The morning air around Xeurious’s home was unnaturally quiet.

  It wasn’t a grand palace or a fortress like Dago expected. Instead, it was a calm stone residence standing alone near a cliff overlooking endless mountains. The wind carried a strange energy through the area, as if the land itself recognized the presence of someone far beyond ordinary cultivators.

  Dago stood outside with Kaien and Lyra.

  None of them spoke.

  The memories from the battle were still fresh.

  Manki’s final moment… the attack… the rage that almost consumed Dago.

  And the man who stopped it.

  Xeurious stepped outside slowly.

  His long silver hair moved slightly with the wind, and his calm golden eyes immediately focused on Dago.

  “Come,” he said. “We have much to discuss.”

  They entered the house.

  Inside, the room was simple: wooden floors, large windows, and a table in the center. Xeurious sat down across from them.

  For a few seconds, he simply observed them.

  Then his gaze locked on Dago.

  “You want answers,” Xeurious said.

  Dago clenched his fists.

  “Yeah.”

  Xeurious leaned back slightly.

  “What you carry inside you… is called Dagon.”

  The room felt heavier the moment he said the name.

  Kaien and Lyra exchanged glances.

  Dago didn’t speak.

  Xeurious continued.

  “But if you think it’s just some powerful energy, you’re already misunderstanding it.”

  He tapped the table lightly.

  “Dagon is not destruction.”

  Dago frowned.

  “Then what is it?”

  Xeurious’s eyes sharpened.

  “It is a predator.”

  Silence filled the room.

  “A force that exists to consume power, techniques, and even the essence of battle itself. Every time it clashes with something, it learns from it. Adapts to it. Grows stronger from it.”

  Lyra blinked.

  “So… it gets stronger the more he fights?”

  “Yes,” Xeurious replied.

  “But that’s the problem.”

  His gaze returned to Dago.

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  “If you lose control… it doesn’t stop at your enemies.”

  Dago looked down.

  The memory of his rage during the battle flashed through his mind.

  He remembered the moment when everything went red… when he almost lost himself.

  Xeurious noticed.

  “That was the beginning,” he said calmly.

  Kaien crossed his arms.

  “So you’re saying that thing inside him can take over?”

  “If his will is weaker than it,” Xeurious replied.

  Lyra looked worried.

  “And you… you also have it?”

  Xeurious nodded slightly.

  “Yes.”

  Dago immediately looked up.

  “You said it was split between us.”

  “That’s correct.”

  Xeurious stood up and walked toward the window.

  “The difference is… I learned to control it.”

  He turned back toward them.

  “You have the raw half of Dagon. Untamed. Violent. Hungry.”

  Dago stayed silent.

  “And you?” he asked.

  Xeurious’s expression remained calm.

  “I have the half that refines it.”

  Kaien let out a small whistle.

  “So basically… he’s a walking bomb.”

  “That’s one way to describe it.”

  Dago didn’t like that answer.

  But he didn’t argue.

  Because deep down…

  He knew it was true.

  Xeurious then looked at Kaien.

  “You’re not ordinary either.”

  Kaien raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh?”

  “The energy inside you reacts violently to pressure,” Xeurious said. “Which means your strength increases the more danger you’re in.”

  Kaien smirked.

  “So I get stronger when things get worse.”

  “Correct.”

  Lyra looked curious.

  “And me?”

  Xeurious studied her for a moment.

  “Your ability is control.”

  She tilted her head.

  “Control?”

  “You can manipulate energy flows more precisely than most cultivators. If trained properly, you could dominate entire battlefields.”

  Lyra blinked in surprise.

  “Wait… really?”

  Xeurious nodded once.

  “But abilities alone mean nothing without discipline.”

  He stepped outside.

  “Follow me.”

  The three of them walked out into the open training area behind the house.

  A large stone field stretched across the ground.

  “This will be your training ground,” Xeurious said.

  The next several hours were brutal.

  Xeurious showed them how to sense energy properly.

  How to stabilize their breathing.

  How to move their power through their bodies without letting it explode outward.

  Every time Kaien rushed things, Xeurious knocked him to the ground in seconds.

  Every time Lyra hesitated, he forced her to act faster.

  And every time Dago tried to force his power out—

  Xeurious stopped him immediately.

  “Wrong.”

  Dago wiped sweat from his face.

  “Then how am I supposed to use it?”

  “You don’t force Dagon,” Xeurious replied.

  “You contain it.”

  The sun slowly began to set.

  All three of them were exhausted.

  Kaien collapsed onto the ground.

  “I’m dead.”

  Lyra sat down beside him, breathing heavily.

  Dago was still standing, but barely.

  Xeurious approached him.

  For a moment, he said nothing.

  Then he spoke quietly.

  “Come with me.”

  Dago looked confused.

  “Where?”

  Xeurious turned toward the mountain path leading away from the house.

  “If you’re going to survive what’s coming…”

  He paused slightly.

  “I need to show you how to use a fraction of Dagon’s power.”

  Dago’s eyes widened slightly.

  Xeurious started walking.

  “Don’t fall behind.”

  Dago followed.

  And for the first time…

  He felt that the real training was about to begin.