One Month Later
The scene opens with a majestic view of a royal castle, basking in golden sunlight. Its intricate towers and towering walls shimmer like treasure beneath the radiant sky.
The atmosphere is regal…
Yet heavy with tension.
Suddenly—
CRASH!
The sharp sound of porcelain shattering breaks the silence.
A finely decorated cup smashes against the marble floor, scattering fragments across the hall.
A middle-aged woman, dressed in magnificent royal robes that radiate authority and elegance, stands with fury burning in her eyes. Her clenched fists tremble with rage.
"Lu Fang, that damn bastard!" she roars.
"He dared to trick me!"
Before her, a holographic image flickers to life.
It shows Shaurya, smiling confidently beside Lu Fang.
The faint glow of the projection illuminates her enraged face before fading into darkness.
The image is a fragment of soul memory, belonging to one of the spies who accompanied Lu Fang but died during the confrontation.
Her voice lowers, dripping with venom.
"Sanatan Flame Sect…"
"I believe I've heard of it."
A soldier kneels before her, lowering his head respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the Queen. That sect is currently one of the strongest within our kingdom. It was the same sect that destroyed the Lin-Gu Family."
The Queen slowly raises an eyebrow.
A sinister smile curls across her lips.
"So this damned sect destroyed the Lin-Gu Family and crippled my alliance…"
"And now they killed my subordinates and allowed that wretched brat Lu Fang to join their sect?"
"They are truly testing my patience."
Her voice becomes icy cold.
"I suppose… our kingdom does not need such a sect anymore."
A chilling laugh echoes through the chamber.
"Deliver my message to General Chu Kang."
"Lead the army—no matter how large it must be—and destroy the Sanatan Flame Sect."
"Leave no one alive."
"Not a single soul."
"Hahahahaha!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the soldier replies immediately.
The Queen slowly turns back toward the fading holographic image.
Her eyes lock onto Shaurya's smiling face.
"Lu Fang… oh Lu Fang…"
"You dared to trick me."
"Now go to hell."
"Hahahahahaha!"
---
Scene Shift — Sanatan Flame Sect
The atmosphere changes completely.
Warm sunlight shines across the Sanatan Flame Sect.
Shaurya lounges comfortably in a wide chair beneath a large umbrella, shielding himself from the bright sun.
Wearing his signature sunglasses, he lazily sips fresh coconut water while watching his disciples train in the distance.
They clash fiercely in intense sparring matches, their determination visible in every strike.
"Wow," Shaurya says proudly.
"My disciples are doing great."
His gaze shifts toward Lu Fang, who is also training intensely.
The former prince moves with surprising talent and determination.
Shaurya nods approvingly.
"He's got great potential."
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoes inside his mind.
The System appears.
[System: Well… do you have any shame? Your disciples are sweating their hearts out while you sit here relaxing.]
Shaurya chuckles.
"System, you always forget something."
"I was born shameless."
[System: sigh At least don't be lazy in front of your disciples. They see you as their role model.]
Shaurya groans as he stands and stretches.
"Tch… Systu, you never let me rest."
[System: I'm not here to argue today.]
[System: I came to warn you.]
[System: If you plan to relax, forget about it.]
Shaurya removes his sunglasses and stores them inside his ring.
"What do you mean by that?"
[System: The Queen has discovered the truth about Lu Fang.]
[System: She is furious.]
[System: She has dispatched her army to destroy your sect.]
Shaurya's eyes widen.
"What?!"
The system window appears.
---
[Legendary-Level Mission Initiated]
Objective:
Protect the Sanatan Flame Sect and defeat the Queen's army.
Rewards:
• Major Level Up
• 10 Immortal-Level Low-Grade Weapons
• 500 Dharma Points
---
A bright smile spreads across Shaurya's face.
"As always, your rewards are very generous, System."
"That means the threat must be serious."
"But I—Sect Master of the Sanatan Flame Sect—am ready for any challenge."
He grabs a loudspeaker and turns toward the training field.
"My dear disciples and sect members!"
"Gather immediately!"
Within moments, the entire sect gathers in the arena—including all four elders.
Elder Wu steps forward.
"What is the matter, Sect Leader?"
Lin Shu follows with concern.
"Is something urgent?"
Shaurya's tone becomes serious.
"Yes."
"This announcement is extremely important."
"A powerful threat is approaching our sect."
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"A threat again?"
"But didn't we face one just a few months ago?"
"Well… powerful sects always attract enemies."
Wang Tian smirks.
"Looks like I finally get to test my strength."
Luo Chen grins.
"This time I'll defeat more opponents than anyone."
Shaurya smiles at their confidence.
Then he clears his throat.
"Listen carefully."
"We are not facing a rogue sect or minor clan."
"This time…"
"We are fighting the Royal Family."
The courtyard falls silent.
Lu Fang's eyes widen.
"So the Queen discovered I tricked her…"
Xiao Rui frowns.
"But we eliminated everyone who came with you."
"How did she find out?"
Lu Fang thinks carefully.
"Probably a Soul Memory Artifact."
"She must have used it on the dead spies."
"Even if we killed them secretly, the artifact could reveal the truth."
Shaurya nods.
"Correct."
"The Queen now knows everything."
"She also knows we destroyed the Lin-Gu Family—her allies."
"The grudge is deep."
"And the attack will be brutal."
"The royal army will arrive in three days."
Then Shaurya suddenly smiles.
"So for the next two days, we will undergo extremely intense training."
"And on the third day, we relax with light training."
The disciples nod with determination.
"Head to the Gravity Training Chamber!" Shaurya commands.
The disciples rush toward the chamber.
Shaurya turns toward the elders.
"You guide them."
They nod.
Lin Shu lingers behind briefly.
"Do you really think we can win against the royal palace?"
Shaurya grins.
"Of course."
"Soon our sect won't just defeat the Royal Family."
"We'll take over the palace itself."
"The future of our sect will shine brightly."
Lin Shu raises an eyebrow.
"So you only hope?"
"No confidence?"
Shaurya chuckles.
"No one has seen the future."
"All we can do is hope…"
"That the future bends to our will."
Lin Shu nods and walks toward the training chamber.
The elders split into different levels.
• 1st Level — Elder Wu & Elder Wan with outer disciples
• 2nd Level — Elder Liya and main disciples
• Lin Shu joins them
Shaurya smiles before walking toward the 3rd Level.
Elder Liya watches him enter.
"The Sect Leader is training in the third level."
"He's pushing himself."
Wang Tian grins.
"Looks like this battle will be intense if Master is getting serious."
Lin Shu nods.
"Then we all need to get serious."
Training begins.
---
Inside the Third-Level Chamber
The moment Shaurya enters—
The pressure crashes onto him like a collapsing mountain.
40× gravity.
He instantly collapses onto the floor.
"What?!"
"Forty times gravity?!"
"How did it jump from 20× to 40× on the third level?!"
The system displays a chart.
---
Gravity Training Levels
1st Level — 10×
2nd Level — 20×
3rd Level — 40×
4th Level — 60×
5th Level — 85×
6th Level — 100×
7th Level — 110×
8th Level — 125×
9th Level — 150×
---
Shaurya stares at the chart in disbelief.
"What the hell is this?!"
"The numbers are completely random!"
"There's no symmetry!"
[System: What did you expect?]
[System: That it would increase by only 10× each level?]
Shaurya groans.
"Of course anyone would assume that!"
"There's a logical progression to these things!"
"You can't just increase gravity randomly!"
[System: Of course I can.]
Pinned helplessly beneath the crushing gravity, Shaurya screams in frustration.
"You damn systemmmmm!!"
To be continued…