Tao rose to his feet, feeling the lingering sensation of raw power thrumming through his veins. His body felt different—heavier, yet strangely weightless, as if the laws of the world had to think twice before applying themselves to him.
He flexed his fingers, watching the obsidian-black tips glisten in the morning light, each one carrying an unsettling sharpness. A slow exhale left his lips, and with it came a ripple in the air—a formless pressure, the aftershock of the Dao of End was still stabilizing within him.
Stepping to the center of the courtyard, Tao clenched his fist and struck forward, aiming at nothing.
BOOM!
The very air in front of him imploded by the sheer force of his punch. The shockwave ripped through the ground, sending cracks webbing out from his position and splitting the sturdy stone tiles beneath his feet.
Tao opened his palm, staring at it with silent awe. His strength had skyrocketed. The energy within him was not just overwhelming—it was absolute.
He lifted his foot and stomped down.
The entire courtyard shuddered, the force traveling through the earth in a deep rumbling wave, making the air itself feel suffocating for a brief moment before dispersing. A fine mist of dust rose around him, swirling unnaturally as if the lingering fragments of reality were struggling to reform.
Next, he tested his sword intent.
A casual flick of his fingers sent an invisible blade slicing through the air; the pressure was so sharp that a nearby training dummy, made of reinforced spirit wood, split cleanly in half without a sound. The top half fell to the ground moments later, severed so perfectly that it seemed to have taken time for reality to acknowledge its cut.
Tao couldn't help but grin.
Power is truly a great thing.
The sheer ease of his movements, the immensity of what he could now do with a mere thought—it was intoxicating. He had barely even begun using the Dao of End actively, yet his strikes alone disrupted the air, cracked the ground, and split objects apart effortlessly.
He took a slow breath, calming himself. This was just the beginning. His body had yet to fully adapt, and he hadn't even forged his sword yet.
"If this is what a single step forward grants me… how terrifying will I become at the peak?"
A shiver of excitement ran through his bones as he thought this.
He was one step closer to the power he needed—one step closer to vengeance.
Now began his training in understanding and utilizing Qi.
As Tao finished his little test with Immortal Qi, a shadow descended from the sky like a falling star.
Butler An landed gracefully in the courtyard, his long robes barely shifting from the force of his descent. His expression was unreadable, but the glint in his wise eyes revealed a rare sense of approval.
"Congratulations, Young Master," Butler An said, his voice calm yet filled with a quiet strength. "You have taken your first step into the realm of true power. Cultivating Immortal Qi is no simple feat, even for dragons of noble lineage. But now, it is time for the next phase of your training—mastery over what you have awakened."
Tao met his gaze, eyes burning with determination. He could feel the raw power coursing through him, but he knew all too well that power meant nothing without control.
Butler An clasped his hands behind his back. "Before we begin, you must understand the structure of the world."
He gestured, and the air before them shimmered, rippling like water before forming an illusory image—a vast cosmic ladder of realms stacked upon one another.
"At the very bottom," Butler An began, "exist the Mortal Realms—the foundation of all existence. These realms are numerous and vary in size, from the smallest isolated worlds to vast empires of cultivators. No matter how high one reaches within them, their Qi remains fundamentally mortal."
He pointed upwards, and the image shifted. A grander, more radiant realm unfolded.
"Above them is the Immortal Realm—a place where beings have ascended beyond mortality, breaking the shackles of their limited existence. Here, cultivators wield Immortal Qi, a force far superior to mortal energy. But even here, the Immortal Qi is incomplete—it is only a downgraded version of what true Immortal Qi is meant to be."
Tao narrowed his eyes. "Then that means the realm we're in..."
Butler An smirked, then he slightly raised his hand.
The image expanded, revealing a realm far beyond the Immortal Realm, one so vast and boundless that it dwarfed everything below it.
"We reside in the Chaos Realm—a plane above all others. Here, true Immortal Qi exists in its purest state, untainted and at its peak. It is the birthplace of countless Dao Lords, Divine Emperors, and entities beyond mortal understanding."
Tao took a breath. He was standing in a realm where legends were born.
Butler An allowed a moment for the weight of his words to settle before he turned slightly, raising a single hand. "Now, let me show you the difference between using Immortal Qi and mastering it."
The moment he finished speaking, the sky darkened.
The air grew thick—not with killing intent, but with an overwhelming sense of dominion. It was as if space itself bowed under the presence of Butler An's will.
And then—he raised his other hand.
A red-gold glow ignited at his fingertips. It was small at first, but in the next instant, it swelled, expanding into a sphere of searing radiance—a miniature sun.
But it was not just any sun.
It pulsated with an eerie, violent aura. A mixture of war and blood, of carnage and victory. It shone with the Dao of War and Blood, a concept so profound that Tao instinctively took a step back, his body reacting to the sheer intensity of its presence.
The very ground beneath them cracked just from the energy it emitted.
"This," Butler An said, his voice calm yet absolute, "is what it means to wield Immortal Qi."
Tao gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to shield his eyes. This was true mastery. A force so refined, so perfectly controlled, that it could create something as boundless as a sun, yet remain completely within the wielder's grasp.
Butler An clenched his fingers slightly.
The sun compressed, shrinking from its massive size into something no larger than a fist—yet its power did not diminish. It became denser, its energy folding in upon itself to impossible limits.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, it vanished.
The pressure that had weighed upon the courtyard disappeared in an instant.
Tao exhaled, his heart pounding.
Butler An turned to him with an expectant gaze. "Now, it is time for you to begin."
Butler An began by explaining the fundamentals and utilization of Immortal Qi, the enhancements it causes on not just in the bodies of the Dragon race. But the many races outside of the dragon realm.
Tao learned its abilities and uses in the world. And the fact that qi is the baseline for the very elements that make up reality.
With the demonstration complete, Butler An turned his gaze toward Tao, his expression sharp and unwavering.
"Before you begin attempting to wield Immortal Qi as I have just demonstrated, you must first understand its fundamentals. Without proper comprehension, power will slip through your fingers like sand."
He raised his hand once more, but this time, he did not create something as grand as a sun. Instead, a single wisp of translucent golden energy danced above his palm—pure Immortal Qi, untainted by any Dao or external force.
"At its core, Immortal Qi is the very breath of higher existence. It surpasses the crude, diluted forms of energy found in the Mortal and Immortal Realms, existing only in its true state within the Chaos Realm and beyond. It is the very foundation of all higher life."
Tao listened carefully, watching as the wisp in Butler An's hand shifted and transformed—changing colors, textures, and even density with mere thought.
Butler An clenched his fist, and instantly, a ripple of power spread outward. Though it did not harm Tao, the mere presence of the energy caused his muscles to tense and his instincts to sharpen.
"The first and most immediate effect of Immortal Qi is its enhancement of the body. In races such as Dragons, Celestials, and Fiends, the transition into wielding Immortal Qi fortifies every aspect of their being."
He gestured to Tao's arms, then his legs.
"You may have already noticed the changes within yourself. Your strength has increased exponentially, but it is not simply raw physical power—it is refinement."
Tao flexed his fingers slightly, recalling the test of strength he had performed earlier. His power had surged to unnatural heights, but more than that, it had become more controlled, more efficient—as though his body itself had evolved into a higher state of being.
"Your physique has transformed," Butler An continued.
"The growth of your muscles, bones, and even the circulation of your blood has all changed. You are no longer bound by the constraints of a mere mortal foundation. Even your lifespan has extended—your cells now regenerate at a vastly accelerated rate, reducing the very concept of aging."
Tao took this in, his mind racing with sheer excitement.
Butler An then pointed at Tao's chest, more specifically his heart.
"For beings such as Dragons, Immortal Qi directly nourishes their bloodline, allowing latent ancestral traits to awaken. In time, other dormant abilities will surface. Things hidden deep within your very soul and blood."
Butler An then spread his hands, and for the briefest moment, the air itself seemed to vibrate.
The sky darkened slightly, and the ground beneath them seemed more solid, more defined—as though reality itself had thickened under the influence of his will.
"Immortal Qi does not merely enhance the body—it is a force that governs reality itself."
Tao felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he realized what Butler An meant.
"In the lower realms, cultivators manipulate Qi to command the elements—fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning. However, all of those forces are merely fragments of a greater whole."
With a flick of his fingers, flames erupted in the air—but these were not ordinary flames. They burned silently, consuming everything in their path without even a wisp of smoke.
He waved his other hand, and a gust of wind howled—but instead of simply pushing against Tao, it twisted, wrapping around him as though responding to his very thoughts.
"In the Mortal and Immortal Realms, elements are bound by the laws of nature. Fire burns, water flows, wind moves, and earth remains firm. But with Immortal Qi, these concepts become malleable. They no longer follow the laws of reality—you dictate their properties."
Tao's mind raced. This was beyond what he had ever imagined.
"Even space itself bends to the will of an Immortal Qi master. Distance, weight, and the very flow of time can be altered with the right techniques and comprehension of the space Dao. "
Butler An let the forces dissipate, returning the world to normal. He turned back to Tao, his gaze sharp.
"Mastering Immortal Qi is not simply about wielding greater power—it is about understanding the fundamental truths of the world. Until you can grasp that, you will never reach the pinnacle."
Tao clenched his fists, his heart pounding with excitement.
With the demonstration complete, Butler An turned his gaze toward Tao, his expression sharp and unwavering.
"Let us start, Young Master."
For the first three months, Butler An guided Tao through the intricate process of utilizing Immortal Qi to its fullest extent.
Unlike the cultivators of the lower realms, who relied on crude techniques to mimic the forces of nature, Tao's direct access to true Immortal Qi meant that he did not need external techniques to command the fundamental elements of existence.
And especially with him being a part of the True Dragon Race.
Elements like fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, and metal. He just had to understand their properties.
Fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, and metal—these forces were not separate entities for Tao to manipulate but merely concepts he needed to understand and command at will.
At first, it was overwhelming. Each element was governed by its principles—fire burned and destroyed, water flowed and adapted, wind shifted and danced, lightning struck with precision and speed, earth stood unyielding, and metal was both sharp and unbreakable.
But as Butler An drilled the truths of Immortal Qi into his mind, Tao gradually grasped the essence of each. He did not simply summon fire—he understood it, felt it, and became one with its very concept.
A mere thought was all it took to manifest a sea of flames, not from an external source but from his own will and control over Immortal Oi.
It was during the final three months of rigorous training that Tao began to see just how much his limited exposure to the Dao of End had already altered him.
His Immortal Qi was unlike any other.
While normal Immortal Qi had a pure, radiant brilliance, Tao's Qi was as black as the abyss—deep, silent, and utterly suffocating. It swallowed the light around it, giving off an ominous presence that made even Butler An take pause.
His aura had become something unnatural.
In his mind, Tao could say, "Power is truly a great thing."