.

Liang Zhan was in his personal training hall, finishing a few movements from one of his sword techniques.

Although it was just a simple routine exercise, repeating it over and over every day gave him the feeling that he was understanding more and more of it.

He didn't need to fight beasts or spar with others in the open field, just by continuing to practice that technique, he could deepen his grasp of its foundations and secrets.

It was a sword technique passed down in his family, and in this generation, he was the only one who had reached such a level of mastery,

a level close to that of his father's, and perhaps in a few more years, he might even surpass him.

That said, while he usually practiced with a calm and focused mind, free of any distractions, today his movements lacked that usual fluidity.

Because, no matter how hard he tried, his sister's condition kept returning to his thoughts.

In the past weeks, he had tried various medicine and methods to awaken her, or at least discover what the problem was, but nothing had worked.

Even after all that time, he was still at the starting point.

Though he rarely showed it, he was one of the few in the family who still truly cared for her.

The loss of their mother had been a heavy blow for him too, but he had never truly blamed his sister for it.

He had understood early on that it wasn't her fault, that it was their mother who had made that choice, choosing to give birth to her in exchange for her own life.

To blame his sister for that would be the same as blaming their mother for her decision,

something he had no intention of doing.

But even if he thought that way, it didn't seem to be the same for the others. And that had become clear soon enough.

At first, thanks to his sister's talent, which was on par with his own, her progress was quick and steady.

Although there was a bit of pressure from the rest of the family, it wasn't much, almost insignificant.

But that changed several years ago, when she reached the third stage and could no longer advance further.

Not only did she stop progressing quickly, her growth became so slow and meager that in five years she only went from the start of the third stage to its peak, never managing to break through even after two more years of trying.

Inevitably, that made her lose value in the eyes of the elders, and even in the eyes of their father, who, seeing that she was still stuck after so many years, lost what little interest he had left.

His attitude grew colder with time.

Liang Zhan knew this was due to the loss of their mother, but he hadn't expected the treatment she'd receive to be so harsh, worsening over the years to the point that their father eventually used her as a bargaining chip with one of the rival families, the Zhu family.

That was the last straw for him.

For the first time in his life, he openly confronted his father about how he was treating her.

But unfortunately, even at the peak of the fourth stage, his words carried little weight within the family.

Sure, he was considered the brightest rising star of the clan, a great prodigy with enormous potential, and that had helped him through the years, but when it came to actual influence, that was ultimately measured by merit and cultivation level.

And that didn't change much whether one was from the main branch or a secondary one.

He could see that his sister was against the engagement, especially since the one they had chosen for her was, in his eyes, the very definition of trash.

From his attitude to his future potential and cultivation, everything about him was a disgrace, not only by his standards, but by anyone's.

He wasn't sure why the Zhu family had decided to use that boy for the exchange, but he could tell that the boy also had his own problems within his clan.

Just like Liang Yuexin, he seemed ostracized and despised, perhaps even more than she was.

But Liang Zhan didn't care.

He finished his set of exercises, took a quick shower, and then headed toward his sister's room.

It had become his routine these last few days,

a small ritual, hoping that when he arrived, she might have finally awakened.

He still blamed himself for everything she had suffered over the years, thinking that perhaps if he had tried harder, she wouldn't have ended up in this state.

He was now at the peak of the fifth stage and was confident he could break through within a few more years.

At that point, he had promised himself, he would set everything right,

he would free his sister from the invisible chains their family had bound her with through the years.

He walked through the long corridors of the Liang manor, once majestic, now drowned in a silent dimness that seemed to swallow all sound,

until he finally reached the hallway leading to his sister's chamber.

He walked on, and at last, stood before her door.

He reached out a hand to open it, but at that very instant, an abrupt sensation overwhelmed him.

Thud!

A sharp sound echoed through the air, but he didn't have time to focus on it.

The feeling was sudden and unexpected, he froze for a moment, unable to continue his motion.

It was as if death itself had opened its eyes behind him.

An absolute chill pierced into his bones, and his body reacted on its own, retreating several steps.

His heart pounded furiously in his chest, and his pupils narrowed into needles.

An ancient, primal fear seized him, not one born from thought, but from blood.

It was as if some terrifying beast, hidden behind that door, was holding its breath, waiting to devour him the instant he dared to open it.

A tremor ran uncontrollably through his fingers.

His breathing turned short and uneven, and a crushing pressure weighed upon his chest, as if the very air had become heavy and poisonous.

Then, it happened.

A wave of terror and oppression burst forth from nowhere, spreading in all directions.

The flames of the lanterns lining the corridors flickered in unison, many went out, and the entire manor trembled as if shaken by a silent thunder.

The voices in the halls fell silent.

The servants felt their blood freeze in their veins.

Animals in the nearby stables began to wail, while the various elders of the family almost suffered heart attacks as they felt that sudden wave of pressure engulf the entire manor in an instant.

Liang Zhan stood motionless before the door, cold sweat on his forehead, his fingers still tense in the air,

while all around him, the manor descended into chaos.

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