The northern lands of Bharat-division were barren. Spiritual energy, once abundant, had long since thinned into a whisper of its former glory. Great sects had withered into shadows of their past, and only a few ashrams clung stubbornly to survival.
Among them was the Tapovan Ashram. On the surface, it was a declining school of cultivation, known only for a Dharma Phase ancestor who had not appeared in decades. No one in the wider world suspected that within its deepest grounds, hidden beyond layers of seals, ancient sages lay in slumber—injured, forgotten, and waiting.
In a quiet courtyard of Tapovan, a young man sat cross-legged.
His name was Arjun Dev.
Though outwardly he appeared calm, his mind was far from peaceful. Before his eyes floated a translucent panel of golden light—something no one else could see.
Ashram System Activated.
Binding successful.
Arjun's brows twitched. Another strange destiny…
The panel shifted, lines of glowing script unfolding before him.
[Reward]: Supreme Prana Technique
[Task]: Teach a disciple a cultivation method that leads to immortality.
[Reward]: Legacy of a Divine Alchemist
[Task]: Assist a disciple in becoming an alchemist.
Arjun almost laughed aloud. Rewards first… then the task? What kind of upside-down system is this?
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
"System… no, my adoptive father. If you wish to bestow treasures freely, you need only say so."
As if in answer, waves of knowledge surged into his mind. His meridians trembled, his Prana stirred. The Supreme Prana Technique settled into his soul as though it had always belonged there. At the same time, complex alchemical formulas bloomed in his consciousness—the inheritance of a Divine Alchemist.
Arjun slowly opened his eyes. They gleamed with new light, calm yet deep as a still river.
"Interesting…" he murmured. "If this system wishes me to gather disciples, then so be it. But disciples are not so easily chosen. The fate of guru and student is written by destiny itself."
Far away, bells echoed across the mountain. Tapovan Ashram's Disciple Recruitment Ceremony was about to begin.
Arjun rose from his meditation, his robes fluttering gently as though stirred by an unseen wind. His first steps into destiny awaited.
And unknown to him, the disciples he would soon accept… would one day shake the heavens.