Dawn slowly rose over the Veyrion Clan.
Golden light spilled across the floating mountains, illuminating the countless jade bridges and palaces that stretched
through the sky like an immortal city. Spiritual mist rolled gently between the peaks while streams of Qi flowed across
the heavens like invisible rivers.
For most cultivators, mornings in the Immortal Realm were peaceful.
For Zaiheli Veyrion, they were an opportunity.
He stood quietly on the highest balcony of his residence, watching the sun rise beyond the distant mountains. Below him,
dozens of clan disciples practiced sword forms in a courtyard while several elders flew across the sky, leaving trails
of glowing energy behind them.
The world of cultivation was vast.
But Zaiheli's focus remained entirely inward.
Inside his spiritual core, the Hollow Dao rotated slowly like a miniature star made of darkness. The vortex absorbed
spiritual energy drifting through his meridians, refining it into something deeper and more stable.
He had spent the entire night studying its behavior.
And the more he observed it, the clearer one truth became.
The Hollow Dao did not follow the rules of normal cultivation.
Most Dao paths required absorbing Qi, refining it, and circulating it through the body to strengthen the cultivator's
foundation.
The Hollow Dao did something entirely different.
It devoured.
Not just Qi.
But fragments of Dao.
Fragments of fate.
Fragments of understanding.
Zaiheli exhaled slowly.
"If that continues…"
He watched the faint swirl of darkness forming above his palm.
"…then eventually this Dao will rewrite my entire cultivation path."
The idea was both exciting and dangerous.
Because cultivating something outside the Heavenly Laws meant one thing.
Tribulation.
Sooner or later, the heavens would react.
But Zaiheli was not afraid.
In his previous life, he had spent decades studying ancient Daoist philosophy. Many texts described enlightenment as
"walking a path unseen by heaven."
Perhaps that phrase had never been metaphorical.
Perhaps it described cultivators who stepped beyond the system itself.
The Hollow Dao might be one of those paths.
And if it truly devoured fate…
Then destiny itself could become a resource.
Zaiheli closed his hand slowly and the vortex disappeared.
For now, experimentation needed to remain controlled.
He could already sense the subtle presence of observers around his residence.
The Veyrion Clan elders were watching him carefully.
---
Across the palace complex, Elder Ren stood on the roof of a distant tower observing the young heir through a jade
monitoring array.
Beside him stood another elder whose expression remained thoughtful.
"He hasn't done anything suspicious," the second elder said.
Ren nodded slowly.
"That's what makes him suspicious."
The image inside the array showed Zaiheli calmly watching the sunrise.
No nervousness.
No excitement.
Just quiet contemplation.
Ren folded his arms.
"Most children who awaken rare Dao seeds become arrogant immediately."
"But he behaves like a strategist."
The other elder frowned.
"You believe the patriarch's theory?"
"That the boy's mind is far older than his body?"
Ren did not answer immediately.
Instead, he watched Zaiheli closely through the array.
"Look at his posture," Ren finally said.
"His movements are controlled. Even his breathing is measured."
He shook his head slightly.
"That is not the behavior of a child."
The second elder remained silent.
Because deep down…
He agreed.
---
Meanwhile, Zaiheli had already left the balcony.
He walked calmly through the garden paths of his residence.
Servants bowed respectfully as he passed.
Yet Zaiheli barely noticed them.
His mind was occupied by a far more interesting question.
Where could he test the Hollow Dao without drawing attention?
Using it openly within the palace would be foolish.
The elders would notice immediately.
But the Veyrion Clan territory was enormous.
Beyond the main palaces lay forests, training grounds, and ancient ruins used for cultivation practice.
If he traveled far enough…
He could experiment freely.
Zaiheli reached the edge of the garden where a narrow stone path led toward the outer mountains.
Perfect.
Without hesitation, he began walking.
---
The outer regions of the Veyrion territory were far less crowded than the central palace.
Ancient forests covered the lower mountains while powerful spirit beasts roamed the valleys between them.
These areas were often used by young clan disciples for training.
Which made them ideal for Zaiheli's purposes.
After nearly an hour of walking, he arrived at a quiet cliff overlooking a deep valley.
Wind rushed upward from below, carrying the scent of spirit herbs growing along the cliffs.
Zaiheli stepped forward and looked down.
Hundreds of meters below, a river of glowing spiritual energy flowed between the rocks.
Raw Qi.
Untamed.
Perfect for experimentation.
Zaiheli extended his hand.
"Let's see what you can really do."
The Hollow Dao awakened instantly.
Darkness gathered above his palm.
This time, the vortex expanded larger than before.
The surrounding spiritual energy reacted immediately.
Streams of Qi surged upward from the valley below, pulled toward the vortex like water toward a drain.
Zaiheli watched carefully.
The Hollow Dao devoured the energy effortlessly.
But something else appeared.
Thin golden threads.
Fate.
Even here, those threads connected every living creature in the valley.
Spirit beasts.
Trees.
Even the river itself.
And the vortex consumed them.
One by one.
Each thread dissolved into darkness.
Zaiheli felt the same strange clarity filling his mind again.
Fragments of understanding.
Moments of possibility.
Almost like glimpses of alternate futures.
He narrowed his eyes.
"So that's how it works."
The Hollow Dao was not simply devouring fate.
It was absorbing the possibilities contained within it.
Which meant every thread consumed increased his understanding of the world.
The implications were staggering.
But before he could continue experimenting—
A sudden roar echoed through the valley.
Zaiheli looked down.
A massive spirit beast emerged from the forest below.
Its body resembled a black wolf nearly three meters tall, its fur covered with glowing silver patterns.
Its eyes locked onto Zaiheli instantly.
The beast had sensed the disturbance in fate.
And it was furious.
Zaiheli smiled faintly.
"Perfect timing."
The wolf leaped upward with incredible speed, claws tearing through the rock as it climbed the cliff face.
Within seconds it reached the ledge.
Most young cultivators would panic in front of such a creature.
Zaiheli did not move.
Instead, he raised his hand.
The Hollow Dao expanded.
The wolf lunged forward.
But the moment it entered the range of the vortex…
Its movement slowed.
Its glowing fate threads stretched toward the darkness.
Then vanished.
The beast collapsed instantly.
Its body hit the ground with a dull thud.
Zaiheli stared at it for a moment.
Then nodded slowly.
"So the Hollow Dao devours living fate as well."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
High above the valley, a pair of hidden observers watched the scene in stunned silence.
Elder Ren lowered his jade monitoring array slowly.
"That beast… died instantly."
The second elder swallowed.
"We didn't even sense a technique."
Ren nodded grimly.
"That Dao is far more dangerous than we expected."
He looked toward the distant palace.
"We must report this to the patriarch immediately."
---
Back on the cliff, Zaiheli looked toward the sky.
He could feel it now.
The attention of the heavens.
Faint.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
The Hollow Dao had devoured enough fate threads to trigger the first reaction.
Zaiheli smiled slightly.
"Good."
Because if the heavens had begun to notice…
Then it meant his path had already begun diverging from destiny.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
The first step beyond fate had already been taken.