The sky above the Mu Clan gradually returned to silence.
The swirling clouds that had gathered moments ago slowly dispersed, drifting apart as if nothing unusual had happened.
The oppressive pressure that had weighed upon the clan vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared.
Yet the memory of it lingered in everyone's mind.
Within the Mu Clan grounds, countless disciples were still staring up at the sky with confused expressions.
"What… was that just now?"
"Did you feel that pressure?"
"It felt like something was watching us…"
Voices spread across the courtyards and training grounds.
Some disciples laughed nervously, trying to dismiss the strange event.
Others remained silent, unable to shake the unease that had settled deep in their hearts.
Even though the sky had already returned to normal, the feeling of being observed had not completely faded.
Inside the main hall of the Mu Clan.
Several elders stood in silence.
Their expressions were far from calm.
Moments ago, every one of them had clearly felt the same thing.
Heavenly pressure.
Cold.
Vast.
Indifferent.
The clan leader, Mu Zhengcang, stood near the entrance of the hall with his hands behind his back.
His gaze was fixed on the distant sky.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Finally, one of the elders broke the silence.
"That pressure… it resembled the will of the Heavenly Dao."
Another elder immediately shook his head.
"That is impossible."
He frowned deeply.
"The Heavenly Dao would never focus its attention on a mere mortal clan like ours."
The first elder hesitated.
"But what we felt…"
Mu Zhengcang slowly raised a hand.
The elders immediately fell silent.
His expression remained calm, but there was a trace of seriousness hidden in his eyes.
"The Heavenly Dao does not act without reason," he said slowly.
"If it truly appeared just now… then something must have drawn its attention."
The hall grew even quieter.
Each elder exchanged uneasy glances with the others.
None of them spoke the thought that had already begun to form in their minds.
But everyone remembered the same moment.
Earlier that day.
During the Name Engraving Ceremony.
When Mu Xuan had touched the Heavenly Name Stele.
The stele had not recorded his name.
And yet…
Something had clearly happened.
Meanwhile, inside the courtyard of the eldest young master.
Mu Xuan stood beneath an ancient tree.
The leaves above him rustled softly in the evening wind.
The sky had already returned to its usual color.
But Mu Xuan remained standing there, unmoving.
His gaze was calm.
Yet his mind was far from peaceful.
Moments earlier—
He had clearly felt it.
The gaze from the sky.
Cold.
Distant.
As though something beyond the world itself had turned its attention toward him.
Mu Xuan slowly exhaled.
"So it really noticed…"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
At that moment, the thin thread of name power within his body stirred once more.
The cold energy flowed through his meridians, circulating slowly but steadily.
Compared to earlier, it had grown slightly stronger.
Not by much.
But enough for him to clearly sense the difference.
Mu Xuan closed his eyes.
His consciousness gradually sank inward.
Soon, the familiar darkness appeared again.
An endless void without sky or earth.
And within that darkness—
The ancient sword still stood silently.
Black.
Cracked.
Motionless.
It remained embedded in the ground exactly as before.
Yet something felt different.
The moment Mu Xuan's consciousness approached it, a faint vibration spread through the surrounding darkness.
The sword trembled slightly.
Not violently.
Just enough for him to notice.
Mu Xuan stopped.
He did not step closer.
Instead, he observed it quietly.
The memory of the earlier vision still lingered in his mind.
Mountains collapsing.
Stars falling.
Worlds shattering beneath a single descending sword.
That terrifying power had not been an illusion.
Even now, the thought of it made his heart beat faster.
"What exactly are you…" Mu Xuan murmured softly.
The sword did not answer.
It simply remained there.
Silent.
Ancient.
As though it had witnessed the birth and destruction of countless worlds.
Mu Xuan hesitated for a moment.
Then he slowly reached out with his consciousness.
The moment his awareness touched the sword—
A cold sensation surged through him.
Not pain.
But something deeper.
A feeling of absolute stillness.
At the same time, two ancient words echoed faintly in his mind.
Name's End.
The same name as before.
Mu Xuan's eyes opened abruptly.
His breathing grew slightly heavier.
Even though he still did not fully understand what that sword was, one thing had already become clear.
It was connected to the power that had just awakened inside him.
And perhaps—
It was also the reason the Heavenly Dao had turned its gaze toward him.
Mu Xuan lowered his head slightly.
For sixteen years, he had been called useless.
A young master with no name power.
A man rejected by heaven and earth.
Yet today, everything had changed.
But the change did not bring him relief.
Instead, it brought something else.
Danger.
If the Heavenly Dao had truly noticed him…
Then his future would not remain peaceful.
Mu Xuan's gaze gradually hardened.
"If heaven refuses to record my name…"
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"Then I will carve it myself."
Deep beneath the Mu Clan.
Inside the ancient underground chamber.
The black light on the stele slowly faded.
The strange symbol that had appeared on its surface became faint again, gradually sinking back into the stone.
The white-haired elder remained standing before it.
His expression was solemn.
He had witnessed everything.
From the moment the stele trembled…
To the instant the Heavenly Dao's gaze descended upon the clan.
After a long silence, he finally spoke again.
"So it has begun."
His voice was low.
"After eight hundred years… the sign has appeared once more."
The elder slowly raised his head.
His eyes seemed to pierce through the layers of earth above him.
Through the clan grounds.
Through the sky itself.
"If that sword truly belongs to the legend…"
He paused.
Then continued quietly.
"Then the Heavenly Dao will never allow it to grow freely."
The chamber fell silent again.
The elder closed his eyes.
For a moment, he seemed to age several years.
When he opened them again, his gaze had become resolute.
"It seems…"
"The world is about to change."
Night gradually fell over the Mu Clan.
Most disciples had already returned to their residences.
Yet in many places across the clan, discussions about the strange phenomenon earlier continued.
Some believed it had been nothing more than a natural disturbance.
Others insisted that the pressure they had felt had been real.
But no one could explain it.
And no one knew—
That the center of that mysterious event had been a young man quietly standing beneath a tree in a secluded courtyard.
Mu Xuan slowly opened his hand.
The cold thread of power inside his body continued to circulate.
Steady.
Silent.
But full of potential.
He raised his head and looked at the night sky.
The stars shone faintly above.
For a brief moment, Mu Xuan felt as though the sky itself was watching him again.
But this time—
He did not look away.
Instead, he stared back.
And somewhere deep within the endless darkness of his consciousness…
The ancient black sword trembled once more.
Very slightly.
As if acknowledging the beginning of something inevitable.