Chapter 2: The Hunger of the Void
Age: 3 Months
Being a baby is humiliating.
There is no other way to describe it. I, who once sat on a throne made of stars, I, who made the Multiverse tremble with a single chord of my zither, am currently stuck in a crib, staring at a spinning mobile of wooden ducks.
'Ria,' I projected my thought, my mental voice heavy with boredom. 'If this wooden duck spins one more time, I am going to erase it from existence.'
Inside my Soul Sea, the Dragon Queen laughed. It was a musical sound, like wind chimes in a storm.
"Patience, my little Destroyer," Ria teased. "Your motor functions aren't developed enough to erase a dust mite, let alone a toy. Besides, your mother seems to think you like it."
As if on cue, my mother, Lady Elena, leaned over the crib. She was a beautiful woman with gentle eyes and a cultivation base at the Sky Realm. She tickled my stomach.
"Who's a cute little dragon? Is it Rudra? Yes, it is!"
I stared at her with a deadpan expression. 'Woman, I am older than the concept of your ancestors.'
But, playing the part, I let out a small gurgle. It made her happy.
"He's so well-behaved," she sighed, adjusting my blanket. "He never cries. He just… watches."
She placed a glowing green stone—a High-Grade Spirit Jade—next to my pillow. "This will help keep your body warm and healthy, my love. Sleep well."
She kissed my forehead and left the room.
Finally. Silence.
'Status report,' I commanded.
"Your meridians are soft," Ria reported, her tone turning professional. "But your Supreme Yang Body is hungry. You need energy to start the foundational tempering. Mother's milk is nutritious, but it contains no Qi."
I looked at the green Spirit Jade next to my head. To a normal cultivator, this stone would last a month. It was meant to slowly leak beneficial energy to a baby.
To me? It looked like a cookie.
I awkwardly rolled over onto my side—a monumental effort for a three-month-old—and placed my tiny hand on the jade.
'Technique: Heaven-Devouring Sutra. First Form: Sip.'
I didn't use the violent devouring method I would use on enemies later. I used a gentle suction.
Hummm.
The green jade flashed. A stream of pure, verdant energy flowed from the stone, through my palm, and into my tiny arm.
It felt like fire. My baby veins bulged slightly.
"Careful," Ria warned. "Don't burst a vessel."
'I have perfect control,' I retorted.
I guided the energy not to my Dantian (which was too fragile), but to my Bones.
In my past life as the War God, I knew that true strength starts in the marrow. I began to refine my infant skeleton. The Qi washed over my ribs, my spine, and my tiny legs, turning the soft cartilage into something denser, harder.
Crack. Snap.
Micro-fractures appeared and healed instantly. It was painful. Extremely painful. Most babies would be screaming in agony.
I didn't blink. I had endured the fires of hell in my third life. This was nothing more than an itch.
Five minutes later.
The glowing green jade was now a pile of grey dust.
I exhaled a puff of turbid, grey air—the impurities from my body. I felt stronger. My grip strength had probably tripled. If a normal adult put their finger In my hand now, I could probably break it.
"You ate the whole thing," Ria noted. "Your mother is going to be confused."
'Let her be confused. I need more.'
Suddenly, the door creaked open. It was the nanny, a young girl named Mei. She came to check on me.
She looked into the crib. She froze.
She saw me, awake, looking at her with eyes that were far too intelligent for a baby. And she saw the pile of grey dust on the pillow where the indestructible Spirit Jade used to be.
" The… the Jade?" Mei whispered, trembling. "It crumbled?"
She reached out to touch the dust.
I decided to test my new strength. I reached out and grabbed her finger.
Squeeze.
"Ow!" she yelped, yanking her hand back. She looked at her finger. It was red, almost bruised. She looked at me in horror/awe.
"Patriarch! Madam!" she screamed, running out of the room. "The Young Master! He… He crushed the Spirit Stone!"
I sighed and rolled back onto my back.
'Great. Now they're going to make a fuss.'
"You love the attention," Ria said.
'I love resources,' I corrected. 'If they think I'm a genius, they'll bring me better stones. I'm still hungry.'
My stomach growled. Not for milk. For power.
This was going to be a very expensive childhood for the Ye Clan.