Time passed amid anxious or eager waiting. About a quarter of an hour later, the side door to the hall opened, and several figures filed in.
At their head was the current patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen.
He looked to be in his forties, though he was nearly fifty. His face bore a strong resemblance to Yu Xiaogang's, but his features were more resolute and imposing.
He wore a purple-and-gold patriarch's robe and a dragon-patterned jade belt. His steady strides carried the imposing presence of someone long accustomed to power.
There was a trace of weariness between his brows, and the faint dark circles beneath his eyes showed that he had not slept well the night before. Three elders followed behind him.
The crowd fell silent at once; you could have heard a pin drop.
The children instinctively straightened their backs and even softened their breathing. Yu Xiaogang was especially tense, his head nearly bowed to his chest as he dared not look at his father.
Yu Yuanzhen took the central seat, with the three elders seated on either side.
His gaze was sharp as lightning as it slowly swept over every child below. It lingered on Yu Xiaogang for a moment, carrying a complicated, unfathomable mix of disappointment and heartache before settling into gloomy indifference.
When his gaze passed over Yu Tianlong, it paused briefly, taking on a hint of scrutiny and curiosity.
"I have summoned you all today to distribute the initial resources the clan provides to newly awakened disciples and to inform you of the arrangements for your future cultivation." Yu Yuanji spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to everyone in the hall.
"The amount of resources you receive will depend on the quality of your Martial Soul, your Innate Soul Power, and your closeness of blood ties to the clan. The clan raises you in the hope that you will become pillars of the family and bring honor to our name, not a brood of parasites. Treasure what you are given, cultivate diligently, and do not let the clan down."
With that, he nodded to the Fifth Elder, Yu Yuanhong, who was responsible for allocating resources.
Yu Yuanhong was a slightly plump old man with a ruddy complexion. He took out a register, cleared his throat, and began reading.
"Yu Tianxin, Martial Soul: Water Dragon, Innate Soul Power: level six. Monthly allowance: 2,000 Gold Soul Coins; ten jin of low-grade Soul Beast meat of a matching attribute; one beginner meditation manual; and three visits per month to the clan's Primary Mimicry Training Ground."
"Yu Xiaochuan, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Innate Soul Power: level five. Monthly allowance: 1,500 Gold Soul Coins; eight jin of meat from a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon subspecies Soul Beast; one beginner meditation manual; and two visits to the Mimicry Cultivation Ground."
"Yu Mingfeng, Martial Soul: Thunder Lizard, Innate Soul Power: level four. Monthly allowance: 300 Gold Soul Coins..."
One name after another was read out, and the corresponding resource allotments were announced in turn.
Most of the children received between one hundred and five hundred Gold Soul Coins. Anyone who received more than five hundred either had an exceptional Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power at level six or above, or parents of high standing within the clan.
As for access to the Mimicry Training Ground, only those with exceptional Martial Souls or Soul Power were eligible.
As Yu Xiaogang listened to the names and their corresponding resources, his body grew more and more rigid, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. He knew his turn was coming soon. It would be a public execution.
At last.
"Yu Xiaogang, Martial Soul: Luo Sanpao, Innate Soul Power: half a level."
Yu Yuanhong's voice held no inflection, yet it was like an icy knife stabbing into Yu Xiaogang's heart. "Monthly allowance: 100 Gold Soul Coins. No additional resources available for exchange. No access to the Mimicry Training Ground."
"Boom..."
Though he had been expecting this, though he knew his "performance" did not warrant anything more, when that paltry "100 Gold Soul Coins" and string of "no's" actually landed on him, Yu Xiaogang's head still rang. All the blood rushed to his face, then quickly drained away, leaving him deathly pale.
He could feel the gazes coming at him from every direction. They pricked him like needles, making every inch of his skin ache.
Mockery, pity, schadenfreude... He could almost hear their silent jeers.
One hundred Gold Soul Coins. In the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, that was the lowest monthly allowance, usually given only to distant collateral relatives with terrible Martial Souls and meager Soul Power, who were all but certain never to become high-ranking Soul Masters.
And he, the patriarch's son, was being treated just like them.
Humiliation, endless humiliation.
He gritted his teeth, the taste of blood seeping from his gums, and only just managed to suppress the urge to bolt for the door. He couldn't run. Running would only make him more of a joke.
Head bowed, he stared at the cracks between the floor tiles, but his vision was a blur.
Yu Yuanhong's voice continued, reading out the final name.
"Yu Tianlong, Twin Martial Souls: Luo Sanpao; Innate Full Soul Power."
The hall grew even quieter, everyone straining to hear. Twin Martial Souls, full Soul Power, Luo Sanpao. How would the clan's elders rule when those three things were put together?
Yu Yuanhong paused. The next words seemed almost unbelievable even to him, but he still read out the decision reached after discussion with the patriarch and elders:
"Monthly allowance: 5,000 Gold Soul Coins. He may freely exchange them for an equivalent value in cultivation resources, including unlimited low-grade Soul Beast meat, basic medicinal herbs, metal ores, and more. He is granted a core disciple's token. With it, he may enter the clan's Intermediate Mimicry Training Ground five times a month and consult all the texts on the first floor of the clan's Library Pavilion at any time."
"Five thousand?!"
"Five visits to the Intermediate Mimicry Training Ground?!"
"Free access to any text on the first floor of the Library Pavilion?!"
Gasps erupted like a pot boiling over; no one could hold them back. The children stared wide-eyed at the blue-haired boy in the corner. Even some of the parents and elders who had accompanied them looked stunned.
A monthly allowance of 5,000 Gold Soul Coins—that already exceeded what most clan stewards received and rivaled the allotment of some overlooked collateral elders!
And access to the Intermediate Mimicry Training Ground and the Library Pavilion? Those were privileges usually reserved for core disciples the clan had chosen to cultivate, and only after they broke through to Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster!
Yu Xiaogang jerked his head up. The last trace of color drained from his face, leaving him gray and stricken with disbelief.
He glared at Yu Tianlong, then abruptly turned toward his father in the central seat. His eyes brimmed with anger, grievance, resentment, and a hint of the pain of betrayal.
Why?!
They both had Luo Sanpao! They both had Martial Souls everyone agreed were trash! Why was he given only one hundred, dismissed like a beggar, while Yu Tianlong received five thousand and the privileges of a core disciple?!
Just because he had Innate Full Soul Power? Wasn't giving that Soul Power to Luo Sanpao an even bigger waste?! What could he even do with those resources? Feed his two pigs and dogs?!
"Un...fair..." The hoarse words squeezed through Yu Xiaogang's clenched teeth, sounding especially clear in the silent hall.
Every gaze instantly focused on him.
Yu Yuanzhen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Yu Yuanhong also stopped reading and looked toward the patriarch.
Yu Xiaogang met his father's gaze. It was cold, utterly devoid of warmth, and it sent a chill through him. But a surge of Evil Fire kept him going, making him shout without a thought:
"Father! I refuse to accept this! We both have Luo Sanpao, so why does Yu Tianlong get five thousand while I get only one hundred? His Martial Soul can be cultivated, but mine can't? Giving him all those resources would be a waste!"
"Impertinent!" Yu Yuanzhen's expression was stern. "The clan has rules for allocating resources. How dare you question them?!"
Yu Xiaogang shuddered, but when he met his father's indifferent eyes, his grievance and anger swept away his fear. "Rules? What rules? Rules for playing favorites? He's your nephew, so you..."
"Enough!" Yu Yuanzhen continued, his voice not loud, yet carrying the pressure of thunder. It crushed the rest of Yu Xiaogang's words back down his throat.
He rose to his feet and looked down at his "good-for-nothing" son. The last trace of warmth in his eyes vanished.
"Because he has Innate Full Soul Power." Yu Yuanzhen spoke each word deliberately, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Innate Full Soul Power means the heavens have favored him. It means endless possibilities. The clan gives him resources to invest in those possibilities. As for whether they'll go to waste..." He looked toward Yu Tianlong, his gaze turning calm,