Late afternoon sunlight stretched lazily across the Wen Clan training courtyard, painting long amber shadows over the polished stone tiles. Disciples trained in steady rhythms—fists striking dummies, wooden swords clashing lightly, instructors shouting corrections. It was a day like any other… yet everyone's movements felt sharper, their breaths taut.
Tomorrow was the Spiritual Root Assessment.
Even the air buzzed with anticipation.
Wen Chen stood quietly at the edge of the courtyard, practicing slow, deliberate breathing. He didn't rush his movements. Each exhale flowed like water; each inhale sharpened his awareness. He preferred it this way—a quieter world where he could observe everything without announcing himself.
A soft breeze brushed the ground, carrying whispers of gossip, nervousness, and excitement.
Then a shadow fell over him.
"Young Master Wen Chen!" a steward called, voice unsteady.
Training paused. Every disciple near the courtyard turned. Even the wooden swords stopped mid-air. Wen Chen lifted his gaze calmly.
The steward swallowed hard.
"You are summoned… by the Elder Council."
The shift in the courtyard was immediate—like a drumbeat halting suddenly. Murmurs rippled through the disciples.
"The Elder Council?"
"A day before the test?"
"That's never happened before…"
"Why Wen Chen?"
Wen Jian appeared almost instantly. His footsteps were silent but his presence thundered across the courtyard. He stopped right in front of Wen Chen, positioning himself between his son and the steward as if by instinct.
"Why are the elders calling him?" Wen Jian's voice was calm, too calm. The kind of calm that came right before someone shattered mountains.
The steward bowed so quickly his forehead nearly hit the ground.
"Patriarch Wen Jian… Elder Zemin said it was urgent. I… I was not told more."
Wen Jian's jaw clenched. A tiny crack appeared in his usual composed demeanor.
"Urgent enough to summon a child the day before assessment?" His tone could freeze flames.
The steward trembled. "Patriarch, I am only the messenger…"
Wen Chen stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on his father's sleeve.
"It's alright."
"No," Wen Jian replied instantly. "A summons from the Elder Council is never 'alright.' Not when Zemin is involved."
Zemin.
That name carried the scent of ambition wrapped in tradition. Wen Chen had noticed his stare earlier—the way the elder watched him as if searching for a hidden flaw or hidden treasure. Perhaps both.
Still, Wen Chen shook his head gently.
"If they truly wished harm," he said quietly, "they wouldn't send a steward. They would send guards."
Wen Jian stiffened, then exhaled slowly. "That is true," he admitted bitterly.
The steward looked between them anxiously.
"The elders do not like waiting…"
"I'll go," Wen Chen said.
Wen Jian caught his shoulder. "If anything feels wrong—anything—you turn and walk away. Forget manners. Forget tradition. Come straight to me."
Wen Chen nodded once.
He followed the steward out of the courtyard.
---
They walked through the clan grounds in a straight path, past places Wen Chen rarely approached. Children chatted near the koi pond. Servants swept pathways, glancing up curiously. The administrative hall loomed in the distance.
But Wen Chen's steps slowed slightly when he noticed something.
Hovering above a lantern—
a golden orb.
It pulsed softly, warm and vibrant, like a miniature sun coated in fortune.
The steward kept walking, oblivious.
Wen Chen brushed past naturally.
+9 Luck Points.
Warmth surged into his palm—a quiet shift in his fate. Something in the air tilted ever so slightly, as though the world adjusted itself around him.
Luck rarely appeared in serious places.
But appearing right before entering the Elder Pavilion?
That meant something was about to happen.
He breathed calmly and followed the steward into the grand structure.
---
The Elder Pavilion doors closed behind him with a heavy thud, sealing the world outside. The air inside was colder, heavier. Rows of dragon-carved pillars stood like silent watchers. Incense smoke curled in the air, faint but ancient.
Five elders sat in a semicircle.
And at the center, his gaze sharp and predatory—
Zemin.
Wen Chen bowed deeply. "Junior Wen Chen greets the Elder Council."
Zemin leaned back in his seat, studying him like one examined a peculiar jewel.
"So composed. Even here."
"I thank Elder Zemin for noticing," Wen Chen replied softly.
One elder raised a brow. "Polite. But your eyes… do not shake."
Another elder narrowed his gaze. "Most children summoned here tremble."
Zemin smirked. "Wen Chen is not like most children."
His voice softened, but it was the softness of a wolf lowering itself before striking.
"You must wonder why you're here."
Wen Chen kept his expression calm. "I do."
Zemin rose slowly and began circling him.
"We watch every disciple. Their progress. Their failures. Their… shifts."
The hall's atmosphere thickened.
Zemin's steps echoed with deliberate slowness.
"Your presence has changed lately. Your composure sharpened. Your eyes clearer. Your stance, more aligned."
Wen Chen breathed evenly.
"I have been practicing diligently."
"Oh, no doubt," Zemin murmured. "But even practice has limits."
He stopped directly behind Wen Chen.
"And you seem to have surpassed those limits recently."
Wen Chen felt the elder's aura pressing against him—testing him, trying to provoke a reaction.
He let it wash over him like cold water.
Calm. Controlled. Observing.
"What do the elders wish to ask?" Wen Chen said.
The eldest elder, with long white brows, spoke. "Tomorrow's assessment will reveal everything. But before then, we want to ensure… there are no strange influences."
Wen Chen met his gaze.
"There are none, Elder."
Zemin searched his expression for cracks.
There were none.
After a long moment, the white-browed elder lifted a hand.
"Enough. This child speaks truth. The assessment will decide the rest."
Zemin's jaw tightened, but he stepped back respectfully.
"As the Council wills."
The pressure in the hall lifted slightly. Only slightly.
"You may leave," the eldest elder said. "Prepare well for tomorrow. It will be important."
Wen Chen bowed. "I understand."
He turned.
Just as he neared the doors, his eyes caught a flicker—
a faint, dying orb near the carved pillar.
He brushed past it naturally.
+1 Luck Point.
Small, but meaningful.
A whisper of warning.
He stepped out of the Elder Pavilion, exhaling the heavy air from his lungs. The steward was waiting anxiously.
"How did it go, Young Master?"
"They simply wished to… speak."
Across the courtyard, Wen Jian stood waiting. His arms crossed. His stare sharp enough to kill from a distance.
The moment Wen Chen approached, Wen Jian closed the gap with three quick strides.
"What did they ask?"
"What did they see?"
"What did you say?"
Wen Chen met his father's intense gaze calmly.
"They suspect changes. But they don't understand anything. They only intend to watch more closely tomorrow."
Wen Jian clenched his fists, knuckles whitening. "Zemin… that snake. I swear—"
"Father," Wen Chen said softly. "I'm fine."
Wen Jian paused.
For a moment, his hardened exterior cracked, and worry slipped through—raw, unfiltered, fatherly.
"Chen," he said quietly, dangerously. "If your root shines too brightly tomorrow, they will not celebrate. They will covet."
"I know."
"And if it seems too low… they will dismiss you."
"I know that too."
Wen Jian tightened his grip on Wen Chen's shoulders.
"Listen. No matter the result, you must remain calm. No fear. No excitement. No reaction.
Do not give Zemin or anyone else a reason to move against you."
Wen Chen nodded once, gaze steady.
"I understand, Father."
Wen Jian breathed out, a slow, heavy breath.
"There are people in this clan with hearts darker than night," he said softly. "Some of them sit behind those pavilion doors."
Wen Chen's expression didn't change—but his eyes deepened.
"I'll be ready."
They turned together, the sun dipping behind the clan rooftops as the courtyard dimmed into evening.
Tomorrow, the entire Wen Clan would gather.
Tomorrow, the crystal would glow.
Tomorrow, destinies would shift.
And Wen Chen would stand at the center of it all.
The storm began tonight.