In the endless void, Wang Zhi sat cross-legged atop the corpse of the beast he had just slain. His long black hair, once tied neatly, now hung loose and damp with sweat and blood, clinging to his pale face. His robe was in tatters, shredded and soaked with gore—some of it his own, the rest belonging to the creature beneath him.
Before him lay a faintly pulsing core—the final remnant of life energy form a slain monstrosity: a three-eyed void serpent, its obsidian-black scales glimmering dimly in the darkness, and venom still dripping form its fangs, corroding the very fabric of the void around it.
Wang Zhi had fought tooth and nail for that core. He had drawn its energy, guided it into his body, and forced it toward his center.
Yet... nothing.
His realm remained sealed.
He had not even stepped into the Mortal Vein.
"Why do I still fail... even after killing a beast like that?"
His voice was low, filled with frustration rather than fury. His hand trembled as he clutched his chest, not from fear, but form exhaustion pressing down like a mountain.
"It's because I've never awakened my first Vein... "
In this world, power wasn't just about will.
It required understanding—harmony between body, soul, and the flow of the world itself.
And it all began with the most fundamental step: the opening of a Vein.
But now...
As his consciousness hovered on the edge of collapse, something within him stirred.
A faint resonance, weak but undeniable. As if his body had finally acknowledged—he would not die do easily.
Taking a ragged breath, Wang Zhi drew the last dregs of energy form the serpent's core. The energy was savage, unrefined, and venomous. But he endured it, forcing it through his blood, his bones, into his core.
The pain was unimaginable.
His meridians felt as though they were being torn apart. His bones groaned, his muscles spasmend, and his blood roiled like boiling magma.
Yet he persisted.
"Open... Damn you, Open—!"
A soundless rupture echoed within him. A subtle flicker of light bloomed in the depths of his core.
Energy began to circulate, slowly but surely, forming a steady spiral.
The Mortal Vein—unlocked.
After years of being deemed talentless, after humiliation and exile, he had finally crossed the threshold.
Not under the watchful eyes of masters.
Not upon a sacred platform.
But here—in the void–alone, bloodied, and forgotten.
Wang Zhi did not smile.
He simply stood still.
Because he knew—the journey had only just begun.
There were still eleven realms ahead, each one more grueling than the last:
1. Bone Vein – Strengthens the skeleton to withstand powerful energies.
2. Blood Vein – Purifies blood to absorb the world's essence more efficiently.
3. Nerve Vein – Enhances sensory control and energy manipulation.
4. Muscle Vein – Compresses muscles for true physical might.
5. Heart Vein – Transforms the heart into a reservoir of will and power.
6. Qi Vein – Unlocks spiritual channels to access authentic techniques.
7. Soul Vein – Fortifies the soul against mental and spiritual attacks.
8. Spirit Vein – Unites soul and body into a vessel of true potential.
9. Heaven Vein – Allows comprehension of natural and heavenly laws.
10. Void Vein – Enables existence in nothingness and the creation of unique techniques.
11. Immortal Vein – The peak realm, transcending the mortal plane entirely.
Wang Zhi had only taken the first step. But that step was enough to prove one thing:
He would not die here.
Suddenly, a distant rumble echoed across the void. The very air shivered.
Form within the fog, two monstrous silhouettes emerged.
The first—another void serpent, but far larger than the last. Its nine crimson eyes gleamed in the dark, each one radiating killing intent. Its forked tongue lashed out, tasting the air, sensing Wang Zhi's presence. Its enormous body coiled and writhed, its obsidian scales humming with a deadly pulse.
The second—a towering humanoid creature with a single eye burning red in the center of its forehead. Its pale green skin looked stitched together form mismatched limbs, and very breath it took exhaled choking black mist. Each of its footfalls rippled through the emptiness like thunder.
They weren't mere beasts.
They were guardians of the void.
And they had sensed the death of one of their own.
Wang Zhi slowly rose to his feet. His body trembled with fatigue, his injuries still fresh and his energy barely flowing. His unbound hair fluttered gently behind him, and his half-closed eyes locked onto the monstrous forms with unflinching calm.
He gripped his chipped sword.
Planted it into the empty ground.
"You come because I killed one of yours...?"
A cold smirk curled on his lips.
"If death won't come for me—Then I'll send you to hell myself."
Within him, his Mortal Vein pulsed faintly.
Weak, but alive.
And for the first time in his life, Wang Zhi could truly breathe.