Chapter SEVEN

"There is no way I am agreeing to this!"

The furious roar exploded across the council chamber like thunder. An old man in flowing silver robes slammed both hands against the stone table as he shot to his feet. His white beard trembled violently alongside the rage burning in his eyes. Spiritual pressure leaked from his body uncontrollably, causing the lantern flames around the chamber to flicker wildly.

Around the massive circular hall sat the eight elders of the Li Clan. And seated calmly at the very center was the clan lord himself.

Li San.

The atmosphere inside the chamber had long since frozen over. Normally, the elders respected Li San deeply. He was powerful, wise, and decisive, having led the clan through countless hardships. Under ordinary circumstances, none of them would openly oppose his decisions.

But this matter involved Li Yu. And whenever the conversation involved that child, their clan lord stopped being rational.

"He has already wasted enough resources!" another elder barked coldly. "How many times must the clan suffer because of one boy?"

The other elders remained silent, but the looks in their eyes already revealed agreement. At the center seat, Li San said nothing. His fingers remained interlocked before him, his expression calm and unreadable. That only made the elders even angrier.

"The Golden Conjuring Pill is the clan’s greatest treasure!" the silver-robed elder shouted again. "Do you understand what sacrificing it means?!"

Of course Li San understood. Everyone in the room understood. The Golden Conjuring Pill was not merely precious. It was a treasure capable of helping a Silver Core cultivator step into the Golden Core Realm. A realm powerful enough to change the fate of an entire clan. A single Golden Core expert could suppress surrounding clans for decades.

And yet, Li San wanted to use such a treasure on Li Yu. On a boy with a broken spirit root. A boy incapable of cultivation. A hopeless cripple.

The atmosphere turned heavier. One elder finally spoke through clenched teeth.

"Clan Lord... enough is enough."

His voice carried exhaustion more than anger.

"For years, we supported your decisions. We allowed the clan treasury to be emptied trying to heal Li Yu’s spirit root. Herbs. Pills. Spiritual springs. Ancient physicians. Every attempt ended the same way."

"Failure."

The word echoed heavily.

"Because broken spirit roots cannot be repaired."

Another elder nodded grimly.

"Meanwhile, the Shi Clan and Guan Clan continued growing stronger while our Li Clan kept falling behind. Our younger generation lacks resources. Our disciples are weaker. Our influence is declining. And now..."

The elder’s voice hardened.

"You want to gamble the future of the entire clan on a miracle that does not exist."

Silence descended. Li San finally lifted his eyes. His gaze swept across the elders slowly. Powerfully. The pressure alone made several elders stiffen unconsciously. Then he spoke. Low. Gruff. Steady.

"You are not allowed to call Li Yu hopeless."

The entire chamber fell silent. The elder who had spoken earlier frowned. "Clan Lord—"

"Have you all forgotten who his mother was?"

That single sentence instantly killed the momentum in the room. Expressions shifted slightly because they remembered. Of course they remembered.

Li Shiyuen.

The woman who had once saved the Li Clan from destruction at the cost of her own life. The woman who had stood before overwhelming enemies alone while the clan escaped annihilation. The woman whose death still haunted Li San to this day. And worse, she had also been the younger sister of the current City Lord.

Li San’s fingers tightened slightly beneath the table.

"I owe her," he said quietly.

The silver-robed elder immediately snapped back.

"And must the entire clan continue paying that debt forever?!"

BOOM!

A terrifying aura exploded outward from Li San instantly. The elder’s chair shattered beneath the pressure. Several elders inhaled sharply. The silver-robed elder staggered back pale-faced, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

For the first time, Li San’s calm expression cracked. His eyes carried visible fury now.

"You speak of Li Yu as though he is a burden. He is not. He is family."

The chamber became deathly silent. But despite the pressure crushing the room, the elders still refused to back down. Because this matter involved the survival of the clan itself. One elder sighed deeply before speaking.

"We do not hate the child."

His voice softened slightly.

"We pity him. Everyone in this clan knows how hard he has suffered. A broken spirit root..."

The elder shook his head slowly.

"That fate is cruel. But cruelty does not change reality. No matter how much you care for him... no matter how much guilt you carry..."

"There is no cure."

Those words struck harder than any insult. Li San’s jaw tightened slightly. The elders noticed but continued anyway.

"If you sacrifice the Golden Conjuring Pill and fail, then the Li Clan may never recover."

One by one, the elders began standing.

"If Clan Lord insists on this decision, then I cannot support it."

"Neither can I."

"You are risking everything."

"I will not watch the clan walk toward ruin."

The silver-robed elder glared one final time before turning away angrily.

"If you doom this clan for that boy, history will remember you as the man who destroyed the Li Clan."

Then he left. The others soon followed. One after another. Until only two figures remained inside the massive hall. Li San and the oldest elder. The old man stood silently for a long time before finally sighing deeply.

"You know they are right."

Li San remained quiet. The elder slowly walked closer.

"I know you love that child. We all do. But you are not merely Li Yu’s guardian anymore. You are the Clan Lord. The weight of thousands rests on your shoulders."

The elder’s gaze grew heavy.

"Do not fail your ancestors. Do not fail this clan."

After saying those words, the final elder turned and left. The chamber became silent at last. Completely silent. Li San sat there alone. Motionless. Like a statue. The moonlight pouring through the windows illuminated his tired face.

For the first time since the meeting began, his shoulders slumped. He looked older suddenly. Far older. Slowly, he reached for a jar of liquor beside the table and took a long drink. The strong alcohol burned his throat. But not nearly enough. Not nearly enough to drown the helplessness inside him.

Over the years, he had tried everything. Everything. Ancient healers. Rare herbs. Spirit beasts. Alchemy masters. Forbidden methods. Every single attempt had failed. And each failure only deepened Li Yu’s despair.

Li San still remembered the boy’s smile slowly disappearing over the years. Still remembered the way Li Yu forced himself to laugh despite hearing the whispers behind his back.

"Trash."

"Burden."

"Waste."

Every word had been another knife. Li San closed his eyes painfully. He remembered the boy pretending not to care. Pretending not to notice. Pretending not to break. But Li San had noticed because he had watched that child grow up. Watched him lose hope piece by piece.

And now, even he was beginning to run out of hope. Li San drank again. His grip around the liquor jar tightened.

The Golden Conjuring Pill...

If he used it on himself, he could likely break into the Golden Core Realm. The clan would prosper. The elders would rejoice. The Li Clan’s future would stabilize. Logically, it was the correct choice.

But whenever he thought about giving up on Li Yu, he remembered Li Shiyuen’s smile. And he could not do it. No matter how hard he tried. Li San lowered his head slowly. For the first time in years, the powerful clan lord looked utterly exhausted. His voice came out hoarse. Quiet. Broken.

"What should I do...?"

The empty chamber gave no answer. Only silence remained. Then after a long while, Li San clenched the liquor jar tightly and shut his eyes.

"Is there truly no hope left for that child?"

Unbeknownst to the clan lord and the gathered elders, Li Yu had heard everything. He sat alone beneath the shadow of a distant pavilion pillar, hidden from sight while the voices inside the council chamber pierced through him like blades.

Every word. Every argument. Every sigh of disappointment. He heard it all.

The young man lowered his head quietly, his fingers clenching so tightly that blood almost seeped from his palms. His gaze trembled with guilt, pain, and helplessness. Even he himself felt like a failure. No. Not "felt." He believed it.

Li Yu closed his eyes bitterly. Ever since he was young, he had worked harder than everyone else in the clan. While others rested, he trained. While others played, he studied. He memorized cultivation texts, sought ancient knowledge, and pushed his frail body far beyond its limits again and again.

Yet none of it mattered. Because his spirit root was broken. Talent. Potential. Future. Everything had been destroyed before he was even given a chance. It was cruel. No matter how much effort he put in, reality never changed. It felt as though fate itself had personally decided he was unworthy of cultivation.

"Trash."

"Burden."

"Hopeless."

Those whispers had followed him for years. At first he pretended not to care. Then eventually, he started believing them too. Li Yu’s lips curled into a self-mocking smile.

His parents had been powerful cultivators. His mother was a hero of the Li Clan. He was supposed to inherit their legacy. Supposed to become someone great. Supposed to protect the clan.

Instead, he became the reason the clan weakened. A useless heir. A disappointment. A burden everyone tolerated only because of pity and guilt. The worst part was that he could no longer even look himself in the eyes.