The Hidden Dragon Reveals His Scales
The mechanical voice of the System echoed coldly in his mind: "Host, you have failed to reach the Foundation Building Realm. You have exactly 3 days remaining. If you do not break through by then, you will perish."
Ling Xia's heart skipped a beat. "System, stop joking! You'd really kill your own Host? How can you be so ruthless?"
"These are the Rules. Goodbye, Host," the System replied before fading into a chilling silence.
Ling Xia gritted his teeth, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Only three days... I have to reach Foundation Building, or it's over. I'm currently at the 8th stage of the Qi Refining Realm; I need three more breakthroughs to bridge the gap. I must go to the family's Holy Cultivation Ground. Our family hasn't produced a true ancestor-level expert in generations. If I want to lead them to glory, I have to become the strongest."
Just as he was resolving his path, his younger brother, Ling Sai, rushed into the room. "Brother! Father and the Elders are summoning you to the Main Hall!"
Ling Xia knew what this was about. In the eyes of the world—and his family—Ling Xia was a "trash" with no cultivation root. Because of this, the family council had been pressuring him to give up on martial arts and take over the family's mundane business affairs. Ling Xia had refused every time, knowing that the path of a merchant was nothing compared to the path of an immortal.
The Hall of JudgmentThe two brothers arrived at the Main Hall and knelt before the seated figures of authority. "Father, Elders, you summoned me?" Ling Xia said, his voice calm despite the ticking clock in his head.
The Great Elder sighed, looking down at him. "Xia, you know why you are here. This time, do not refuse us. You must take over the business."
Ling Xia's uncle sneered, "Stop wasting family resources on a dream that will never come true. You have no talent, Xia."
Ling Xia looked up, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Elder... Uncle... there is something I have been hiding from everyone for a very long time."
"What could a rootless boy possibly hide?" his uncle mocked.
"I thought I would wait until I reached the Foundation Building Realm to reveal the truth," Ling Xia stood up, his aura beginning to shift. "But it seems I must show you now. Look closely at my 'lack of power'!"
The ShockwaveLing Xia released the seal on his cultivation. Suddenly, a violent gust of wind erupted within the hall. The air grew heavy, and a golden light radiated from his body as his true cultivation level surged forth like a tidal wave.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence before erupting in chaos.
"What?! This... this pressure!"
"He's at the 8th Stage of the Qi Refining Realm!"
"Impossible! His power... it's even greater than the Clan Leader's!"
The Elders stood up so fast their chairs toppled over. Ling Xia's father was trembling, his face switching from shock to pure, unadulterated joy. He began to laugh like a madman, tears streaming down his face.
"My son! You're not a cripple... you're a genius! Your level is higher than anyone in this entire village!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the rafters.
While the family celebrated their "New Hope," Ling Xia's mind remained fixed on the cold reality: he had 72 hours left to reach the next realm, or this newfound glory would become his funeral.