Free Web NovelChapter 3: Chapter 3: Grandfather’s Gift
The ancestral hall was so quiet that Qin Yuheng could hear the faint crackle of lightning around the fruit.
A Grade Azure Thunder Battle Body Fruit.
Even without his system panel, he could tell that this was not an ordinary treasure. The fruit was about the size of a child’s fist. Its skin was blue like polished jade, but thin golden lines flowed across its surface like living lightning veins. Every few breaths, a tiny arc of electricity would jump from one line to another.
Talent Fruits were among the rarest drops in the Tower.
Unlike ordinary stat fruits, which increased strength, agility, constitution, spirit, or mana, Talent Fruits could allow a person to awaken an additional talent. For those who failed natural awakening, a Talent Fruit was sometimes their only chance to change their destiny.
But chance was the key word.
Talent Fruits did not guarantee awakening.
The lower the grade, the lower the probability.
E-grade fruits might only have a one to three percent chance. D grade was slightly better. C grade could tempt small families. B grade could make wealthy guilds compete. A grade was already something that ordinary climbers might never see in their entire lives.
S grade and above?
Those were strategic treasures.
Even nations might move in secret for them.
An A-grade Talent Fruit was not something the current Qin family should casually take out.
At least, not in the eyes of outsiders.
Qin Yuheng stared at the jade box and did not immediately reach for it.
"Grandfather," he said slowly, "this fruit is too valuable."
Qin Wanshan looked at him without expression.
"Do you think your life is less valuable than a fruit?"
Qin Yuheng fell silent.
Qin Wanshan’s voice remained calm, but it carried a weight that allowed no refusal.
"The world values talents because talents create power. Families value resources because resources protect inheritance. But if a family saves resources while abandoning its own children, then that family has already died in spirit."
The old man’s gaze moved toward the ancestral tablets.
"Our Qin family has lost many things. Territory. Influence. Allies. Reputation. But we have not yet lost our bones."
Qin Yuheng’s fingers tightened slightly.
Qin Wanshan turned back to him.
"You are the eldest of your generation. You have trained diligently since childhood. You have never used the family name to bully others. You have protected your siblings, respected your parents, and endured more pressure than you ever spoke of."
The old man pushed the jade box closer.
"So take it."
Qin Yuheng looked at his grandfather.
For a moment, he felt something heavy in his chest.
He had seen too many stories of noble families abandoning their talentless heirs. He had heard too many examples of sons and daughters being reduced to tools once their awakening failed. In this world, affection existed, but interest often stood above it.
Yet the Qin family did not blame him.
His mother comforted him.
His father looked at him with pain, not disappointment.
His siblings defended him.
His grandfather took out an A-grade Talent Fruit.
Qin Yuheng accepted the jade box with both hands.
"I will remember this."
Qin Wanshan nodded.
"Do not eat it immediately."
Qin Yuheng raised his head.
Qin Wanshan said, "Talent Fruits are dangerous if consumed without preparation. The stronger the fruit, the more intense the transformation. Your body is not weak, but talent awakening involves flesh, spirit, mana, and soul resonance. You must prepare for three days."
Qin Yuheng’s heart moved.
Three days.
That gave him time.
Time to test Primordial Origin Evolution.
Qin Wanshan continued, "During these three days, you will not leave the estate without permission. You will not go to the Tower entrance. You will not meet outsiders privately. The Zhao family will likely provoke you. Ignore them."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Also," Qin Wanshan’s eyes narrowed slightly, "do not tell anyone outside the family about this fruit."
"I understand."
"Even inside the family, only your parents and I know for now."
Qin Yuheng paused.
Not even his siblings?
Qin Wanshan seemed to understand his thought.
"Yuchen is calm, but he is still young. Yuze is impulsive. Xue’er is innocent. Let them remain unburdened for now."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
That was reasonable.
The more people knew, the greater the risk.
Qin Wanshan waved his sleeve. "Go. Your father is waiting in the side hall."
Qin Yuheng bowed and left the ancestral hall with the jade box.
Outside, the night air was cold.
The Qin Estate was quiet under moonlight. Ancient trees stood in the courtyard, their branches casting shadows across stone paths. Servants moved silently in the distance. Everything looked peaceful.
But Qin Yuheng now knew that peace was only the surface.
The formation beneath the estate.
Gu Tianhe’s unreadable aura.
His grandfather’s hidden pressure.
His father’s mysterious wound.
His mother’s calm that felt sharper than any sword.
The Qin family was like an old blade wrapped in cloth. Outsiders saw dust. Qin Yuheng was beginning to see the edge beneath.
When he entered the side hall, Qin Zhengyuan was seated near a window.
A small lamp burned beside him.
His father was looking at an old spear mounted on the wall. The spear’s shaft was dark, and its blade was covered with faint cracks. It looked damaged, but Qin Yuheng felt an inexplicable chill when his gaze touched it.
"Father."
Qin Zhengyuan turned.
"You received the fruit?"
Qin Yuheng nodded.
Qin Zhengyuan’s gaze softened. "Your grandfather has kept that fruit for many years."
Qin Yuheng was not surprised, but hearing it still made the jade box feel heavier.
"Was it meant for someone else?"
"For the family’s future," Qin Zhengyuan said. "Perhaps for Yuchen. Perhaps for Yuze. Perhaps for Xue’er when she grows older. Perhaps for an emergency none of us could predict."
"And now that emergency is me."
Qin Zhengyuan looked at him seriously.
"You are not an emergency. You are family."
Qin Yuheng’s throat tightened slightly.
Qin Zhengyuan coughed.
It was a soft cough, but Qin Yuheng immediately noticed the faint dark-red line that appeared for a moment beneath his father’s skin near the wrist. It vanished quickly, but not before Qin Yuheng’s panel flickered.
[Abnormal seal corrosion detected.]
[Current authority insufficient.]
[Unable to purify.]
[Recommended: Higher-grade cleansing material, seal-stabilizing material, origin-type healing resource.]
Qin Yuheng’s eyes darkened.
So it was real.
His father’s injury was not simple.
Qin Zhengyuan lowered his sleeve naturally, as if nothing had happened.
"Do not worry about me," he said.
Qin Yuheng did not respond immediately.
After a moment, he asked, "Father, what kind of injury do you have?"
Qin Zhengyuan’s expression became quiet.
For a while, only the sound of the lamp flame could be heard.
"That is not something you need to bear yet."
"Yet?"
Qin Zhengyuan looked out the window.
"When you are strong enough to ask again, I will tell you."
Qin Yuheng understood.
It was not that his father did not trust him.
It was that the truth itself carried danger.
Qin Zhengyuan changed the topic. "The Talent Fruit your grandfather gave you has thunder-body properties. If it succeeds, it may awaken a body-type combat talent. That path is difficult but powerful. Your foundation will improve greatly."
"And if it fails?"
"Then it fails," Qin Zhengyuan said calmly. "You will still be my son."
Qin Yuheng lowered his head.
"Father, do you regret that I did not awaken naturally?"
Qin Zhengyuan looked at him as if the question itself was strange.
"When you were born, your mother nearly froze half the courtyard because you would not stop crying."
Qin Yuheng blinked.
Qin Zhengyuan’s lips curved slightly.
"You grabbed my finger with such force that even the midwife was shocked. Your grandfather said your grip was good and that you might become a spear user. Your mother said no son of hers needed to follow anyone’s weapon path so early."
The memory softened his father’s face.
"At that time, did I know whether you would awaken a talent eighteen years later?"
"No."
"Did that make you less my son?"
Qin Yuheng smiled faintly. "No."
"Then why ask foolish questions?"
Qin Yuheng bowed his head.
"Yes, Father."
Qin Zhengyuan’s voice became more serious.
"Yuheng, listen carefully. If the Talent Fruit succeeds, do not become arrogant. If it fails, do not become bitter. The Tower is vast, and talent is only one part of the path. A climber who depends only on talent will eventually die to someone more patient, more ruthless, or more prepared."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"I understand."
"Good. Go rest."
Qin Yuheng left the side hall with the jade box.
But he did not return to his bedroom immediately.
Instead, he walked through a quiet corridor and entered a small training chamber behind his courtyard.
The chamber was simple. A weapon rack stood near the wall. A meditation mat lay at the center. The walls were reinforced with old formation marks, but most of them seemed inactive.
Qin Yuheng closed the door.
He placed the jade box before him.
Then he summoned the hidden panel.
[A Grade Azure Thunder Battle Body Fruit]
[Eligible for Primordial Origin Evolution.]
[Please select evolution direction.]
1. Quantity Multiplication
2. Quality Enhancement
Qin Yuheng stared at the two options.
If he chose Quantity Multiplication, he might receive many A-grade Talent Fruits. Even if each fruit only had a chance, the value would be unimaginable. The Qin family could use them for multiple members.
But there were problems.
First, Talent Fruit consumption was limited by talent slots. A person could not endlessly eat them.
Second, copied items could not be evolved again.
Third, too many A-grade Talent Fruits appearing at once would be difficult to explain and even harder to use safely.
Fourth, he needed strength now.
His public status was Not Awakened. If he consumed the fruit and succeeded, his public status could change to Awakened. That would give him a reasonable explanation for entering the Tower and academy.
Quality Enhancement was the better choice.
At least for this moment.
Qin Yuheng exhaled slowly.
"I choose Quality Enhancement."
The moment his thought fell, the panel changed.
[Quality Enhancement selected.]
[Evolution target: A Grade Azure Thunder Battle Body Fruit]
[Primordial Origin Evolution activated.]
A silent light appeared.
It was not bright.
It was not flashy.
It was a deep, ancient glow, as if the first color born before heaven and earth had touched the fruit.
The blue-gold Talent Fruit trembled.
Its skin darkened from azure to deep violet-gold. Lightning lines expanded into complex runes. A faint crown-shaped mark appeared at the top of the fruit. The air in the room became heavy, and the old formation marks on the walls lit up one after another.
Qin Yuheng’s panel flashed.
[Evolution successful.]
[A Grade Azure Thunder Battle Body Fruit] freēwebnovel.com
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[SSS Grade Primordial Thunder Emperor Body Fruit]
[Effect: Extremely high chance to awaken Primordial Thunder Emperor Body.]
[Estimated awakening chance: 94% - 99%]
[Warning: Transformation intensity extremely high.]
[Recommended: Consume under protected conditions.]
Qin Yuheng stared at the fruit.
SSS grade.
A treasure that could shake kingdoms.
A treasure that even ancient families might hide for generations.
And he had created it from an A-grade fruit in a single evolution.
Qin Yuheng slowly closed the jade box.
His eyes were calm, but something inside him had changed.
The world thought the Qin family had given him one last chance.
But in his hands, that chance had already become a heaven-defying foundation.
