Chapter 31 Severing Blood Ties

Chapter 31 Severing Blood Ties
His mother’s steps were uneven as she was trying to hold herself together. His father walked ahead, his back straight as always, yet the rigidity in his shoulders betrayed the storm within him.
The words still hung in the air.
“I cannot marry a waste.”
“The Clan Leader’s son is far more worthy.”
Each sentence had been delivered with cold certainty, without hesitation, without even the courtesy of restraint, as though years of betrothal could be discarded as easily as one would brush dust from a sleeve.
Lu Tian’s gaze darkened slightly.
He had lived through this once before.
He had felt the same suffocating helplessness, the same burning humiliation, the same silent fury as he watched his parents endure what they did not deserve, all while he stood there, powerless to change anything.
But not this time. “Enough.”
His father stopped. “You should not have followed us out,” his father said, his voice controlled, though the faint strain within it was unmistakable. “What happened today… you have already endured enough.”
Lu Tian met his gaze. “I have not endured anything,” he replied calmly. “The one who lost today… is them.”
His mother looked up at that, her eyes slightly red, though no tears fell, the pain remained etched into every line of her expression.
“How can you say that?” she asked softly, her voice trembling despite her efforts to steady it. “They humiliated you in front of everyone… they cast aside the engagement as if it meant nothing… how can that be their loss?”
His mother lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes still faintly red, though she refused to let tears fall.
“They insulted you,” she said softly. “And we could do nothing… we stood there and watched…”
Her voice faltered.
“Mother,” he said gently, “look at me.”
She hesitated.
Then slowly, she did.
“I am not hurt,” he continued. “Not by them.”
That was not entirely true.
But it was not a lie either.
Because what had once wounded him deeply in his previous life now felt distant, insignificant in the face of everything he knew he would become.
“They broke the engagement as if it meant nothing,” his father said, his voice low now, controlled, but heavy with suppressed anger. “They chose the Clan Leader’s son… and called you a waste in front of everyone.”
His fists clenched.
“If I had”
“You would have made it worse,” Lu Tian interrupted calmly.
The words halted him.
Then Lu Tian exhaled slowly. “We were always going to leave,” he said.
That drew both their attention fully.
His father frowned. “What do you mean?”
Lu Tian met his gaze. “This clan was never our end,” he continued. “Staying here would only limit us… and after today, it is clear that we no longer belong.”
His mother’s expression tightened. “To leave… just like that?” she asked. “We have no backing outside. No allies. No guarantee of safety. Starting over is not as simple as you make it sound.”
“Father… Mother… come with me.”
Lu Tian’s voice was calm, almost gentle, yet there was a firmness beneath it that allowed no room for hesitation, as though the decision had already been made long before the words were spoken, and all that remained now was to walk the path he had chosen.
His parents exchanged a glance. There was confusion andconcern in their gazes but they followed as they had unwavering trust and support in their son
The path they took was not toward their residence, nor toward any quiet corner where wounds could be licked in silence, but deeper into the heart of the clan grounds, toward a place that neither of them expected him to go, especially not after what had just happened.
Lu Tian led to them to the main meeting hall of the clan. As they approached, the atmosphere shifted.
Disciples who had not yet dispersed from the earlier commotion lingered in clusters, their gazes drawn instinctively toward Lu Tian with curiosity and ridicule mixing freely in their expressions.
“He’s going back?”
“After that humiliation?”
“What is he trying to do now?”
Lu Tian ignored them. His steps were steady, unhurried, as though the weight of their stares meant nothing, as though the words that had just stripped him of dignity in front of the entire clan had not touched him at all.
But his parents felt every whisper, glance or traces of mockery.His mother’s fingers tightened slightly around her sleeve while is father’s jaw hardened. Yet neither spoke.
When they reached the entrance of the meeting hall, the guards hesitated. Not because they feared Lu Tian but because they did not understand.
“State your purpose,” one of them said, his tone formal, though his eyes carried faint disdain.
Lu Tian met his gaze. “I request an audience with the Clan Leader.”
The guard blinked.
For a moment, he thought he had misheard. But before he could respond, a voice echoed from within.
“Let him in.”
The doors opened.
Slowly.
And just like that Lu Tian stepped back into the place where his humiliation had been sealed.
The hall was not empty as elders and key members remained seated. Even some guests had yet to depart, drawn by the lingering tension in the air, as though instinct told them that something more was about to unfold.
At the center, the Clan Leader sat, his expression still dark from earlier events, his gaze sharp as it settled once more on Lu Tian.
“You return quickly,” he said, his tone cold. “Have you come to beg?”
A faint ripple of amusement passed through the hall.
Lu Tian stopped at the center.
Then he bowed properly but not deeply or submissively. “I have come to request something,” he said.
The Clan Leader’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh?”
Lu Tian lifted his head and spoke clearly. “I request the severing of ties between myself, my parents… and the Lu Clan.”
Instantly, the hall became absolutlely silent and for a single heartbeat no one reacted. Then the hall erupted.

“What did he say?!”
“Sever ties?!”
“Has he gone mad?!”
Even the elders shifted, their composed expressions cracking with surprise, because this was not a request that could be made lightly, nor was it one that anyone in his position had the right to make.
His father’s eyes widened and his mother’s almost lost her balance. Neither of them had expected this.
“Lu Tian…!” his father began, but the words caught in his throat, because even he did not know whether to stop him… or listen.
The Clan Leader slowly leaned back in his seat. His expression changed to anger then to something colder and dangerous.
“You,” he said slowly, “a cripple… dares to request severance from this clan?”
A suffocating pressure in the hall dropped.  Lu Tian’s parent fell on their knees at the pressure but Lu Tian Void-core revolved and absorbed the energy, protecting Lu Tian from the pressure.
“This clan raised you,” he continued. “Fed you. Gave you a name. And now, after becoming useless, you wish to discard it as though it holds no value?”
Lu Tian did not flinch. “The value has already been decided,” he replied calmly.
That was clear provocation and murmurs rose again.
His father stepped forward slightly. “Clan Leader,” he said, forcing control into his voice, “he is young…”
“I am not speaking to you.” The Clan Leader interruptedsharply.
The Clan Leader’s gaze never left Lu Tian. “If you wish to sever ties,” he said, “then you must prove you have the right to do so.”He paused. Then his lips curved cruelly. “Defeat five disciples of your generation,” he declared. “In the arena.”
The hall stirred again. Shock turning into anticipation.
“Only then,” the Clan Leader continued, “will I consider your request.”
Consider but not grant.
Lu Tian understood that immediately. This was not a test, it was a trap and a public one.
His mother stepped forward now, unable to hold back. “No!” she said, her voice trembling. “This is too much…he cannot…”
“He asked for this,” the Clan Leader replied coldly. “Or would you prefer to remain and continue disgracing the clan?”
That silenced her cruelly.
His father’s hand tightened. “Lu Tian,” he said quietly, urgently, “this is not a fair trial. They will choose their strongest. This is not about proving anything…it is about breaking you.”
Lu Tian turned to him and for the first time, his expression softened. “Father,” he said gently, “do you trust me?”
The question came without warning.
His father froze. Then slowly he nodded. “…I do.”
Lu Tian smiled faintly. “Then let me handle this.”
His mother shook her head. “No… no, this is not necessary… we can leave quietly, we don’t need this”
“We do,” Lu Tian said firmly.
“Because if we leave like this,” he continued, “they will not let us go peacefully.”
That truth settled heavily.
“And I will not allow you to bow your heads again,” he added quietly.
Something in his voice changed everything and his mother fell silent.
His father exhaled slowly. “…Then we face it,” he said.
Lu Tian turned back to the Clan Leader. “I accept.” He paused “ but I want a guarantee that if I win all five, my parents and I will be allowed to leave”
The Clan Leader observed him for a moment. “ fine! If you defeat all five, you can leave”
Lu Tian shook his head. “ I want a written decree handed to a neutral guest that must be handed to me after I win”
Clan leader gaze turned cold. “ are you questioning my integrity now?” His qi poured over Lu Tian who remained composed, shocking everyone. “ it seems the cripple has what he is relying on to challenge the clan” he laughed mockingly
Lu Tian smiled softly. “ I mean no disrespect. I just want to be able to ,eave immediately I fulfill the conditions without needing to wait for this administrative procedure.”
The words rang through the hall.
The Clan Leader’s smile deepened. “Good,” he said. “Then prepare yourself.”
Around them, excitement grew because what had begun as humiliation had now become spectacle. And no one presentrealized what was truly about to unfold.