestral tablet trembled slightly.
Then stilled.
Outside, Long Tianyuan walked into the darkness.
His cultivation was Qi Refining 3rd layer.
His spirit root was Impure Mixed Root.
His future, according to the clan—
Qi Refining 6th layer.
Limited.
Small.
He clenched his fist.
Qi in his dantian circulated faster.
He whispered softly to himself.
"Strength decides everything."
The night swallowed his figure.
Inside the ancestral hall—
The dull pulse echoed again.