It was night. The sky was clear. Stars sparkled like diamonds scattered across velvet. The full moon shimmered bright, casting its light over the serene Sanatan Flame Sect. Peace had returned after the chaos of battle.
Wang Tian stretched. Luo Chen yawned beside him.
"I'm so tired," Luo Chen said in a sleepy tone. "I'm heading to bed."
"Same here," Wang Tian nodded.
Disciples trudged toward their dormitories, exhausted yet content. The elders stood nearby, smiling calmly as they watched the young ones.
Elder Wan, rubbing his eyes, spoke. "I'm off to bed too. Who knows how long this peace will last. Better enjoy it while we can."
Elder Wu nodded silently, and the two of them left.
Elder Liya turned to Lin Shu. "He's right. We should enjoy our peaceful time. After all, a good beauty sleep is important for our health."
Lin Shu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. What if dark circles and wrinkles form?"
Both women suddenly imagined themselves with sagging eyes and tired faces. Horrified, they quickly shook their heads.
"No, no, no!" Elder Liya exclaimed.
They laughed and headed toward their rooms. But just as they reached their doors, Elder Liya paused.
"Wait... where is the Sect Leader? We haven't seen him since a while."
Lin Shu put a hand to her chin, thinking. "Last I also saw him when, he was entering the Gravitational Training Chamber."
Elder Liya's eyes widened. "That was fourteen hours ago! Is he still training?"
Lin Shu hesitated. "I'm not sure. Maybe he went to sleep already."
"Hmm... yeah, you're probably right," Elder Liya replied. They exchanged goodnights and entered their rooms.
---
Outside, the towering structure of the Gravitational Training Chamber stood silent. Suddenly, the gate opened.
Shaurya emerged.
He was shirtless. His eight-pack abs, bulging biceps, sculpted arms—his entire monstrous physique—was drenched in sweat. He breathed heavily, each step down the six steps of the tower like climbing a mountain.
As his foot touched the ground, his body gave in. He collapsed.
The System chimed in.
"You're exhausted because you never train."
Shaurya gathered his strength, stood slowly, and muttered, "This would happen to anyone who trained that hard, under that much pressure, for that long."
He struggled to rise, and then used aerial steps to shoot toward his room. He entered through the window and dropped onto his bed, completely drained.
The System huffed, "Oh come on, Host! Don't act like this. I admit your training was intense, but you can't just—huh?"
Shaurya was already asleep.
"DAMN YOU, LAZY HOST!" the System screamed.
---
Morning.
Shaurya emerged from his room, stretching and yawning. He lay down casually on the couch under the large tree—his usual spot.
In the training ground, disciples were busy training. Elders moved among them, offering guidance.
Shaurya smiled.
"They're growing stronger," he said to himself.
The System popped up. "Good morning, Host."
"Oh! Good morning, my dear Systu."
"If you're free, you can now claim your mission rewards."
Shaurya's eyes lit up. "Rewards? Finally! Give them to me. Hurry!"
"Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission: Protect the Sect from the Queen's Army."
Reward 1: Major Level Up.
Suddenly, Shaurya felt a surge of energy rushing through his veins. A golden aura enveloped him. His eyes turned completely golden.
He stood in a power-up stance—
BOOM!
Shaurya's level jumped from Golden Vein Stage Level 5 to Level 10.
All sect members felt the burst of power. Heads turned toward him.
Xiao Rui's jaw dropped. "Did Master just breakthrough?"
Wang Tian's eyes widened. "Yes... not just a breakthrough. His power skyrocketed."
Shaurya noticed their stares.
He waved casually. "Yo, what's up? I know I'm incredibly attractive and devastatingly handsome, but maybe focus on your training instead of staring at me."
The disciples groaned in unison.
Wang Tian sighed. "Let's just continue training."
Luo Chen added, "Yeah, yeah. Master does something insane and acts like it's nothing."
They returned to training.
Lin Shu watched silently.
Shaurya... what are you? Every time I think I'm starting to understand you, you do something even more unbelievable.
A small smile crossed her lips.
You truly are something else.
She blushed lightly.
Elder Liya noticed her. Her gaze flickered from Lin Shu to Shaurya and back. A knowing smile touched her lips.
"Young people these days... so shy," she murmured.
---
Back under the tree, Shaurya lay down on his couch.
"Wow. I've become more powerful. The Royal Family... I'll bring them to their knees."
The System continued.
Reward 2: 10 Immortal-Level Low-Grade Weapons
Reward 3: 500 Dharma Points
Shaurya's joy multiplied. "These rewards are insane!"
He checked his balance—610 Dharma Points total.
He smiled and summoned the 10 weapons.
"Okay... who should get these?" he said, looking toward the training grounds.
---
Next scene—Shaurya lounged on his couch, sipping a choclate milkshake.
In front of him stood 10 of his core disciples:
Lu Fang
Sheng Lu
Lee Bie
Xiao Rui
Xiao Lian
Su Quan
Xu Ran
Muo Qian
Zong Bu
Chen Fang
Shaurya snapped his fingers. Ten Immortal-Level Low-Grade Weapons floated toward them, one to each.
The disciples were stunned.
Shaurya grinned. "These are your rewards."
Lu Fang: Blue Lightning Blade
Sheng Lu: Orange Flame Spear
Xiao Rui: Jade White Katana
Xiao Lian: Ice Phoenix Sword
Su Quan: Black Double Daggers
Muo Qian: Purple Sword
Lee Bie: Battle Axe
Zong Bu: Grey Rapier
Xu Ran: Black Sword
Chen Fang: Silver War Hammer
"Work hard," Shaurya said. "And you'll get even better rewards."
They bowed deeply. "Yes, Master!"
The ten disciples rushed away, eager to show their new weapons to the others.
Whispers buzzed across the sect.
"Wow... their weapons are amazing!"
"If I work hard, maybe I'll get one too!"
"Yeah, double training from now on!"
Shaurya smiled as he listened to the murmurs.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed.
Ding...
System Notification: New Mission Available.
Shaurya's eyes snapped open.
Ding!
Sect Mission Generated:
Target: Defeat the Iron Mountain Bandits of Demonic Valley
Reward: 10 Million Gold Tales
Shaurya's eyes sparkled instantly, his jaw nearly dropping.
"Ten... million gold tales?!" he gasped, the number echoing in his head like a divine mantra.
Gold coins practically danced in his pupils. His expression resembled that of a man stranded in the desert for a week finally finding a stream of water.
He stretched his neck with a soft crack. "Iron Mountain Bandits, huh? It's gonna be first time facing mountain bandits . I'm way too excited for this!"
Then, he paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hey, Systu, you said 'defeat' them, right? So… I don't actually need to kill them?"
System Notification:
Correct. Your objective is to defeat, not eliminate.
Shaurya folded his arms and tilted his head. "Hmm… Interesting. That means they're not too evil. If they were truly vile, you'd have told me to kill them. So… bad guys, but not monsters. Got it."
The system beeped nervously.
System: "Host… what are you planning? Why are you suddenly scheming?"
Shaurya smiled. Not just any smile—that cunning, smug grin that made the system tremble in binary code.
"Who, me? Plan something cunning?" Shaurya asked innocently. Then, pressing his cheeks with both index fingers and blinking rapidly, he added in a sugar-sweet tone,
"Do I look like the type?"
The system responded with a loud vomit emoji.
"HEY!" Shaurya snapped, his expression switching from fake innocence to genuine irritation. "What's with that reaction?!"
System: Regaining composure...
"Oh, right. One more thing. You only have five hours to complete the mission."
Shaurya blinked. "…What."
System: Current time remaining: 4 hours 50 minutes.
Shaurya let out a strained smile. "Five... HOURS?! How could you forget something THAT important!?"
Cracking his knuckles, he turned on his heel and shouted at the top of his lungs, "EVERYONE, LISTEN UP!"
Disciples paused mid-training, startled, and looked at their Sect Master.
"GATHER!" Shaurya commanded.
Within moments, the training ground was filled with neat lines of disciples, all awaiting his word.
Shaurya's voice was firm, serious now. "We're heading to the Demonic Beast Valley. All disciples at Foundation Builder Level 6 or higher—prepare for departure. The rest of you stay back and continue your training under the guidance of the elders."
—
Scene Shift:
Standing tall at the entrance of the ominous Demonic Beast Valley, Shaurya looked ahead with determination in his eyes.
Beside him stood Lin Shu and seventy elite disciples, all donned in sect robes and armed with high-grade weapons.
The valley roared with eerie energy, hiding unknown threats deep within.
Shaurya raised his arm and said with a commanding tone, "Let's move. Stay alert. Protect yourselves—and your comrades."
The disciples all nodded in unison, eyes blazing with resolve, as they stepped forward toward the valley's shadows.
To be continued...