REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO

"Aunty, we were just having a sparring session. Maybe Logan just got exhausted," Rowan said quickly, noticing the panic on Alice's face.

"Yes, it was we who took all the beatings," Lilith added reassuringly.

But Alice still looked worried, her lips trembling as she struggled to form words.

Rowan immediately turned to Daliah. "Daliah, go and bring Mrs. Smith inside. Lilith and I will carry Logan."

With that, Rowan and Lilith carefully lifted Logan, handling him with utmost care as they brought him inside.

Meanwhile, Daliah approached Alice and gently clasped her hands. "Auntie, let's go inside. Everything's fine. Lilith will send a message to Mrs. Starwind right away — she'll be here as soon as possible. Logan will be perfectly fine, so please don't worry."

Daliah's calm tone helped soothe Alice's nerves a little. After a few seconds of silence, Alice finally nodded and followed her inside.

Inside the house, the moment Rowan and Lilith entered carrying Logan, the servants and family members nearby rushed over in alarm.

"What happened to Logan?" asked Rion, Logan's uncle, his face pale with concern.

"He's just exhausted and fainted," Rowan explained quickly.

"Alright, bring him to his room immediately," Rion instructed. He and several servants helped Rowan and Lilith carry Logan to his room.

Once they arrived, they gently placed him on the bed.

One of the servants hurried forward to remove Logan's shoes.

By that time, Alice had also arrived. Without wasting a moment, she unbuttoned Logan's tunic and began wiping his body with a cold, wet towel, her hands trembling slightly.

Lilith quickly went to her room and retrieved her communication scroll, contacting her parents immediately.

Meanwhile, everyone in the family did everything they could to help Logan regain consciousness. Several servants with healing affinities stepped forward to assist. Even Lilith tried multiple times, channeling her own healing energy, but nothing seemed to have any effect.

As the minutes turned into hours, anxiety filled the room. Rudeous, who had been out earlier, also returned and immediately tried calling for additional help.

Finally, after a few tense hours, Noah and Emily Starwind arrived at Smith Villa. The guards had already been waiting for them, so the moment their carriage arrived, they were escorted straight to Logan's room.

"Mother, please check his condition," Lilith said urgently the moment Emily entered.

"Don't worry, honey. I'm on it," Emily replied calmly.

Without another word, she walked up to the bedside and began examining Logan's condition.

Though many of them possessed healing affinities, professional healers were on an entirely different level. They knew how to identify the root cause of ailments and apply a wide range of specialized spells. And Emily Starwind, one of the best healers in all of Arcadia, stood at the very peak of that field. Seeing her there, everyone's anxiety eased a little.

Emily began by checking for any internal injuries or bleeding, but she quickly realized there were none. There were no fractures, no bruises, nothing. Physically, Logan seemed perfectly fine… except for the fact that he remained completely unconscious.

A faint crease formed on her forehead as concern flickered in her eyes. "What is this? He's perfectly healthy… so why isn't he waking up?" she thought, deeply puzzled.

Noticing the troubled look on her face, Noah stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What is it? Has something serious happened to him?" he asked softly. As her husband, he could read every subtle shift in her expression, and he knew this one wasn't good.

Emily turned slightly toward him, her gaze still clouded with uncertainty. Everyone in the room was watching her anxiously, especially Alice, who looked utterly desperate for an answer.

After a moment of silence, Emily finally spoke. "He seems perfectly fine. I didn't find anything wrong inside his body. That's why… I can't tell why he's still unconscious," she admitted helplessly. Her words did little to ease anyone's worry, and as expected, the tension in the room only deepened.

"What?! Even you couldn't find what's wrong with him? Then who can we ask for help?" Rudeous exclaimed in disbelief.

Noah quickly intervened, trying to calm everyone down. "Mr. Smith, please relax. Perhaps Logan is really fine, just completely drained from exhaustion. Let's give him some time and see if he wakes up on his own. After all, you know what Emily is capable of. If even she can't find the problem, then I doubt anyone else in Arcadia could."

Hearing Noah's words, the room fell silent. Alice could only stare at her son, praying desperately for him to wake up. But as time passed, it became clear that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. The only thing she could do was wait and pray for him.

And so they waited. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days. Yet Logan remained unconscious. Five full days passed in the blink of an eye, but Logan still lay motionless on his bed.

Meanwhile, in Spirit Mountain, another meeting was taking place. The same old man from before, well into his seventies, sat at the head of a long table, his expression grave. Around him sat the five family elders, their faces equally tense. But today, three more individuals were present, all standing instead of sitting.

Each of them wore tight black battle attire that emphasized their disciplined physiques.

"Speak," the old man ordered, his tone calm yet commanding.

"Master, we still haven't been able to identify which family the person who awakened the Dragon Heritage belongs to," said one of the standing men, clearly the leader among the trio. He paused for a moment before adding, "But…"

"But what?" the old man pressed, his sharp gaze narrowing.

"The other four Spirit Families are searching for that person as well," the man continued. "Even the three Evil Spirit Families have begun their own search. So… I don't think the person belongs to any of the eight families residing here in Spirit Mountain."

"What?!" all five elders exclaimed at once, disbelief flashing across their faces.

The old man didn't speak immediately. He simply stared at the man who had spoken, his expression unreadable. After a long silence, he finally asked, "Joseph, are you certain of what you're saying?"

"Yes, Master," Joseph replied firmly. "If the person who awakened this ability were from any of the eight families, his family wouldn't still be looking for him."

The room fell silent again, heavy with unease.

After a moment, one of the elders spoke up hesitantly. "What if… he's from outside? I mean, what if he's from beyond Spirit Mountain, one of the people living in the outer lands?"

"Nonsense!" another elder barked. "How could he be from the outside when there are no cultivators left there? They've all abandoned cultivation and chosen magic instead. Have you forgotten what our ancestors recorded in the ancient texts?"

"I remember well," the first elder retorted, "but how else can we explain this? The Dragon Lamp has been lit, and every family is searching. That can only mean he's not one of us."

"But what if someone within the eight families awakened, yet kept it hidden, even from his own kin?" another elder suggested.

"Hm… that's possible," the others murmured in agreement, nodding thoughtfully.

The old man, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke again. "It's true, he might have hidden his awakening even from his family. But we cannot rule out the possibility that he's from outside Spirit Mountain either."

One elder began to object, but the old man raised a hand lightly, silencing him.

"Joseph," he said, turning back to the standing man, "continue gathering information from the other families. I want every lead pursued."

Then, shifting his gaze to one of the seated elders, he commanded, "Wang, send two of our most talented youths to the outer world. Let them see if this person truly comes from beyond Spirit Mountain."

"Yes, Master," Elder Wang replied immediately, bowing his head in acknowledgment.

After that, the family meeting was dismissed.

Meanwhile, back at the Smith Villa....

Alice and Daliah sat quietly beside Logan's bed. Alice's face had grown pale; ever since Logan had fallen unconscious, she hadn't been able to eat or rest properly, her mind consumed with worry.

Daliah, too, looked deeply saddened, her usual lively expression replaced by quiet concern.

Then, all of a sudden, the tip of Logan's right index finger twitched.

Alice noticed it instantly, but for a moment, she wasn't sure if her eyes were deceiving her.

A second later, his finger moved again. This time, there was no doubt.

"L... Logan?" she whispered, leaning forward anxiously.

Slowly, Logan's eyelids fluttered open. His unfocused gaze wandered around the room before settling on his mother's face.

"Wha… what happened?" he murmured weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Overcome with emotion, Alice broke down in tears, pressing Logan's head against her chest. "Honey… you're finally awake. You had me so worried," she sobbed, her voice trembling with relief.

Daliah jumped up in joy the moment she saw Logan open his eyes. For a second, she didn't know what to do next, but then she quickly spun on her heels and dashed out of the room to inform the others.