Chapter 96: Transitioning Pain
Far beneath the Qin family estate, an underground sanctuary remained sealed behind several layers of formations.
Qin Zhengyuan knelt at the centre of the dark chamber, his head lowered before the old man seated above himm the Qin family patriarch rested within a heavy wooden chair, his aged face partly hidden beneath the surrounding darkness.
"Father, Haoran is dead."
Zhengyuan’s voice remained controlled, but his hands were clenched tightly against his knees.
"He was the Qin family’s only heir, everything we prepared for the next generation was meant to pass into his hands."
The patriarch’s fingers tightened around the armrest and the ancient wood cracked beneath his grip, sending several splinters across the floor.
"That foolish child brought this upon himself," he said. "He should have informed us before acting inside the legacy realm."
Qin Zhengyuan raised his head and found anger gathering behind the old man’s otherwise cold expression.
"He became intoxicated by the title of Lesser Holy Son and started believing the Church had truly chosen him above everyone else."
" Even that position was granted because of the Qin family’s standing and what we accomplished for them ten years ago."
Qin Zhengyuan rose from the floor, no longer willing to remain kneeling.
"Whatever mistakes he made, he was still my son and your grandson, we need to discover how he died and who was responsible."
His voice became harsher as he continued. "I will dig through the graves of every family involved if that is what it takes and whoever killed Haoran will pay along with everyone standing behind them."
The patriarch stood and placed one hand upon his shoulder.
"Control yourself, Zhengyuan, the military has already placed our family under investigation and the entire city is waiting for an excuse to tear apart everything we possess."
Qin Zhengyuan looked away, but the patriarch tightened his hand upon his shoulder.
"The Church is also dissatisfied."
"The Cardinal sent a message shortly after the realm closed," the patriarch continued. "Something happened inside that should have been impossible."
"What happened?"
"He refused to explain."
The old man returned to his chair and the fractures beneath his fingers spread farther through the armrest.
"He only said that the prophecy failed and the outcome he witnessed never occurred, something outside every predicted path interfered with the ritual."
Qin Zhengyuan’s expression changed.
The Cardinal had issued hundreds of prophecies across several decades, some had been vague and others difficult to interpret, but none had ever produced a completely incorrect outcome.
"What does he intend to do?"
"For now, nothing the city is alert, the military is examining every family connected to the expedition and the Church has already lost several important people."
The patriarch closed his eyes.
"We wait until their attention shifts elsewhere, Haoran’s death will be answered but not while every blade in the city is pointed toward us."
Three days later, Xingluo and Ruan Mei sat upon a quiet hill beyond the northern district.
Rows of newly prepared graves covered the slope before them, most contained only belongings recovered from storage rings or objects provided by grieving families, because those who died inside the Ninefold Legacy Realm had left no bodies behind.
The past three days had been more exhausting than the battle itself.
Military investigators had questioned every survivor separately and conducted repeated examinations to ensure none had been replaced, corrupted or marked by the Church.
Search teams had also spread throughout the city, checking residences, university grounds and businesses connected to the altered entry records.
Xingluo received far more attention than most survivors, wuxia had revealed enough of his strength during the final battle that several contestants believed the black knight and the ten-thousand-strong soul army belonged to her.
Han Zhen’s report created even more questions after describing how the army had appeared wherever Xingluo fought.
The commander questioned her personally, while Professor Liang remained present throughout most of the examination.
Xingluo claimed that Wuxia was a Companion Spirit connected to her talent and According to the explanation they created, the Ninefold Legacy Realm had awakened an ancient bond between them and temporarily released power that had previously remained sealed.
The story contained enough truth to survive ordinary questioning, though several parts were complete lies.
The greatest risk came when the military requested another talent examination.
Xingluo’s original C-rank talent had disappeared and revealing Lord of the Nine Stars would have brought far greater attention than Wuxia’s appearance already had.
Following his instructions, she used Celestial Creation to construct a false layer around her talent’s energy signature. The imprint nearly collapsed when the examination formation penetrated deeper, but she maintained it long enough for the result to stabilise.
S-rank.
Even the false result stunned everyone present, a C-rank talent evolving directly into S-rank after receiving a legacy inheritance was rare enough to attract the attention of the city’s highest authorities.
Professor Liang examined the result several times, while the commander questioned Xingluo about every stage of the succession.
But there was another problem too much info about Xingluo has spread.
The surviving contestants knew she controlled an army capable of changing the outcome of the final battle, while the military records now identified her as an S-rank talent connected to an ancient Companion Spirit.
The Church had also lost its Lesser Holy Son and failed a ritual because of powers that had appeared around her.
The commander warned her directly that remaining inside the city was no longer safe.
Until the investigation ended, Xingluo would stay inside protected military accommodation.
Her parents would also be moved from their home and placed under military protection somewhere beyond the Qin family’s, the church and the prying eye’s immediate reach.
Xingluo disliked involving them, but Wuxia agreed with the decision, anyone investigating the failure of the ritual would eventually search for weaknesses around her and her parents were the most obvious targets.
The commander then contacted several officers within the Main City and submitted a recommendation for Xingluo to enter its Military Academy.
The answer arrived the following day, confirming her acceptance.
Such a transfer to the main-city was almost unheard of, most candidates trained for years before entering through the official selection, while others required direct sponsorship from powerful military families.
Xingluo received an exception because of her apparent S-rank talent, her performance inside the legacy realm and the commander’s personal recommendation. The transfer also provided another layer of protection, placing her beyond the reach of most forces operating within the city.
Under normal circumstances, the news would have left her unable to contain her excitement. Instead, she sat before Su Lan’s grave without speaking.
A simple stone marker stood near the upper section of the hill, surrounded by flowers left by students from Beichen University. Su Lan’s name had been carved across its surface beside the dates of her birth and death.
There had been no body to bury, only the necklace she regularly used to wear and care for, which also was also the last thing she had of her parents.
Like many students from Beichen, Su Lan had grown up without parents, the director of her orphanage attended the ceremony alongside several teachers and the few friends who had remained close to her after she entered university.
They had already left, but Xingluo and Ruan Mei remained behind, wuxia stood several steps away without interrupting them.
Ruan Mei sat slightly behind Xingluo, the dark coat wrapped closely around her as she watched the grave in silence.
Since arriving, her gaze remained upon Su Lan’s name while the wind passed through the flowers covering the hill.
After several minutes, she finally spoke. "Xingluo."
Xingluo turned toward her and found an unfamiliar seriousness in her expression.
"I am coming with you."