The Patriarch listened to Han Yu’s request and imdiately nodded, his expression filled with sincerity.
"That was our intention as well," he said weakly but firmly. "It is only right that you, who refined the pills, witness their use with your own eyes."
Han Yu inclined his head slightly, accepting the words without further ceremony.
The main hall grew silent. The incense continued to burn, thin streams of smoke curling upward as if carrying the clan’s hopes with it. No one spoke unnecessary words. There was no need for long speeches, no need for empty blessings.
Every person present knew what this ceremony ant. It was not a celebration. It was a gamble with fate.
The Patriarch slowly stepped forward, supported by Zhushen on one side and Zhuwen on the other. His breathing was heavy, but his eyes were clear. He looked at his two sons for a long mont, as if trying to engrave their faces into his mory.
"Zhushen," he said softly, "no matter what happens, you must protect the clan."
Zhushen clenched his fists and nodded. "Father, you will live."
The Patriarch did not answer that. He only turned his gaze toward Han Yu and bowed deeply.
"Honored Disciple, please bear witness."
Han Yu gave a short nod. His spirit sense was already focused, carefully observing every fluctuation of Qi in the hall.
Zhuwen stepped forward and opened the sealed box. Inside, three pills rested on a velvet cloth. One was a smooth blood red pill, faintly pulsing with hidden power. The other two were pink, one smaller and one larger.
Zhuwen carefully took out the two pink pills and handed them to his father and brother.
"These are the Mother and Child Bestowal Pills," Han Yu said calmly. "They must be taken first."
The Patriarch held the smaller pill, while Zhushen held the larger one. They looked at each other, and in that brief mont, countless emotions passed between them.
Then, without hesitation, they swallowed the pills.
The hall remained silent. For a few breaths, nothing seed to change. But then both the Patriarch and Zhushen frowned slightly.
"I can feel sothing," Zhushen said quietly.
"So can I," the Patriarch replied.
In their minds, a faint thread seed to form, thin and almost invisible, yet undeniably real. It was not painful, nor pleasant, but strange. They could sense each other’s presence more clearly than before, as if a door had opened between their souls.
"This is the link," Han Yu said. "It will allow the next pill to transfer power."
The Patriarch nodded slowly. Then he reached into the box again and took out the blood red pill.
This was the Soul Blood nding Cursed Pill.
He held it in his palm and looked at it for a long mont.
"No matter what happens," he said, "I accept it."
Without further hesitation, he swallowed the pill in one gulp.
For a mont, nothing happened.
The clan mbers looked at him anxiously. So began to wonder if the pill had failed. Even Zhushen and Zhuwen felt their hearts tighten.
Then, suddenly, the Patriarch let out a scream.
"AAARGH!"
THUD
His body convulsed violently, and he collapsed to the ground. Zhushen and Zhuwen rushed forward at once, catching him before his head could hit the floor.
"Father!"
Panic spread through the hall.
Han Yu stepped forward, his spirit sense scanning the Patriarch’s body.
"The pill is working," he said firmly. "This pain is normal. It is nding his soul directly. It will not be gentle."
Hearing this, the others forced themselves to calm down, though fear still lingered in their eyes.
They helped the Patriarch sit cross legged on the ground. His face was twisted in pain, sweat pouring down his forehead. His entire body trembled as if countless blades were cutting through him from the inside.
Han Yu watched closely.
Within the Patriarch’s body, the dicinal energy of the cursed pill surged like a raging flood. It tore through his ridians, forcing its way forward without any regard for comfort or safety.
"A cursed pill does not ask permission," Han Yu muttered quietly. "It only acts."
The energy rushed toward the Patriarch’s Dantian. There, floating within, was his Nascent Soul.
Han Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed it.
This was the first Nascent Soul he had ever seen directly.
It looked like a small child, only a few years old, with faint features that vaguely resembled the Patriarch. This confird what Han Yu had already guessed.
The Patriarch was in the Child Soul Stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
But this Nascent Soul was in terrible condition.
Fine cracks covered its body, like a porcelain doll that had been dropped too many tis. Qi leaked from those cracks constantly, slowly weakening the Patriarch’s foundation.
"No wonder he is dying," Han Yu thought.
The cursed pill’s energy surged into the Dantian and rushed straight into the Nascent Soul. The mont it touched those cracks, the Patriarch scread even louder.
The energy forced itself into the damaged areas, tearing them open further before beginning to nd them. It was like breaking broken bones again just to set them properly.
Minute after minute passed.
The Patriarch’s screams slowly turned into hoarse groans. His face was pale, and his lips had turned slightly blue from the strain. Zhushen and Zhuwen stayed by his side, not daring to move away even for a mont.
Han Yu continued to observe.
The cracks on the Nascent Soul slowly began to close. Leaking Qi was drawn back in, becoming stable once more. The form of the Nascent Soul grew clearer and more solid, no longer flickering as weakly as before.
After nearly an hour of unbearable pain, the Patriarch’s body finally began to relax. His breathing steadied, and the trembling of his limbs slowly stopped.
A faint wave of Qi spread from his body.
SHUA
Then, that wave suddenly turned heavy.
HONGLONG
It beca a crushing pressure that spread through the hall like an invisible mountain.
THUD THUD THUD
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