The morning mist clung to the mountains surrounding the Yan estate, curling around ancient pines and glistening terraces like spectral serpents. Even at this early hour, the air was thick with spiritual qi, a silent hum that resonated across the Northern Wastes.
Yan Kuangshen sat cross-legged atop his meditation platform, his tiny frame emanating an aura that bent the very air. The Primordial Chaos Physique had continued to expand overnight, his dantian swelling with energy that would have obliterated a Saint King. The abyssal black of his eyes reflected not just power but comprehension beyond the realms of mortals.
"Father, Mother," Kuangshen began, voice calm yet carrying the weight of someone centuries older. "I am aware that the Shadow Moon Sect has likely taken note of my actions yesterday. They will not be content to let a mere child—no, a prodigy such as myself—exist unchallenged. I intend to prepare, and to learn more from the world beyond this estate."
Yan Tianhuo's brow furrowed. "You are two years old. Even a fully grown Saint King cannot act so freely in the outside world without risk. You must exercise restraint—"
Kuangshen interrupted, shaking his tiny head. "Restraint is a form of stagnation. Marcus Chen wasted decades learning slowly. I will not. Observation, engagement, and controlled confrontation will accelerate my understanding. I must learn to read the world itself as if it were a map of my cultivation."
---
By mid-morning, Kuangshen's body flickered, shifting through space with a speed that made even his parents' heads turn. The infant had already mastered spatial manipulation in subtle ways—folding distance, bending the environment, and masking his movements in a veil of unconscious power. He appeared first at the edge of the Eastern Ridge, where several minor sects had established outposts to monitor the Yan estate.
He observed quietly, eyes scanning the cultivators through layers of spiritual qi. Each one emitted patterns of cultivation: Saint-level, Saint King-level, and a few Saint Emperor-level traces—rare, yet detectable to him despite his small size.
"They are strong, but not beyond understanding," Kuangshen murmured. "Strength is only the surface. Technique, strategy, and the refinement of will—these are the keys to true power."
---
He began his first interaction with the outside world carefully. A patrol of three Saint Kings approached, unaware that a toddler could already perceive them through both physical sight and spiritual resonance. The first spoke, confidence in his voice: "Reports of a Yan heir causing disturbances… they must be exaggerated. A child cannot wield such power."
Kuangshen's eyes flickered, and suddenly the air between them rippled. One moment they stood confidently, the next they stumbled, disoriented as if gravity and distance had betrayed them. Kuangshen's voice echoed softly yet carried: "You underestimate the world. And you underestimate me."
The patrol instantly sensed the pressure emanating from the child, a force that seemed to twist reality itself. Before they could react, Kuangshen had already absorbed minor attacks directed at him, redirecting their energy to reinforce his dantian. The patrol staggered, their techniques unraveled, yet Kuangshen caused no permanent harm.
"Learning through engagement… control through comprehension," he thought. "This is how I will surpass everyone in this realm."
---
Word of the infant prodigy spread rapidly, reaching sects hundreds of miles away. Scholars, cultivators, and assassins alike began to take note of the Yan family heir, murmuring about a child whose meridians were unmatched, whose bloodline carried the Void Dragon's legacy, and whose presence alone caused space to bend.
Kuangshen, still barely two, watched this quietly. For him, these were not mere challenges—they were data. Each report, each rumor, each faint trace of fear or admiration in the world's cultivators fed into his consciousness, allowing him to calculate, anticipate, and adapt.
By the third day, Kuangshen had developed his first independent training ritual outside the estate. Using spatial folding and controlled manipulation of elemental qi, he created a private realm within the forest—a hidden pocket where time and space flowed differently, allowing him to simulate years of combat experience in mere hours of real-world time.
He sparred with constructs shaped from his own qi, each one a perfect replica of the best Saint King fighters he had analyzed. With each strike, each block, each tactic, Kuangshen refined not only his body but the very essence of battle itself. His Primordial Chaos Physique adapted rapidly, absorbing energy, refining his movements, and expanding his reservoir of potential.
Even the Void Dragon bloodline reacted to this acceleration, awakening latent powers: his limbs could momentarily move faster than light could reflect, his perception bent time, and shadows around him responded as if aware of his intent.
"Marcus Chen trained for decades to achieve this level," he mused internally. "I accomplish in days what he could not in years. But this… this is only the beginning."
---
Back at the Yan estate, his parents observed the changes with awe. Mei Xueling's frost aura shimmered faintly as she whispered, "He moves beyond all expectations… not just in power, but in understanding."
Yan Tianhuo nodded gravely. "The child is not just our heir. He is a force that will reshape the cultivation world. But with power like this… danger will follow. Every sect, every clan, every shadow will want to test him. And some will not survive the encounter."
Kuangshen returned at twilight, eyes glimmering with that eternal abyssal depth. "I am ready," he said simply. "The world approaches, and I will meet it on my terms. Strength is not given… it is seized. And every challenge… will become part of me."
As the crimson moon rose again, casting a surreal glow over the Yan estate, Kuangshen sat once more in meditation. His mind stretched across mountains, forests, and distant clans, sensing, calculating, and preparing. The Shadow Moon Sect had already begun mobilizing, sending experts far beyond his parents' warning. Yet Kuangshen's tiny form radiated a calm confidence that defied logic.