A month had passed.
The scene opens with a majestic view of a royal castle, basking in a golden light that makes its intricate towers and walls shimmer like treasure under the sun. The atmosphere is regal, yet heavy with tension. Suddenly, the sharp sound of a porcelain cup shattering breaks the serenity. A finely decorated cup crashes to the floor, scattering pieces across the marble.
A middle-aged woman, dressed in a stunning royal robe that radiates power and elegance, stands with fury in her eyes. Her clenched fists tremble.
"Lu Fang, that damn bastard!" she roars. "He dared to trick me!"
In front of her, a holographic image flickers to life. It displays Shaurya, smiling confidently beside Lu Fang. The light from the projection casts a faint glow on her enraged face before fading to black. The image, a fragment of a soul memory, belonged to one of the spies who had accompanied Lu Fang but had been killed.
Her voice deepens with malice. "Sanatan Flame Sect? I guess, I've heard of it."
A soldier kneels before her, lowering his head. "Your Majesty the Queen, this sect is currently one of the strongest within our kingdom. It was this sect that destroyed the Lin-Gu family."
The Queen raises a sharp brow. Her lips curl into a sinister smirk. "So, this damned sect destroyed the Lin-Gu family and crippled my alliance. Now they killed my subordinates and let that wretched brat Lu Fang joined thier sect? They're trying to test my patience."
Her voice drops low, dripping with venom. "I suppose we don't need such a sect in our kingdom anymore."
She lets out a chilling, evil laugh. "Have my message delivered 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. Hahahahah!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the soldier replies immediately.
She turns back to the faded holographic image, her gaze fixed on Shaurya's smiling face.
"Lu fang oh ... Lu Fang, you dare to trick me. Now go to hell. Hahahahahaha!"
---
Scene Shift: Sanatan Flame Sect
The atmosphere changes completely. A warm sun shines over the Sanatan Flame Sect. Shaurya lounges comfortably on a wide chair beneath a large umbrella, shielding himself from the sunlight. He dons his signature sunglasses and holds a fresh coconut in hand, sipping lazily while observing his disciples in the distance. They are engaged in intense training battles, clashing with grit and determination.
"Wow," Shaurya remarks with pride, "my disciples are doing great."
He looks over and spots Lu Fang, who is also training hard. Nearby, the former third prince is showing exceptional talent.
"He's got great potential," Shaurya mutters.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rings in his mind. The system appears.
System: "Well, do you have any shame? Your disciples are sweating their hearts out and here you are, just relaxing."
Shaurya chuckles. "System, you always forget—I was born shameless."
System: sighs "At least don't be lazy in front of your disciples. They consider you a role model."
Shaurya stands and stretches with a groan. "Tch, Systu, you never let me rest."
System: "I'm not here to banter today. I came to warn you. If you want to rest, forget about it."
Shaurya removes his sunglasses, slipping them into his storage ring. "What do you mean by that?"
System: "The Queen has discovered the truth about Lu Fang. She is furious. She has dispatched her army to destroy your sect."
Shaurya's eyes widen. "What?!"
System: "Legendary-Level Mission initiated:
Objective: Protect the Sanatan Flame Sect and defeat the Queen's army.
Rewards:
1. Major Level Up
2. 10 Immortal-Level Low-Grade Weapons
3. 500 Dharma Points"
A brilliant smile lights up Shaurya's face. "As always, your rewards are very generous, System. That means the threat must be truly serious. But I, the Sect Master of the Sanatan Flame Sect, am ready for any challenge."
He turns to his disciples and summons a loudspeaker.
"My dear disciples and sect members, gather at once!"
In an instant, the entire sect assembles in the arena, including all four elders.
Elder Wu steps forward. "What's the matter, Sect Master?"
Lin Shu adds, "Is something urgent happening?"
Shaurya's tone turns solemn. "Yes. This announcement is very important. A powerful threat is heading toward our sect."
Gasps ripple through the crowd.
"A threat again?" "But didn't we deal with one just a few months ago?" "Yeah, but strong sects always attract enemies."
Wang Tian smirks. "Looks like I can finally test my powers."
Luo Chen grins. "This time, I'll defeat more opponents than anyone."
Shaurya smiles at their confidence, then clears his throat.
"Listen carefully. We're not facing a rogue sect or a minor clan. We're about to battle the Royal Family."
A stunned silence follows. Lu Fang's eyes go wide. "Looks like the Queen found out I tricked her."
Xiao Rui frowns. "But we killed everyone who came with you. How did she find out?"
Lu Fang thinks hard. "Probably through a Soul Memory Artifact. She must've used it on the spies. Even if we killed them secretly, the artifact would reveal the truth."
Shaurya nods. "Correct. The Queen now knows everything. She also knows we destroyed the Lin-Gu family—her subordinates. So the grudge is deep, and the attack will be brutal. Her army will arrive in three days."
He smiles again. "So, for the next two days, we will undergo super intense training, and on the third day, we'll relax with light training."
The disciples nod in agreement.
"Go to the gravitational training chamber!" Shaurya commands.
The disciples sprint toward the chambers. Shaurya turns to the elders. "You all guide them."
They nod in unison. Lin Shu stays back a moment.
"Do you really think we stand a chance against the royal palace?"
Shaurya grins. "Of course. Soon, our sect will not only defeat the Royal Family—but take over the palace. The future of our sect is going to be bright. I hope so."
Lin Shu raises an eyebrow. "So you only hope? No confidence?"
Shaurya chuckles. "No one has seen the future. We can only hope. That future will go according to our will."
She nods and walks off. The elders enter different levels of the training chamber:
Elder Wu and Elder Wan train with disciples on the 1st level.
Elder Liya joins the main disciples on the 2nd level.
Lin Shu follows them there.
Shaurya smiles at the sight before stepping into the 3rd level himself.
"Sect Leader is heading to the 3rd level," Elder Liya observes. "He's pushing his limits."
Wang Tian grins. "Looks like this battle is going to be intense if Master is getting serious."
Lin Shu nods. "Then we all need to get serious."
The training begins.
Inside the 3rd level chamber, the pressure hits Shaurya like a mountain.
40x gravity.
He stumbles to the ground. "What?! 40x gravity? How did it jump from 20x to 40x on the third level?"
The system pulls up a chart:
1st Level: 10x
2nd Level: 20x
3rd Level: 40x
4th Level: 60x
5th Level: 85x
6th Level: 100x
7th Level: 110x
8th Level: 125x
9th Level: 150x
Shaurya stares. "What the hell is this?! The numbers are random! There's no symmetry!"
System: "What did you think? That it would increase by just 10x each level?"
Shaurya grumbles. "Everyone would assume that! There's a logical order to these things! You can't just add force levels randomly!"
System: with smug arrogance "Of course I can."
Shaurya growls and screams through clenched teeth, still pinned to the floor.
"You damn systemmmmm!!"
To be continued...