Shuffling through the corridors of the Liu Clan’s manor, he came upon his father’s study. After dinner, he asked his mother and father to see him privately. They got riled up inside but hid it well, but his old eyes see past such masks. They were probably scared that all his actions like apologizing and demeanor during dinner were but a farce to ask for money or something.


    That distrust wasn’t misplaced—he did that many times after all.


    Liu Changfeng frowned.


    —KNOCK. KNOCK!


    “Come in.”


    “Changfeng-er, head inside!”


    Liu Changfeng wore a bitter smile before he pushed the door in. He walked obediently to his seat and sat down in front of his parents. The smell of incense, steel, and paper was thick in his father’s study. His mother disliked this place too because she never liked Liu Dong Tu bringing his military work home.


    Liu Changfeng’s face remained lowered, and he sat there quietly. His parents hadn’t talked yet, so Liu Changfeng also remained motionless. His head was low, but he could discern their expressions clearly. His father’s face was like steel and he refused to look at Liu Changfeng. However, his complexion had softened slightly.


    His mother once more grabbed Liu Dong Tu’s arm.


    He welcomed their reactions but it only intensified his guilt.


    His parents’ softened posture only spoke of how much of a wastrel he was. The bare minimum of apologizing and being present was enough to assuage them.


    Sneaking glances at his mother, he felt his heart was bleeding. Beneath his loose robes, his fists were tightly clenched.


    After the incident that caused his clan to fall, he thought his previous behavior would lead his family—his mother especially—to abandon him as a wastrel son. Yet, during his most arduous and trying moments, when his days felt fleeting and uncertain, they were the ones who stayed by his side and cared for him.


    Remembering his mother, who wasn’t even fifty yet at the time but had a head full of white hair like a great-grandmother, Liu Changfeng was consumed by guilt. Her final moments were spent in his arms. It was only then that Liu Changfeng was struck by the frailty of her body, so light and fragile it was as though the years of burden had hollowed her out.


    It was at that moment, cradling his mother’s lifeless form, that Liu Changfeng’s spirit shattered. The forty years that followed were nothing but a hollow existence—a walking soldier bound by regret and failure.


    Mother...why did you give so much to someone as unworthy as me?


    Liu Changfeng’s eyes burned as the memory overwhelmed him. In that heavy downpour, he had roared in agony, his cries blending with the storm as if the heavens themselves mourned alongside him.


    That day marked the first time Liu Changfeng had truly wept since entering this world. It was the day his entire world crumbled.


    …It was also the day he walked the path that led him to become the last Grand Marshal.


    “Was dinner fine, Changfeng-er?” His mother asked, bringing Liu Changfeng out of his daze.


    “I…yes, mother.” Liu Changfeng choked. “It was great.”


    “So what did you want to tell us privately, Changfeng-er?” Liu Dong Tu asked impatiently. There was a maelstrom of suppressed emotions in the older man’s eyes. Suspicion, distrust, but also…hope.


    The air in the study turned brittle. The soft ruffling of his mother’s fidgeting turned slightly louder.


    Liu Changfeng’s heart thundered in his chest as he met that piercing gaze, knowing that what he was about to say could set the course of his second chance. “After much thought…I’ve decided to enlist in the army. I didn’t know if I should’ve mentioned it to the aunts and uncles so I wanted to bring it up with you and mother first.”


    “Wha–!?” His father, who had been treating Liu Changfeng coldly all this while, not even viewing him straight in the eye, had an astonished expression on his previously steeled face.


    Even his mother’s mouth quivered. She stared blankly at her son, and words seemed to have jammed in her throat. This was the furthest thing she’d think her unruly son would say!


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    Before she could say anything, Liu Dong Tu frowned. “Changfeng-er, are you certain?”


    He was a tried & true general. Such matters of enlistment weren’t worth thinking twice of. But this was Liu Changfeng! This son of his was simply too lawless. He had no motivation whatsoever and idled his time away. He even befriended bad company, and the incident this time put the entire Liu Clan to shame.


    Liu Dong Tu was planning to tell the clan of his decision to enlist Liu Changfeng for this very reason regardless of his dear wife’s wishes. He never thought that the rebellious Liu Changfeng would even conceive such a desire. It was precisely because Liu Dong Tu knew what kind of person this scoundrel son of his was that his steel face crumbled. If Liu Changfeng''s one-off apology was an attempt to lessen his punishment, then the matter of him joining the military crushed all his doubts about his son turning a new leaf. He truly changed!


    “Truly, Father. I can’t dawdle at the clan’s manor any longer. We are a clan of generals. It’s about time I follow suit.” Liu Changfeng said.


    Liu Dong Tu and Madam Liu looked at each other with joy.


    “Then—”


    “I wish to eventually join one of the Four Great Warfare Academies I’ve heard rumors about.” Liu Changfeng continued. He could already tell his father was about to enlist him on the spot. But Liu Changfeng knew that this time period was when the Luan Empire invested in military enlistment through the academies—one of the last few great decisions they made in a myriad of poor ones later on.


    Liu Dong Tu frowned. “How do you know of them?” He was truly perplexed. The comment on the academies pulled him back from joy. The royal court has barely even begun their talks of the grand opening. How did his third son know of it, let alone his elder siblings?


    “Sorry, father. I learned rumors of it from Feng Mo before the…incident.” Liu Changfeng fidgeted.


    “Ah. Then forget it. Do you know which of the four to join?”


    “I do. I’m set on the Black Tortoise of the North.”


    “Huh.” Liu Dong Tu frowned. “Why there? Do you know how distant the Black Tortoise Warfare Academy is from the capital?”


    “I do—ah, I wait, I promise I didn’t choose it because I wanted to get far from the family!” Liu Changfeng quickly said. “I just…it’s the safest of the four.”


    His father brought a hand to rub his chin.


    “That’s a great choice, Changfeng-er!” Madam Liu smiled even greater. She nudged her husband, “Dear, is Changfeng-er correct?”


    Liu Dong Tu slowly nodded. “It is. The Black Tortoise Academy is closest to the border but that’s precisely why it’s the safest. The city it’s situated in is among the largest of the north.”


    Liu Changfeng frowned momentarily before his face relaxed.


    It’s a shame I can’t tell my father that the north is first in the wars to come. But he wouldn’t allow me to go there if he knew how those scum ravaged and decimated our lands.


    Liu Dong Tu sighed. “Very well. However, there''s an issue—your lacking cultivation. It must be at least the 3rd Star of Primeval Refining. That’ll be years from now so prepare accordingly.”


    Liu Changfeng nodded. “I will.”


    The following talk was much more lighthearted. Liu Changfeng felt a little bad for misleading them about his intentions, but they were pleased with his decision. He even made a thoughtful decision with his safety in mind—there wasn’t more his mother could ask for.


    When his mother pushed him out to sleep early, he bid them goodnight. As he closed the door behind him, his face darkened.


    The north… I won’t allow my Great Luan to lose it again. Never again. Don’t worry, old friend. In this life, I’ll save the land you cherished so your rise to the throne won’t be so difficult.


    Before he could take another step—


    [Ding!]


    You have unlocked the Main Quest: [Ember of Hope 1]


    Details: The Fated Grand Marshal System will not settle for weakness. Only those who aim to leave their mark in history may wield its power.


    Task: Attend the Black Tortoise Warfare Academy’s Inauguration and secure your place among its Founding Generation of students.


    Time Limit: 5 Months.


    Reward: Clear Meridians.


    Failure: Removal of the Fated Grand Marshal System and consequent benefits.


    Liu Changfeng stiffened. His breath hitched for just a fraction of a second before he exhaled slowly, steadying himself. There was something invasive about having a voice intrude his thoughts—something he’d have to get used to.


    But nevermind that. This throws a stone in the wheel. He frowned deeply.


    His original plan had been to move cautiously, to lay a foundation in the capital, and delay his military enlistment despite his announcement to his parents. Hell, even his father told him to reach the 5th Star of Primeval Refining. Yet, this so-called "Fated Grand Marshal System" had no patience for careful maneuvering. It demanded results. Now.


    It’s forcing my hand…but cleared meridians as a reward for merely attending the academy?


    He quickly returned to his bed chambers and sat. His fingers tapped against the wooden table in thought. Entering the Black Tortoise Warfare Academy was a natural step in his plans, but not this soon. He had intended to first build connections, deal with prominent people in the past, and set the stage for his eventual rise. Instead, he was being shoved headfirst into the lion’s den. In his memory, the first generation of students in all four academies were filled with dragons and tigers, many of whom were brilliant generals of the future.


    Haste invites mistakes. But hesitation is death.


    A bitter chuckle escaped him. This wasn’t his first time adapting to the whims of fate. He had done it before when the tides of war demanded impossible decisions.


    This was nothing. He would carve his path forward, one way or another.