"You are finally ready."
Hearing his father's words, Tao's brow furrowed slightly.
"Ready?"
"Ready for what?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with curiosity.
Dai Long's red eyes bore into him with quiet intensity. "The time is drawing near. Soon, the Grand Dragon Assembly will take place."
Tao remained silent, waiting for his father to continue.
"At this gathering, the young dragons of our lineage—prideful, battle-hardened, and filled with ambition—will come for you," Dai Long explained. "Not out of hatred, nor for personal vendettas, but for one simple reason: to test their might against you."
Tao's eyes sharpened. He knew he was strong, but this… this was something different.
Dai Long's expression remained calm. "You are the son of Dai Long. The world has taken notice of you, and now the young warriors of our race wish to measure themselves against you." His voice carried weight, as if speaking an undeniable truth. "It is the way of dragons. And it is unavoidable."
Tao's heart pounded—not in fear, but in excitement. The thought of facing numerous strong opponents, of clashing against talents honed in battle, it exhilarated him.
But then his father spoke again.
"Before you can forge your sword, there is one final step."
Tao listened intently.
"You must choose your own Dao to cultivate with."
Tao blinked. He had spent the last two years honing his sword, refining his physique, and tempering his battle instincts. But he had yet to embark on the path of true qi cultivation.
"The Dao you choose will define your foundation," Dai Long continued. "It will shape your growth, your abilities, and even determine the materials you can use to forge your sword."
Tao clenched his fists slightly, realization dawning upon him. Only after selecting a cultivation path would he be granted the means to acquire the materials for his weapon.
Dai Long's lips curved slightly. "Once you have made your decision, then—and only then—will you be able to forge a blade that truly belongs to you."
Tao exhaled, his resolve firm, as he said, "I understand, father."
Dai Long's faint smile lingered. "Good."
Before Tao could react, the world around them warped. Space twisted, the throne room dissolving into a blur of shifting light and shadow. In the next instant, reality stabilized, and they stood somewhere new.
The chamber was smaller, dimly lit, and carried an eerie stillness. Ancient, arcane formations lined the walls, pulsing with faint power. But what truly captured Tao's attention was the black, old stone door before them.
It was massive, towering over both of them, its surface rough with the weight of time. Strange, intricate carvings danced across it, shifting in patterns that defied logic. Tao felt as though the door itself was breathing—alive in a way he could not understand.
Dai Long stepped forward, his voice low.
"This door leads to an ancient place, one where the very fabric of the world is woven with Dao Principles."
"I call it, the Dao World."
Tao's breath caught. Dao Principles—mystical truths that governed reality itself. To even glimpse them was to risk being consumed by their depth.
His father turned to him, his red eyes gleaming.
"Stepping inside is no simple task. The mysteries beyond this door will test you in ways you cannot yet comprehend." His voice grew solemn. "Ready your mind and soul, for what you experience will be unlike anything before."
Tao swallowed, his heartbeat steady but quickening with anticipation.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself.
He was ready.
As Tao stepped forward, the moment his foot crossed the threshold of the ancient stone door, everything vanished.
Darkness.
Not the darkness of a moonless night or the dimness of an unlit room. This was absolute emptiness. A void so profound that even the concept of light seemed foreign. No walls, no floor, no sky—just nothingness.
Tao's breath came slow and measured as his mind processed the vast emptiness. He reached out instinctively, but his hand touched only the airless void. His ears strained, but there was no sound, not even the whisper of his own movements. It was as if the world itself had ceased to exist.
Then, his eyes caught something.
A single meditation mat lay ahead, seemingly floating in the void. Its presence felt alien, out of place—yet oddly inviting.
After a moment of hesitation, Tao clenched his fists and moved forward. He would not falter in the face of the unknown.
Sitting cross-legged upon the mat, he exhaled slowly and stared into the abyss.
Time lost meaning.
Seconds, minutes, hours—or days? He could not tell. His mind floated in the infinite blackness, untethered from reality itself.
And then—the whispers began.
Soft at first, mere murmurs in the void. Then, they grew.
"Power..."
"Glory..."
"Wealth beyond measure..."
Countless voices slithered around him, beckoning, promising, tempting. Their tones were gentle and alluring, as if they knew exactly what to offer him.
Tao narrowed his eyes. He was not so easily swayed.
It was then that he felt it—sensations.
All around him, the very fabric of existence shifted. He could feel them—elements.
Fire. A raging inferno, destruction incarnate. It burned with endless fury, craving to consume everything in its path.
Wind. Swift, sharp, untouchable. It danced around him like invisible blades, both guiding and cutting.
Water. Deep, vast, ever-changing. Its surface was calm, yet below lay an abyss of depth and mystery.
Earth. Immovable, unyielding. A bastion of stability, an eternal foundation.
Lightning. Untamed, violent, divine. It crackled through the void, a force of pure energy and destruction.
Each element pulsed around him, reaching out as if testing him—offering themselves.
Tao did not immediately move. Instead, he reflected.
His training. His years of sword practice. The countless hours spent honing his blade, his body, his will.
His cultivation of the Heavenly Titan Physique. The pain, the struggle, the feeling of his body being reforged step by step.
And then—his past.
The agony of his previous life. The frailty of his sickly body. The despair of watching others surpass him. The hopelessness of knowing death would claim him before he could even begin to live.
He had lost everything once.
But now, here he was.
He had been given a second life, a second chance.
So, what would he choose?
What path would he carve?
Tao clenched his fists. The whispers, the elements, the temptations—they meant nothing if he did not define himself.
With firm resolve, he made his choice.
Tao exhaled, long and slow.
The whispers slithered in his ears, and the elements clung to his body, testing him, tempting him. But he had no need for their promises, no need for their power.
His will surged.
BOOM.
Like a sword unsheathed, his Sword Intent erupted.
An extreme cutting force radiated from his body, sharp and absolute. The whispers were severed. The lingering voices of power, wealth, and glory—silenced.
But he was not done.
The weight of the Heavenly Titan Physique crashed outward, releasing his body from the clutches of the elemental sensations. The fire that burned his skin, the wind that slashed at his form, the water that tried to drown him, the earth that sought to bury him, and the lightning that aimed to shatter him—were all repelled.
His body, a vessel of overwhelming might, sat like an unyielding monolith.
Then—his blood awakened.
Dragon Might.
A suffocating aura flooded the void. Behind him, the faint image of a dragon emerged—black-faced, demonic, eyes like the abyss. Its presence was oppressive, primal, an existence that whispered of ruin and calamity.
Tao sat unmoved, his breath steady.
Then, a thought crept into his mind.
His enemies…They were many. They were powerful.
To simply defeat them was not enough.
He had promised them an end. Not just any end—but one of true destruction. Something beyond pain, beyond fear.
Something that could even make the Heavenly Dao itself fear him for an eternity!
As he lost himself in this thought, something stirred in the void.
A flicker. A speck of dark light. At first, it was distant, barely noticeable. But then, it inched closer… and closer… until it hovered before him. Its presence silenced everything around Tao.
Even his own thoughts. This jolted him out of his mind.
Tao slowly opened his eyes. His pupils glowed white, his dragon slits narrowing as he gazed upon the shifting, flowing darkness. It was unlike any element; unlike any force he had ever felt before. It was a weird sight, this dark light was black, blacker than anything he'd ever seen before.
Even this void around him. It seemed as if, it was... afraid? Afraid of what exactly? Afraid of this small dark light before him.
The dark light moved like water that was alive. It moved even closer to Tao's chest just floating. Seemingly waiting for him.
Tao prodded this light by reaching out with his finger. And once they made contact, it was as if a light bulb exploded within his mind.
"This...this feeling? What is this this? It feels like... something beyond the normal confines that I could even think of."
The feeling blossoming within Tao was absolute. It was final.
A quiet revelation settled over him. The feeling made its name clear to Tao.
"The Dao of End…"
His own voice whispered the name of this light.
"Yes." This was it.
The force that would ensure his vengeance, the power that would bring the ending he sought.
And so, he reached out with his entire hand. The moment his fingers touched the dark light, the void around him collapsed. Tao's vision blurred, his senses warped. Then, in an instant...he was back.
The void was gone, the meditation mat was gone. He now stood once again in the chamber before the black stone door.
His father, Dai Long, stood still, his piercing red eyes studying him.
The air around Tao shook. A lingering trace of dark energy flickered at his fingertips before fading into nothing. But even though it vanished, its presence remained within him.
Something had changed. And Dai Long could see it.
With a slow smile, the Dragon Sage finally spoke.
"… You've made your choice then."