CHAPTER 156 — FORGED IN SHADOW
The gates of the stronghold closed with a final, echoing thud.
The sound did not feel like protection.
It felt like transformation.
Five-year-old Long Hao stood in the center of the courtyard, mud still clinging to his ankles, rainwater dripping from the hem of torn clothes. Around him, children trained in silence—steel against steel, wooden blades striking stone dummies, bodies rolling across cold tiles without a wasted breath.
No one stared for long.
They assessed.
Measured.
Dismissed.
The man turned to him.
"You asked for power."
His voice was calm.
Measured.
Commanding without effort.
"Power begins with discipline."
The boy didn't blink.
The man's gaze shifted slightly toward the stone archway behind them.
From it, a woman stepped forward.
She moved without sound.
Long black hair tied loosely behind her back. Dark robes, simple yet precise. Eyes that were neither cold nor warm—but piercing.
She was not intimidating.
