The Li Clan compound did not sleep that night. The air was thick with a tension that had not been felt in generations. In every courtyard and hall, disciples and elders alike could speak of nothing but the confrontation.
Among the younger generation, the mood was a mixture of awe and sheer terror. The disciples who had once joined Li Jun in mocking "The Great Mighty Li" now huddled together, their voices hushed.
"He was at the 8th Stage all along... he was just pretending to be weak," one muttered, his face pale. "We're lucky he didn't crush us sooner."
"Did you feel that pressure? It wasn't just strong... it felt ancient. Like a mountain was sitting on my soul," another whispered, shuddering. "I actually thought I was going to die."
Regret was a bitter taste in their mouths. Their mockery hadn't been targeting a weakling; they had been poking a sleeping dragon. And now the dragon was awake, and they were terrified of what his wrath might be.
In the clan's main hall, the atmosphere was far darker. Clan Head Li Tao paced before the assembled elders, his face a thundercloud.
"Did you all feel it?" he snarled, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair. "That was not the aura of a mere Qi Gathering disciple! That was something... other. Something dangerous. He has not just been hiding his cultivation level; he has been hiding a demonic inheritance!"
Elder Guo nodded vigorously, his earlier suspicions vindicated. "I said it! We should have seized him weeks ago! Now, with Li Kang protecting him, it will be an open conflict. We must eliminate him before the Grand Tournament. We cannot allow a variable this unstable to represent our clan, or to grow stronger."
Elder Feng, however, looked troubled. "Eliminate him? After he has just displayed such staggering talent? He reached the 8th Stage in secret! Imagine what he could do for the clan if guided!"
"Guided?" Li Tao laughed, a cold, harsh sound. "You cannot guide a tsunami. You can only get out of its way or be destroyed. He is a threat to my authority and the stability of this clan. The decision is made. The boy dies before the tournament."
---
Meanwhile, in the quiet of their humble quarters, a different conversation was unfolding. The protective fury had faded from Li Kang's eyes, replaced by a deep, weary gravity. Li Wei looked at his father, truly looked at him, for the first time.
The way he had intercepted the Clan Head's blow... the solidity of his spiritual power, despite its ragged edges... it was not the power of a man who had been broken for years. It was the power of a man who had been waiting.
"Father," Li Wei began, his voice quiet. "Your injury, from all those years ago... what really happened?"
Li Kang was silent for a long moment, his gaze distant, lost in a painful past. He looked at his son, at the fierce, untamable power that now radiated from him, and he seemed to come to a decision.
"Wei'er," he said, his voice low. "The truth of that day is a weight I hoped you would never have to carry. It is not a simple tale of a mission gone wrong. It involves powers far beyond this little clan, and a secret that cost me everything."
He placed a hand on Li Wei's shoulder, his grip firm. "Knowing the truth now would not help you. It would only paint a target on your back that even I could not protect you from. The man who orchestrated it believes me a broken, forgotten cripple. It is better that way."
Li Wei's eyes narrowed. "Orchestrated? It was an attack?"
Li Kang's gaze was unwavering. "Grow stronger, my son. Stronger than you can possibly imagine. Strong enough that not even the heavens can dictate your fate. The path you are on... this terrifying power you wield... it might just be the key. When you are ready, when you have built a foundation that cannot be shaken, I will tell you everything. But for now, know this: your father was not always this meek. And the enemy we face is one that would make the Clan Head tremble like a child."
The revelation settled in the room, heavy and profound. Li Wei looked at his father not as a victim of circumstance, but as a fellow warrior, bearing scars from a war he knew nothing about. The mystery of his own bloodline and the truth of his father's past were now intertwined.
He had thought his goal was to prove himself to the clan. Now he understood. The clan was a stepping stone. His true journey was just beginning. He needed to get stronger, fast. Not for a tournament, but for a confrontation with a past that had tried to erase his family.