Journey of the Immortal’s Cultivation

04. Unveiled

“Enough!”  

The command ripped through the arena like a storm breaking against jagged cliffs. It was not simply a shout—it was a force, a surge of qi so dense and resonant that the very air seemed to buckle beneath its weight. The cry rolled across the chamber, echoing against the stone walls until lanterns swayed violently on their chains, their flames flickering in protest. In an instant, the roar of the crowd was strangled into silence, as though the voice itself had stolen breath from every throat.  

Zhou Chen halted mid-motion, his sword frozen in its descent, the killing arc interrupted by the sheer authority embedded in that single word. His arms convulsed as though struck by lightning, and the weapon was torn from his grip by the resonance of the command.  

Clang!  

Steel shrieked against stone as the blade skittered across the floor, its deadly gleam extinguished. Zhou Chen’s eyes widened, disbelief carved deep into his features.  

“Uncle Cao… why would you intrude upon our duel?” His voice cracked, confusion bleeding into anger.  

He recognized the figure who had spoken. Wu Cao was no stranger—an elder of the Wu family, a man whose presence was a fixture at the gatherings of the Five Great Houses. Zhou Chen had seen him countless times: at banquets where silk rustled like whispers, at tea ceremonies where incense curled in delicate spirals, at councils where words carried the weight of dynasties. Always dignified, always composed. Yet here he stood, breaking tradition, shielding a boy who had no claim to nobility, no cultivation, no heritage worth defending.  

Why? Why would a man of such stature risk his reputation for a ragged youth who called himself Wang Jun?  

Wu Cao did not answer. His gaze was locked upon Wu Tian, and urgency propelled his steps. He crossed the arena with startling speed, robes trailing like shadows, and dropped to his knees beside the battered boy. His hands trembled as they hovered over the youth’s broken frame, his voice cracking with grief.  

“Tian’er… you are wounded?”  

The tenderness in his tone rippled through the crowd like a shockwave. Gasps rose, whispers tangled in disbelief. Zhou Chen’s suspicion sharpened into a blade of its own.  

“What is your bond with this boy, Uncle Cao?” Zhou Chen demanded, his voice rising above the stunned silence. “I know every name within the Wu family. Never has there been mention of a youth called Wu Tian. Not in childhood, not in council, not in ceremony. Who is he?”  

Wu Cao’s expression hardened, the truth pressing against him like a burden carried too long. For fifteen years, the Wu family had buried this secret beneath layers of silence, concealing the existence of a child whose very presence threatened their pride. And now, in this arena, that silence trembled on the edge of collapse.  

Wu Tian’s chest rose and fell in ragged rhythm. His lips parted, and from the depths of years spent in shadows, a defiance surged forth.  

“I am Wu Tian of the Wu family!”  

The declaration thundered across the chamber, raw and unyielding.  

Zhou Chen staggered back, disbelief etched into every line of his face. “Impossible! You? A Wu? I have never seen you, Wang Jun. No Wu could be so frail, so pitiful!”  

The words struck like poisoned arrows. Wu Cao’s shoulders sagged, his heart heavy with sorrow. Wu Tian’s gaze faltered, shame dimming the fire in his eyes.  

“Uncle Cao,” Wu Tian whispered, his voice trembling like a candle in the wind, “I disobeyed your counsel. I have disgraced the Wu name. Father and Mother will never forgive me.”  

The confession carried across the arena, each syllable a blade cutting into Zhou Chen’s ears. His shock twisted into glee. Slowly, his lips curled into a grin, arrogance radiating from him like heat from a forge.  

“So it is true,” Zhou Chen crowed, his laughter sharp and cruel. “You are of the Wu family. And yet you are so feeble! Hahaha… this is fortune itself. I will tell my father everything!”  

Triumph surged through him. Not only had he humiliated the boy he despised, but he had unearthed a weakness within the most revered of the Five Families. The Wu clan, exalted as the pinnacle of cultivation, harbored a son who could not cultivate at all. To Zhou Chen, this revelation was treasure beyond measure.  

He basked in his discovery, blind to the quiet figure who now approached. Wei Xiuying stepped forward, her presence serene yet commanding. Her eyes softened as they fell upon Wu Tian, her voice gentle, carrying compassion that contrasted sharply with the venom of Zhou Chen’s words.  

“Wu Tian… are you truly of the Wu family?” she asked, her tone a balm amidst the storm.  

Wu Tian’s lips curved into a weary smile. “Yes, Xiuying. But my dantian is flawed. I cannot channel qi as others do.”  

Her gaze lingered, filled with sorrow and understanding. “I will visit you later. For now, go home with Uncle Cao. It is safer.”  

Wu Tian nodded weakly, his body trembling, yet his spirit clung to dignity. “I wish you success in Windcloud Sect, Xiuying.”  

She smiled faintly, her robes flowing like water as she turned away, vanishing into the inner halls of the sect, her own trials awaiting.  

But the damage was done. The arena buzzed with whispers, the revelation spreading like wildfire. The secret the Wu family had guarded for fifteen years was now laid bare. The youngest son of the Wu clan, incapable of cultivation, had been exposed before the eyes of the sect and the city.  

The news would not remain confined within these walls. By dusk, it would ripple through Hu Nan, carried by tongues eager for scandal. The mighty Wu family, long hailed as the foremost cultivators, would be mocked for harboring weakness.  

Wu Tian’s heart clenched. He feared the wrath of his father, the cold disdain of his mother. Would they cast him out, banish him from the ancestral halls? His very existence had now stained the family’s honor.  

Wu Cao sensed his nephew’s turmoil. He placed a firm hand upon Wu Tian’s shoulder, his touch steady, his voice filled with unwavering affection.  

“Do not fear, Tian’er. I will protect you.”