The grand council chamber of the Lei Clan was filled with tension, the air thick with an unspoken conflict. Elders sat in their seats, their faces stern and impassive as they watched Lei Tian, Lei Chen's father, pacing in front of them.
"We cannot simply discard him!" Lei Tian's voice echoed through the chamber. His fists were clenched, his eyes blazing with fury. "Lei Chen is still my son. He is still part of this clan!"
Elder Lei Zhen, the most senior of the elders, sighed heavily, his wrinkled face shadowed under the dim light of the hall. "Lei Tian, we understand your concern, but your son has lost his cultivation. What place does he have in the clan now?"
Lei Tian slammed his fist onto the wooden table, causing the cups and scrolls to tremble. "His cultivation can be restored! We just need time—"
"Time is something we do not have," Lei Zhen interrupted, his voice calm but cold. "The Lei Clan's position is precarious. Our enemies grow stronger, and our resources are thin. We cannot afford to waste them on someone who may never regain his power."
The other elders nodded in agreement, murmuring amongst themselves.
Lei Qiu, an elder known for his rigid adherence to tradition, added, "The clan must prioritize the greater good. Lei Chen was once a promising youth, but his future is now uncertain. We must not allow emotions to cloud our judgment."
Lei Tian's chest heaved with barely contained anger, his eyes narrowing at the elders. "Are we so quick to cast aside our own kin?"
"It is not about casting him aside," Elder Lei Zhen replied, his tone growing more severe. "It is about survival. The Lei Clan must be strong, and strength is determined by power. Without his cultivation, Lei Chen is a liability."
Outside, hidden in the shadows of the courtyard, Lei Chen listened to every word. His heart felt heavy, each sentence from the elders like a nail being driven into his coffin. He had known the clan's attitude toward him had changed since his fall, but hearing it laid bare was unbearable.
"Liability…" Lei Chen whispered to himself, his fists trembling with suppressed rage. Is that all I am now? A liability?
He had once been the pride of the Lei Clan. He had trained harder than anyone else, pushed himself beyond his limits time and time again. All of it, for the sake of the clan. But now, he was nothing more than a burden.
His chest tightened as the elders continued their discussion inside the hall.
"The clan cannot afford to invest in a broken cultivator," one elder murmured.
"He'll only be a drain on our resources."
Lei Chen's heart ached, but more than that, it burned with fury. How could they say such things? After everything I've done for them…
The memories of his youth flashed before his eyes—endless hours of training, pushing through pain and exhaustion, all in the name of the Lei Clan's honor. And now, they were willing to throw him away like garbage.
The faint whispers of the servants drifted to his ears.
"He can't even sense qi anymore. He's finished."
"A cripple. A waste."
Their words gnawed at his already fragile spirit. Despair threatened to consume him, but beneath the surface, something darker stirred—hatred.
I won't accept this.
The flames of resentment flickered in his soul, growing with each passing second. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms until blood flowed.
I will prove them all wrong. I will reclaim what I've lost… no matter the cost.