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Chapter 148
Marc and Harold stayed where they were long after Callen stopped speaking. Harold broke the silence first. "If what you're saying is true, then Iron Lotus has been standing on borrowed ground from the very start."Callen turned back to them. "Not borrowed. Leashed."Marc exhaled slowly. "The empire's cultivation framework has been in place for centuries. Every major sect relies on it in one way or another. Even the techniques we think we created ourselves still follow the same basic rules.""And those rules answer to someone," Callen said.Harold's grip tightened around his teacup. "You're saying the emperor controls the laws themselves.""Not completely," Callen replied. "But enough to tip the scales. Enough to decide who advances and who stays stuck."Marc frowned. "Then how did Iron Lotus become this strong in the first place?""Because you were useful," Callen said without sugarcoating it. "A strong but obedient sect is an asset. A strong and independent one is a problem."Harold'
Chapter 147
Callen leaned back casually in the wooden chair, his hands clasped in front of his chest. His gaze was calm, too calm, as if the topic of Iron Lotus stagnating was nothing more than light conversation."Your energy is being suppressed," he said quietly. "Where exactly does it happen?"Marc and Harold exchanged a look before Harold let out a long breath. "At the core meridians. Every time we try to push into the next stage, the flow feels like it's being cut off from the source.""Not blocked," Marc added quickly, as if afraid of using the wrong word. "It's more like being forced back. As if there's an invisible hand pressing down from above."Callen nodded slowly. "And it's not just the two of you."Harold frowned. "What do you mean?""The other Iron Lotus branch masters feel it too," Callen replied calmly. "Your failure to develop new cultivation techniques this year isn't because of a lack of talent. Your foundation is being forcibly stopped from growing."The room fell silent. Marc
Chapter 146
Callen leaned back, resting one arm on the chair, his posture relaxed but authoritative. "I think you deserve to know who your daughter truly is outside this house.""What do you mean by that?" Sophia snapped, her voice sharp with panic. "Father, don't listen to him! He's twisting things."Marc raised a hand, silencing her without even looking. "Let him speak. You will have your chance."A faint smile crossed Callen's lips, not mocking but resigned. "Earlier today," he continued, "Sophia was drinking heavily at the gate of this estate. She was smoking openly, surrounded by friends who were just as intoxicated. They nearly rammed their car into my wife and daughter."The words landed like thunder. Marc's face drained of color as he turned sharply toward Sophia. "Is that true? You drink and smoke behind my back."Sophia's lips trembled, her confident mask finally cracking. "I only drank a little. It wasn't my fault. Ron and the others insisted. I just went along with them."Marc's hand
Chapter 145
Marc straightened his robe and cleared his throat, his tone suddenly far warmer than before. "Since we've caused you trouble, how about we talk properly?" he offered. "There are matters that Iron Lotus would very much like to discuss with you."A faint crease appeared between Callen's brows as he looked at the man calmly. "I know Harold. But I don't recall meeting you."A chuckle escaped Marc as he clasped his hands behind his back. "That's natural," he replied. "Harold and I rarely appear together, but we are brothers, both elders of Iron Lotus."Harold nodded, a smile of clear relief. "Elder Marc oversees external affairs," he added. "Including this residential district."Ivy stiffened slightly and leaned closer, lowering her voice. "If he oversees this place, that means he's the owner."Her eyes widened a fraction as realization struck, and she added even more softly, "That also means… he's Sophia's father."A slow grin tugged at Callen's lips, subtle but unmistakably dangerous. He
Chapter 144
The Rolls-Royce had moved a few dozen meters deeper into Silverwood Crest when a group of uniformed guards stepped forward and blocked the road. Their gazes were sharp, clearly different from the regular security at the gate, and the faint pressure in the air made Ivy instinctively tighten her grip on Lily.One of the guards raised his hand and spoke coldly, "Please stop the vehicle. There has been a report that you insulted the name of Iron Lotus and injured its affiliated personnel."Callen calmly pressed the brake and stepped out without any sign of agitation, closing the door gently behind him. "If you're here to talk, then talk. If you're here to intimidate my family, then you've chosen the wrong person."Ivy felt her heart pound as she leaned out of the car slightly. "Callen," she whispered anxiously. "What is Iron Lotus?"Before he could answer, another man in dark robes stepped forward, his aura sharper than the others. "You openly humiliated Iron Lotus disciples earlier," the
Chapter 143
Sophia took another cigarette. "You really think strength alone is enough to stand here and talk back to me."Callen calmly stepped forward and crushed the cigarette under his sole before it could reach Lily. "I don't rely on strength to talk," he replied. "I rely on reason, and you nearly hurt my family."Ron swallowed hard and leaned toward Chloe, whispering, "This is getting bad. I've never seen Sophia cornered like this."Chloe nodded silently, her fingers clenched as she glanced between Sophia and Callen, sensing that something irreversible was about to happen.Sophia let out a sharp laugh and waved her hand dismissively. "You're overreacting. Cars get bumped all the time," she said, then tilted her chin toward Ivy and Lily. "If they're so fragile, maybe they shouldn't be in places like this."Ivy's eyes darkened, her hand tightening around Lily's shoulder as she spoke with restrained anger. "You drove under the influence. That alone could have killed someone," she said quietly.
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