The courtyard was quiet, lit only by the soft flicker of lanterns hanging from old ropes. Most disciples had retired for the night, their energy spent from training and sparring.
But Zeravon sat awake beneath the tree.
Yu Zhen had gone to sleep after a few warm words and casual chatter. He'd offered Zeravon a spot in his group of training companions for the morning.
> "We're all a little weird here," Yu Zhen had said with a shrug. "But we move forward together."
Now, alone, Zeravon stared at his open palm.
> *No flame.*
> *No Qi.*
> *No memory.*
> *And yet… I feel like I've held stars in this hand.*
He curled his fingers shut.
> *"Not yet."*
---
**Next Morning – Training Yard**
Yu Zhen waved from the center of the field.
Three others stood beside him — disciples who seemed friendly but focused.
> "Zeravon! Over here!"
He approached slowly, bowing politely.
Yu Zhen grinned. "Everyone, this is Zeravon. He's new but quiet. Strong in strange ways."
> "Like a sleeping cat," one girl laughed.
> "Or a monk who forgot how to punch," another added.
Zeravon smiled slightly. "That's accurate."
The group began with synchronized Qi breathing — a basic cycle technique. Zeravon copied them with ease, his body flowing almost naturally into the right stances.
But his **Qi didn't move.**
No pulse.
No hum.
Just… silence.
---
**Meanwhile — A Balcony Above the Training Ground**
Instructor Wei stood with arms crossed, observing.
> "Still nothing," he murmured. "His Qi refuses to flow."
> "Yet his body obeys cultivation rhythm flawlessly…"
He didn't understand it.
And that made Zeravon dangerous.
---
**Midday – Shadow Sparring**
Each disciple paired up for practice. No techniques. Just movement and pressure — a method to sharpen reaction and positioning.
Yu Zhen faced Zeravon.
> "Don't worry. I'll go easy," he said playfully.
Zeravon nodded.
As they circled each other, Zeravon began to notice things.
Yu Zhen's foot placement. The way his left shoulder tensed before a feint. The slight shift in his breath before a strike.
> *He's slower than the others.*
> *But cleaner. Precise.*
Yu Zhen attacked — Zeravon dodged without thinking.
Another strike — parried smoothly.
Then… Zeravon stepped forward.
**One clean palm**.
Not full power. Not even Qi-supported.
But it touched Yu Zhen's shoulder and shifted his stance entirely.
Yu Zhen stumbled, blinking.
> "…Whoa. That was real," he said with a smile. "You've got natural talent. We just need to wake it up."
Zeravon lowered his hand, silent again.
But inside, he felt **something stir**.
A ripple.
Small. Faint.
But the first sign of **his own Qi trying to respond.**
---
**Night – Outer Quarters**
Ren Kuo leaned against a wall, arms crossed, watching from afar.
> "That quiet one's weirder than I thought," he muttered.
Jia Sun scoffed. "He still lost."
Ren didn't reply. His eyes followed Zeravon as he walked back under the moonlight, his movements calm and steady.
> "I don't think he cares about winning."
> "But one day… he will."
---
**Far Above — Heaven's Scroll of Probabilities**
The golden scroll stirred again.
But this time… something moved **outside** the scroll.
A shimmer.
A crack in **prediction** itself.
The Heavenly Dao noticed.
> "Something that should not cultivate… is beginning to learn."
> "He still does not awaken his truth…"
> "But he has begun to walk the path."
---
**Back in Zeravon's Room**
He sat again, cross-legged.
The same pose every disciple used.
But tonight… the air around him changed slightly.
The **Qi around him moved**, like air disturbed by breath.
Faint.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
> *"I will learn."*
> *"Even if I begin as nothing."*
> *"Even if I never remember."*
He closed his eyes.
And for the first time since his arrival—
**A single thread of Qi entered his body.**
No one noticed it.
No bells rang.
No visions came.
But a path had opened.
And **Zeravon had finally begun to cultivate.**
---