The peace following the "annexation" of the Blue-Lotus Empress was short-lived. While Lady Yue began the Herculean task of organizing the Academy's chaotic finances and resources—much to the silent relief of Gaurav—the Sovereign Archive was already vibrating with the frequency of a new destiny.
Gaurav stood in the center of the Sovereign Tower, watching a holographic map of the continent projected by the Archive. A single, pulsing red dot sat in the remote Village of Stone, located at the edge of the Desolate Wastelands.
"He has been there for ten years," Gaurav murmured, his eyes scanning the data. "Four thousand days of punching the same waterfall. No Qi, no techniques, just pure, unadulterated physical repetition."
"He sounds like an idiot," Zhu Feng commented, leaning against the doorway while sharpening a dagger made of solidified lava. "Or a madman. Why would we need someone like that? Ling Yun can already cut through mountains with a stick."
"Because Ling Yun cuts through the concept of the mountain," Gaurav replied, turning to her. "But this boy... he will be the one who can catch a falling star with his bare hands. Ling Yun is my sharpest blade, but I need a shield that can withstand the collapse of a universe."
The Village of Stone: The Primal Force
The journey to the Desolate Wastelands was harsh. The air was dry and thin, smelling of iron and ancient dust. When Gaurav's golden carriage descended near the Village of Stone, the locals didn't even look up. They were a hardy, silent people who lived in the shadow of the Great Iron Falls—a waterfall where the water was so rich in minerals it felt like falling liquid lead.
At the base of the falls stood a youth. He was massive, his muscles like braided steel cables, his skin tanned to a deep bronze. He didn't wear a shirt, only tattered trousers.
BOOM.
He threw a punch. The impact against the "Iron Water" created a shockwave that sent spray flying fifty feet into the air.
BOOM.
Another punch. His rhythm was hypnotic. He didn't use a single drop of Qi. His power came from the perfect alignment of bone, muscle, and sheer will.
Gaurav stepped out of the carriage, followed by Ling Yun and Kaelen. Both disciples immediately tensed. They could feel it—a primitive, terrifying aura emanating from the boy. It wasn't the aura of a cultivator; it was the aura of a Primal Beast.
[Target: Han Tie]
[Condition: Sealed Spirit. Absolute Physical Purity.]
[Hidden Talent: Body of the Primal God (Forbidden Rank).]
[Flaw: 1 (The only flaw is his lack of a 'Core' to store his kinetic energy).]
"Han Tie!" Gaurav's voice cut through the roar of the waterfall.
The boy stopped. For the first time in a decade, his rhythm was broken. He turned slowly, his eyes as clear and dark as obsidian. He didn't bow. He didn't speak. He simply stared at Gaurav, his breathing so deep it sounded like the earth itself was inhaling.
"You have spent ten years trying to punch a hole through the water," Gaurav said, walking toward the edge of the pool. "But water flows around your fist. You are fighting the world, Han Tie, but you haven't learned how to command it."
Han Tie spoke, his voice gravelly from years of silence. "Power... is enough."
"Power without a vessel is just a storm that destroys itself," Gaurav countered. He reached into the air and pulled out a single, glowing God-Binding Leaf. "I can give you a vessel. I can turn your body into a Divine Furnace that stores every ounce of impact you've ever taken. I can make it so that when you punch, the world doesn't just move—it breaks."
Han Tie looked at the golden leaf, then at the man who held it. He sensed no cultivation from Gaurav, but he felt an authority that made his very cells want to kneel.
"Prove... it," Han Tie challenged.
Gaurav smiled. He gestured to Ling Yun. "Yun'er, strike him. 10% of your Heart-Sword Intent."
Ling Yun nodded. He didn't move his body, but a sharp, invisible force sliced toward Han Tie. It was a strike that could cleave a Level 5 cultivator in two.
Han Tie didn't dodge. He crossed his arms.
CLANG.
The sound was like a hammer hitting an anvil. Han Tie was pushed back three steps, a thin line of blood appearing on his forearm. He looked at the wound, then back at Gaurav.
"Now," Gaurav said, "let me show you the Sovereign's Correction."
Gaurav walked up to Han Tie and pressed the God-Binding Leaf into his chest.
[Technique Active: Primal God Realignment — 100% Synchronization]
Suddenly, the 'Flaw' in Han Tie's body—his inability to store energy—was rewritten. His skin began to glow with a dull, metallic sheen. The wound on his arm vanished instantly.
"Strike him again, Yun'er," Gaurav commanded. "Full power."
Ling Yun's eyes sharpened. He focused his entire being into a single, vertical slash. The air screamed as the 'concept' of the sword fell upon Han Tie.
Han Tie didn't cross his arms this time. He just stood there.
The sword-intent hit him—and vanished. It didn't cut him; it was absorbed. Han Tie's muscles rippled, his veins glowing with an eerie gold light. He took the energy of the world's sharpest intent and stored it in his bones.
"My turn," Han Tie whispered.
He threw a punch into the air.
The energy Ling Yun had just used was released all at once, multiplied by Han Tie's own physical strength. The shockwave didn't just spray water; it vaporized the Great Iron Falls. For a split second, the waterfall simply stopped existing, a massive hole punched through the liquid lead.
Han Tie looked at his fist, then fell to his knees before Gaurav. "Master... I have been a blind ox. Please... teach me the path of the Grandmaster of Body Tempering."
[System Notification: Fifth Personal Disciple Bound.]
[Reward Unlocked: The Hall of Primal Strength & 1 'Indestructible Diamond' Skin Technique.]
The Academy's Evolution
Upon returning to the Institute, Han Tie's presence caused a sensation. He didn't talk much, but wherever he walked, the ground seemed to settle under his weight. Gaurav assigned him to lead the Department of Body Tempering, making him the Academy's ultimate shield.
But as the 5th disciple took his place, a messenger from the Central Continent arrived.
"Master Gaurav!" the messenger panted, kneeling. "The Heavenly Sword Academy and the Sun-God Sect have announced the Inter-Academy Tournament! They have heard of your 'miracles' and have invited the Heavensward Institute to compete. But there is a catch..."
Gaurav, who was currently being 'interrogated' by Lady Yue about the budget for the new Body Tempering Hall, looked up. "A catch?"
"The tournament is for students... but the final round is a Master's Duel," the messenger trembled. "And they have hired a 'Special Consultant' to face you. A woman known as the Goddess of a Thousand Blades... who is also the ex-wife of the Sun-God Sect Leader."
Zhu Feng and Mo Rong, who were listening from the shadows, appeared instantly.
"Another woman?" Zhu Feng'er's flames turned white. "Gaurav, I swear, if this 'Goddess' ends up with a God-Binding Leaf on her forehead by the end of the week, I am leaving!"
Gaurav rubbed his temples, feeling the Sovereign Archive already calculating the 'Flaws' of the Goddess of Blades. "Feng'er, it's a tournament. I can't help it if the world's most powerful experts happen to be women with complicated marital histories!"
Mo Rong leaned in, her silver eyes icy. "We are going to that tournament, Gaurav. And we will be the ones choosing your opponents."
Gaurav sighed. The Sovereign Archive pulsed with a new notification.
[DING!]
[Tournament Quest: Win the Inter-Academy Tournament.]
[Reward: Access to the 'Outer Universe' Library & 6th Personal Disciple Location.]
"Well," Gaurav said, a smirk returning to his face. "It looks like the Heavensward Institute is going to take its first field trip."