The moon hung high above the Heavenly Demon Sect, casting pale light over the stone corridors of the outer academy. Silence ruled the night, broken only by the occasional flutter of a bat's wing or the whisper of wind brushing across rooftops.
Jin Seo-Won sat cross-legged on the cold floor of an abandoned training hall.
Do-Yoon knelt before him, eyes wide, hands trembling slightly. The bruises on his face had darkened, but his gaze no longer held fear.
It held fire.
> "Sit properly," Seo-Won said. "Control your breath."
Do-Yoon obeyed without hesitation.
> "You're not just weak," Seo-Won continued. "You're unfocused. Scattered. Your energy flows like a leaky pouch."
Do-Yoon flinched, but didn't speak.
Seo-Won raised a hand. A faint red glow pulsed across his fingertips—barely visible, but unmistakably unnatural. Do-Yoon's eyes widened.
> "This technique…" Seo-Won said, "is not something from this sect."
> "I obtained it... elsewhere."
He didn't elaborate.
> "This is the **Breath of the Crimson Root**, a foundational technique that will rebuild your meridians from the core. It's painful. If you can't endure it, leave now."
Do-Yoon clenched his fists. "Even if it tears me apart... I will endure."
Seo-Won nodded, satisfied.
> "Then close your eyes. And listen closely."
He placed his hand on Do-Yoon's back, channeling a faint thread of energy—guided by instructions visible only to him, hovering in glowing text before his eyes.
> [INITIATE CULTIVATION TRANSFER]
> Host: Jin Seo-Won
> Target: Do-Yoon
> Technique: Breath of the Crimson Root (Modified)
> Progress: 3%...
Do-Yoon's body trembled violently. Veins bulged across his neck and arms. A gasp escaped his lips as pain coursed through his meridians like wildfire.
But he didn't scream.
Seo-Won watched silently, his face calm. In his previous life, no one had ever sworn loyalty to him. No one had ever bowed with sincerity.
But this boy…
This boy was the first.
And Seo-Won would not waste him.
---
Hours passed. Outside, the first light of dawn began to peek over the mountain peaks.
Do-Yoon collapsed, his body drenched in sweat—but his breathing was steady, deeper than before.
His dantian… was no longer dormant.
> "Congratulations," Seo-Won said softly. "You've taken your first step."
Do-Yoon looked up, eyes filled with awe and exhaustion.
> "Thank you, Prince Seo-Won…"
Seo-Won turned away, hiding the flicker of emotion in his eyes.
> "Don't call me that," he muttered. "Not yet."
---
From a hidden chamber deep beneath the academy, a pair of aged eyes stared into a glowing crystal orb.
It was the Guardian.
Baek Ho-Gun watched with a complicated expression.
> "He's already beginning to change fate," he whispered. "This… may become the storm that shatters everything."
And somewhere within the shadows of the Seven Clans, whispers began to stir.