Morning arrived quietly.
Yuan Chen finished breakfast without hurry, his movements unhurried as always. Sunlight filtered through the courtyard, casting long shadows across the stone floor. For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful enough that he almost forgot about the system task.
Almost.
He placed his bowl down and looked up at his mother.
"Mother," he said calmly, "I want to go to the Heavenly Steel Monument today."
Lin Yao paused.
Then she frowned slightly.
"That place?" she asked. "I can't accompany you. I'm an elder—appearing there would only cause unnecessary attention."
She thought for a moment, then turned her head.
"Xueyin."
Yuan Xueyin, who had been standing quietly nearby, lifted her gaze.
"Take your brother," Lin Yao said. "Watch over him."
Yuan Xueyin nodded without hesitation. "Alright."
Yuan Chen didn't comment. Having his sister accompany him was… convenient.
Before leaving, Yuan Chen glanced at her once.
Yuan Xueyin's cultivation was calm and restrained, but to anyone with insight, it was terrifying. She stood at the peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm, only a step away from the Dharma Realm. With her Taiyin Body, even cultivators above her level treated her with caution.
Soon, the scenery changed.
The inner clan courtyards gave way to a vast open square paved with ancient stone. At its center stood a towering black monument—cold, heavy, and silent, as if it had been there since the birth of the heavens.
The Heavenly Steel Monument.
It was forged from divine steel fallen from beyond the heavens, immune to spiritual interference. Only pure physical strength could leave a mark upon it.
Around the monument, younger generations of the Yuan Clan had already gathered.
Yuan Chen noticed several of them casually.
Some were loud and confident.
Some stood quietly, eyes sharp with ambition.
Some pretended indifference, though their clenched fists betrayed them.
Above the monument, glowing characters floated in the air—
the Top Ten Rankings.
Heavenly Steel Monument – Top 10 (Foundation Building Realm)
1. Ao Tianlong — True Dragon Clan
Physique: True Dragon Body
Punch Power: 1,000,000 tons
2. Feng Luan — True Phoenix Clan
Physique: Nirvana Phoenix Body
Punch Power: 820,000 tons
3. Kun Beiming — Kunpeng Clan
Physique: Heaven-Soaring Kun Body
Punch Power: 760,000 tons
4. Ji Mo — Jiang Clan
Physique: Overlord Body
Punch Power: 610,000 tons
5. Su Chen — Su Clan
Physique: Ancient Saint Body
Punch Power: 540,000 tons
6. Wu Heng — Wu Clan
Physique: Earth Tyrant Body
Punch Power: 480,000 tons
7. Bai Yan — White Tiger Lineage
Physique: Killing Tiger Body
Punch Power: 420,000 tons
8. Qin Luo — Qin Clan
Physique: Stone Spirit Body
Punch Power: 360,000 tons
9. Luo Feng — Luo Clan
Physique: Wind Spirit Body
Punch Power: 310,000 tons
10. Mu Qing — Mu Clan
Physique: Wood Dao Body
Punch Power: 260,000 tons
Yuan Chen's gaze lingered briefly on the first name.
True Dragon Clan… number one, he thought.
As expected.
At that moment, murmurs spread through the crowd.
"He's here."
"And… that's Yuan Xueyin."
The attention shifted instantly.
Yuan Xueyin's appearance alone was enough to silence most conversations. Cold, composed, and distant—she was already a well-known figure among the Yuan Clan's younger generation.
And beside her—
"Who's that?"
"…Isn't that her little brother?"
"He doesn't look special."
Yuan Chen felt none of it mattered.
He walked calmly, hands behind his back, as if they were merely taking a stroll.
So this is the Heavenly Steel Monument, he thought.
Looks troublesome.
The monument stood silently
The square fell into a strange silence.
Yuan Chen stepped forward.
He stopped in front of the stone table before the Heavenly Steel Monument, his expression calm, almost indifferent. Around him, countless gazes locked onto his back—curious, doubtful, expectant.
Yuan Xueyin stood not far away, her cold eyes fixed on him.
Yuan Chen raised his hand.
At that instant, something changed.
It wasn't spiritual energy.
It wasn't bloodline power.
Deep within his body, something ancient and chaotic stirred. The Chaos Body responded naturally, as if this was the most ordinary thing in the world. Invisible strands of chaotic energy gathered silently around his fist—unruly, formless, yet terrifyingly pure.
No technique.
No stance.
Just a simple punch.
Yuan Chen's fist landed on the Heavenly Steel Monument.
For a heartbeat—
There was no sound.
Then—
BOOM——
A deafening roar erupted, like the world itself was being torn apart. The ground beneath the monument cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern. Space trembled violently, and the sky above the square darkened for a brief instant, as if heaven itself had blinked.The golden light from the Heavenly Steel Monument grew brighter—blinding.
The trembling characters above it shattered and reformed again and again, as if the monument itself was struggling to accept what had just happened.
Then—
The numbers stopped.
A suffocating pressure descended upon the square.
Slowly, ancient golden runes appeared, each one carrying immeasurable authority.
Punch Power: FIFTEEN MILLION TONS
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Fifteen million tons.
That number crushed everyone's understanding like dry leaves. Even the highest-ranked record holders—those with Ancient Saint Bodies and True Dragon Bloodlines—had barely crossed one million.
This wasn't surpassing.
This was erasure.
The Heavenly Steel Monument trembled violently, then released an even deeper, more solemn voice—one that sounded as if it came from the origin of heaven and earth itself.
"Physique Identified."
Golden symbols descended from the sky and engraved themselves into the void.
"Chaos Body."
"Supreme Bone."
"Heavy Pupils."
The moment those words appeared—
The heavens shook.
Ancient seals hidden across the world cracked open.
In countless forbidden lands, old monsters opened their eyes in disbelief.
In the True Dragon Clan, an ancient dragon stood up abruptly, its massive body radiating uncontrollable pressure.
"Impossible… the Chaos Body should not coexist with Supreme Bone."
In the Kun Peng Clan, a shadow murmured coldly,
"And Heavy Pupils on top of that… this is no longer talent—this is destiny."
Back in the square, the Heavenly Steel Monument spoke once more, its voice echoing through the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths:
"Yuan Chen of the Yuan Clan—"
"The Only One."
Those four words struck harder than the punch itself.
Not number one.
Not ranked first.
But—
The Only One through Eternity
A title that erased comparison itself.
At that instant, invisible gazes locked onto Yuan Chen from every direction.
From enemy clans.
From ancient sects.
From forces that had been dormant for tens of thousands of years.
In hidden halls, murderous intent surged.
"The Yuan Clan must not be allowed to keep him."
"Kill him before he grows."
"No matter the cost."
Enemies of the Yuan Clan began to move—quietly, ruthlessly—plans forming one after another, all revolving around a single name.
Yuan Chen.
Meanwhile, the monument announced calmly:
"Reward Granted."
"Three Immortal Elixirs."
"One of the Nine Secrets—Body Secret."
The square finally exploded.
Shock.
Fear.
Awe.
Yuan Xueyin clenched her fingers slightly for the first time in years.
From the shadows, Yuan Clan ancestors exchanged heavy glances.
"This child…"
"He has already stepped onto a path no one else can walk."
Yuan Chen, however, felt none of it.
He withdrew his fist.
Turned around.
And walked away.
Behind him, heaven was in uproar.
Before him, danger was silently gathering.
Yet his steps remained unhurried as he returned to his palace.
Only then—
Ding.
The system notification sounded within the system space.
Yuan Chen glanced at it briefly and muttered,
"…So noisy."