The first light of dawn spilled over the jagged cliffs surrounding the hidden temple, casting golden rays across the stone floor where Aryan lay, unmoving. The transformation had left him exhausted—his spirit battered, his body sore, but his resolve was harder than steel.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The pain was still there, deep in his bones, but now… it had meaning.
He sat up, looking at his trembling hands. Qi shimmered faintly across his skin like a morning mist.
**"I can feel it. For the first time… I can truly feel it."**
The sensation was strange—like a river gently coursing through his veins. Not violent or overwhelming, but powerful, full of potential. A calm storm, waiting to be called.
As he stood, the temple whispered again, this time a voice from nowhere and everywhere.
**"To wield Qi is to know balance. Climb not with greed, but with purpose."**
Aryan bowed toward the first floor's lotus and turned back toward the entrance. The temple did not resist him. It had accepted him—for now.
---
### **Scene Shift: Sector 5**
Inside the majestic halls of Sector 5's palace, Lord **Varen**, Aryan's father, sat on a high stone throne, his face cold, unreadable. Reports were delivered one after another—still no sign of Aryan.
"He ran," scoffed Aryan's older brother, **Revant**, tall and broad-shouldered, a prodigy already in the **3rd Stage of the Mortal Realm**.
"Or maybe he finally realized what a failure he is," added their sister, **Saavi**, a cultivator with icy precision, **2nd Stage of the Mortal Realm**.
But Varen said nothing.
Dev, still grieving, heard them from the shadows of the hallway. His fists clenched.
"You'll see," he muttered. "You'll all see."
---
### **Scene Shift: Forest Base of the Cliff**
Aryan emerged from the hidden valley, clothes torn, face scarred, but his eyes were sharper now—like blades freshly drawn.
He wandered back into the dense forests, surviving on instinct and new awareness. Every tree, every rustle of wind now whispered to him. He could feel the flow of Qi even in birdsong and broken leaves.
On the third day, he found a small stream, where he sat and began meditating. Hours passed. Then days. As he meditated, a faint silhouette of a glowing wheel spun behind his back—an unconscious formation of Qi called **the Dharma Seal**, a rare phenomenon.
---
### **Scene Shift: Murim-style Combat School, Sector 5**
Meanwhile, **Kael**, the disciple who had humiliated Aryan, was boasting again at the combat ground.
"I told you, the prince won't come back. He's probably eaten by wolves!"
Laughter followed.
But it died when a shadow stepped onto the field.
Aryan.
Dirt-covered. Ragged. Calm.
Kael blinked. "You… What the hell—?"
Aryan didn't speak. He walked forward and dropped a wooden staff between them.
"Your challenge. I accept."
The crowd froze. Murmurs rippled.
Kael laughed, but uneasily. "You really want another beating?"
Aryan didn't answer.
The duel began.
---
Kael charged with a wide strike, but Aryan side-stepped, almost dancing. His movements were fluid—his body lighter, more aware. He could *see* the attack coming a second before it landed.
*"So this is future sight… even if just seconds ahead, it's enough."*
Kael lunged again. Aryan ducked and swept his leg. Kael crashed to the ground.
The crowd gasped.
Kael roared, rising with fury, but Aryan struck first. A palm to the chest, guided by Spiritual Qi. It sent Kael flying back ten feet.
Silence.
---
Aryan looked around. "I am not the same Aryan who left."
And for the first time, no one laughed.
---
### **Scene Shift: Deep in the South**
The monstrous figure who had seen Aryan's awakening stood before a blackened altar, surrounded by symbols of forbidden power. His cloak fluttered in winds that did not belong to the world.
Another voice echoed in his chamber.
**"He awakens too early. What now, Lord Kaalnemi?"**
The villain smiled, baring rows of jagged teeth.
**"Let him climb. The higher he rises, the sweeter his fall."**
---
**To Be Continued…**