Imperial Martial Academy – Grand Mentor's Tower
Ashen stood before a carved obsidian door. It opened not with a push, but a whisper—beckoning him in like the mouth of a beast.
Inside, everything smelled of incense and old blood.
At the center, seated in a floating lotus position, was Grand Mentor Yoru, one of the most feared martial cultivators of the continent. His beard was like falling snow. His eyes—empty, but never blind.
He didn't look at Ashen.
"Sit."
Ashen obeyed, silently folding his legs.
Yoru didn't waste time.
"I know who you are."
Ashen didn't flinch.
"And I also know who wants you dead."
He waved a single hand, and ten glowing names appeared in the air—burning with spiritual flame.
Ashen's blood turned cold.
Ten Names. Ten Kingdoms. Ten Betrayers.
Each name was responsible for the Virelion Kingdom's fall.
Some Ashen recognized.
Others… he did not.
But one name pulsed brighter than the others.
1. Kingdom of Draeven – House Kaelthorn
"The one who ordered the slaughter. The General who smiled as your palace burned.
Ashen's fingers dug into his knees.
"Why show me this?" he asked quietly.
Grand Mentor Yoru finally looked at him.
"Because whether you wish to chase revenge or not, they will come for you. You may carry the name of a broken kingdom, but your enemies carry unfinished business."
System Alert:
> Blood Vow Trigger Option: Kingdom Vengeance Path (Locked)
> Requirements: Unlock at Martial Rank – Iron Vein Core
> Bonus Manual Preview: "Ancestral Flame Spear"
Yoru lowered the names with a gesture. The room darkened.
"You have no master. No clan. No protection."
"But I will offer you a choice. Join me as a direct disciple—and I will teach you the martial way to stand above kings."
Ashen looked up. "What's the price?"
"You'll carry my mark. Forever. And when I say kill, you don't ask why."
Silence stretched between them like a blade.
Ashen stood.
"Then I'll walk my path alone."
Yoru raised a brow. "Even if it leads you to your grave?"
"Especially if it leads me through theirs."
Outside the Tower
Selene was waiting by the stairs, arms folded, eyes wary.
"You said no, didn't you?"
Ashen didn't answer.
"That's suicide, you know. Yoru doesn't offer twice."
He stepped past her.
"I didn't come here to live safely."
Unknown Region – Near the Burned Borderlands
An old woman stirred a pot in a dusty hut, surrounded by black smoke and scattered bone talismans.
Suddenly, her head snapped upward.
"The lion stirs."
She stood, reaching for a scroll inked with Virelion blood.
"The heir awakens the path. The seal cracks."
Outside, the ground split.
And from beneath the ruins of a forgotten battlefield... something ancient began to rise.
System Notification:
> Legacy Event Incoming:
> Chapter I – "The Return of the Crimson Spear"
> Estimated Threat: Cataclysm-Level Encounter
> Martial Rank Required to Survive: Iron Vein Core+