The wind howled across the Ember Core Valley, carrying the distant clang of hammers striking anvils and the hum of energy-churning forges. Beneath the towering stone pillars of the Ember Forge, the heart of the Jin Clan, a great clan meeting was taking place.
The elders and leaders of the Jin Forgeblood Clan gathered, surrounded by massive, ornate tables that seemed to shimmer with their own heat. Each clan leader was marked with their family insignia, a burnished gold flame engraved upon their robes, symbols of their position within the Grand Star System.
Jin Taixuan stood in the shadows, leaning against a stone pillar. His eyes scanned the room, his gaze deliberately passive, careful not to attract any attention. The last thing he needed was to make a spectacle of himself. He had seen enough from the outside to know that within this clan, power came at a price.
His grandfather, Jin Wei, stood at the head of the table, his back straight and imposing despite his age. His beard was long and streaked with silver, his eyes sharp as they observed the assembly. Jin Wei was a man of few words but immense power — currently a Realm 3 cultivator, still holding a position of respect even though the clan had exiled him after a critical mistake made years ago.
The elders and leaders watched him warily, some with pity, others with disdain, but none openly challenged his presence. He had once been one of the Main Family's strongest figures before the fall.
Jin Taixuan knew that his grandfather's exile had been a stain on their family's name, and though he had returned from the wilderness to find a family still clinging to its former glory, the scars of that exile were deep.
"The Ember Forge is unstable," Jin Wei's voice broke through the murmurs. "A schism grows between the main clan and our line. This cannot go unaddressed any longer."
Taixuan took a deep breath. It wasn't the first time his grandfather had spoken of this — and yet, his words seemed more deliberate this time. The air was thick with tension. The Forgeblood Clan had been, for too long, a shell of what it once was.
"Jin Wei, your words are... bold, but impractical," one of the elders responded, his voice dripping with thinly veiled mockery. "Do you think the Main Clan would ever accept you back? After your mistake? After your exile? Let alone your grandson?"
A ripple of laughter spread across the table, and Taixuan's eyes narrowed. His grandfather's face remained impassive, but his fists clenched at his sides. Jin Taixuan could see the veins beneath his skin stand out — not from rage, but from restraint. The elder's words were a subtle attack.
Jin Wei's gaze flicked toward Taixuan, and for a moment, their eyes locked. A quiet understanding passed between them.
---
Later that evening, as the clan leaders dispersed, Jin Taixuan followed his grandfather through the winding halls of their private quarters. The air grew cooler, the glow of forges and training chambers dimming behind them as they approached a hidden room known only to the elders and high-ranking members.
Inside the dimly lit chamber stood several relics of their former glory — scattered designs of warships, old schematics, and ancient inscriptions. But at the center of the room, illuminated by an ethereal blue light, stood a massive display table, showing a star map. Hundreds of stars blinked across the projection, each one representing a planet or a forgotten piece of history.
"This is what we were once," Jin Wei's voice rumbled. "Our clan, our legacy. It stretches farther than most realize."
Taixuan's gaze shifted to the star map, recognizing the positioning of several known systems but seeing others marked in deep black — lost, unexplored, or intentionally hidden.
"The main family, the one you've long wanted to join," Jin Wei continued, "holds dominion over several systems. But they do not control everything. The stars are vast, and our clan has connections that they still don't understand."
Taixuan stepped closer. "What do you mean?"
Jin Wei's hand swept across the table, highlighting a mysterious system far from the main family's holdings. "This system was abandoned for a reason, and it holds a key to our future. I need you to do something for me, Taixuan. Your abilities are… unusual, even for a prodigy of our clan."
Taixuan blinked. "What abilities?"
His grandfather studied him with a sharp eye. "I know you've awakened a strong warship. But you're more than that. Your warship's resonance is unlike any I've seen. The systems hidden within it… they may hold answers for our clan. Answers that even the main family doesn't know about."
Taixuan's heart skipped a beat. The Heavenhammer. It was more than just an ancient ship — it was a vessel of forgotten power. But no one, not even his grandfather, could understand its true nature. Yet.
"Where do I start?" Taixuan asked, his voice steady but tinged with uncertainty.
Jin Wei gave him a rare smile, one filled with pride and a quiet understanding. "You start by continuing your training. Build yourself, quietly. Draw attention, but never let it consume you. In time, the systems within your warship will awaken, and when they do, we will be ready to take back what we lost."
---
The next few weeks passed in a blur of hard training and subtle observation. Taixuan kept his distance from the politics of the clan, choosing instead to immerse himself in studying the Heavenhammer's systems, its strange warship memories, and the scattered blueprints that might help him understand the hidden power inside him.
At night, he would run simulations, testing his control over the ship. In the day, he practiced the Dao Flame Refinement alongside other youths of the clan. But he never pushed himself too far. He couldn't afford to reveal too much.
---
Days turned into weeks. And weeks into months.
By the time the next clan-wide Tournament of Flames arrived — an event where youths competed to showcase their strength and their warships' abilities — Taixuan was ready to make his move. Not to win, but to show something just enough to raise an eyebrow. To draw attention without putting himself in the spotlight.
He had learned one thing about the Jin Forgeblood Clan during his time here: Power had to be earned, but trust was the currency of true influence.
The tournament would be his opportunity to start earning that trust.