Smoke still rose from the smoldering remains of Lóngyǔ as Jí Diǎn Yǔ Zhòu and Lán Yù stood amidst the ruins. The morning sun, once gentle, now felt harsh—illuminating the reality of what had just occurred.
"Yǔ Zhòu… what… what do we do now?" Lán Yù's voice trembled, though she tried to sound brave.
Jí Diǎn Yǔ Zhòu didn't answer immediately. His mind was a storm. The strange energy that had surged through him still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating. He could feel the cosmic seed within him pulsating, as if urging him forward.
"First… we survive," he finally said, his voice steady but cold. "Then… we find out who did this. And why."
From the distant peaks, a shadow moved—subtle, almost imperceptible, but unmistakable. Yǔ Zhòu's eyes narrowed. The cloaked figure had not been an ordinary cultivator; he had moved through darkness as if it were his ally. Whoever it was, he had power beyond mortal understanding.
But Yǔ Zhòu also sensed something else. Through the subtle threads of cosmic energy, he could feel distant eyes watching him. Not one or two, but countless. His first instinct had been fear, but now curiosity overpowered it.
The Heavenly Radiance Sect.
The first wave of observers came from a sect renowned for their light aura and their unwavering sense of justice. From atop a distant mountain, cultivators cloaked in flowing golden robes had watched the destruction of Lóngyǔ with solemn eyes.
"Impossible," whispered Master Liáng, a Core Awakener, as he observed the dark energy lingering in the valley. "That boy… his aura… it is not natural. And yet… it is not evil. It is… something else entirely."
Beside him, a younger disciple frowned. "Master, should we intervene? The village…"
Master Liáng's gaze hardened. "No. Let him awaken. The boy is not just a mortal; he is the last of the Dark Aura Lineage. If the legends are true, the moment he awakens fully, he will attract attention from every sect and clan—Heavenly and Forbidden alike."
Far to the east, in the hidden valleys cloaked by shadows, the Shadow Eclipse Pavilion also watched. Their assassin eyes gleamed under the hooded masks, analyzing every fluctuation of Yǔ Zhòu's aura.
"Finally… the Dark Seed awakens," whispered Elder Xué, a Shadow Walker whose hands were said to leave death in their wake. "He will become either our greatest ally or our deadliest threat. Prepare the scouts. Let us observe… and decide."
Even the Cosmos Forge Hall, the masters of spirit-tech and artificial spirit cores, had detected the anomaly. The AI spirits embedded in their artifacts had sent alerts to the hall's highest council.
"This is unprecedented," said Grand Artificer Mò Yán, examining the readings. "A cosmic seed… appearing in a mortal body, and it has survived a direct strike from forbidden energy. This is beyond known cultivation theory. We must retrieve him—alive. The potential is… unimaginable."
Meanwhile, Yǔ Zhòu himself could feel the pull of each sect, though he did not yet understand it. The Dark Aura within him reacted differently to each observation: light from the Heavenly Radiance Sect sparked curiosity; shadows from the Eclipse Pavilion felt like an old, familiar melody; the distant mechanical hum of the Cosmos Forge Hall intrigued him like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Lán Yù tugged at his sleeve. "Yǔ Zhòu… we can't stay here. They'll come… all of them. Sect cultivators, assassins, maybe worse…"
Yǔ Zhòu nodded, understanding the urgency. The boy who had been content with quiet village life now faced the vast and dangerous world of cultivation—a world where sects ruled territories with divine authority, and where every power was measured by aura, strength, and legacy.
They needed a plan.
"First, we go to the Forest of Veiled Stars," Yǔ Zhòu decided. The forest was a secretive place, rumored to be neutral ground for wandering cultivators and fugitives. "We hide. Then… I train. I have to understand what happened. And how I did that…"
The two of them began the trek through rugged valleys, leaving behind the smoldering ruins of their home. As they moved, Yǔ Zhòu's mind raced. He replayed the events in the village: the cloaked figure, the burst of dark energy, the strange whispers from within his own mind.
Then came a revelation.
The Dark Aura… is not just power. It is a lineage, a consciousness, a system that reacts to the world and teaches its bearer. And I… I am its chosen vessel.
By nightfall, they reached the edge of the Forest of Veiled Stars. The moon rose high, pale and haunting, casting silver light over ancient trees that seemed to hum with a hidden life of their own. Shadows twisted unnaturally among the branches, and Yǔ Zhòu could feel the forest testing him, sensing the Dark Aura within him.
"Be careful," whispered Lán Yù. "Even in a neutral place… who knows what waits for a boy like you."
Yǔ Zhòu clenched his fist. The mark on his palm glowed faintly, green tinged with black. It was alive. It was a part of him, yet it was something more.
"I will be careful," he said. "But I cannot run forever. The world… it wants me. And I… I will answer."
As they ventured deeper, the forest seemed to acknowledge him. Shadows parted slightly, whispers rode the wind, and for the first time since the destruction of Lóngyǔ, Yǔ Zhòu felt… not fear, but a strange exhilaration.
Far above, in the celestial heights, even the Heavenly AI Spirit System registered his first conscious steps into the wider world.
Jí Diǎn Yǔ Zhòu, Level 0—Sealed Aura. Awakening potential: 100%. Target: Ascension to Cosmic Channeler and beyond. Alert: High-priority subject. Recommendations: Observation, cultivation guidance, containment if necessary.
Somewhere in the distance, a faint howl echoed through the night. A harbinger. A companion. Or perhaps… a warning.
Yǔ Zhòu's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Then it begins," he whispered. "My journey… my rise… the world will know the name… of the last Dark Aura cultivator."
And in that moment, the first step toward legends—both feared and revered—was taken.