Refused The System

"Do you really think I'd spend the rest of my life with a man who can't even master the clan's most basic techniques?"

Helena's voice rang through the Sterling Clan's grand hall, instantly silencing the lively chatter.

Gerry stood frozen in the dimly lit corner of the room, a stark contrast to Helena, who stood beneath the brilliant lights at the center of the hall, drawing every eye in attendance.

"Helena? What do you mean?" Gerry's voice came out hoarse. "Today's my twentieth birthday. We've been promised to each other since we were children."

Helena let out a soft laugh, one that now felt icy to Gerry.

"Promised? That was my parents' decision, Gerry. Back then, they believed your damaged meridians would recover and that you still had a future." She stepped forward, her silver silk gown gliding across the marble floor. "Twenty years have passed, and you're still stuck at the lowest stage of cultivation. You're not just crippled, Gerry. You're a burden to anyone standing beside you."

"But I've always supported you, Helena!" Gerry took a step forward, his emotions beginning to boil over. "When your family was cornered by the Northern Faction, I was the one who begged Father to send reinforcements!"

"And that was the greatest mistake of my life. Feeling indebted to someone as worthless as you!" Helena cut him off, her eyes filled with disgust.

Whispers rippled through the hundreds of guests gathered in the hall. Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked at Gerry with open contempt and ridicule.

"Look at him," one of the clan cousins whispered from the front row, hiding a smirk behind her fan. "He actually thought someone like Miss Helena would marry him. He should've taken a good look in the mirror."

"What else would you expect from someone born with shattered meridians?" another guest said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "The Sterling Clan has already been far too generous, letting a parasite like him live here for twenty years."

Gerry clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms. The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing through his heart.

His twentieth birthday should have been a grand celebration, the day young members of powerful clans showcased the progress of their cultivation. Instead, he had become the evening's greatest joke.

The sudden blast of silver trumpets echoed through the hall, silencing the crowd.

The massive doors at the far end swung open.

A man strode inside with confident, unwavering steps.

Dandy Sterling, Gerry's older brother, the clan's celebrated genius and its future heir.

Dandy walked straight to Helena and casually wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close with unmistakable possessiveness.

The sight tightened Gerry's chest.

For the past ten years, he had believed Helena was the only person who had ever truly accepted him.

It had all been a lie.

Helena stepped onto the main platform where Alex Sterling, the clan head and Gerry's father, stood with an expression as cold as stone.

She did not spare Gerry another glance.

"Clan Head Alex," Helena said, her clear voice carrying throughout the hall. "I came here today not only to attend this banquet, but to settle a matter that has weighed on my family for far too long."

The enormous hall fell deathly silent.

Helena withdrew a jade scroll from her sleeve.

"The engagement agreement between Gerry Sterling and me... today, before the witnesses of every great clan present, I declare that agreement null and void. I, Helena, hereby end my engagement to Gerry."

Time seemed to slow around Gerry.

He saw the satisfied smiles on the elders' faces and the mocking expressions of the assembled guests.

"Helena..." Gerry stepped out of the shadows, his legs feeling unbearably heavy. "Why? You once told me you didn't care how strong I was."

Helena turned to him, her expression completely empty.

"The world changes, Gerry. So do people," she said flatly. "My family needs powerful allies at the pinnacle of this world, not a burden that must constantly be protected. You're a good man, but in the world of cultivation, kindness without strength is nothing but disgrace."

Dandy chuckled as he looked down at his younger brother.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be, Gerry. Helena deserves the very best. And we all know you can't even protect yourself. Walk away while you still have a shred of dignity left."

Laughter erupted throughout the hall once again.

On his birthday.

In his own home.

In front of his own father.

Gerry was humiliated without mercy.

He looked toward his father, hoping to see even a trace of anger or defense on his behalf.

Instead, the older man remained silent.

Alex would not even spare Gerry a glance.

His eyes rested only on Dandy, filled with unmistakable pride.

"Enough," Alex's booming voice thundered through the hall, silencing the laughter. "Helena's decision is hers to make. The Sterling Clan will never force an exceptional woman like her to remain bound to... something incapable of growth."

Hearing his own father refer to him as "something," the pain in Gerry's heart slowly transformed into pure hatred.

At last, he understood.

To everyone in this place, he had never been family.

He had always been nothing more than a stain on the clan's name.

"I understand," Gerry said, his voice suddenly calm.

He refused to let them see him break.

"If that's what all of you want, then so be it. But remember this day, Helena. Remember the day you decided that power was everything."

Helena merely scoffed before turning away, dismissing him completely.

To them, a threat from Gerry meant absolutely nothing.

The banquet resumed as though the broken engagement had been nothing more than a trivial form of entertainment to open the evening.

Gerry turned and headed for the exit.

But just as his hand reached for the door handle, a firm grip caught his arm.

One of his father's personal guards stood beside him.

"Young Master Gerry, the Clan Head requests your presence in his private underground chamber immediately," the guard whispered into his ear.

Gerry frowned and tried to pull free.

"The underground chamber? For what? Hasn't he humiliated me enough already?"

"The Clan Head said he has a gift to compensate you for what happened today. He wishes to give you something that will help you survive, even without cultivation," the guard replied, his expression completely blank.