The explosion of force and the lingering energy from the portal drew the attention of the entire Shao family. One by one, their strongest mbers arrived at the scene, their expressions a mix of shock and wariness.
anwhile, Yan Jin stood at the back, arms crossed, quietly observing everything through his soul sense.
"Shao Han! What is the aning of this?" A voice filled with authority rang out. An elder, clearly the most influential among them, pointed at the shattered remains of the beast and the stabilized portal.
"First Elder!" Shao Han acknowledged him with a slight bow, his eyes signaling that they should first contain the situation before discussing anything further.
"Anyone who is not required here, leave imdiately. The Stone Garden is sealed until further notice," the First Elder declared.
Without hesitation, the concerned mbers of the Shao family obeyed. Under the instructions of the second-in-command, they swiftly exited the area, leaving only Shao Han, the five elders, and Yan Jin.
"Have you not heard? Everyone should leave! Why are you still loitering here?" another elder barked at Yan Jin.
Though his words were harsh, his tone carried no malice—only concern.
'What a tsundere,' Yan Jin mused inwardly.
"Third Elder, this is Nephew Yan," Shao Han interjected. "He is the one who deciphered the stone."
"The stone has been deciphered?" The Fourth Elder's eyes widened in shock.
"Explain everything clearly," the First Elder commanded, his gaze sharp.
Shao Han nodded. "Elders, I am not entirely sure myself. Nephew Yan arrived today with the new batch of soul masters, and he managed to solve the mystery of the stone."
At those words, the elders all turned their full attention toward Yan Jin, observing him closely for the first ti.
Tall and well-dressed, with pale skin and sharp features, he had the delicate yet refined appearance of a noble youth.
'Too young to be a soul master,' they all thought in unison.
"Pardon , Master Yan, but can you explain what is going on?" the Fourth Elder asked.
"You don't need to call 'Master,'" Yan Jin replied. "I'm of the sa generation as your grandchildren."
He spoke with an ease that unsettled them, as if their titles ant little to him.
"The stone was a soul map," he continued. "As soon as I deciphered the runes, the seal was lifted, and the portal reconnected to the other side. The corrupted beast ca through it. And if my guess is correct, this portal leads to the old territory of the Shao family."
The mont he ntioned the old territory, the air shifted.
A heavy silence fell over the elders before their eyes darkened with suspicion. Without hesitation, all five of them unleashed their bloodline energy, attempting to pressure Yan Jin into submission.
"How do you know about this secret?" the First Elder's voice was cold, laced with killing intent.
Yan Jin didn't flinch.
With a flicker of his will, he released his soul energy in response, eting their pressure head-on. The air around him vibrated with tension as the two forces clashed invisibly.
"Don't try to intimidate ," Yan Jin warned, his tone casual but unwavering. "The worse I'm pressured, the worse I react. I might just lose control and erase the Shao family's hopes in a single sweep."
A smile played on his lips, but the threat behind his words was very real.
The Second Elder stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
Yan Jin remained silent. Instead, he slightly adjusted his posture, turning toward Shao Han as if to say, You should handle this.
Shao Han stepped between them, raising a hand to ease the tension. "Elders, calm yourselves. Nephew Yan is our Shao clan's benefactor. Antagonizing him would only bring trouble upon us."
He took a deep breath before delivering the crucial piece of information.
"He has co from the far north… to bring news about my sister, Shao Lan."
The Fourth Elder's expression imdiately shifted. "What happened to Shao Lan?"
"We should move aside and discuss it in detail," Shao Han said gravely. "It's a delicate matter."
Yan Jin, still exuding an aura of quiet authority, spoke up one last ti.
"You might want to leave a few people behind to guard the portal," he suggested. "It's a two-way street. Unless you want corrupted beasts to start pouring into your ho."
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
"I've used my soul energy to suppress the fluctuations of the portal," Yan Jin continued, "but with all this commotion, it won't take long before word spreads. You'd best make your decisions quickly."
After confirming that Yan Jin posed no imdiate threat to the Shao family, the elders invited him to a private chamber for further discussion.
"I co from the northern region, specifically Pine City," Yan Jin began. "There was a massive upheaval, and many lives were lost. Before the chaos, I t the city lord, who did many favors. It was he who asked to accompany his grandson to the Shao Clan, to acknowledge his lineage on his mother's side. That is the reason for my visit."
The elders exchanged glances before one of them asked, "What happened to Shao Lan? Is she here with you?"
Yan Jin's expression remained neutral. "She passed away due to complications during childbirth."
A heavy silence filled the room before another elder spoke. "And the child? Where is he now?"
"He ca with ," Yan Jin replied. "But if you refuse to accept him, I won't leave him here."
"The decision rests with the patriarch," the first elder stated firmly. "Only he has the authority to determine the boy's place within the clan."
"Although we hold influence, our family does not interfere in such personal matters," the second elder added.
"For now," Shao Han interjected, "it would be best if you remained within the clan. Now that the portal has been opened, we may finally retrieve the herb needed to cure the patriarch. Once he recovers, we can make a proper decision regarding the child's future. In the anti, allowing him to familiarize himself with his mother's family would be beneficial."
Yan Jin shook his head. "I don't think it would be appropriate for to stay."
The first elder narrowed his eyes. "Why is that?"
"My identity is… sensitive," Yan Jin admitted.
The room tensed at his words. The elders exchanged wary glances before the first elder demanded, "What is he talking about?"
Shao Han hesitated, weighing the consequences of revealing Yan Jin's secret.
Boom!
The door suddenly burst open, slamming against the wall with a thunderous crack. A young man stord into the room, his face twisted with fury.
"Because he is Huang," the intruder spat, releasing a torrent of bloodline energy that engulfed the chamber.
The pressure in the room spiked instantly, thick with hostility and unspoken threats.
Yan Jin remained seated, his expression unreadable.
The not so hidden truth was out.
And now, all eyes were on him.
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