Shen slowly placed the box back on the ground in front of him. His eyes flickered with barely concealed eagerness—every fiber of him wanted to open it, to finally claim the answers it might hold. But he knew now wasn’t the time.

  Granny Mei turned toward Lan Yue and Chief Lan, her eyes sending a silent signal. The Chief gave a subtle nod, then turned to his daughter.

  “Yue’er, wait outside,” he said gently. “We have something to discuss privately. In the meantime, gather the other children and bring them here.”

  Lan Yue stood, offered a respectful bow to Granny Mei, and gave Shen a quick, bright smile before stepping out.

  Shen returned the smile, then turned his gaze back toward the two elders.

  Chief Lan folded his arms, his voice low. “Elder, I’m not sure if you’re aware yet, but this year’s festival… the results were strange. All of the children displayed otherworldly potential—things we’ve never seen before.”

  Granny Mei narrowed her eyes. “What exactly were their results?”

  Chief Lan pulled a tightly bound scroll from his sleeve and began reading aloud.

  “Wang Lin: Unknown elemental affinity—black. Six and a half stars. Arcane Bloodline; Clear Mind Physique.

  Guo Bao: Unknown elemental affinity—white. Seven stars. Blessed Bloodline; Titan Bone Physique.

  Xue Ying: Ice elemental affinity—glowing blue. Nine stars. Warborn Bloodline; Glacial Vein Physique.

  Lan Yue: Dual fire and ice elemental affinity—red and blue. Eight stars. Mystic Bloodline; Blazing Ember Physique.”

  His voice hesitated before the last name. Shen noticed.

  “It’s alright, Chief. You can say it,” Shen said softly.

  The Chief nodded solemnly. “Shen: Elemental affinity undetermined—all colors. Stars unreadable. No bloodline. No physique.”

  Granny Mei’s eyes widened. She had expected the others, but not this. Not this at all.

  Shen, using to the silence that followed his name, sighed quietly.

  Without a word, Granny Mei reached beneath her robe and pulled out a timeworn scroll, the edges frayed with age. She scanned its contents, eyes dancing across the parchment. A moment later, a chuckle escaped her lips.

  “I understand now,” she said, shaking her head with a strange mix of awe and amusement. “Your mother… she truly does leave nothing to chance. This scroll—she gave it to me, just in case.”

  Both Shen and Chief Lan leaned forward, alert.

  Granny Mei continued, “I’ll wait for the others before I explain everything, but I’ll give you my thoughts in the meantime. Chief Lan, tell me—what do all of the children have in common besides their abnormal results?”

  The Chief frowned. “You mean aside from the stars and the bloodlines?”

  She tapped her cane on the floor. “Think deeper.”

  He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

  Granny Mei smiled knowingly. “Their age. They were all born around the same time as Shen. When Madam Lori—Shen’s mother arrived, these children were still in their mothers’ wombs. In a village as small as ours, five gifted children born together isn’t just a coincidence. It’s fate.”

  The realization dawned on them both. Shen’s lips parted slightly, stunned.

  “I believe your mother… influenced more than just your life, Shen,” she said. “Those children may very well carry a part of her will.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  She pulled another scroll from a small case and opened it. “And as for your test results…”

  She turned the scroll around and pointed to a passage near the bottom.

  “The reason the orb reacted the way it did is not because you lack a spirit root, but because your root is too complex to register. Shen, you possess perfect compatibility with every element. The orb could not determine a single affinity because you can wield them all.”

  Shen's eyes widened. “Then… the stars?”

  “They cycled from zero to ten because they couldn’t measure you. Not accurately. Your potential is beyond the range of the current system.”

  A long silence followed. Shen stared at the floor, clenching his fists.

  A knock came at the door.

  “You can come in,” Granny Mei called.

  The door opened, and the rest of the children filed in. The room quickly became cramped, especially with Guo Bao, who took up nearly two cushions’ worth of space by himself.

  “Shen, step to the side with Chief Lan and Lan Yue,” Granny Mei instructed. “Let little Bao, little Ying, and little Lin sit on the cushions.”

  Wang Lin darted to the center with confidence, Guo Bao waddled cheerfully to one side, and Xue Ying took her place quietly, expression calm.

  Granny Mei looked over the group, smiling softly to herself at the contrast between them.

  “I will now explain the meaning of your test results,” she began, unrolling another scroll. “And give each of you what you need to grow.”

  She stepped forward.

  “Wang Lin—you hold an affinity for darkness. This manual contains the path to awakening your bloodline and physique.”

  She handed him a scroll.

  “Guo Bao—you are of the light affinity. Yours is here.”

  “Xue Ying—ice affinity. This one is yours.”

  “Lan Yue—dual fire and water. Your path is a rare one. Use this well.”

  The children eagerly accepted their manuals, eyes gleaming as they flipped through the ancient pages.

  “These manuals explain how to awaken your bloodlines and physiques,” Granny Mei explained.

  As they read through the scrolls, curiosity sparked.

  “Granny Mei,” Wang Lin asked, narrowing his eyes, “where did these even come from? I’ve never seen manuals like this.”

  Xue Ying glanced up. “They’re not written in village script.”

  Even Guo Bao looked up from a colorful illustration. “They feel kinda… sacred.”

  Granny Mei chuckled softly. “That’s because none of them came from this village.”

  She paused, then glanced toward Shen before continuing.

  “They were all gifted to us by Madam Lori—Shen’s mother.”

  Stunned silence.

  “Wait… what?” Wang Lin blinked.

  Lan Yue’s mouth parted. “You mean… she gave us all of this?”

  “I thought Shen was just some abandoned orphan,” Guo Bao mumbled, then flinched. “Uh—I mean—”

  “You thought wrong,” Granny Mei said gently. “Only adults and those who complete the Spirit Root Festival are told the truth. So you could properly honor the one who gave you the chance to stand here today.”

  The air thickened. None of them had expected this. For years, they thought Shen was someone to pity—someone forgotten.

  And yet, it was his mother who had made their lives what they were.

  “She defended our gates. Healed our wounded. Gave us everything we know about cultivation. Without her, this village would still be weak and broken,” Granny Mei said firmly. “She made us strong.”

  Xue Ying stared at her manual in silence. Guo Bao said nothing more. Even Wang Lin seemed… conflicted.

  “She didn’t ask for worship,” Granny Mei said quietly. “Only that we raise her son with the chance to choose his fate.”

  She stopped and let the silence sink in for a moment before continuing.

  “You each have to train to awaken your physique and bloodline,” she said at last. “The bloodline will require you to gather rare ingredients unique to your heritage. That will take years, maybe more. But your physique can be trained immediately with discipline and the sutras in your manual.”

  “You are dismissed. I wish you luck. All of you are the future of our village.”

  The children bowed, still processing what they’d learned, and filed out.

  Only Shen remained.

  He looked at Granny Mei. “Are there any manuals here that are suited for me?”

  She gave a long sigh. “No. There isn’t one that matches your… unique condition. But I don’t believe your parents would leave you without hope. Perhaps your answers lie in that box.”

  Shen looked down, clutching it tightly.

  “Thank you,” he said, bowing.

  Then he turned and left.

  Outside, the village still pulsed with celebration. Drums echoed in the distance. Bright fabrics fluttered like banners under the sun. Villagers sang joyfully in the streets, shouting praises:

  “Glory to the Generational Four!”

  Shen flinched. He knew it wasn’t personal—they were just excited. But it didn’t stop the sting.

  He tightened his grip on the box and walked faster, cutting through the crowds.