Night covered the land like a black curtain.
Deep within an old graveyard outside the city, a cold wind blew between countless tombstones.
The place was silent.
Too silent.
Suddenly…
A dark figure sat cross-legged in the middle of the graveyard.
It was Kairo.
His eyes were closed as a faint black aura surrounded his body.
Thin streams of ghostly energy slowly rose from the graves around him.
Those were the lingering souls of the dead.
And they were being pulled toward him.
Absorbed.
Devoured.
Kairo slowly opened his eyes.
A cold, twisted smile appeared on his face.
Seven years of secret cultivation had completely changed him.
At this moment, his cultivation had already reached a shocking level.
Core Formation.
For a child his age, such strength was almost impossible.
But Kairo's path was different.
His path was the forbidden path.
The path of evil cultivation.
In this world, cultivators followed a long road toward power.
The stages of cultivation were known by every cultivator
1. Qi Condensation
2. Foundation Establishment
3. Core Formation
4. Nascent Soul
5. Deity Transformation
6. Spatial Tempering
7. Body Integration
8. Grand Ascension
9.Tribulation Transcendence
Each stage separated heaven and earth.
And most cultivators spent decades just trying to move from one stage to the next.
But Kairo had already stepped into Core Formation.
At only seven years old.
Kairo slowly stood up and looked at the silent graves around him.
Too slow…
He muttered quietly.
I need more souls.
His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
The next morning…
Inside the clan's training ground.
A young boy swung his sword again and again.
His movements were fast and disciplined.
It was Ketlos.
Sweat covered his forehead as he practiced under the sunlight.
Ketlos had already reached Foundation Establishment, something many cultivators struggled to achieve even in their teenage years.
Because of this, the entire clan called him a genius.
Suddenly…
Ketlos stopped.
He felt someone watching him.
When he turned around, he saw Kairo standing near the edge of the training ground.
For the first time…
Their eyes met.
Ketlos looked at him with cold jealousy.
Kairo simply stared back.
Then slowly…
A dark evil smile appeared on Kairo's face.
Ketlos frowned.
Without saying anything, he turned around and walked away.
A moment later, Ketlos arrived at another training area.
There stood his eldest sister.
She was one of the strongest members of the younger generation.
Her cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul stage.
She watched Ketlos with a gentle smile.
Come, she said.
Let's continue your training.
Ketlos nodded happily and picked up his sword again.
He enjoyed training with her.
She was strict, but she always encouraged him.
Watching him practice, the eldest sister felt a small warmth in her heart.
Even though Ketlos was adopted…
At times, it truly felt like she was training her real younger brother.
Meanwhile, far away…
Kairo watched everything silently.
His expression remained calm.
But deep inside his eyes…
Darkness slowly grew stronger.