The door to the room slowly opened.
A calming scent of incense immediately greeted the senses, mixed with the lingering tension that hadn't fully faded.
Inside—
a woman leaned weakly against the bed, her black hair slightly messy, her breathing still unstable. Yet in her arms, she held a small baby tightly.
A midwife who had been busy earlier quickly approached Lin Wuchen, but her steps halted for a moment when she saw the figures behind him. Her face turned pale, clearly not expecting their presence.
Still, she bowed respectfully and spoke with a restrained voice,
"Pa–Patriarch… congratulations… the young master was born healthy."
Lin Wuchen fell silent for a moment.
Then—
a wide smile appeared on his face.
The happiness he had been holding back finally burst out. Earlier, he had been too focused on the phenomenon outside to even confirm the child's gender, but now he felt immense joy knowing he had a son who could inherit his position.
On the bed, the woman slowly opened her eyes. Her voice was weak, almost like a whisper.
"Husband… who are the people that came with you…?"
Lin Wuchen immediately approached, his tone softening as he spoke to her.
"Dear, don't worry. The ancestors are only here to check something."
One of the female ancestors stepped forward.
Her aura was calm, yet heavy.
She approached the bed slowly, then spoke in a gentler tone than expected,
"Don't worry. We only want to check the condition of the Lin family's heir."
Her gaze fell on the baby.
"May I hold the child for a moment?"
The woman did not answer immediately.
She looked toward Lin Wuchen.
After seeing a small nod from her husband, she carefully handed the baby over.
The ancestor received Lin Yuan with both hands.
Her perception immediately enveloped the small body.
A few breaths passed—
"He does not have demon blood… nor any demonic traits."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
Hearing that—a collective sigh of relief echoed throughout the room.
The tension that had been hanging in the air finally collapsed. The previously tense faces turned relieved, even happy.
"Husband, this…?"
The woman on the bed was still confused.
Lin Wuchen smiled, reassuring her.
"Don't worry. I'll explain it later."
"Hahaha! Good! It seems the Lin family will shine again in this era!"
The ancestors laughed happily, celebrating the rise of the Lin family.
Lin Wuchen was about to laugh and join in the celebration with the others when he noticed something.
The expression of the female ancestor… changed.
A frown formed on her forehead. The smile that had been on her face completely vanished.
"…Ancestor, is something wrong?"
In an instant, everyone's attention in the room focused on her again.
The female ancestor looked at the baby in her hands, then spoke slowly—
"Although he does not have demon blood… this child's talent is extremely poor."
She paused for a moment.
"Even… far worse than trash."
The room seemed to freeze.
The faces that were once filled with relief changed instantly.
Shock.
Disbelief.
On the bed, tears flowed from the corners of the woman's eyes.
But not because of disappointment.
She didn't care how bad her child's talent was.
What she feared… was his future.
In a world where strength was everything… someone without talent was not even considered human.
'It's okay…'
'Don't be afraid…'
'No matter what happens… mother will protect you…'
'Even if we have to leave the Lin family…' she whispered in her heart.
"NONSENSE!"
A loud voice shattered the atmosphere.
Another ancestor stepped forward, his face full of disbelief.
"How could a child who triggered such a phenomenon have trash talent? Move aside—I'll examine him myself!"
He snatched Lin Yuan.
A few seconds later, he smiled.
Seeing that, everyone felt relieved again.
But in the next moment—the smile disappeared, replaced by a gloomy expression.
Lin Wuchen could no longer hold back.
"…Ancestor, how is my child?"
The ancestor let out a soft sigh.
"This child… has a mortal-grade spiritual root."
Silence.
This time, deeper.
In a great family like the Lin family, high-grade spiritual roots were so common they felt ordinary.
On the other hand—
mortal spiritual roots… were not even worth mentioning.
But the ancestor wasn't finished.
"However—"
All eyes lifted again.
"He possesses an Innate Sword Physique… as well as a dominant metal spiritual root."
In an instant—
the atmosphere shifted again.
Relief swept across the ancestors' faces.
"Good!"
"With an innate sword physique and metal element, the Lin family techniques are perfect for him!"
"Even if his spiritual root is low, with our family's resources… he can still become strong!"
"That's right! If not for the earlier phenomenon, I might not think this far. But now… I'm certain this child will carve his name across the Tianyuan Continent!"
The conversation grew lively.
Optimism returned.
However—not everyone was smiling.
One ancestor remained silent, his eyes narrowing as he noticed something.
"…You said dominant spiritual root."
His voice was calm, but sharp.
"That means… it's not a pure spiritual root."
"So—"
"What other type of spiritual root does this child have?"
All eyes turned back to the previous ancestor. Deep down, everyone already realized what was happening.
He paused for a moment.
Then spoke slowly—
"70 percent… metal spiritual root."
"And the remaining 30 percent…"
He lifted his gaze.
"Is lightning spiritual root."
The woman on the bed fell silent.
Slowly—both her hands rose, covering her mouth.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Tears flowed silently, soaking her pale face.
She tried to hold them back… but couldn't.
On the other side—
the atmosphere turned chaotic.
The ancestors began arguing with each other.
"The earlier phenomenon… doesn't seem to come entirely from this child."
"No," another replied quickly. "I can still feel a trace of a unique aura from him. It's weak… but it's not wrong. I'm sure he is the trigger."
"Then how is that possible? His talent is even below standard!"
"Could it be… the child was born as a defier?" another voice said hesitantly. "I once witnessed the birth of a defiant cultivator. The phenomenon… wasn't much different."
"Impossible." another ancestor immediately shook his head. "Defiers only trigger calamity because they oppose the heavens. They lose the heavens' blessings entirely. But this—"
He looked at the baby.
"This phenomenon… is not just a disaster."
"Then explain it."
Silence.
No one answered.
This anomaly… was beyond their understanding.
And right at that moment—
"Because he has been cursed."
A calm voice was heard.
Not loud.
But—
enough to silence the entire room.
Everyone was shocked.
At the same time, they turned toward the source of the voice.
A man walked into the room.
His face looked young.
His hair was pure white, falling straight down to his back.
His robe was simple—plain white without decoration, far from anything luxurious.
His steps were calm, as if he didn't care about the presence around him.
He did not emit any aura, and the lack of qi fluctuation from his body made it impossible to tell whether he was a cultivator or just an ordinary human.
In an instant—
the expressions of the ancestors changed drastically.
Shock, tension, and unmistakable respect filled their faces.
Without needing any command—one by one, they bowed deeply.