Young Master Wei stood in a perfect martial stance, his ruby-hilted sword glowing with a fierce, crimson light. The heat radiating from his blade was so intense that the nearby fruit stalls began to smell like jam.
"Prepare yourself, Gaurav!" Wei shouted, his voice full of righteous fury. "I am the top disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect's outer circle. My 'Crimson Slash' has defeated warriors twice your age!"
Gaurav stood about ten feet away, looking completely disinterested. He was actually using a small pocket mirror he had just bought to check if there was any meat stuck in his teeth from his earlier snack.
"Are you done with the monologue, Wei?" Gaurav asked, closing the mirror with a loud click. "You've been talking for thirty seconds, and in that time, I've found seventeen ways to make you regret being born. Also, your fly is unzipped."
Wei instinctively looked down. It was a lie.
"You—! Shameless!" Wei lunged forward.
The air screamed as his sword cut a path through the wind. It was a powerful move, a literal arc of fire aimed directly at Gaurav's shoulder. To the crowd, it looked like certain death. Even Elara tensed up, her hand drifting toward her own blade.
But Gaurav didn't move. He didn't even draw a weapon. As the flaming sword reached within an inch of his chest, Gaurav simply leaned two centimeters to the left.
The blade whistled past him, missing by the breadth of a hair.
"Missed," Gaurav whispered.
Wei growled and swung again, a horizontal slash designed to decapitate. Gaurav ducked. Then he tilted his head. Then he stepped back. He looked like he was dancing, but a very lazy, bored version of a dance.
"Stop moving!" Wei screamed, his face turning as red as his robes. He unleashed a flurry of blows, his sword becoming a blur of fire.
[Archive Analysis]:
Movement Pattern: Predictable.
Flaw: Every time he swings right, his right pinky toe twitches, causing his center of gravity to shift 0.5mm.
Optimal Counter: A flick to the right wrist at the moment of peak extension.
"Okay, I'm bored now," Gaurav said.
As Wei pulled back for his ultimate move, Gaurav moved. He didn't use a punch or a kick. He reached out with his right hand, his index finger extended.
TAP.
He didn't hit Wei's chest. He didn't hit his head. He tapped the exact spot on Wei's wrist where the spiritual energy flow was most congested.
The effect was instantaneous.
The flames on the sword vanished. Wei's entire arm went numb, and the ruby-hilted sword fell into the dirt with a dull thud. Wei himself felt a massive backlash of his own energy. It was like trying to blow through a straw that someone had suddenly plugged.
"Gah!" Wei fell to his knees, clutching his wrist. "What... what did you do to me? My cultivation... I can't feel my fire!"
Gaurav looked down at him, his expression one of pure pity. "I didn't do much. I just helped your energy realize that it hates you as much as I do. You've been forcing your 'Crimson Slash' for years, ignoring the blockage in your meridians. I just gave that blockage a little... encouragement."
Gaurav then did the ultimate act of disrespect: he reached down, picked up Wei's expensive ruby sword, looked at it for two seconds, and then tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
"It's a bad sword, Wei. The ruby is synthetic. Just like your talent," Gaurav said, turning his back on the fallen genius.
The market was so silent you could hear a leaf fall. A Core Disciple of a Great Sect had been defeated by a single finger.
The Arrival of the Red Silk Carriage
Just as Gaurav was about to tell Elara to pick up his new sofa, the sound of rhythmic bells filled the air. A magnificent carriage, draped in red silk and pulled by four white Spirit Horses, rolled into the market square.
The carriage bore the emblem of the Blazing Sun Sect, but it was different from Wei's. This was the emblem of the Inner Council.
The door opened, and a woman stepped out. She looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in flowing white and gold robes. Her aura wasn't hot like Wei's; it was refined, sharp, and hidden.
"Brother Wei, you have always been an embarrassment to the sect, but losing to a common teacher in a marketplace? That is a new low," the woman said. Her voice was like cold silk.
Wei looked up, his eyes widening in terror. "Sister... Sister Yan?"
This was Yan Ling, the top genius of the Blazing Sun Sect and one of the 'Four Great Beauties' of the province. She ignored her fallen comrade and turned her gaze toward Gaurav.
For the first time since he arrived in this world, Gaurav's System sent him a different kind of notification.
[Archive Alert: Unusual Signature Detected]
Target: Yan Ling.
Status: High-tier Cultivator.
Warning: Target is emitting a 'System Resonance.'
Gaurav narrowed his eyes. A System Resonance? Does this girl have a cheat too?
Yan Ling walked toward Gaurav, her eyes scanning him with a strange, analytical light. "You," she said, stopping a few feet away. "You didn't use a technique. You used a Flaw-Detection method. There are only three people in this empire who know that art, and you aren't one of them. Who is your master?"
Gaurav regained his composure and smirked. He leaned against Elara's shoulder (who looked like she wanted to punch him). "Master? I don't have a master. I'm the one who writes the textbooks, honey. And as for who I am... I'm just a guy who's tired of people interrupting his shopping trip."
Yan Ling didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled—a small, dangerous smile. "Arrogant. I like that. But arrogance without backing is just a death wish. The Blazing Sun Sect is holding a Grand Teacher Tournament in two weeks. If you're as good as your finger suggests, show up."
She tossed a golden invitation at Gaurav's feet.
"If you win, I'll give you a Rank 5 Spirit Root. If you lose..." her eyes flashed with a predatory light, "you become my personal slave for life. Deal?"
Gaurav looked at the golden card, then at the beautiful, mysterious woman.
"A slave? Sounds kinky," Gaurav chuckled, picking up the card with two fingers. "But I have a better counter-offer. When I win, you have to join my academy as a janitor. I've been looking for someone to sweep the floors while Elara does the dishes."
The crowd gasped. He had just asked the greatest beauty of the sect to be a janitor.
Yan Ling's smile widened. "Two weeks, Gaurav. Don't be late for your first day of slavery."
She stepped back into her carriage and vanished as quickly as she had appeared.
Back at the Academy: The Real Work Begins
Gaurav and Elara finally returned to the academy, followed by the porters and the new furniture. Gaurav sat on his new silk sofa, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Gaurav," Elara said, her voice serious. "Yan Ling is not like Wei. She is a monster. Her cultivation is at the Earth Realm. You can't beat her with just a finger."
Gaurav opened the Rank 4 pills he had gotten earlier. "I know. That's why we're going to start your real training tonight. And not just you. Where's that kid Suraj?"
"He's in the courtyard, practicing his 'Stone Fist' until his hands bleed," Elara replied.
"Good. Tell him to stop hitting the wall and come here. I'm going to teach you two a combined technique that will make the Blazing Sun Sect look like a flickering candle," Gaurav said, his eyes finally showing a spark of genuine ambition.
"And Elara?"
"Yes, Teacher?"
"Go make me some tea first. Arrogance is thirsty work."