The five great paths

It had been several millennia since life forms were created by the Heavens and had been living in the universe Ven. Though they had honed their skills in hunting and killing, they still had not found a way to get stronger, even with the obscured laws. Ven was starting to lose hope in the life forms inhabiting it, but the Heavens seemed to be waiting patiently, as if expecting something.

The eyes of the Heavens could see more than what was on the surface, and it saw something brewing in the life forms in the universe.

Countless years later, it found a target in which it could feel the laws converging and warping. This life form was a human male. He was a king's advisor and a renowned scholar in the lands known for his stories, poems, and study on the world. He was currently 51 years old and seemed close to death, but the universe could sense something brewing in him. The old man lay on an old chair in a simple cottage in the woods. He stared at the flames as if entranced by them. His eyes were getting murkier by the hour, as if signifying his imminent death. His breaths grew weaker by the second, but he did not struggle or worry; he just stared at the flames. Suddenly, he let out a hurried breath; his eyes seemed to gain the passion of youth, and the way he looked at the flames seemed more fanatic and hurried. "I understand! I understand the truth of flames is before me! I can see it! I can see it all!" he shouted with excitement. Though the man did not realize it, the Heavens had started to support his dying body, returning it to peak form when the man started shouting. The man could not sense it, but the Heavens could see it; the law of flames seemed to be growing around the man, wrapping around him. The man was close to achieving a never-before-seen power, and the Heavens were watching with excitement. The man looked at the flame with fervor and continued to watch it. A day later, the flames died, but the man still stared at the wood where the flame burned. "The flames are everywhere," he whispered, "they only need a key to ignite it." He whispered the words softly. The words seemed to unlock something within him as the man gasped with ecstasy. His mind, which had been sharp since youth and tempered with old age, felt new. He felt as if his thoughts were shackled before, and now he was free. Everything seemed clearer; he could understand everything more clearly than before. He also felt a brewing warm energy inside him; it resembled the warmth of the flames he watched. The man's name was Albert Nether, the first Mage, the creator of the Mage path, and the first Tier 8 Mage.

The second life form to catch the heavens' attention was found a few years later. This life form was a demon. Their race was known for their red, grey, or purple skin, their unique horns, and their enhanced physiques. The demon in question was a simple village hunter who had a weird quirk of preferring to fight with his feet. He stood now, kicking a tree with his legs; it was a simple training exercise everyone performed, but he expected more results from this training than others. No one judged him for this as they thought it was just his youth, and he would lose this when he matured. The young demon did mature, but he did not lose his obsession with producing a kick that defied common sense or was stronger than anyone; the obsession only festered and grew within him. Day by day, he trained his kick, contemplated a way to grow stronger, and trained his legs. His effort was not for naught as he did grow in his mastery usage of his kicks to the point where one of his kicks was enough to knock down three trees, but this did not satisfy him. One day, he was broken from his training by an invasion from a neighboring tribe. He was made to lead his village against the neighboring tribe as he was the strongest. In that battle, he killed 50 warriors by himself, and they all died with one kick from him. This caught the attention of the chief of the opposing tribe; he ordered his men to shoot arrows at his legs, hoping to cripple him so he could be easily killed. The warriors did not manage to cripple his legs, but the damage from the arrows was enough to severely injure him. "Fuck! Those barbarians really know how to play fair," he said. He pulled out the arrows from his body and prepared for his next opponent. A grey-skinned demon ran toward him with an axe held above his head ready to swing down. The demon did not say anything when faced with this opponent; he just took a deep breath and swung his leg in a roundhouse kick aiming to take down the axe demon. His full concentration was on the kick, making sure it was perfectly timed and well aimed. He could see his leg slowly approaching the demon's head; he could see that his choice was correct and he only needed to wait a millisecond. The moment passed, and a squishing sound was heard. The axe demon's eyes were wide in shock, and his body limp. The demon's foot was halfway into his brain, and blood was spewing out. The demon looked in shock at what he had done; usually, they died due to the force on the neck or skull; never had his foot pierced his opponent. "One kick brings death, one kick brings death!" he whispered, then shouted in excitement. He seemed to have gained something unknown to others. When his next opponent came, he kneed him in the head also killing him instantly. The next opponent came, and he killed him in one move but used another leg move. This happened seven more times, each kick unique. The Heavens had been watching this from the start and knew a new path was rising because at the seventh unique kick, he could feel the laws of death flowing into the demon's kick. At the ninth kick, the laws of death stopped flowing into his kicks, and his kicks seemed to produce them by themselves. It recognized a new path was born. Abel the demon became the first Technique path master, the Void Kicker, and the creator of the technique path.

The next life forms to form paths were found a millennium later. It was not only one life form but two. They were twins, half human and half demon. They were male and female. The male was a talented archer who believed the heavens guided his arrows. The female was a swordswoman who revered their adoptive father, a man who stood for the weak and empowered them, a man who could see through lies and a kind man. The twins journeyed together as adventurers and mercenaries. The male grew more distant from normal humans as time went; he grew wiser and sage-like, and his belief in the heavens and its guidance grew. The female gained more popularity with people and gathered a following, spreading her belief in justice. One day, they had encountered an incident where they crossed paths with several slave traders. The incident resulted in them having to kill 30 men alone and freeing a hundred. Though they freed many slaves, the female did not find joy but only found despair. She realized that there were probably many suffering out there like them, and her justice could only reach so far as she was human. The male could only comfort her and give her space for her to resolve her feelings. One day, on their break, the male went to hunt food for them. He ventured into the forest and tracked a deer. He did his usual routine and took his shot, but this time when he took his shot, he saw the look in the deer's eyes. He did not know why, but it made him realize something: the deer he killed is a part of the heavens; everything in the universe is a part of the heavens. That realization made him connect with something omniscient, something omnipotent; he had connected with the heavens. A new path was born from him. The female twin, that day, was contemplating on her ideals and justice. She contemplated the futility of helping one if many just suffered somewhere else. She realized her weakness. This drove her to think about her father, a man she thought could solve all of the world's problems. She thought about how if her father were here, he would have an answer, a way to solve it. As she thought like this, her mind seemed to grow more fanatic in her view of her father, and her idolization of her father grew to an unhealthy point. She stopped thinking about her father as human and started to see him as a God of some sort. In this contemplation, something in her soul broke, and she seemed to fall into a state of soul death, but something stopped it. It was a man surrounded by a divine glow; it was her father. She could see her father slowly piecing her soul together. What she was seeing could not be seen by others, and only the heavens could see it too. The manifestation of her father was not her real father but a being born from her soul. The manifestation slowly brought the pieces of her soul together, then put them towards his heart. The manifestation seemed to glow into a white light and lose the form of her father. The glow then rushed back into her body and merged with her. When the female woke up, she could feel a new power coursing in her veins; it was the power of justice, which she thought her father had. She had created a new path. The twins, Callan and Cassandra, had each created a unique path. Callan became the first Heavenly Child, the first Heavenly Archer anomaly, and the creator of the Heavenly Child path. Cassandra became the first wizard/spirit mage, the first Spirit Supreme Lord Justice God, and the creator of the spirit/wizard path.

As for the fifth path...

With the birth of these paths, the Heavens gathered all the path creators and helped them clearly figure out the extent, rule, and power of each path. The heavens then integrated the path structures into the universe so walking into one of the 5 paths will be easier without guidance. People in Ven will feel a particular feeling or hint when they are stumbling upon their path. The heavens also established the path realms which may have different names but are all the same. Every path has 3 minor realms and 8 major realms. The minor realms serve as a foundation and if you can't breakthrough to the major realms your path is not well established. The heavens also guided people to create cultivation techniques used to guide energy, enhance physique, train soul or mind or help sharpen comprehension or senses. Cultivation techniques are not needed if you have a well-established path but can be used as a boost. The fifth path has no realms and no need for cultivation techniques.