Silence.
The tiny white-scaled lizard remained suspended above the rooftops.
Invisible.
Untouched by the panic spreading throughout the Ye Su Clan.
The memories he had just obtained quietly settled within his mind.
*...A child.*
His gaze remained fixed upon the distant courtyard hidden deep within the inner estate.
For several long breaths—
he didn't move.
Then—
a strange feeling quietly surfaced.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.
Something...
Restraining.
His claws flexed slightly.
His thoughts naturally drifted toward his original intention.
*...Consume the child.*
The instant the thought appeared—
it was interrupted.
Not by the system.
Not by an external force.
But...
By himself.
His body instinctively resisted.
A faint pressure settled over his mind.
His pupils narrowed almost imperceptibly.
The thought surfaced once more.
*Consume the child.*
Again—
that same invisible restraint emerged.
Not enough to stop him by force.
Yet enough to make the thought itself feel...
Wrong.
He quietly examined the sensation.
*...The human memories.*
Languages.
Customs.
Logic.
Emotion.
Common sense.
Most of them remained buried.
Only fragments surfaced whenever they became relevant.
Yet now—
those fragments had unconsciously reacted.
His thoughts remained calm.
*...I still haven't fully digested them.*
*Nor have I completely assimilated them.*
He slowly lowered his gaze toward the bustling estate below.
Humans hurried through the streets.
Children cried.
Cultivators shouted orders.
The memories within him quietly supplied countless meanings behind every scene.
Family.
Kin.
Children.
Protection.
He understood all of it.
Yet...
He felt almost none of it.
Only...
A lingering instinct that wasn't originally his own.
His tail swayed slightly.
*...Incomplete.*
*These memories are still influencing my judgment.*
*But they aren't truly mine.*
Another brief silence followed.
*Eventually...*
*I'll either fully assimilate them...*
*Or discard what proves unnecessary.*
His gaze returned toward the secluded residence.
*For now...*
*There's no need to consume the child.*
*The bloodline isn't going anywhere.*
*Information comes first.*
Without another thought—
his tiny body silently drifted forward.
Invisible.
Soundless.
Crossing courtyard after courtyard.
Until—
he arrived before a quiet residence deep within the inner estate.
Unlike the surrounding buildings—
this courtyard was heavily guarded.
Hidden formations quietly operated beneath the stone pathways.
Several Foundation Establishment cultivators concealed themselves within the shadows.
Servants moved about in complete silence.
No one noticed the tiny invisible lizard passing overhead.
He drifted silently through an open window.
---
The room was warm.
Soft light from spirit lamps illuminated every corner.
The faint fragrance of medicinal herbs lingered in the air.
At the centre of the room—
a small wooden cradle rested beside the bed.
Within it—
a dark-haired child slept peacefully.
The child appeared no older than three or four years.
Breathing slow.
Expression peaceful.
Nearby—
a graceful woman sat quietly beside the cradle.
Her gaze never left the sleeping child.
Several maids stood respectfully around the room.
One quietly prepared medicine.
Another adjusted the curtains.
None spoke above a whisper.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Almost unnaturally so.
High above—
among the wooden beams supporting the ceiling—
the tiny invisible lizard quietly watched.
His gaze settled upon the sleeping child.
Silence.
The room remained tranquil.
The child slept soundly within the cradle.
The woman gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from the child's forehead.
One of the maids quietly adjusted the blanket.
No one noticed the tiny invisible lizard watching from above.
His gaze never left the child.
*What bloodline does this child possess?*
Several breaths passed.
Then—
the familiar mechanical voice echoed within his mind.
**[Scanning target...]**
Silence.
The child remained asleep.
Nothing changed.
The system continued.
**[Bloodline detected.]**
A brief pause followed.
Then—
for the first time—
the mechanical voice carried the faintest trace of uncertainty.
**[Bloodline identified.]**
**[Designation: Namewright Bloodline.]**
Lizarius remained silent.
The name meant nothing to him.
"...Explain."
A brief pause.
*What is it?*
The system responded.
**[Namewright Bloodline: An extremely rare inherited bloodline associated with True Names.]**
**[Every living being possesses a True Name.]**
**[A True Name is not the name bestowed by one's parents, clan, or society.]**
**[It is the name engraved upon the soul itself.]**
Lizarius remained silent.
The system continued.
**[Ordinary beings neither know nor perceive their own True Name.]**
**[It remains hidden throughout their entire lives.]**
**[Even those born with the Namewright Bloodline are not born knowing True Names.]**
**[Upon the awakening of the bloodline, the bearer gradually gains the ability to perceive fragments of True Names.]**
Another line appeared.
**[A True Name is intrinsically bound to the soul.]**
**[To know a being's True Name is to establish a direct connection with that being's existence.]**
Lizarius' eyes narrowed slightly.
*...A connection.*
The system continued.
**[As mastery over the bloodline deepens, the bearer may invoke portions of a discovered True Name.]**
**[The resulting effects vary according to the user's understanding, mastery, and the degree to which the True Name has been comprehended.]**
**[Potential applications include influence, suppression, binding, disruption of spiritual techniques, weakening of the soul, and other phenomena that directly affect the named existence.]**
**[The bloodline does not grant absolute authority.]**
**[A partially comprehended True Name produces only limited effects.]**
**[A fully comprehended True Name unlocks the bloodline's greatest potential.]**
Silence filled the room.
Lizarius quietly watched the sleeping child.
His golden eyes remained perfectly calm.
*...A bloodline capable of affecting the soul itself.*
His gaze lingered on the child for another moment.
Silence filled the room.
The child continued sleeping peacefully.
The woman remained seated beside the cradle.
Softly humming to herself.
Nothing within the room changed.
Only—
the invisible white-scaled lizard quietly observed.
His thoughts lingered upon the system's explanation.
After several moments—
he spoke inwardly.
*...According to my understanding...*
*A True Name is more than merely a name.*
Silence.
*If one truly knows another's True Name...*
*Then that connection allows them to influence that being directly.*
*A command.*
*A restriction.*
*Perhaps even an order the target cannot easily reject.*
*A power capable of reaching the existence itself.*
*...Is that correct?*
The system answered immediately.
**[Confirmed.]**
**[However, the conclusion is incomplete.]**
Lizarius remained silent.
The mechanical voice continued.
**[A True Name is not merely a means of issuing commands.]**
**[Commands are only one possible application.]**
**[The foundation of every ability possessed by the Namewright Bloodline is the connection established through a True Name.]**
**[Without that connection, none of the bloodline's abilities can be exercised.]**
A brief pause followed.
Then—
another line appeared.
**[The strength of every effect depends upon three factors.]**
**[The degree to which the True Name has been comprehended.]**
**[The mastery of the bloodline.]**
**[The difference in existence between both parties.]**
Lizarius quietly considered the explanation.
*...Then...*
*The True Name itself is not the power.*
*It is the bridge.*
**[Confirmed.]**
His gaze remained fixed upon the sleeping child.
Another thought surfaced.
*...Then what exactly is a True Name?*
*If it isn't the name given at birth...*
*What is it?*
The system answered without delay.
**[A True Name is the fundamental designation of an existence.]**
**[It is not a title.]**
**[It is not an identity created by civilisation.]**
**[It is not a language spoken by mortals.]**
**[It is the conceptual definition of what a being truly is.]**
Silence.
The system continued.
**[A True Name is the soul's proof of existence.]**
**[It records the existence of a life within the fundamental laws governing the world.]**
**[So long as that existence endures, the True Name exists.]**
Lizarius' pupils narrowed slightly.
*...The soul's proof...*
The system continued.
**[Every living being possesses one.]**
**[Humans.]**
**[Beasts.]**
**[Spirits.]**
**[Even higher forms of life possess their own True Names.]**
**[Most will never become aware of them.]**
Another line appeared.
**[The Namewright Bloodline is one of the exceedingly few inheritances capable of perceiving and interacting with True Names.]**
Silence settled once more.
Lizarius quietly organised the information.
*...So a True Name is neither a word nor a title.*
*It is the world's acknowledgement that an existence exists.*
*Knowing it means establishing contact with that acknowledgement itself.*
**[Confirmed.]**
**[This interpretation closely matches the fundamental nature of a True Name.]**
His gaze slowly returned to the child.
The child remained asleep.
Completely unaware that one of the rarest bloodlines in existence flowed silently through his veins.
For several long moments—
Lizarius simply watched.
Neither moving...
Nor speaking.