The early morning drills were already underway when I walked past the sparring grounds.
Lines of disciples moved with rigid precision. Wooden weapons clashed. Bursts of ki flashed in the air. Sweat, grit, repetition. It was a ritual as old as the Acheron Clan itself.
I didn't join them.
Some glanced my way—briefly.
Darius Acheron, firstborn of the main line, heir to the patriarch.
And, in their eyes, a waste of potential.
They weren't entirely wrong.
The clan elders had declared it when I was seven: I possessed the Celestial Root set—a Mythic-tier cultivation root attuned to all six classical elements. Even they had only seen the name in dusty scrolls. Multi-elemental harmony, optimized ki flow, and unparalleled structural alignment. A foundation that should've made me a Tier A cultivator by now.
Instead, I hovered at Tier E.
Not because I couldn't break through—but because I hadn't.
And I hadn't because, frankly, I didn't see the point.
Elara, my cousin, was less forgiving.
"You didn't show up for drills again," she said as I sat near the training wall, watching two younger cousins fumble their forms.
I shrugged. "Didn't feel like sweating today."
"You know what they're saying."
"People always talk," I muttered.
"You're not just another disciple, Darius. You're the direct heir. You have roots cultivators would sell their lives for."
"I know."
"Then why aren't you doing anything with them?"
I paused, then looked at her. "I don't know enough about what I'm dealing with yet."
She blinked.
That wasn't the excuse she expected. And it wasn't a lie.
My roots weren't just high-grade—they were behaving strangely. Changing. Responding to something deep inside me.
Something that woke up a few weeks ago.
The Boundless Nexus.
At the evaluation arena, dozens of clan members gathered to demonstrate their growth. The elders sat above, robed in deep colors, watching with careful eyes. My father, Gregory Acheron, sat in the center—expression unreadable.
"Liam Acheron, step forward."
My cousin stepped into the circle and executed a clean, Tier C technique—structured earth flow, stable footwork, efficient form. The elders nodded.
Then came my turn.
"Darius Acheron."
The courtyard went quiet. Not from awe—but from expectation. And disappointment.
I stepped forward. Calm. Aware of the weight in their eyes.
I didn't perform anything dramatic. Just a smooth dual-channel ki weave—fluid, precise, without resistance.
[Boundless Nexus Active]
— Ki Flow Efficiency: 100%
— Current Tier: E (Initiate)
— Ki Reserve: 261 / 1,000
Cultivation Roots: Celestial Root set (Mythic)
— Affinity: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Metal, Void
— Status: Dormant
— Sync Progress: 53%
— Passive Evolution Detected
Next Evolution Stage:Primordial Bloom (Locked)
Condition: Tier SS + Sync ≥ 75%
Nothing flashy. But no imperfections either.
I bowed slightly and stepped down.
Some elders murmured. Some looked frustrated.
It didn't matter.
The banquet that followed was quieter than usual. I sat in my usual place, beside my father. Protocol, not merit.
"You executed a perfect split-cycle weave," he said, tone neutral. "But no advancement. Again."
"I'm aware."
"You know the consequences if the branch elders begin pressuring succession."
"I do."
He didn't scold me. That wasn't his way. He knew I wasn't dumb—I just wasn't predictable. Or explainable.
I couldn't tell him about the Nexus. I didn't understand it myself.
Back in my quarters, I sat in silence.
Meditating.
Or pretending to.
The Boundless Nexus pulsed faintly in my core—not intrusive, just quietly working. Processing. Measuring.
It wasn't a normal system.
[Boundless Nexus: Host Interface]
— Ki Reserve: 265 / 1,000
— Absorption Rate: +2.6/hr.
— Cultivation Tier: E (Initiate)
— Root Type: Celestial Root set
— Grade: Mythic
— Status: Dormant
— Evolution Detected
Notes:
-Evolution may alter body's energy structure
-Nexus compatibility increasing with root complexity
-External stimuli (combat/stress/environmental flux) may trigger advancement
I read the data for the fifth time.
I didn't pretend to understand all of it. Primordial Bloom? These weren't in any of the clan's manuals.
If even half of it was true, then my cultivation roots weren't just high-tier—they were... unmapped.
But that didn't mean I was special.
It meant I was untested.
And frankly, I didn't like testing things blind.
The only smart move now was observation. Accumulate ki. Monitor evolution. Compare data. Stay quiet.
People in the clan thought I was lazy.
That was fine.
Let them.
I'd rather be underestimated than targeted too early.
Because once these roots evolve, everything changes.
And when that time comes...
I'll be ready.
Not to "break reality"—that's melodramatic nonsense.
But maybe... to understand it better than anyone else ever has.