CHAPTER 12 — "THE VOID MASTER CELEBRATION"
The night had settled warmly over the Long family home. The dining table still held remnants of dinner — empty bowls, crumpled napkins, and a few stray dumplings that Long Xiyan kept stealing when she thought no one was looking. Laughter floated through the cozy room like fireflies.
But Long Wei, Long Hao's father, had been oddly quiet.
Finally, he put down his chopsticks and leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"Hao'er," he said softly, "you still haven't told us… what talent sigil you awakened today."
The room fell silent.
Xiyan's head snapped toward him like an excited puppy.Long Mei paused mid-sip, eyes widening.
"Hao'er…?" she whispered.
Long Hao's breath steadied.
This moment required precision — not fear, not deceit out of survival, but out of love. His family deserved something that made them proud. Something to hold onto in a world where prestige and talent defined everything.
So he smiled faintly.
"Alright," he said, standing slowly. "I'll show you."
A soft golden light pulsed from his palm.
Xiyan gasped, clapping both hands over her mouth.
Long Mei's chopsticks fell.
Long Wei's eyes widened.
The golden glow swirled into shape, creating a luminous sigil hovering in the air — an elegant ring of runes woven with streaks of shadowy light. It pulsed gently, shimmering like a controlled eclipse.
The inscription floated beneath it:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Talent Sigil: VOID MASTER (Gold Tier)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A perfect fake.Convincing.Powerful — but not frightening.
A talent any family would dream of.
The room erupted.
Long Mei choked on a breath, tears immediately spilling. "G-Gold tier? GOLD?!"
Xiyan screamed and launched herself at her brother like a rocket. "GEGE IS A GOLD TALENT?! WE'RE RICH! WE'RE FAMOUS! WE'RE—AHHHHHH!!"
Long Wei stood up so fast his chair toppled behind him. His voice cracked loudly:
"MY SON AWAKENED A GOLD TALENT?!"
He grabbed Long Hao's shoulders, shaking him slightly. "Are you sure?! Are you absolutely—Hao'er, don't joke with your father like this!"
Long Hao gave him a helpless smile. "It's real, Dad."
Long Wei staggered back like he'd been struck.
And then—
He began laughing.A deep, booming, disbelieving laugh that filled the whole house.
"My son… MY SON AWAKENED A GOLD SIGIL!"
Long Mei wiped her tears furiously, failing miserably to compose herself.
"Our Hao'er… you did this quietly? You didn't tell us immediately? I thought— I was scared— You—"
She couldn't speak anymore and hugged him tightly.
Xiyan was still screaming, running circles around the room shouting:
"I TOLD EVERYONE MY BROTHER WAS COOL AND THEY SAID I WAS LYING! HA! HAHAHA! IN YOUR FACE!"
Long Hao chuckled and ruffled her hair.
The system remained quiet — almost approving.
[Fake Sigil stable. Family emotional satisfaction level: High.]
He mentally thanked it again.
THE CELEBRATION BEGINS
Long Wei suddenly burst into action.
"WE'RE CELEBRATING. WE'RE CELEBRATING RIGHT NOW. MEI—PREPARE EVERYTHING!"
Long Mei blinked. "Everything?"
"Yes! Lanterns! The good plates! The wine I hid from you! Xiyan, get the fireworks!"
"WE HAVE FIREWORKS?!" she squealed.
"YES! TONIGHT IS A FESTIVAL!"
Within minutes, the house transformed into a tiny wonderland:
Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling
Incense lit up the room with warm scent
Music played on a vintage speaker
Firecrackers were lined up by the door
A feast began forming in the kitchen
Long Hao watched it all quietly.
He wasn't used to this.
Warmth.Joy.Pride.
His old world had none of it.
He had been praised for killing, not living.
He had been valued for death, not safety.
But here… here he was simply their Hao'er — someone they loved without calculation.
Xiyan jumped into his lap, hugging him. "Gege… you're amazing!"
Long Hao froze for half a second, then patted her head gently.
"Thank you."
His father raised a wine bottle. "Tonight… our family is blessed! A Gold talent in our home! This is a sign!"
Long Mei smiled through tears. "Hao'er… you've made us so proud."
Long Hao felt something stir deep inside — not power, not awakening, but a warmth that felt almost foreign. He allowed himself to breathe in the moment.
This… was peace.
Something he never had in his first life.
LATER THAT NIGHT
After the food, the fireworks, the laughter, the music — Long Hao slipped out to the small balcony. The moon hung low, silver and soft.
He rested his elbows on the railing.
The system hummed quietly inside him.
[Host emotional pattern stabilized.]
"Good," Long Hao whispered. "My family deserves stability."
A pause.
"You did a good job today, system."
The system pulsed faintly.
[Host appreciation acknowledged.]
"I'll protect them," Long Hao said softly. "No matter what."
He closed his eyes.
He could feel distant energies already shifting — guilds preparing questions, hunters wanting to investigate deeper, the Long Clan scrambling, the Murong Clan panicking.
This city…was becoming too small.
His power would eventually overflow here. His destiny required a stage bigger than Ravenwood.
He straightened.
"I've decided," he murmured.
The system listened.
"I will leave this city."
Wind brushed past, carrying the scent of fireworks from the celebration.
"I'll travel. I'll grow. I'll explore the world. And I'll become strong enough that no one… not heaven, not guilds, not clans… can ever touch the people I love."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And anyone who tries…"
A faint crimson flicker danced across his pupils.
"…will regret it."
Behind him, his family's laughter echoed tenderly — unaware of the promise he had just made to reshape the world itself.
Long Hao exhaled calmly, stepping back into the warm home.
Tomorrow, he would begin preparing.
Tomorrow, the journey would start.
Tonight… he allowed himself to feel the warmth of family.
A precious warmth he intended to protect forever.
[CHAPTER ENDS]
The ranking goes:
Mortal → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Epic → Mythic → Divine.