"Robert sealed the sliding entrance to his room, letting out a prolonged exhale while Elder Chris's counsel penetrated deeper into his consciousness. Stillness enveloped the chamber, interrupted solely by the soft scraping of leaves touching the elaborate window borders."
He sat cross-legged in the ditation room, letting his pulse settle into a steady rhythm before whispering to the unseen presence within his mind.
"System. Scan the Osborn clan. Locate any individual trained in disguise."
For several monts, the familiar blue interface flickered in the air, then a faint hum resonated in his consciousness until the reply finally materialised:
[System Scan Completed]
Candidate Located: Sai Osborn
Speciality: Disguise and Infiltration Arts
Realm: Spirit Root Realm – Level 4 (Mid-Stage)
Loyalty: High – Dedicated to Osborn Clan
Background: Branch family descendant.
Robert's lips curved into a rare smile. So, the clan does have soone hidden away for such tasks.
He leaned back against the polished wood wall, mind racing. Sai Osborn. The na carried no reputation among the younger generation, yet Robert now understood why—his strength and skills had been deliberately concealed. A hidden blade, never ant to be flaunted, but unsheathed only when survival demanded it.
The timing could not have been more critical. If the Jas clan had powerful backers, their next move would not be as simple as sending a few assassins. They would probe for weaknesses, look for gaps, and attempt infiltration. And for that, soone like Sai Osborn was indispensable.
"System," Robert murmured again, his tone sharp. "Where is Sai Osborn currently?"
[System Response]
Sai Osborn resides within the west wing of the Osborn estate, maintaining covert duties as internal security—current location: Shadow Pavilion, concealed beneath the ancestral library.
Robert raised a brow. The Shadow Pavilion—he had heard whispers of it from guards, though most dismissed it as a rumour. A hidden facility ant to protect the clan's true secrets, invisible to all but a handful of trusted individuals.
His eyes narrowed with determination. If Elder Chris spoke true, and the Jas clan had aligned with a force capable of fielding Spirit Root Realm Level 4 practitioners just for cleanup, then Robert needed to prepare more than just raw strength. He needed information networks, counter-intelligence, and shadow operatives.
A plan began to crystallise in his mind.
Robert rose from the mat, swapping his formal clan attire for a darker, more practical robe. Without summoning attendants, he slipped into the corridor, avoiding the busiest walkways of the estate.
Dawn's light painted the walls in hues of gold and amber, but he kept to shaded passages, moving with instinctive caution born of last night's deadly fight.
The ancestral library stood at the far edge of the Osborn grounds, a towering hall of jade-tiled roofs and dragon-carved pillars. "Culivator moved quietly in and out, transporting manuscripts and precious volus for inventory purposes."
To them, Robert's presence was unremarkable—Young Master Osborn visiting the archives was nothing unusual.
But Robert's eyes were not on the books. He paced the marble aisles with deliberate steps until he reached the rear alcove where ancient tos lined untouched shelves. "Under a dragon-carved column, he placed his hand on the frigid stone surface.
A slight vibration answered, then ca a quiet chanical sound.
The column rotated, exposing a winding staircase that descended deep underground.
The rumours were accurate. The Shadow Pavilion was real."
"Robert stepped into the darkened passageway below, his perception growing keener. The air chilled and beca dense with incense smoke that hid spiritual vibrations. Where the stairs ended, lanterns flared with pale green fire, showing a small yard cut straight into the stone—training figures, weapon stands, and quiet retreat spaces set in perfect arrangent."
Standing in the centre was a tall man clad in grey robes, his face obscured by a plain mask. His aura was calm, controlled, yet undeniably potent, each breath steady as stone.
Without turning, the man spoke in a low and asured voice.
"What brings you here, Young Master Robert?"
Robert studied him in silence as the man finally turned, removing his mask. His features were sharp but unremarkable, the kind of face that could vanish in a crowd. Yet his eyes carried the cold clarity of a predator who had lived too long in the shadows.
"I have heard whispers of your existence, Sai Osborn," Robert said, stepping closer. "A master of disguise, hidden within the clan's walls. I ca to see for myself."
Sai inclined his head faintly. "I was placed in the dark to protect the clan from threats that cannot be faced in the open. Few know my na, and few still know my work. If you have found , it ans the tis are no longer ordinary."
"The Jas clan moves with shadows of their own," Robert said firmly. "I need a blade hidden in the dark—one they cannot see until it is too late.
Will you serve directly?"
Sai's expression did not change, but his aura pulsed with acknowledgent.
"For the Osborn bloodline, for our survival—I will serve. But rember, Young Master… Disguise and shadows do not win wars alone. They buy ti. "How you use that ti will determine whether we survive or whether our legacy disappears forever."
Robert gave a slow nod, his resolve hardening.
"Then let us make sure the Osborn na does not just endure… It rises."
Robert's words hung in the dim chamber like a vow, and Sai's sharp eyes studied him carefully.
After a long pause, Robert asked, "Tell , Sai… How many like you serve in the shadows of our clan?"
Sai lowered his gaze slightly, his tone steady but edged with weight.
"Four. I am the weakest among them. The others—each is sharper, deadlier, more specialised. But the strongest of us answers only to the Clan Leader himself. His na is not mine to speak, and even I have seen his face but once."
Robert's brows furrowed. He had not expected this revelation. "Four secret weapons, hidden within the Osborn family line from the beginning, completely unknown to him." "And you have remained unseen all this ti?"
"That is our purpose," Sai replied without hesitation. "We exist, so the clan's enemies never know where the true strike will co from. "My abilities centre on concealnt and stealth operations, but the rest… They are tempests ready to be released."
"Then hear , Sai," he said, voice sharpening. He recounted the entire story of the previous night—the assassins, the bloody clash, the three Spirit Root Realm Level 4 investigators who erased all traces, and Elder Chris's warning about his father's vulnerable seclusion.
Sai's expression tightened with each word, and by the end, his hands were clenched at his sides. "Level 4 investigators," he muttered darkly.
"They do not waste strength like that unless a greater hand is guiding them. You were right to find , Young Master."
"For now, I want your eyes and ears stretched across the estate's borders," Robert ordered. For communication—use the clan's secured channels only. No ssages are to be left in the open, no hidden notes, and no stone lantern drops. If it is urgent, reach directly through communication stones attuned to my mark. If it can wait, you co to in person. No risks, no leaks.
"Sai dropped into a deep bow, his voice steel-firm. "It shall be accomplished. From now forward, you will not stumble through darkness without guidance, Young Master Robert. My network will serve your needs."
"Make preparations. Strengthen your cover, gather your tools, and sharpen your senses. Before you set out, et again—I have sothing for you," Robert finished.
Sai inclined his head in a solemn nod. "Understood, Young Master. I will be ready."
"The Shadow Pavilion—an underground installation built beneath the forr northern grain facility during his grandfather's leadership—seed to emanate mystery as Robert traversed its rocky corridors."
Erging from the hidden stairwell into the ancestral library, he silently reaffird the absolute secrecy surrounding the Clan Leader's seclusion; even the slightest leak would doom them all.
He wasted no ti heading toward the alchemy hall. The estate's alchemical wing stood apart from the other training grounds, a wide structure with tiled roofs and curling smoke rising faintly from its chimneys. "Herbal aromas and spiritual essences saturated the atmosphere, heavy with potential for restoration, strength, and advancent."
"He stepped through the doorway into his personal alchemy workshop and secured the jade barrier, blocking all external noise. Pale cauldrons stood along the walls, yet he moved toward the largest bronze container at the room's heart and spread a silk fabric across the work surface. From his storage ring, specks of blue radiance erged, forming into organised piles of materials."
First ca three stalks of Verdant Dragon-tongue Grass, each leaf veined with silver sap. "Following this, four Ember lotus petals, maintaining warmth like they were harvested from a blazing fire."
He set down a thumb-sized shard of Frost cloud Crystal to balance the heat, followed by ground Iron-marrow Bark that would fortify ridians. A single drop of Golden Roc Gall, suspended in a tiny jade vial, provided the pill's catalytic spark. Finally, he drew out the rarest component: a spiralled root of Nine-Ring Ginseng, its rings pulsing faintly with latent qi.
Robert arranged the herbs according to the alchemy, breath steady, mind clear. Today, he would refine enough Spirit Root Nourishing Pills for Sai—and for himself. The flas of the cauldron flared alive at his gesture, reflecting in his determined eyes as the chamber filled with the scent of destiny. The future would be forged.
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