"Do you know what happened here last night?"
The woman's voice was even, but her eyes were sharp—calculating, weighing everything in the room, including Lei Wei.
Elder Yun stepped slightly in front of him.
"We handled a small disturbance," he said calmly. "Nothing that requires the Baiye Clan's intervention."
The woman smiled thinly.
"Small? The qi fluctuation was strong enough to wake half the outer district. Our elders detected a pressure comparable to Veinforge Peak. And it came from here."
Her gaze finally locked onto Lei Wei.
"And you, boy… what exactly are you?"
Lei Wei felt his pulse pound. The Silverflame pup growled softly on his lap.
"I'm just a beginner," he said quietly.
The woman crouched, examining the cracked floor, the faint scorch marks, the lingering traces of unstable qi.
"A beginner," she repeated. "How interesting."
Behind her, the two Baiye cultivators remained still, hands behind their backs, staring with predatory patience.
Elder Yun's tone hardened.
"If the Baiye Clan is only here to investigate, then consider your investigation complete."
The woman's smile widened.
"Oh, we're not here to investigate only. The City Council has ordered all sudden qi anomalies reported immediately. And since we are one of the two ruling clans of Greenleaf… we enforce the rules."
She rose smoothly and turned to the door.
"Prepare yourselves. You will be summoned to the inner city today for questioning."
She took a step, then paused.
"Oh—and one more thing."
She looked directly at Lei Wei.
"Be careful. Not everyone in the city will appreciate a new rising talent. Especially not the Hengyuan Clan… after what happened to their heir."
Lei Wei frowned. "What happened?"
The woman chuckled softly.
"You'll see soon enough."
Then she and her entourage walked away, silent as shadows.
---
The room fell deathly quiet as their footsteps faded.
Elder Yun closed the door slowly.
"The Baiye Clan…" he muttered. "Damn it. Things just got much more complicated."
Lei Wei sat up.
"Who are they?"
"One of the two ruling families of Greenleaf. Powerful. Influential. Always hungry for more."
Lei Wei's brows knitted.
"And the Hengyuan Clan?"
"The other ruling family. Older. Honorable. But declining."
Elder Yun exhaled slowly.
"You'll understand when you see their young master."
---
Later — On the Way to the Inner City
The streets grew cleaner, wider, and more crowded as Lei Wei and Elder Yun approached the Inner Gate. Markets bustled. Merchants shouted. Spirit beasts trotted by with armored riders.
But the gate itself was a fortress—stone walls thirty meters high, guards in polished armor, banners fluttering with the eagle crest of Baiye.
A commotion erupted near the checkpoint.
People whispered.
"Is that… Young Master Hengyuan?"
"Poor boy… crippled so young…"
"Baiye Zhen destroyed his meridians, right?"
Lei Wei's eyes snapped to the center of the gathered crowd.
A young man—perhaps sixteen—sat in a wooden wheelchair. His once-fair skin was pale. His body trembled with each breath. His eyes were hollow, yet burning with humiliation.
His arm was tied to a splint. His legs lay motionless.
Beside him stood a girl—around fifteen, slim, beautiful, dressed in light blue robes. Her eyes were fierce, chin raised high, but grief lingered beneath her strength.
Lei Wei felt a strange tightening in his chest.
Elder Yun whispered quietly, "That is the Hengyuan daughter, Hengyuan Su."
As if sensing their gaze, she turned—and her eyes met Lei Wei's.
For a moment, something unreadable flashed between them.
Bang—
A heavy pressure swept the street.
The crowd scattered instantly.
A boy stepped forward, aura blazing with arrogance and cold pride. His cultivation—Spirit Seed Peak—radiated like a sharpened blade.
Tall, handsome, with long black hair tied behind him.
Baiye Zhen.
The genius of the Baiye Clan.
The one who crippled the Hengyuan heir.
"Move," he commanded, staring down at the wheelchair-bound boy. "My path is blocked."
The crippled heir—Hengyuan Ren—trembled. His sister stepped in front of him.
"You've already taken his future. Isn't that enough?"
Baiye Zhen smirked.
"Future? He never had one."
He lifted his foot to shove the wheelchair aside—
Before he could touch it, a hand caught his ankle.
Silence exploded through the crowd.
Lei Wei stood there, fingers wrapped around Baiye Zhen's foot like an iron clamp.
"What do you think you're doing?" Lei Wei said quietly.
Baiye Zhen's eyes widened slightly—not because of Lei Wei's words, but because…
He couldn't move.
This boy's grip…
It was like holding onto stone.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Who is that kid…?"
"He's not even Spirit Seed Mid… how is he holding Zhen?"
Baiye Zhen's smirk vanished.
"You dare interfere?"
Lei Wei's voice was calm, but his eyes were cold.
"You're in everyone's way. Move."
Zhen's aura exploded.
A blast of force surged from his leg—
Enough to shatter the ground.
Lei Wei felt the shockwave hit him—
his feet slid an inch—
but he didn't let go.
Baiye Zhen's pupils contracted.
Fine.
He swung a punch at Lei Wei's face.
Elder Yun moved—
But Lei Wei moved first.
His fist rose, meeting Zhen's blow head-on.
BOOM—
The shockwave tore through the street.
Dust blasted outward.
Guards staggered.
Several weaker cultivators were thrown onto their backs.
The air trembled from the collision.
Baiye Zhen skidded back three full steps—
his wrist shaking.
He stared at Lei Wei with disbelief.
"You… blocked my full-force strike?"
Lei Wei exhaled slowly.
His knuckles stung. His arm felt numb.
But he stayed standing.
"You call that full force?"
Baiye Zhen's expression twisted.
"You little—"
A deep, commanding voice thundered across the courtyard:
"ENOUGH."
Everyone froze.
An older man approached from the gate—clad in silver armor, aura dense and heavy.
A Baiye elder.
"This is the inner city. Fighting is forbidden. Baiye Zhen, stand down."
Zhen clenched his fists, glaring at Lei Wei.
"This isn't over."
He stepped back, eyes burning with fury.
Lei Wei didn't look away.
Hengyuan Su stared at him, stunned.
Her brother managed a weak, grateful smile.
Elder Yun placed a hand on Lei Wei's shoulder.
"Careful," he whispered. "We've already made a powerful enemy."
Lei Wei kept his eyes on Baiye Zhen.