No matter what the world outside whispered, it couldn't dampen the joy that swept through the Leonhart Clan like wildfire.
Just days ago, unease and fear had gripped the hearts of many people inside the clan.
Rumors of Ancestor Leo's impending demise had spread like a disease. Many within the clan feared the day he truly passed, fearing the combined wrath of the Drake and Storm Clans would descend on them without mercy.
But then came the war, which brought out the truth about the true power of their clan.
Their patriarch Leon had emerged like a storm, wielding power that rivaled the Core Break Stage's third tier. Five more elders had revealed their breakthroughs into Core Break as well.
And from that moment forward, everything changed.
The entire clan had witnessed it.
Their leaders were not weak, nor desperate. They were simply waiting for the perfect moment.
Waiting for the right moment to show the city and the Redridge Province what it meant to stand behind the Leonhart name.
Now, those same clan members walked taller in the streets of Blazecity.
Gone were the slouched shoulders, the worried eyes and the hush-hush conversations between them.
Now they looked ahead with pride bearing the Leonhart clan's name.
"Who would've thought we had so many Core Break realm elders in hiding all along?" a clan member of Leonhart muttered in the city square.
"If they hadn't been forced to act, even I would've thought we had no strength beyond the Ancestor," another replied.
"And to think we were so worried... Turns out the patriarch had a plan all along."
"That's why they didn't panic when the rumors spread," someone else said, voice rising with fervor. "It was all the Drakes' planning from the start, and our leaders saw through it from the beginning!"
Excitement and pride bubbled through every corner of the estate.
Even among the bereaved families who had lost loved ones in the battle, sorrow was softened by the honor that they could now proudly embrace.
—
Within a quiet courtyard, incense wafted gently in the breeze.
An older woman, dressed in mourning white clothes, knelt by a basin, feeding yellow memorial papers into a flickering fire.
Her son had died in the battle.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered prayers but her face bore a subtle, proud smile.
"You gave your life for the clan, my son," she said softly. "Your death was not in vain. And you don't have to worry about your wife or your boy. The clan will raise him strong, just like you."
Beside her, a small boy with wide eyes clutched a toy wooden sword. His mother knelt behind him, eyes glistening as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Huli," she said gently, "what would you like to do when you grow up?"
The boy's eyes burned with purpose as he stared directly at his mother's eyes.
"I'm going to take over Father's post!" he said with bright resolve. "I'll protect the family! I'll take care of you and Grandma, and I'll be just like Dad!"
The young mother gave a faint laugh, bittersweet. She looked up at the sky through the rising smoke, lips trembling.
"I'll raise him right. No matter what it takes."
Her vow was silent but it echoed in the hearts of those gathered.
—
Many clan members had come to pay respects.
Among them was the captain of the Leonhart Guard, a stalwart cultivator whose strength was known throughout the family.
He stepped forward now, watching the child with admiration.
"Your husband was one of my best men," he said, turning to the mother and grandmother. "He gave his life to protect the family. That sacrifice will never be forgotten by everyone in this family."
He pulled something from his robe and pressed it into her hand.
"Five hundred clan contribution points. From my household to yours."
Another stepped forward. "Brother Li helped me many times. I'm not wealthy, but I can offer 399 contribution points. It's not much, but I hope you'll accept it."
One by one, they stepped forward.
Offers poured in.
From guards, elders, craftsmen, even humble servants.
When the guard captain spoke again, his voice carried deep guilt.
"As captain, I should've protected him. His death is on me. I'll personally donate 2,000 points… and I'll submit his case to the elders to request full hero benefits for his family."
Everyone fell silent.
And then one by one they bowed their heads in approval.
The mother and grandmother wept softly, trying to kneel in gratitude, but the captain quickly lifted them with a surge of blood energy.
"No need," he said gently. "You've suffered enough."
—
High above, hidden within the sealed sanctuary of the Forbidden Peak, Leo sat in contemplation.
He had seen it all.
From the battlefield to the mourning halls, the pride and grief, the loyalty and fear.
It stirred something within him.
He was the Ancestor—the pillar of the sect.
And in truth, he could have stopped many deaths. He could've intervened in-between and finish the battle in a breaths time.
But if the clan and it members never learned to protect itself…
They'd never survive without him in the future, All this time the clan was safe due to his presence, but after the news of his possible death he saw how fragile the clan truly was.
"To gain something… you sometimes must lose something."
"I cannot guarantee their lives," Leo murmured. "But I can ensure that their sacrifice will mean something. That no one who dies for this family will be forgotten."
He raised his hand.
A glowing talisman appeared before him.
He pressed a sliver of energy into it, and with that pulse, he transmitted his decision that he had taken to the clan.
—
Moments later, deep within a secret chamber—
Patriarch Leon and the five Core Break elders suddenly opened their eyes. They had been meditating, recovering from the wounds of war.
During the recovering process all of them felt the signal.
They pulled out small ancestral jade slips and injected a thread of blood essence.
Leo's voice echoed in their minds.
"As of this day, the Leonhart Clan enacts the following directives."
Clan Development Plan – Authorized by Ancestor Leo
1. Fertility Incentive Program - All clan members - male and female will be rewarded for each child they produce. Contribution point bonuses will scale based on the child's innate talent level.
2. Elite Cultivation Resource Allocation - Any newborn or junior detected with high-grade talent or higher shall receive full cultivation support from the clan. Warning: Children without sufficient aptitude will not be selected for advanced programs.
3. Heroic Family Guarantee - For any clan member who perishes in service:
Their immediate family will receive a monthly stipend of 1,000 clan contribution points, until their children reach 18 years of age.
Additional bonuses may be granted for households with two or more underaged children.
Special housing, cultivation resources, and education access will also be provided.
4. Anti-Discrimination Decree - Any clan member caught bullying or exploiting the families of fallen heroes will face severe punishment. Leniency will not be granted to anyone, even the elders and their family.
When the announcement finished, the silence among the elders was palpable.
Then, together they nodded and accepted the plan without second thought.
"Let's pass it down," Leon as the Patriarch said.
And across the estate, a new chapter was quietly begining.
This was the age of renewal, of forging legacies, of standing together as kin.
Power was no longer the only prize…
Now, they fought for the ones beside them.