Li Yu sat in his courtyard and continued to enjoy the tea he had made. The jungle was usually a cacophony of screeching insects and prowling predators. A symphony of life and death that never ceased for even a moment.

But tonight the jungle was silent and eerily still.

The silence had started at the perimeter of the valley and rolled inward like a wave. The giant hawk moths stopped buzzing. The distant roar of the panther beasts cut off mid-growl. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, the heavy leaves of the ferns freezing in place.

Li Yu didn't reach for his bamboo staff. He simply lifted his teacup and took a calm sip.

"You are heavy," Li Yu spoke to the empty air. "The temperature is dropping so quickly with you here. My tea is cooling down."

Above the canopy the stars were blotted out. Not by clouds but by a physical presence that coiled through the sky like a living river.

A massive head lowered through the trees. It was the Azure Dragon. Even with its giant size there, it seemed like no one else noticed it. ‘It must have some special technique or ability that allows it to be there but with no one being able to see it unless it wants to be seen’ Li Yu thought.

It was immensely long and its body covered in azure-blue scales that crackled with the raw energy of a thunderstorm. Its whiskers trailed like rivers of silk and its eyes glowed with the intensity of lightning strikes . It radiated an aura of primal wood, wind and storm. It’s size and shape reminded Li Yu of his own Koi martial spirit.

"You speak casually to a much more powerful being, little cultivator. Some have called me a god and while I am not, it does have a nice ring to it." The entity rumbled. The voice didn't simply just move the air; it vibrated the whole surrounding area, a sound like distant thunder rolling over the hills.

"I speak casually to everyone," Li Yu replied, setting down his cup. "It saves time and complexity. Would you like some tea? Though I’m afraid my cup is too small for a Dragon."

The massive beast lowered its head until it was hovering just above the courtyard. Its breath smelled of ozone, rain and surprisingly crushed pine needles.

"I remember you," the Dragon said, its voice echoing in Li Yu’s mind. "You are the gnat from when we closed the rifts here. The one who attacked and angered the Anti-Duplex. Yet somehow received a token from it. You were also there when Viridus was injured. Our paths seem to keep crossing."

The lightning-filled eyes narrowed and were focusing on the small human.

"I saw you weep for your home," the Dragon continued. "I saw you stand before the Qilin. But now... you smell different. You smell of broken rules… Space. Life blooming. Destruction rotting. And so much more… just what is this...."

"I came here because I sensed law fluctuations and with the recent trouble across the lands I had to investigate. How?!" the Dragon demanded. "How does a gnat lift the mountain of the Laws? Void. Life. Destruction. Soul... Karma.... Even TIME?!. These are the peaks of the mountain and you have not even learned to walk the foothills."

Li Yu looked up at the Azure Dragon. He had met them all before but had spoken the most to Viridus and just recently the Tortoise, Fox and Phoenix. He had then received gifts from the Phoenix and Fox after the tragedy. It seemed the Lord of Storms here because of his recent study and comprehension into the laws.

"The gnat, as you call me, didn't try to lift the mountain," Li Yu said simply. "The gnat just learned where the mountain wanted to move and got out of the way."

The Dragon pulled back slightly, a rumble of amusement shaking the ground. It then shrunk down until its massive body was now inside Li Yu’s courtyard. This made conversation much easier.

"Clever. But cleverness does not explain the scent of the Void on you. Or the taste of Destruction. And the others."

"I am Sylus, young boy. It is an honor for many to even know of my name. That honor is now yours as well. I am also known as the Storm Sovereign. I guard the pulse of the winds. And you, boy, are disrupting my air currents."

"I apologize," Li Yu said. "I am merely training. I have a long road ahead of me and my enemies are... significant."

"Enemies," Sylus scoffed, a bolt of static jumping between his antlers. "Mortals always have enemies. Sects fighting over resources. Kings fighting over borders. It is a petty noise. I know all about your grudge with the Seven Fears. I was there that day too, but they are not easy opponents that you can be so casual about it."

The silence that followed was heavy. It wasn't the silence of nature this time; it was the silence of a vacuum before a thunderclap. The amusement vanished from the Dragon's eyes, replaced by a cold terrifying rage. The wind in the valley picked up instantly, whipping Li Yu’s robes around him. The Law of Storms that radiated from the beast twisted into something sharp and dangerous.

"They are my enemies as well!" Sylus roared, "If they were so easy to get rid of, we would have done it long ago. Do not speak of them so lightly."

"I do not speak it lightly," Li Yu said and he didn’t seem at all affected by the pressure radiating off Sylus. His voice was steady despite the crushing pressure. "I WILL hunt them. They took so many important things from me. And they threaten my future with their existence. I WILL kill them, it is just a matter of time."

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The Dragon stared at him for a long, agonizing minute but Li Yu was unbothered. He continued to sip on his tea as though he was by himself. Then the pressure finally receded. Sylus let out a sigh that sounded like a gale force wind settling down.

"You hunt the Nightmares," Sylus murmured. "You are either the bravest soul I have met in ten thousand years or the most foolish. A naive boy that doesn’t know the enormity of the world."

"Probably the latter. Li Yu admitted. “But that’s the privilege of those that do not know. They think anything is possible. Unlimited possibilities and dreams. I already swore to the heavens that I will kill them and I shall!" As Li Yu finished his killing intent exploded out of his body. It didn’t have the demonic aura of before, he was in total control.

The killing intent was even more terrifying than back when he found out his home was destroyed. It was now layered with several different laws and the one that shone the most in this aura was of course Destruction. His killing intent took on physical form and actually leveled the entire area around them. The courtyard, hut and surrounding trees and shrubs were destroyed, no they were erased.

“This is insane! How is this possible for you?!” Sylus roared as his own natural aura kept the killing intent away. However, he noticed that his aura was being eaten away by the killing intent, it was being corroded by the laws of destruction and “Time?! You have this kind of control over time laws already?! HOW?!” He roared even louder.

As quickly as his killing intent came out, it quickly retreated. Then something even more amazing happened. The destroyed courtyard, trees, shrubs and hut reappeared. Where they were erased from existence as his killing intent rolled out, they came back as his killing intent retreated.

A stunned Sylus looked around at the area and what had just happened. “What in the world are you?” a low whisper now replaced his usual loud voice.

“I am Li Yu, the one who will make the Seven Fears beg for death before I truly torture them!” Li Yu responded with a confident but strained voice. What happened just now took a toll on his body and mind. He hadn’t intended for it to happen like that but as it happened he was able to control it. His understanding of his abilities grew.

After a long silence between them, Li Yu sat back down and continued to sip on his now restored cup.

"I know them," the Dragon said, its voice filled with melancholy. "I know their stench. During the Great War... before the barriers were sealed... they came. They do not conquer, boy. They undo and destroy. And there is clearly someone who sent them and controlled them but we don’t know who or what those beings are."

The Dragon looked away and was gazing at the moon through the canopy.

"I had a close friend once. A human cultivator. A genius of the Sword Dao who wielded the wind like a brother. We fought side by side against the incursions."

"He had to face one of them. The Howling Scorn. It is a creature of wind and blades, a corruption of the very element I command. My friend didn't just die in battle. He was... dismantled and disgraced by them.”

“His wind was stolen, his breath taken from his lungs until he was nothing but a husk. I watched my friend suffocate in the open air but could not help him at the time, try as I might. I have hated them ever since. But I am bound to this continent and they hide in the shadows between worlds. We still don’t know where they truly are."

Li Yu nodded solemnly. "Then we share a grudge. I intend to make them pay for every life they have stolen."

Sylus looked back at Li Yu. The lightning eyes assessed him again. It seemed to be seeing past the flesh, past the cultivation base and looking directly at the intent.

"You are beginning to wield Laws that you should have no business even knowing," Sylus noted. "And you have the audacity to peer even into the top powers of the laws. Perhaps... perhaps you are not just a gnat. The Qilin, the Fox, and the Phoenix have already given you precious gifts. I can smell their essence in you."

The Dragon lowered its head again.

"I will join them and give you an even greater gift. I look forward to the day where we BOTH join together and tear those seven apart."

Sylus opened his massive maw. A sphere of swirling azure and green light floated out. It wasn't simple Qi; it was condensed wind, wood and the strongest was the chaotic power of the storm.

"This is the Heart of the Azure Storm," Sylus rumbled. "It contains a portion of my unique qi and my very essence. If you are weak, the wind within it will tear your meridians apart. If you are strong... it will make you swift as the lightning and sturdy as the ancient oak."

The sphere drifted toward Li Yu and he didn't hesitate at all. He stood up and placed his hand on the sphere.

Whoosh.

The Koi martial spirit activated at once but the absorption wasn't gentle. It was like opening a floodgate. The azure energy rushed into his meridians. His Koi martial spirit aura grew and exploded outwards as it used its power to absorb. It opened its mouth to swallow the torrent. His Abyssal Leviathan Physique roared into life as well, its cells drinking the vitality like a man dying of thirst.

Usually, receiving this kind of gift from a Guardian Beast would require days of meditation to refine. Even a Divine Transformation expert would need to be careful and make sure it was a capable qi and essence.

But Li Yu’s body was a bottomless pit. The threads of the Law of Life he had been studying vibrated, acting as a guide for the energy. The azure light didn't clash with his body or his Ocean of Qi, it integrated instantly.

His skin glowed azure. Arcs of tiny lightning danced across his fingers. Then, it returned to normal. He was now sweating but was smiling. He could feel his body growing stronger. Eventually a small puff of ozone smoke came out.

"Thank you," Li Yu said, patting his stomach. "That was refreshing. Tasted like rain and mint."

Sylus blinked. The massive Dragon pulled back and was once again genuinely startled even though he was informed of Li Yu’s abilities from the other three.

"You... you ate it? Already? Just like the others said..."

"My constitution is a bit unique," Li Yu explained apologetically. "I process things quickly. And I have... help inside."

"Unique," Sylus muttered. "You are a freak of nature. No wonder you are able to comprehend laws already."

The Dragon began to rise and grew back to its original size. It was coiling back up toward the sky.

"Train, Li Yu. The Seven Fears are not like the beasts of this world. They do not follow our logic. If you wish to kill them, you must be more than a cultivator. You must be an inevitability."

"If you survive and make it to the realm after Divine Transformation, forget about talking to Viridus about this. Come directly to me and we shall go on the slaughter! HAHAHA"

With a final crack of thunder, the Azure Sovereign vanished into the night sky, leaving the valley silent once more.