Heavenly Dao Sect

"Praise be to the heavens! Blessings are upon us!" the man exclaimed, rushing into the room. Inside, a visibly exhausted woman cradled her newborn son in her arms.

The baby wasn't crying, but the overwhelming joy and excitement in the room made it easy for everyone to overlook that small detail.

"Such a healthy boy! It seems he takes after you," the doctor said with a warm smile, clearly trying to stay on the king's good side.

His tone was smooth, almost too perfect, as he glanced between the proud father and the newborn.

"Of course he does. He is one of the lineages of the Heavenly Dao Sect—above all you lowlifes from the moment of his birth," the man declared.

Though his face was undeniably handsome, his words were sharp and dripping with arrogance, a stark contrast to his noble appearance.

"You are absolutely right, Your Majesty," the doctor replied quickly, bowing his head slightly.

His voice was smooth, almost too eager, as he tried to mask any hint of discomfort behind a practiced smile. 

Soon, the maids entered, carrying a bowl large enough to hold a baby, filled with glistening water.

This was a traditional method used to measure one's innate talent—the water's color would change from green, blue, red, white, and finally to rainbow, indicating the level of talent, respectively.

"About time you arrived! What took you so long? If you can't do your job properly, then quit it!" The woman holding the baby shouted, her sharp tone betraying her gentle appearance. 

She had quite the temper, making her a perfect match for her equally fiery husband. Truly, a match made in heaven—or perhaps, in chaos.

"Considering how talented Your Majesty and Madam Fei are, I would be surprised if the baby's innate talent wasn't at least a red color," the doctor said, his tone dripping with flattery as he glanced between the proud parents.

"Hmph, although we may not be part of the main family, the royal blood of Zhang still flows through him. So, I would be surprised if his innate talent isn't at least white," the man said, nodding to himself. 

Though his words might have been overly optimistic, the doctor's flattery was working its magic.

Even for a direct lineage, an innate talent of red was considered prodigious, and white was hailed as heaven-sent—a rarity that occurred perhaps once a decade. 

The odds were slim, but the man's pride refused to acknowledge it. 

The maids carefully took the baby from his mother's arms and gently placed him into the bowl.

The water inside wasn't ordinary—it was a concoction of rare herbs, specially prepared to measure innate talent. 

Its texture was thicker and gooier than normal water, clinging to the baby's skin as he sat upright, the liquid rising just to the level of his belly button. 

Up until now, the baby hadn't cried once. His tiny eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings as if he somehow understood the situation. 

Yet, no one dared to bring it up. The mother and father hadn't mentioned it, and the servants and doctor were too afraid to risk offending them by pointing out the unusual behavior. 

A few moments after the baby sat in the bowl, the water began to change. It shifted from transparent to a faint green, then quickly deepened into blue, and soon after, a vibrant red.

The people in the room clapped, marveling at such a spectacular display of talent. 

But it didn't stop there. The reddish hue faded, and the water turned a pure, glowing white. The room fell silent, stunned by the unexpected outcome.

Before long, the water shifted again, this time blending with other colors until it shimmered into a bright, dazzling rainbow. The room was left in awe, breathless at the sight. 

An innate talent of the rainbow was a once-in-a-decade prodigy. A child born with such talent was destined to achieve great deeds and have their name etched into history—that's how rare it was. 

Even the current sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect had been born with this gift, and rumors swirled that he had glimpsed the true Dao itself. 

Both the mother and father, along with everyone present, stared in shock. They couldn't believe their eyes.

If the baby truly possessed a rainbow of innate talent, they were certain to be brought into the main family. 

But before the situation could settle and anyone could speak, the water changed once more.

This time, it turned a pitch-black color before reversing back to its original transparent state. The room was left in stunned silence, the air thick with confusion and disbelief. 

"Healer, wha—what is the meaning of this? This bowl was clearly shining in the rainbow moments ago, right? You all must've seen it too!" The confused man shouted, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and frustration as he looked around the room for confirmation. 

"I-I don't know either, Your Majesty. This is the first time I've witnessed such a thing.

Perhaps there's a malfunction with the water, but it indeed shone in rainbow moments ago," the panicked doctor stammered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he leaned closer to inspect the scene before him. 

The maids hurried in with a new set of bowls and water for a retest, but just as they had feared, the water remained transparent, refusing to change color. 

Even after two more attempts with fresh batches, the result stayed the same—unchanged and utterly baffling. 

"Quickly, quickly! Call Taoist Huang to inspect the child's Dantian and Meridians! How could the water remain transparent? Even a normal person with no talent is supposed to turn it at least green. 

This must be a mistake—hurry up and bring him here!" The man shouted, his voice echoing through the room as panic and frustration seeped into his tone. 

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Side Note

The reason Bai Xie, the father of the baby, wasn't part of the main family of the Heavenly Dao Sect was a story of scandal and tragedy. The sect master, Guo Zhang, had taken a liking to one of his servants—Bai's mother—and bedded her, resulting in Bai Xie's birth. However, the sect master's other wives and officials refused to accept her, forcing her to move to the outer part of the sect. But they didn't stop there. Soon after, they sent assassins to kill her, leaving Bai Xie to become the head of the household at a tragically young age. With such deep mental scars, it was no surprise that Bai Xie didn't grow up to be the best human being, as his behavior clearly showed.