The stars twinkled like curious children, as if they were listening too.
Somewhere beyond the chaos of mortal realms, past the veil of time and space, an ancient rhythm stirred. It wasn't loud. It didn't demand. It simply… resonated.
In the deepest courtyard of the Heaven Defying Academy, a ripple passed through the space. Every blade of grass bowed, every leaf stood still.
A young disciple named Qin Yue, known for her silent cultivation, sat in a lotus position under a celestial tree. Her eyes were closed, her breath light, her soul calm.
And yet—
Something was wrong.
Or rather, something was too right.
She opened her eyes. Slowly. Reluctantly.
And the sky blinked.
Literal stars—dozens of them—flashed once in response. Not just light, but energy threaded down in golden strands. The tree above her, an ancient artifact once gifted by the Dao Ancestor himself, hummed with awareness.
"That's… not normal," she whispered.
But it wasn't fear in her voice. It was awe.
Somewhere, far above this realm, Dev Yadav smiled.
He watched quietly, arms folded behind his back, eyes filled with millennia of wisdom and something rarer—gentle approval.
"She's ready," he murmured.
The wind carried his words across planes. From that moment, Qin Yue's name was carved into the fate of the universe.
Inside the Academy's Grand Archive, dozens of elders pored over scrolls and fate diagrams. Lines of destiny were often tangled and misty—but not today.
Today, something had aligned.
An old elder coughed violently, stood up with trembling limbs, and pointed at the star map.
"The star paths… they've opened."
Another elder dropped the cup in his hand. "What?"
One map, long sealed in dust and forgotten, was now glowing brightly.
"It hasn't activated for ten thousand years," a third elder muttered, his hands shaking.
"Last time it did…"
"…It was when Dev Yadav walked into the world."
Meanwhile, in the Spirit Beast Courtyard, several divine beasts roared into the air without warning. The sky twisted into rings of flame and frost, and one ancient phoenix bled tears of gold.
The younger disciples ran in panic, while the beast masters stood in a daze.
"What... is this?" one gasped.
From deep within the Sacred Pond, the ancient Turtle Spirit—once a sage in another life—emerged for the first time in centuries.
It blinked slowly, coughed a puff of rainbow smoke, and whispered, "The Dao Ancestor is preparing… something large."
Back on Earth-Realm, in the hidden corner of the world where Dev Yadav's true body meditated in a pocket dimension…
His lips curved slightly.
He didn't move.
Didn't need to.
The cosmos moved around him.
One of his divine clones whispered, "Shall I proceed, Master?"
Dev's eyes remained closed, but the response arrived—through the Dao itself.
"Watch. Don't act."
So, the clone nodded and vanished into motes of light.
At the Academy's peak, where clouds kissed the ancient observatory, a young boy named Li Wei stumbled while sweeping the floor. A simple task. A forgotten face. Just a mortal, right?
But the moment his hand touched the edge of the observatory stones—he saw them.
Galaxies.
They didn't float above him. They spun inside him.
The broom fell.
Li Wei dropped to his knees, shaking.
"I… I saw…"
The old caretaker, who had once been a quasi-emperor, turned to him slowly. "What did you see?"
"I saw myself… writing the stars."
In the Heavenly Music Pavilion, instruments strung with dragon tendons and phoenix feathers played a haunting melody on their own.
No one touched them.
The notes weaved a song that hadn't been heard since the Ancient War—a time when gods fell, and a mortal dared to defy the Dao.
That mortal was now a legend.
That mortal was now Dev Yadav.
Suddenly, the core of the Academy—the Dao Flame Pillar—burst into golden fire.
It didn't destroy.
It purified.
Runes danced like living creatures, reshaping everything.
Disciples halted their training. Elders stopped their arguments. The Grand Bell tolled three times—without being touched.
An announcement echoed across every mind in the Academy.
"The Dao Ancestor's Trial is coming."
And in the middle of all this…
Qin Yue stood, glowing faintly.
The golden strands from the sky wrapped around her. Not like chains—but like an embrace.
From the air came a whisper. Not spoken by any mouth, but heard by every soul.
"You will guide the next Era."
She looked up, startled.
"Me?"
A laugh echoed gently.
"You're not alone."
Far away, on the edge of the multiverse, where time unraveled into strands and reality bled into dreams…
Dev Yadav stood silently on an invisible bridge.
Behind him, twelve worlds watched.
In front of him, an empty throne awaited.
The moment was near.
But not yet.
The heavens were listening.
The stars were obeying.
And Dev Yadav?
He was just getting started.