CHAPTER 7: UNINVITED GUEST.
The weak morning light over Night-less City was already slipping through windows and curtains. Long Haochen sat on his bed, deep in meditation. His hands rested in an odd but comfortable position in front of him. A soft glow came from the various imprint patterns that had surfaced across his skin. A dragon tattoo showed up on his forehead. His chest rose and fell steadily with each breath. It all felt effortless, like with every inhale, thick streams of imprint fragments poured straight into him, reshaping his body bit by bit.
"Feels good to be back at this," he thought, sensing the imprint fragments rushing in faster than before, filling a bigger space inside him.
Once he'd finished his session, an elderly, raspy voice called from outside his door. "Young Master, the family head wants you in the grand hall."
"On my way," Long Haochen said. He slipped into some fresh clothes and stepped out. An old man in a blue robe waited there. "Let's head over."
"Butler, where's my mother?" Haochen asked, glancing around the courtyard and not spotting her anywhere.
"She's already gone to the hall," the butler answered, eyeing Haochen's face. But as he turned away, a flicker of pity crossed his features. If the young master still had his old talent, he'd probably be at the mid-stage of imprint manifestation by now. What a shame.
"Long Yuxuan wouldn't call for me unless it's to punish me or strip something away. The last time was a year back, when he cut us off, me and Mother. I wonder what he's planning for this round, or could it be as a result of yesterday's incidents." Haochen and the old man passed through the courtyard gate, making their way to the Long family grand hall.
The guards swung open the big doors, and they stepped inside.
The hall stretched out wide, already packed with people. Up at the front on the podium sat Long Yuxuan, with three stern-faced elders to his left and Muchen and Yize to his right. Those three elders were the real heavyweights in the family, calling a lot of the shots.
Down below, other elders filled the seats in rows. They had decent strength, sure, but not enough pull to decide things on their own. Scattered among them were the family's up-and-coming young men and women. Off to one side sat Yuxuan's three wives, except Luoxin,Haochen's mother, who'd been bumped down to concubine status and now sat with the elders.
Haochen headed straight over to where his mother and Xiaotong were and knelt down beside them. He gave Xiaotong's cheek a light pinch, and she flashed him that chubby, beaming smile.
"I've gathered you all to make an announcement," Long Yuxuan said after clearing his throat. "We've talked it over, and we've decided that since Haochen's potential has dropped off so much these past few years with no real progress, we're cutting off all his cultivation resources starting today."
"Those resources will go to Muchen and Yize instead. As you all know, admissions for Gold Coast Academy are coming up. I've also brought in a solid mentor to train them over the next three months leading up to the entrance exam."
—
Gold Coast Academy stood as one of the top imprint schools across the entire Eastern Mainland, right in the capital. Admissions kicked off in three months, and just getting a shot at joining was a big deal. The techniques you picked up there were next level.
—
Whispers rippled through the grand hall once the family head wrapped up. Mocking grins crept onto Muchen and Yize's faces.
Haochen didn't let any hurt show. He wasn't counting on anything positive from the man anyway. Worst case, he'd get told to pack up and leave the Long family.
He couldn't really fault them. Everyone knew strength meant everything. If you were weak, you were just there for others to take advantage of.
Haochen got to his feet to leave the hall when a guard's voice echoed from outside. "The Yang family requests the family head's presence."
The name Yang hit Haochen like a spark. "I've heard that before. Right, my so-called fiancée's family," he thought.
The doors parted, and in came two middle-aged men and a girl around eighteen. They got seats among the elders down below the podium.
Haochen's eyes swept over the newcomers. The oldest was this elderly guy in a crisp blue robe, peering through a pair of worn wooden glasses perched on his nose. His face carried a warm smile, but those sharp, narrowed eyes scanned the room like he was sizing everyone up. Haochen's gaze locked on the man, drawn to the unique law tattoo etched on his forehead.
That kind of tattoo only showed when someone hit the Law Tempering Realm. To even step into the law realm, you had to master at least one special law. That's why true law experts were so rare in the imprint continent. Even the mighty Long family only had four,
the head and those three elders to his left.
On the Imprint Continent, pushing past the imprint manifestation realm was tough for most folks. Mastering a unique law on top of that? Forget it.
Plenty of people stalled out at the late stages of imprint manifestation their whole lives, never touching the law realm.
"Mid-stage Law Tempering expert. Impressive, makes sense for the Yang family," Haochen mused, taking in the old man's full presence. The aura rolling off him outshone even Yuxuan's, his father's. One guy like that could shake up the whole Long family's standing.
Next to the elder sat a middle-aged man with a thick black beard, at early-stage Law Tempering Realm, and then the young girl, whose vibe hinted at early-stage imprint manifestation. She was stunning, wrapped in a fitted crimson dress that hugged her figure, with long red earrings that matched perfectly.
Hitting early-stage imprint manifestation at eighteen marked her as a rare talent across the continent.
With looks like that and the power to back it up, she drew eyes from everywhere, even Muchen and Yize snuck peeks her way. But she kept her focus tight, ignoring everyone without a second glance.
Haochen's chest tightened a bit. If not for that one event, he might've broken through to imprint manifestation himself by now. He pulled his eyes away from the cool beauty. Whatever happened, beneath his young looks beat a grown-up mind. He wasn't about to gawk like some kid.