Lin Wei pushed aside the cracked piece of grey stone. Beneath it was a cavity, and within the cavity rested a stone unlike any other he had seen. It was about the size of a pigeon's egg, perfectly smooth, and pulsed with a slow, inner light. It wasn't the clear, steady light of a Spiritual Stone; this was a deep, shimmering emerald—a color that seemed to absorb the meager light of the afternoon sky.
Hesitantly, Lin Wei reached out. The moment his bruised fingers brushed the stone, an electric shock, not painful but utterly jarring, shot up his arm. The stone grew hot, then instantly dissolved into a stream of pure, verdant energy that flowed directly into his palm.
Lin Wei cried out, but the sound was trapped in his throat. His entire world turned to a dizzying blur of light and color. He wasn't on Cloud-Split Peak anymore.
He found himself floating in a space of absolute Void. There was no air, no ground, no sky—only an endless, starless blackness. The green energy that had been the stone had reformed, swirling around him like a protective tempest.
Then, he heard a voice. It was not a voice of sound, but of pure thought, a resonant echo that seemed to vibrate in the core of his very soul.
"Finally, a suitable vessel. How long has it been... a thousand epochs?"
Lin Wei, despite his terror, found his voice shaky. "W-who is there? Where am I?"
The swirling green energy coalesced, forming into a shimmering, ethereal Eye. It was a single, immense emerald iris, gazing down at him. It didn't look malicious, only ancient, tired, and infinitely powerful.
"I am the Void Eye of the Myriad Cycles. I am the Edict. I am the Path. You, Lin Wei, are nothing. A mere flicker with Mortal Roots, shunned by the false Heavens."
Lin Wei felt a strange mixture of fear and defiance. "If I am nothing, why am I here? I want to go back. I just want to survive the night."
The Void Eye seemed to shimmer with amusement. "Survival is only the start of the Path. I chose you because the so-called 'Heavenly Dao' rejected you. It is blind to the truly unique. Your 'Mortal Roots' are a cage only I can unlock."
The colossal Eye moved closer, the green light intensifying until Lin Wei had to shield his eyes.
"The essence you absorbed was a Fragment of Primordial Creation, the first energy I sent out after my long slumber. It has bound you to my purpose. My purpose is simple: To cultivate the ultimate Dao, one that transcends the limits of this meager realm."
"You are now my Successor. Through the Fragment, I grant you the Void Eye Edict."
A burning sensation erupted behind Lin Wei's own eyes. He felt something shift within his spiritual sea, a dormant, black hole-like power beginning to stir.
The voice continued, its tone now sharp, like a general giving an order. "This Edict grants you the ability to Devour and Refine all forms of energy, no matter how impure or discordant. The Spiritual Qi of the Azure Sky Sect is thin and poor. You must seek out denser sources. Grow strong, Lin Wei. Only through power can you fulfill the Edict."
The Void Eye began to fade, the blackness of the Void rushing back in. "I have little strength left. Use what I have given. Survive. Cultivate. And learn the true meaning of the Myriad Cycles..."
Lin Wei blinked. He was back on the cold, hard stone of Cloud-Split Peak, shivering not from the wind, but from the impossible encounter. His bruised body felt the same, but inside, where his useless spiritual roots lay, a terrifying new power had awakened.