Xuan Li sat cross-legged in his room, heart still racing after everything he had witnessed. The faint glow of the necklace was his only companion in the darkened room. After a few moments of hesitation, he finally mustered the courage to ask the mysterious figure a question that had been burning in his mind.
"What… what should I call you?" Xuan Li asked, his voice steadying as he gazed into the shimmering light.
The figure's eyes met his, an otherworldly glow flickering within them. "You may call me Veldris," he said, his voice carrying the weight of ages. "That is the name I am known by in… well, in places beyond your understanding."
Xuan Li blinked, curiosity overcoming his initial fear. "Where do you come from, Veldris? Are you… some kind of deity?"
Veldris chuckled, though his laughter held a strange sadness. "I am no deity, boy. I hail from a place you might call a higher dimension. A realm where the laws of reality are not bound by the limitations of the heavens you know. In my world, the concept of 'heavens' does not exist. Only the endless cosmos, bound by laws you have yet to comprehend."
Xuan Li listened in awe, his mind racing with possibilities. This being—this Veldris—seemed to come from a realm beyond imagination. Yet here he was, speaking with him as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"So… why are you here?" Xuan Li finally asked, still grappling with the enormity of it all. "And why are you only a spiritual form?"
Veldris paused, his gaze turning distant. "The reason for my current state eludes even me. Something has bound me to this form, weakened my essence. But know this, boy… I have not come here by mere chance." His eyes narrowed, glinting with a keen intelligence. "I observed what happened to you earlier. That outburst of cosmic energy… the cosmic origin laws stirred within you."
"Cosmic… origin laws?" Xuan Li echoed, his voice barely a whisper. The words felt heavy, ancient, as if carrying a truth he could scarcely grasp.
"Yes, the very fabric of reality," Veldris said, his gaze unwavering. "These laws connect all things, giving structure to chaos, molding existence itself. You, Xuan Li, are blessed with a connection to these laws. That power within you is what stirred the heavens themselves, what summoned the storm that tore apart the sacred ground."
The revelation left Xuan Li breathless. He could hardly believe it. "But… I'm just… a nobody. I was rejected by the heavens. They call me trash, unworthy…"
He trailed off, his voice trembling. Memories of the jeers, the disdainful looks, and the shame washed over him, threatening to suffocate his spirit. His shoulders slumped, and he lowered his gaze. "I'm nothing like you, Veldris. I'm not powerful. I'm not wise. I'm not even worthy. The heavens themselves deemed me worthless."
Veldris listened in silence, his expression unreadable. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone sharp and unyielding. "Kid, I don't know what life you've lived or what pain you carry, but one thing is certain. Those blessed by the cosmic origin are far more qualified than any of these so-called heavens you speak of. I see greatness in you, Xuan Li. A potential that even the heavens should fear."
Xuan Li looked up, his heart stirred by Veldris's words. In the depths of his mind, a barrier—one he hadn't even known existed—began to crack. From that crack, a faint light shone through, illuminating possibilities he had never dared to imagine. He felt his own limitations stretch and expand, extending beyond what he'd thought possible.
"But," he murmured, uncertainty still lingering in his voice, "I don't have any spiritual roots."
Veldris fixed him with a piercing gaze and reached out, pressing a single finger to the center of Xuan Li's brow. A wave of warmth and clarity flooded through him, as if his very soul were being examined, layer by layer. After a moment, Veldris withdrew his hand, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"It seems that this dimension," he said slowly, "is governed by another origin—the heavens. And you, my boy, are favored by the cosmic origin itself. To the heavens, you are a threat, a force beyond their control. That is why they rejected you."
Xuan Li felt a surge of energy at Veldris's words. For so long, he had believed the heavens' rejection was proof of his own inadequacy. But now, he saw a new perspective—a glimmer of hope that perhaps his fate was not a curse but a mark of something far greater.
Veldris continued, his voice growing more intense. "It's true that you don't possess the spiritual roots of this world. But the heavens' favor is nothing compared to the power of the cosmic origin. With it, you can rise higher than any being tied to the heavens. Those with heavenly roots may one day look up to you."
Then, without warning, Veldris released his aura, a wave of power so immense it seemed to crush the very air around them. The entirety of the Shen Wu Sect trembled under the sheer weight of his presence, as if acknowledging the arrival of an existence far beyond mortal comprehension. The room itself seemed to darken, as though his energy were a force of nature, a presence that could consume galaxies.
"Hey, kid," Veldris said, his voice resonant and commanding. "Are you willing to become my disciple? I, Veldris, have never trained a disciple before. But I see something in you—something extraordinary. Will you accept me as your master?"
The force of his words settled over Xuan Li like a mantle of destiny. He felt his heart pound with a mix of fear and exhilaration. This was a path he had never dared to dream of, a path that defied the heavens themselves.
With steady resolve, Xuan Li lowered himself onto his knees and bowed deeply. His voice rang out, clear and unwavering. "I, Xuan Li, accept you as my master."
Veldris looked down at him, a rare expression of satisfaction crossing his features. "Then rise, my disciple. From this day forward, you walk a path that will take you beyond the heavens, beyond all limitations."
And so, beneath the silent night sky, Xuan Li took his first step on a journey that would change not only his fate but the fate of the world itself.