The Vileth Clan was a shadow of its former glory, situated in the borderlands of the Iron Crown Kingdom. They were traditionally a clan of Knights—users of Aura. They prized physical strength, heavy armor, and the sharp bite of a blade. To them, Qi was the tool of "frail scholars" from the East, and Mana was the "trickery" of the Southern Elves.
As Azrakar walked through the courtyard toward the training grounds, he saw his peers—boys and girls aged ten to twelve—lunging with wooden swords. Their instructors shouted about "igniting the blood" and "feeling the friction in the veins."
Idiots, Azrakar thought. They are trying to light a fire in a wooden house without reinforcing the walls first.
He found a secluded corner beneath a weeping willow and sat cross-legged. He had no interest in the wooden swords. He needed to establish the Trinity Origin before his body matured further.
The standard cultivation method involved drawing Qi into the Dantian, a reservoir located in the lower abdomen. But the Founder's technique was different. It required a simultaneous awakening.
He began the chant—a silent, rhythmic vibration in his soul.
1. The Dantian (Qi): He pulled the golden Qi from the air, but instead of letting it settle, he spun it into a needle-thin whirlpool.
2. The Heart (Mana): He reached for the ambient Mana, the blue, ethereal mist that clung to the plants and earth. He guided it not to his abdomen, but to his beating heart.
3. The Veins (Aura): Finally, he drew the raw, red friction of Aura and forced it into his circulatory system.
The pain was immediate and excruciating.
It felt as though his heart was being frozen, his stomach was being burned, and his veins were being filled with powdered glass. A normal ten-year-old would have screamed and died of shock within seconds. But Azrakar's soul was that of a man who had survived the collapse of a dimension. He didn't just endure the pain; he used it to anchor his focus.
Stabilize, he commanded.
Using the Qi in his Dantian, he created a "film" around his veins. This allowed the Aura to flow without tearing the delicate tissue. Then, using the Mana in his heart, he cooled the "heat" of the Qi, preventing it from evaporating into his skin.
It was a closed loop. A perfect, self-sustaining ecosystem of energy.
After an hour, the violent tremors in his body subsided. He opened his eyes, and for a fleeting second, his pupils glowed with three distinct rings: gold, blue, and crimson. They quickly faded back to a deep, dark black.
He felt... different. He wasn't stronger yet—his muscles were still those of a child—but his perception had shifted. He could hear the sap flowing in the tree behind him. He could feel the heat radiating from the children across the yard.
"There you are."
A shadow fell over him. A boy, two years older and a head taller, stood there with a sneer. This was Kaelen Vileth, the son of the head of the branch family. In Azrakar's past life, Kaelen had been a constant bully who eventually sold Azrakar into a mining colony to settle a gambling debt.
"Meditating like a scholar, Azrakar? You know the Vileths have no use for library rats," Kaelen spat, kicking dirt onto Azrakar's simple tunics. "My father says you're a waste of space. A 'cloudy' talent. Stand up. I want to practice my 'Heavy Strike' on a moving target."
Azrakar looked up. He didn't see a bully. He saw a minor inconvenience—a biological resource that needed to be taught its place.
"Kaelen," Azrakar said, his voice unnervingly calm. "You are standing in my light. Move, or I will make you move."
The courtyard went silent as the other children turned to look. Kaelen laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "You? You're going to make me move? You haven't even awakened your Aura yet!"
Azrakar stood up slowly. He didn't take a combat stance. He just stood there, his hands at his sides. Inside his body, the Trinity Circuit began to hum.
"I will give you one chance," Azrakar said. "Because we share the same blood, however thin it may be. Walk away."
"Or what?" Kaelen lunged, his wooden sword whistling through the air, aimed directly at Azrakar's shoulder.
Azrakar didn't dodge. He stepped in.