Outside the Bloodline Sanctuary, Dongfang Qing beamed as he pressed a golden token into Qin Chen's hand. "Young master, allow this humble one to make amends for today's unpleasantness. This Golden Guest Token grants you a thirty percent discount at all Sanctuary branches and access to restricted areas."

  The token shimmered—its highest honor for a fourth-tier Sanctuary. Qin Chen accepted without pretense. "The attendant...?"

  "Worry not. She faces no censure."

  As Qin Chen departed, whispers erupted among onlookers:"Who is that boy? Even princes don't receive such honors!""Golden Guest Token! Royal families vie for that privilege!"

  Within the Sanctuary, icy silence fell. Dongfang Qing glared at Liu Tong writhing on the floor. "Expel this worm. Ban him permanently."

  "Mercy! I beg—"

  Thud! A kick silenced the plea. "Your sin isn't negligence—it's slandering innocence to save your worthless hide." Guards dragged the wailing man away like carcass.

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  Turning to Lin Xinrou, the Sanctuary Master's expression softened. "You erred... gloriously. The boy's name?"

  "Q-Qin Chen..."

  "Double your next stipend. Rest well."

  Dazed, Lin Xinrou stumbled out as Li Wenyu approached. "Master, why elevate that youth?"

  Dongfang Qing gestured to the Bloodline Analyzer, eighteen luminous runes still fading. "I've mastered twelve activation tiers after months. He awakened all eighteen within minutes."

  Li Wenyu paled. "Impossible! Unless..."

  "Precisely. Either he's mentored by a supreme Bloodline Sage—or he is one reborn."

  In his sparse chamber, Qin Chen sat cross-legged, azure lightning flickering beneath his skin. The Thunderclap Bloodline—nominally First-grade—thrummed with restrained fury.

  Crackle!

  His eyes snapped open. The strand of lightning had thickened—microscopically, yet undeniably.

  "Self-evolving bloodline?" Even his eight-lifecycle expertise faltered. "No... This feels... orchestrated."

  Beyond the window, twilight gilded the courtyard where his mother's shadow remained absent. He clenched fists. After the Academy Trials, wealth shall flow. Never again shall she labor till moonrise.

  Beneath his palms, lightning condensed into fractal patterns—ancient sigils from a drowned epoch. The room hummed with gathering storm.