The "Uncle's" Greeting and the "Kid's" Grievance

Lam Minh remained motionless, determined to play dead until the end. He hoped that the man was just guessing.

But the man seemed to have read his mind. He walked over and, without any courtesy, nudged Lam Minh's side with the toe of his shoe.

"Get up. I know you're wide awake, kid. Stop acting. Your performance might fool a bunch of children, but it won't get past this old man."

Knowing he couldn't act any longer, Lam Minh had to "slowly" open his eyes, letting out a few coughs, feigning the look of someone who had just woken from a stupor.

"Ah... sir... who are you?" he asked, his voice "weak." "Were you the one who saved me? Thank you..."

"Cut the crap," the man interrupted, crossing his arms and looking at him as one would a child playing tricks. "Save you? If I hadn't arrived in time, you probably would have cleaned up the battlefield yourself and then put on a show for others to see, right?"

Lam Minh was speechless. This "master" was not only powerful but also frighteningly shrewd. It seemed his entire plan had been seen through from beginning to end.

He had no choice but to sit up, dust himself off, and stop acting. "Then... who are you, senior? And how do you know so much about me?"

The man didn't answer immediately. He walked over, picked up the Thuan Thien sword, his eyes revealing a sense of nostalgia. "It's been a while, old friend. You still look as sharp as ever."

The Thuan Thien sword in his hand vibrated slightly, emitting a joyful hum, far more intimate than when it was in Lam Minh's hands.

"This sword," he turned to Lam Minh, "was forged by me. Now, kid, you tell me who I am."

Lam Minh's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. A lightning bolt seemed to strike his mind.

The Thuan Thien sword belongs to Lac Long Quan.

The one who forged it...

Could it be...

"You... you are... Lac... Long... Quan?" he stammered, unable to believe it. The king of legends, the ancestor of his people, was standing right in front of him?

The man burst out laughing, his hearty laughter echoing through the canyon. "Haha! It seems you're not that stupid after all, kid. That's right, I am Lac Long Quan."

Lam Minh felt his brain shut down. He was facing a living legend.

"But... but how are you..."

"How am I still alive, and so young, right?" Lac Long Quan continued, as if reading his mind. "When you cultivators reach a certain realm, your lifespan extends for thousands of years. Maintaining a youthful appearance is normal. I'm already several thousand years old; looking like your uncle is perfectly reasonable."

Uncle? Lam Minh's mouth twitched at this form of address. This Dragon Lord didn't seem as majestic and solemn as he had imagined.

"Then... why have you only appeared now?" Lam Minh asked, this being his biggest question. "Why didn't you step in to help humanity sooner?"

The smile on Lac Long Quan's lips vanished, replaced by a pensive look. "I have my reasons. I was asleep for too long, and my power has not fully recovered. Besides, as old Kim Quy told you, this is your test. If you can't stand up for yourselves, even if I were to intervene, it would only delay the inevitable annihilation."

He looked at Lam Minh, his eyes full of approval. "But your appearance has changed everything. A descendant carrying my bloodline, who has also discovered the path of cultivation on his own. You have proven that my descendants are not a weak bunch."

Hearing this, Lam Minh felt a little proud, but then felt something was off.

"Hold on, Uncle," he said, starting to adopt the new form of address. "You said you've been watching me? Then what about that time I almost died at wall section E-12? Why didn't you save me then, and instead let me get blown to bits?"

"Ah, that?" Lac Long Quan scratched his chin, looking a little embarrassed. "I was busy... chasing a stray Nascent Soul-level Ngu Tinh in the East Sea, so I wasn't paying attention. I didn't expect you to be so reckless. Good thing you have that strange 'die and revive' talent."

Hearing this, Lam Minh's blood boiled.

"Busy? Not paying attention? Do you have any idea how many thousands of points I lost because of you? I was this close to a breakthrough! Do you know how hard it is to raise an 'account'?"

He pointed at his "ancestor's" face and complained like a child who had his toy snatched away. He didn't understand why, but in front of this man, he could be his true self so comfortably.

Lac Long Quan was stunned by Lam Minh's "list of grievances," then he burst out laughing again.

"Haha! This kid is really interesting! Daring to point at his ancestor's face and scold him. Good! You have my spirit from the old days!"

He clapped Lam Minh hard on the shoulder. "Alright, alright, consider me in your debt this time. In the future, if anyone bullies you, just call my name, and I'll come and level their entire house for you. Deal?"

"Hmph! Easy for you to say," Lam Minh was still sulking.

Just then, the whistle of train CT-29 sounded from the distance. And Lam Minh's spiritual sense also detected the reinforcement team from Lac Hong Base approaching.

"They're here," Lac Long Quan said. "I have to go. I don't want to reveal myself just yet."

He handed the Thuan Thien sword back to Lam Minh. "Take it. Next time, unless it's truly a life-and-death situation, don't summon it. It's too much trouble. Oh, and one more thing..."

He snapped his fingers. A golden ray of light flew into Lam Minh's body. "This is my seal. It will help you conceal your aura better, and it will also make it easier for me to find you. Consider it a meeting gift."

"Hey, what about this whole mess on the battlefield? Who's going to clean it up?" Lam Minh asked quickly.

Lac Long Quan just smirked. "That's your job, kid. You made the mess, you clean it up. I'm leaving!"

With that, he transformed into a streak of golden light, shot up into the sky, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Lam Minh stood there, looking on in a daze.

"That... that irresponsible uncle!"

He looked at the scattered corpses, then heard the approaching train and military vehicles. He quickly collapsed to the ground, continuing his act of a "gravely wounded, unconscious hero."

"Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to demand compensation for emotional damage!" he thought, gritting his teeth. The first meeting with his "ancestor" was truly an unforgettable experience.

Train CT-29 slowed as it entered Devil's Cry Canyon. The soldiers on board were all in combat readiness, having been informed of an ambush. But what they saw wasn't an enemy force, but a desolate battlefield.

Madakaros corpses lay scattered, boulders were strewn everywhere, and the ground was pockmarked with the signs of a fierce battle.

"What... what happened here?" the train commander said in amazement.

At the same time, the reinforcement team from Lac Hong Base, led by Colonel Dung and Quynh Nhu, also arrived. They too were speechless at the scene before them.

"Quick! Spread out and search!" Colonel Dung ordered.

They quickly found Lam Minh, lying "unconscious" next to the corpse of the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment creature, his body covered in blood, his breathing shallow.

"LAM MINH!"

Quynh Nhu was the first to rush over. She knelt beside him, her trembling hand reaching out to check his breath. Seeing that he was still alive, she let out a sigh of relief, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"This fool... every single time..." she sobbed.

Colonel Dung and the other officers also ran over. They looked at Lam Minh, then at the surrounding corpses. One Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, two Early-stage, and dozens of Qi Refining creatures. The enemy's entire ambush force had been annihilated. And the one who had done it was a 16-year-old high school student.

This could no longer be described with the word "miracle." It was an absurdity, an impossibility.

"Immediately! Get him to the best hospital! Use all available means, the best medicine, to save him!" Colonel Dung shouted, his voice filled with both urgency and unconcealed respect.

Lam Minh was once again airlifted by a medevac helicopter, amidst the chaos and horrified gazes of everyone present.

The news that "Hero Lam Minh single-handedly annihilated the entire enemy ambush force, saving the strategic transport train CT-29, and is now in critical condition" once again caused a seismic shock. But this time, it wasn't just limited to the military; it spread throughout the entire ASEAN bloc.

He became a symbol, a living legend. People no longer debated whether he was "lucky" or had "psychic powers." They began to believe that he truly possessed some kind of extraordinary strength. His fan clubs grew at a dizzying pace. His image appeared everywhere.

But while the public was hailing him as a god, the atmosphere at Blacklight headquarters was extremely tense.

General Khang sat in the meeting room. In front of him was a detailed report on the battle at Devil's Cry Canyon and the autopsy results of the Madakaros.

"All of them were killed by extremely precise and powerful attacks," a forensic expert said. "Especially the three Foundation Establishment creatures. Their wounds indicate that the attacker possesses combat skills and strength far beyond anything we've ever known. This is not something that one person, no matter how talented, could do."

"And there's this," an intelligence analyst said, pointing to a screen. "We've re-analyzed the explosion at wall section E-12. According to our calculations, no 'master' appeared. The force that threw Lam Minh out of the blast radius seemed to originate from the explosion itself, but it followed an extremely strange trajectory, as if guided by an invisible hand."

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together.

Quynh Nhu stood in the corner of the room, listening in silence, her heart filled with conflict. She was happy that Lam Minh had achieved a great feat, but also worried that his secrets were gradually being exposed.

"All of this," General Khang concluded, his voice low. "Leads to only one possibility."

He looked at everyone. "Lam Minh... is not an ordinary person. He is not an 'Awakened.' He is something else entirely. He possesses a kind of power, an energy system we have never known. And the so-called 'unconsciousness,' 'grave injuries'..."

He paused, then continued. "...are likely just an act. An act to hide an even bigger secret. It's possible he wasn't as seriously injured as we thought. It's even possible... he wasn't injured at all."

The entire meeting room was dead silent. This theory was too terrifying. If it was true, then this 16-year-old student's cunning and acting ability were even more frightening than his strength.

"Then... sir, what should we do?" an officer asked. "Should we... isolate and investigate him?"

General Khang shook his head.

"No. Absolutely not," he said decisively. "Whatever his secret is, one thing is undeniable: he has stood on the side of humanity time and time again. He is our hero. What we need to do is not investigate, but trust and protect. Protect him from the enemy, and also protect him from our own curiosity."

He looked at Quynh Nhu. "Quynh Nhu, your mission has become even more important. Stay by his side, be his friend, become the person he trusts the most. Don't try to find out his secret, but let him share it himself when he feels ready. Understood?"

"Yes, General!" Quynh Nhu replied, a wave of relief washing over her.

In the hospital, Lam Minh was "recovering" in a heavily guarded VIP room. He knew his act had some holes, but he wasn't too worried.

He was busy with something more important.

"System, status panel."

[Name: Lam Minh]

[Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment Realm]

[Immortality Points: 23,850/40,000]

[Weapon: Thuan Thien Sword (State: Sealed)]

[Cultivation Technique: None]

"Almost 24,000 points. Still a long way to go to Mid-stage," he murmured. "But... Thuan Thien Sword? Sealed? Cultivation Technique?"

These were new entries that had appeared after he officially received the sword.

"System, explain."

[Thuan Thien Sword: A divine weapon of the Dragon race, containing Dragon Qi and the destiny of a nation. Currently in a sealed state as the Host has not fully awakened the Dragon Bloodline. Its current power is only 1/100th of its true strength.]

[Cultivation Technique: The Host has reached the Foundation Establishment Realm and can begin practicing a formal cultivation technique. The system recommends: "Primeval Dragon God Art" - an exclusive technique of the Dragon race, capable of fusing with and maximizing the Dragon Bloodline. Requires 10,000 Immortality Points to exchange.]

Lam Minh's eyes lit up after reading this.

Primeval Dragon God Art! Just the name alone sounded domineering.

"Exchange! Exchange it immediately!" He didn't hesitate. Points could be earned again, but a top-tier cultivation technique wasn't always available.

[CONFIRMED. CONSUMING 10,000 IMMORTALITY POINTS.]

[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST, FOR OBTAINING THE CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE "PRIMEVAL DRAGON GOD ART" - FIRST LEVEL.]

Instantly, a massive and mystical stream of information flooded his brain. It was mantras, qi circulation paths, images of a primeval dragon god soaring through the universe...

Lam Minh closed his eyes, immersing himself in comprehending the new technique.

He knew that a new door, a path to even more terrifying power, had just opened before him.