Rebirth of the Weakest

7: The Gears of Destiny

Beneath a silent sky, somewhere far above the wild canyon valley, the gears of destiny quietly began turning.

Ken kept peppering Mirinda with questions the entire walk back, until her patience finally wore thin enough to show.

"So realistically," Ken asked, "how strong could I actually become if I keep cultivating this Panther spirit?"

She let out a long sigh. "Your martial spirit is a mutated one, Le Ken. Its foundation lies in devouring Beast Qi rather than simply growing from it. That trait alone marks it as part of a demon bloodline."

Ken stopped walking entirely.

"Wait. Really?" His stomach dropped. "I still do not even know who my father is. Are you telling me I might actually be part demon?"

Mirinda's expression softened, though not enough to soften the answer.

"Most cultivators follow standard techniques that eventually lead them through a Heavenly Tribulation," she explained. "Demon cultivators walk a different road entirely, soul sacrifice rituals, forbidden methods, techniques the heavens themselves refuse to bless."

Ken turned the thought over slowly. "So my father was a demon cultivator. But why would that even matter to my spirit now?"

"Demon cultivators never face Heavenly Tribulation," Mirinda said. "The upper realm considers them an offense against natural law, uncontrollable by design. That is precisely why so many demon cultivators reach the Venerate level while still shockingly young, while ordinary beast cultivators struggle for decades just to touch Grandmaster."

Ken said nothing for a long moment, chewing on the implications.

*A demon father. Trash cat spirit that turned out to be some rare bloodline mutation. This world really does not do anything halfway, does it.*

Mirinda retreated back into his soul space to rest, leaving one last warning trailing behind her.

"Be careful, young Ken. There are situations I simply cannot help you through. Some of this, you will have to survive on your own."

Ken nodded, already moving, testing the new weight of his Panther spirit with every step back toward the Grand Le Village.

---

He heard the screaming before he even reached the front gate.

His mother's voice, thin and frightened, cutting through the walls of their home.

Ken broke into a run, heart slamming against his ribs, and skidded to a stop in the doorway to find Wei Lin and his two lackeys already standing there, blocking the entrance like they owned it.

"Le Ken," Wei Lin said, arms crossed, clearly enjoying himself. "Bold of you, showing up at the Patriarch's suite again. Only the talented get to step inside this stronghold. Consider this me doing the family a favor, kicking out the waste before it embarrasses everyone further."

For the first time since waking up in this body, Ken laughed. Genuinely laughed, loud enough to make Wei Lin's smile falter just slightly.

"Of course I can come in," Ken said, straightening. "It is my home, in case you forgot. Consider this a warning instead, Wei Lin. Stay out of my way today, or I will not be feeling particularly merciful."

Wei Lin barked out a laugh, his two lackeys joining in a beat late, the way lackeys always did.

"You clearly do not understand your position here," Wei Lin said. "Beg nicely, and maybe I let you through anyway."

Wu Shen and Mu Zan spread out on either side of Ken, boxing him in with practiced ease.

Ken cracked his knuckles, then, almost lazily, winked at Wei Lin.

*Go ahead. Try me.*

That single gesture apparently did more damage to Wei Lin's ego than any insult could have. He snarled the order, and his two minions lunged.

Wu Shen moved first, splitting into three flickering clones. "First Skill, Body Technique," he announced, far too proud of himself.

"Cute trick," Ken said, unimpressed. "Still too slow, though."

He whispered his own skill under his breath. "First Skill. Thunder Fist."

Lightning erupted from his knuckles in a single wave, catching all three clones at once and sending Wu Shen crashing into the dirt, unconscious before he even finished falling.

Wei Lin's legs actually started shaking.

"Impossible," he stammered. "How does a level two trash break through to Beast Geek stage in a single day? Le Ken, what exactly did you—"

Mu Zan cut him off, charging forward with his Leopard spirit already blazing. "First Skill, Leopard Force."

Ken did not even bother moving. The attack slammed into his scaled skin and simply bounced off, the impact rippling outward instead and throwing Mu Zan clean off his feet.

"Was that supposed to hurt," Ken asked, tilting his head. "Nothing gets through this skin anymore, Wei Lin. You might want to sit this one out."

Wei Lin's face twisted with fury, and his Green Tortoise spirit erupted around him, thick and heavy.

"First Skill, Cannonball!"

He curled into a massive spinning sphere and launched himself directly at Ken with everything he had.

Ken planted his feet and pushed his own lightning forward to meet it. "First Skill. Thunder Fist."

The two attacks collided in a deafening crack, and for a single second the whole courtyard lit up gold and white. Then Wei Lin's cannonball simply lost, his own Qi exploding backward and throwing him across the ground like a discarded toy.

Ken had not even broken a sweat.

"Watch your head next time, Wei Lin," he said, already turning toward the house. "There might not be a next warning."

Wei Lin dragged himself away on hands and knees, dignity somewhere back in the dirt behind him.

Ken burst through the front door, chest still tight with worry, and found the last thing he expected.

Patriarch Le Jin knelt beside his mother, an octopus martial spirit coiled around his arms, water threading gently through her body to steady something chaotic underneath her skin.

"Patriarch?" Ken said, stopping short.

"You have arrived, Ken'er," Le Jin said without looking up, focus entirely on the work in front of him.

"Ken'er," his mother whispered weakly, eyes fluttering toward him.

Ken dropped to her side immediately. "Mom, are you alright?"

Le Jin let out a slow breath. "Her body has been under constant assault from residual demon Qi tangled into her martial spirit. If I am honest, this weakened state has likely been building for a long time, longer than either of you probably realize."

Ken swallowed hard, forcing his voice steady. "Thank you for coming when you did, Patriarch."

"No need for formality between us," Le Jin said, finally meeting his eyes. "I can only suppress the demon Qi temporarily with my own Beast Qi. She must not use her martial spirit again, not even a small amount, until we find something stronger than a stopgap."

"I will find a cure," Ken said, quiet but certain. "One way or another."

Le Jin studied him a moment, then let out a short laugh, genuine surprise breaking through his usual composure.

"Good spirit, Le Ken. You have already reached Beast Geek stage. That kind of speed is almost unheard of."

Lady Le Li sat up despite everything, grabbing his arm with more strength than she had any right to. "Is that true, Le Ken?"

In answer, Ken called his Panther spirit forward, letting it uncoil through the room in a burst of crackling lightning that lit every corner gold.

Le Jin's smile widened, though something more serious settled behind it a moment later.

"Why did you make a deal with the second elder," he asked. "That agreement puts my position as acting patriarch at risk, and worse, it puts your mother directly in harm's way if you fail."

Ken met his eyes steadily. "Do not worry, Grand Elder. Reaching Grandmaster within three years is not nearly as impossible as everyone keeps insisting." A faint, stubborn smile crossed his face. "Once I am done, the seat returns to whoever actually deserves it, and the Wei family gets exactly the humbling they have been asking for. Is that not the plan we are already working toward?"