News of the Young Lord having a Dao-enlightenment event in the Great Library spread through the upper echelons of the Azure Dragon Clan like a divine wind. Before his mother, Su Liena, could even finish checking his spiritual meridians for the third time, the very air in the vast library seemed to grow heavy, compressing under an immense, yet controlled, pressure.
Jian Tianlong, Patriarch of the Azure Dragon Clan and a sovereign whose name could shake the Empyrean Realm, had arrived.
He wasn't a man who walked; he was a man who simply was. One moment, the end of the long corridor was empty, the next, he stood there, his presence as absolute as a mountain. He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing formal robes of deep azure embroidered with a silver dragon that seemed to writhe in the ambient light. Unlike his son's silver hair, the Patriarch's was a cascade of brilliant, star-like white. His eyes, however, were the same twilight jade, but where Jian Feng's held a newfound, placid depth, his father's held the contained power of a brewing thunderstorm.
Using his Star-Chart, Jian Feng perceived his father for the first time in his new state. The man was a maelstrom of power. The threads of the Grand Dao of Order and the Grand Dao of Life were woven into his very being, thick as bridge cables. A blinding aura of golden Heavenly Dao Merit enveloped him, a testament to countless deeds that had protected the clan and stabilized the realm. This was a man who had earned the respect of the cosmos itself.
"Tianlong," Su Liena said, rising gracefully. There was no fear in her voice, only the deep familiarity of a wife. "He is unharmed."
The Patriarch's gaze, heavy enough to make lesser cultivators kneel, fell upon his five-year-old son. He strode forward, each step silent, yet carrying the weight of a dynasty. He knelt, bringing himself eye-level with Jian Feng, his stern expression melting into one of profound, paternal concern. He placed a massive hand on Jian Feng's head, and a wave of impossibly pure Qi, gentle as a spring breeze, washed through the boy's body, examining every meridian, every bone, every drop of blood.
"His foundation is untouched, yet his spirit… it's as vast as a winter sky," Jian Tianlong murmured, his voice a low rumble of disbelief and pride. He looked into his son's eyes. "Feng'er, tell me. What did you see?"
The scene shifted to the Patriarch's private study, a grand chamber at the apex of the highest jade tower. Here, the ambient spiritual Qi was so dense it was visible as a faint, silvery mist. Jian Feng sat on an oversized silken cushion between his parents, a small figure flanked by two titans.
This was his first true test. He had to display genius, but a believable genius for a five-year-old, not the cold, calculating knowledge of a reincarnated strategist.
"I saw threads," Jian Feng began, choosing his words with care. "Everything is made of threads. The jade cup, Mother's robes, the light from the pearl. Even the air. They are all woven from different colored strings."
Su Liena glanced at her husband, her eyes wide with meaning. Describing the Dao as threads was a classic metaphor used by enlightened sages.
Jian Tianlong leaned forward, his storm-like aura focused entirely on his son. "And what of the Qi you feel? The energy we cultivate. Did you see it as a thread as well?"
"It's not one thread," Jian Feng said, looking at his own small hands. "It's like… a river made of many smaller streams. Some are red and warm. Some are blue and cool. Some are heavy like stone." This was the truth, filtered through a child's vocabulary. He could see the elemental affinities within the world's spiritual energy.
The Patriarch was silent for a long moment. He had expected the boy to say he felt a surge of power or saw a bright light. He had not expected a fundamental deconstruction of the very nature of Qi.
"You have touched upon the Principle of Attunement," Jian Tianlong said, his voice laced with awe. "Most cultivators do not grasp this concept until they are ready to form their Core. They simply absorb the raw Qi of the world. It is why their foundations are impure, their progress limited."
He then made a decision. "Your cultivation cannot follow the standard path. You will not begin with the Clan's 'Azure Dragon Qi Manual'. It is too crude for you now."
Jian Feng's heart, which had been perfectly calm, beat a little faster. This was the opening he was maneuvering for.
"Father," he asked, feigning childish curiosity. "Before I learn to absorb the river, can I learn about the streams? I want to touch only the cleanest water."
Su Liena smiled at his poetic phrasing, but Jian Tianlong saw the profound wisdom behind the simple words. His son wasn't just asking to cultivate; he was asking to cultivate with absolute perfection from the first step. He wanted to build a foundation not with a river of mixed Qi, but with a personally selected, flawless source. This was an ambition so great it was terrifying.
The Patriarch rose and walked to a wall. With a press of his hand, a section of solid jade dissolved, revealing a single, floating scroll that radiated an aura of immense age. "This is the 'Primordial Scripture of the Nine Heavens'. It is not a cultivation manual. It is a treatise on the nature of Qi itself, written by our First Ancestor. It is considered the most difficult foundational text in the realm. It will be your first lesson."
He handed the ancient scroll to his son. It was a gesture of immense trust and even greater expectation.
Later that night, after Jian Feng had been escorted back to his chambers, Su Liena stood with her husband on a balcony overlooking the clan's territory, the celestial jade towers glowing softly beneath the stars.
"You have placed a heavy burden on his shoulders, Tianlong," she said softly.
"A burden he chose when his soul touched the Dao," the Patriarch responded, his gaze distant. "A genius like him cannot be hidden. News of this will eventually spread. Other clans, other powers… they will watch him. And the Heavenly Dao itself will test him."
He sighed, a rare sound of vulnerability from the powerful man. "When a star shines too brightly, it attracts attention. It becomes a target for rivals, a benchmark for all other prodigies. Inevitably, it will draw the gaze of this generation's Children of Destiny—those blessed by fate, born with immense luck to counter geniuses like our son. His path will not be easy."
Su Liena leaned against him. "Then we shall ensure his foundation is strong enough to withstand any storm."
"Yes," Jian Tianlong agreed, his eyes hardening with resolve. "We will give him everything he needs to build a foundation not of stone, but of diamond. For the mind of an Empyrean must be supported by the might of a God."