The Abyss knew no dawn.
Here, there was neither day nor night—only a darkness so thick it seemed to breathe, watching like a living thing.
Hei Liang struggled to breathe. The air tasted of molten iron, scalding his throat as though every particle were a blade.Before him loomed a living mountain of golden scales and black horns—Long Zhuan, the last of the Dragon Gods.
Those eyes burned like suns buried for eons,and each slow sweep of his tail made the stone itself tremble,as if fearing it might shatter in the next heartbeat.
— "Listen, mortal."The voice did not pass through his ears; it sank straight into his bones, his organs, his memories.— "The Dao is not only strength. It is law… and prison. It is key… and chain."
Long Zhuan lowered his head until his searing breath struck Hei Liang's face like the blast of a forge.
— *"There are ten thousand paths to power.Nine thousand lead to death.Nine hundred to eternal servitude.Ninety to fleeting glory…And only one leads to true dominion.
That… is the Dao of the Empty Heart.
As long as your heart belongs to anything or anyone,you are bound to what you cannot control.Destroy it. Tear your heart apart until nothing remains.Only then… will you be infinite."*
The Oath of the Abyss
Long Zhuan raised a claw, rending the air.The void split like torn silk, revealing blazing symbols—ancient runes revolving like dead constellations.
— "From this day forth, you will train under the weight of the Abyss.Your body will break a thousand times.Your soul will shatter ten thousand times.Each breath will be a challenge to the Dao itself."
Hei Liang clenched his fists.— "I accept."
The dragon's laughter rolled out, like ten thousand subterranean thunders.— "You do not accept… You will survive.Or you will cease to exist."
The walls of the Abyss quaked,and a silence deeper than death fell upon them.
First Circle — The Forging of the Body
The ground split open,and invisible chains of gravity crashed down upon Hei Liang,multiplying his weight a hundredfold… a thousandfold…until it became the crushing burden of ten thousand mountains.
His bones cracked, his muscles tore—yet he remained standing.
— "Bear the weight of the world, and the world will never crush you."
Blocks of abyssal obsidian appeared,each heavier than mountain ranges.Hei Liang lifted them, arms trembling, veins blazing with strain.Whenever he faltered, storms of black fire and glacial wind slammed into him—flames that burned the soul, cold that froze thought itself.
Here, time had no meaning—was it days, years, or the span of a single breath?Until, on a nameless moment, Hei Liang moved beneath that pressure as if it were his own skin.
Long Zhuan then imparted the ancient arts:
Breath of the Celestial Serpent — storing power in every cell, like subterranean rivers compressed and ready to burst.
Silent Void Steps — erasing presence and sound, so the world itself forgets you.
Shattered Heart Fist — a strike that ignores physical defense, reaching directly for the enemy's vital root.
Second Circle — The Spiritual Tempest
The chains of the Abyss rose,and countless ancient voices swelled within the darkness—battle cries, the laughter of childhood, unfinished vows.
His mother's smile came first.Behind her, villagers and friends from his youth, calling his old name.
— "Attachment is a shackle. And shackles… must break."Long Zhuan's voice was low.
The illusions were flawless—warmth, scent, the timbre of their voices.But every time he reached to touch them,invisible blades sliced into his flesh,his blood falling heavy onto the black stone.
He resisted—and each refusal tore not just flesh,but pieces of his soul.
Third Circle — The Beasts of the Abyss
With a single sweep of his claw,creatures that had never known light crawled forth from the dark—bones like black iron, jaws dripping venom,eyes as empty as the void.
— "These are the souls that failed."
The first lunged with impossible speed.Hei Liang vanished with Silent Void Steps,reappearing behind it to crush its skull with the Shattered Heart Fist.
Another spewed violet flames—he drew them in with the Breath of the Celestial Serpent,and exhaled them back multiplied,reducing the beast to ash.
The battle raged for hours… or centuries.The ground was carpeted with whispering black dust.
Fourth Circle — The Final Illusion
At the heart of the Abyss,a reflection took form.
It was himself—before the Abyss.Eyes clear. Hands unstained by blood.
— "Fight for those you love," the reflection said."There is still goodness in you."
Hei Liang closed his eyes.— "Love is a chain. And chains… rust."
The duel was silent,but with every strike, a memory faded—the smell of earth after rain,his mother's voice,the warmth of home.
At last, he breathed the black breath of the Abyss upon the reflection,shattering it into a thousand shards of light,taking with it the last trace of attachment.
The Name and the Omen
Long Zhuan approached.— "Now… your heart is empty."
Hei Liang rose, eyes burning like eternal embers.— "No. Now… I am free."
The Abyss trembled.Long Zhuan watched him,and the darkness seemed to witness the oath.
— "Speak your name."
He knelt on one knee, closed his eyes, and declared:— "My name… is Long Yanshen."
The dragon smiled.Behind him, a black blade wrapped in golden chains slowly took shape,as if it had awaited this moment for uncounted ages.
— "When the time comes," Long Zhuan said,"this sword will be yours.And the world will know the power the Heavens once rejected."
The Abyss fell silent.And in the depths of shadow—destiny was sealed.