Wei Yuan was two years old.
His body was small. Weak. Dependent.
But his mind was not.
As he sat quietly in the courtyard, watching fallen leaves roll across the stone floor, his thoughts were already far from this peaceful place.
Twenty years, he calculated calmly.
In twenty years, his uncle would reach the Fictional Law Realm.
In twenty years, the gods would no longer wait.
They would take control of his uncle's body.
They would force the sacrifice.
They would erase the Wei Clan.
Again.
Wei Yuan did not clench his fists. He did not feel anger.
Anger wasted time.
I was three hundred years old when I died, he thought.
Three hundred years of struggle.
Three hundred years of mistakes.
Three hundred years of learning.
That experience was now his greatest weapon.
Stopping him will be difficult, Wei Yuan admitted to himself.
But it is not impossible.
He lifted his small hand and let it fall back to his lap.
The key question was not how strong his uncle became.
It was how the gods controlled him.
Wei Yuan remembered the moment clearly.
His uncle had not advanced normally.
The control came suddenly.
Not during cultivation.
Not during battle.
It happened when his uncle tried to refuse the price.
So the gods do not reward strength, Wei Yuan concluded.
They punish disobedience.
That meant one thing.
If Wei Yuan wanted to win, he could never rely on obedience.
Footsteps approached.
Wei Yuan turned his head.
His father, Wei Zhen, walked into the courtyard with a woman beside him.
She wore simple gray robes. No clan symbol. No visible authority. But the moment she stepped forward, the air around her felt different—stable, controlled, heavy.
A true expert.
"Wei Yuan," Wei Zhen said, his voice calm. "Come here."
Wei Yuan stood unsteadily and walked toward him.
"This is Lady Mu Qing," Wei Zhen continued. "She is a top-level Law Master. From today onward, she will teach you."
Lady Mu Qing lowered her head slightly.
"I am honored," she said. "Young Master Wei Yuan."
Her eyes met his.
For a brief moment, her expression shifted.
Surprise.
She felt it.
The weight.
Sharp, Wei Yuan noted.
Wei Zhen led them toward the training grounds behind the ancestral hall. The space was open and quiet, designed for early law practice.
Lady Mu Qing knelt down so her eyes were level with Wei Yuan's.
"This world," she said gently, "is a Law World. Everything you will learn begins with understanding laws."
Wei Yuan listened carefully.
"There are many laws," she continued. "But all law users walk through categories."
She raised one finger.
"The Heavenly Category. Laws that align with order, rules, and balance. They are easy to cultivate—but heavily restricted."
A second finger.
"The Demonic Category. Laws born from sacrifice and destruction. They grow quickly, but their price is steep."
A third finger.
"The Origin Category."
Her voice slowed.
"These laws existed before heaven and demon. They are stable, neutral, and difficult to master."
Wei Yuan remained silent.
That was the category he belonged to.
"Most law users can only use one category at the beginning," Lady Mu Qing said. "As you grow stronger, you may unlock more."
She smiled faintly.
"You awakened the Law of Origin very early. That means your foundation will be strong—but your progress will be slow."
Wei Yuan understood.
Slow was good.
Slow meant hidden.
Lady Mu Qing stood up.
"When you turn eight," she said, "you will enroll in the World's Greatest Law Academy. Until then, I will teach you personally."
Wei Zhen nodded in satisfaction.
Wei Yuan looked up at the sky.
It was clear. Peaceful.
Eight years, he thought.
Twenty years.
Time was short.
But this time—
He would be ready.