The cheers of the young masters and excited whispers of the elders died the moment those meeting hall doors slammed shut. Vorn stood alone in the vast space, repeated memories of their malice still replaying in his head.
Master Li stood silhouetted against a towering stained-glass window, shoulders slumped in defeat. This wasn't the proud patriarch from yesterday - this was just a man who'd lost a political battle.
"It's not a competition," Master Li said, voice heavy with resignation. "It's a trap."
'It isn't a trap If I already know my advantage, but what about the opponents advantage'
Vorn kept his expression neutral. He'd figured that out the moment they called for the vote.
Master Li turned, face masked with regret. "The Family Head Competition hasn't been held for a century. It's a political weapon - used when a successor is too weak or too controversial. They'll use it to discredit you, publicly break you, maybe even get you disowned."
He walked over and placed a hand on Vorn's shoulder, the touch carrying both regret and warning. "Don't play their game. Don't let them get you. You're my son now, Vorn, but I'm surrounded by enemies here. My hands are tied. All I can tell you is...trust no one."
'Including you?'
Vorn thought, but nodded.
"Understood."
[QUEST PARAMETERS UPDATED]
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE FAMILY HEAD COMPETITION]
[HOSTILE FACTIONS: ELDER LIAN, ELDER JIN, LI WEI, OTHERS]
[ALLIED FACTIONS: MASTER LI (COMPROMISED)]
Meanwhile, in a hidden chamber deep within the compound, Elder Lian and hawk-faced Elder Jin hunched over a holographic map of the competition grounds. Li Wei stood in the corner, eyes burning with arrogant fury.
"The first trial is a simple duel," Elder Lian said, her face a cruel thin line. "But the arena has a mana field with unpredictable flow patterns. It'll drain a rookie like him within minutes."
Elder Jin cackled like broken gravel. "He'll be exhausted and confused. Then Li Wei finishes him off."
"Don't fail me," Elder Lian commanded, cold gaze fixed on Li Wei. "That boy can never be allowed to grow, but his power is unrefined. He's a mongrel wearing our family crest. Put him in his place. Humiliate him publicly. Then we can nullify his claim to our bloodline."
" I understand "
Li Wei's smirk was pure venom. "I won't fail. I'll make sure his first move as a 'Xiaotian' is his last."
Before the competition began, Vorn made a secret visit to Seren. He found her in a sterile white room, connected to a humming machine array. She looked peaceful, but his enhanced senses were going crazy analyzing the setup.
[MEDICAL ARRAY ANALYSIS: COMPLETE]
[PRIMARY FUNCTION: ACCELERATED HEALING]
[SECONDARY FUNCTION: AWAKENING SUPPRESSION]
[WARNING: LONG-TERM EXPOSURE MAY CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE]
'They're not just healing her. They're controlling her Awakening process.'
He reached out and gently touched her forehead. Through his enhanced perception, he could feel her essence - her life force tangled with chaotic system energy trying to stabilize itself.
'Too late for her to be a normal Awakener. They've turned her into something else entirely.'
"I won't fail you," he whispered, then slipped away before anyone could catch him.
The memory of her face burned in his mind like fuel.
The grand assembly was pure spectacle. The arena - a vast circular space with tiered seats packed with young masters, family members, and elders. The air crackled with anticipation, mana humming from so many powerful Awakeners in one place.
'Feels like standing in the middle of an electrical storm.'
Someone tapped his shoulder. Master Li's appointed tutor - a gentle-faced man with kind eyes that probably hid daggers.
"Master Vorn, may I offer you this for your duel?" He held out a pristine training blade. "Standard issue. We find it helps with mana flow."
[ITEM ANALYSIS: TRAINING BLADE]
[ENCHANTMENT DETECTED: MANA DRAIN]
[EFFECT: SLOWLY SIPHONS WIELDER'S ENERGY]
[RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT USE]
Vorn took the sabotaged weapon with a slight smile. "Thank you, Master, I'm really grateful for your gift"
" Oh that's not much I am just helping you, as your master I won't want anything other than seeing you win"
'They really think I'm that stupid.'
Back in his room, Vorn got to work. Instead of dispelling the mana-drain enchantment, he used his Matter Manipulation to reverse its flow entirely. Now instead of draining his energy, it would absorb ambient mana from the environment.
[MATTER MANIPULATION: SUCCESSFUL]
[WEAPON MODIFIED: TRAINING BLADE → MANA VAMPIRE SWORD]
[NEW EFFECT: ABSORBS ENVIRONMENTAL MANA TO STRENGTHEN WIELDER]
Whoops
'Their trap just became my advantage.'
Competition day arrived with fanfare that could be heard across the city. The arena was packed, every seat filled with spectators hungry for blood and politics.
Elder Jin's gravelly voice boomed across the space, dripping with undisguised disdain.
"VORN!" he announced like introducing a plague. "And his opponent - a TRUE son of the Xiaotian family - LI WEI!"
Vorn stepped into the arena, modified blade comfortable in his grip. Li Wei strutted out from the opposite side, sneering contempt, a magnificent mana-infused sword gleaming in his hand.
"Did daddy give you that piece of junk, street rat?" Li Wei taunted loud enough for everyone to hear. "It won't even slow me down."
[OPPONENT ANALYSIS: LI WEI]
[LEVEL: ESTIMATED 12-15]
[RANK: C-]
[MANA SIGNATURE: AGGRESSIVE, UNREFINED]
[WEAKNESS: OVERCONFIDENT, RELIES ON SUPERIOR EQUIPMENT]
Vorn met his glare with ice-cold calm. "I hope you don't get tired too quickly."
Li Wei's sneer faltered slightly - he sensed the insult but didn't understand it.
GONG!
The bell rang like thunder through the arena. Both fighters charged forward.
[MANA VAMPIRE BLADE: ACTIVATING]
[ENVIRONMENTAL MANA: ABSORBING]
[POWER LEVEL: RISING]
The first move in this deadly family game was about to begin.
And Vorn had already won the opening gambit.
[CURRENT STATUS]
[LEVEL: 4]
[TEMPORARY MANA BOOST: +25%]
[CONFIDENCE LEVEL: HIGH]
[ENEMY EXPECTATION: TOTAL VICTORY]
[REALITY: ABOUT TO BE VERY DIFFERENT]