The departure of the Heavensward Institute was a spectacle that the Great Origin Universe would not soon forget. Instead of a traditional carriage, Kaelen, the Third Disciple, had used his Void-Construction mastery to levitate the Sovereign Library's annex itself. The massive, jade-encrusted building glided through the clouds, propelled by the black lightning of the enslaved Heavenly Tribulation.
Gaurav stood on the prow of the floating fortress, his grey scholar's robes whipping in the wind. Behind him stood his five disciples—a Prince, an Ancestor, a Saintess, a Sword-Slave, and a Primal Titan. Each one radiated a pressure that made the passing spirit-beasts dive for cover.
"The Central Continent," Lady Yue murmured, standing beside Gaurav. She was meticulously checking the logistics of their arrival on a translucent tablet provided by the Archive. "The heart of all cultivation. The Heavenly Sword Academy and the Sun-God Sect have ruled this land for ten thousand years. They won't just be testing our students, Gaurav. They will be looking for any excuse to dismantle us."
"Let them look," Gaurav replied, his eyes fixed on the shimmering spires of the Central City appearing on the horizon. "They see an Academy. I see a harvest of knowledge and talent."
The Grand Arena of the Sun
The tournament was held in the Canyon of Light, a natural amphitheater where the walls were lined with solar-crystals that bathed the arena in a perpetual, golden noon. Thousands of spectators from across the multiverse had gathered, their chatter sounding like the roar of a distant ocean.
As the Heavensward Institute's floating annex docked against the canyon wall, a hush fell over the crowd.
"Is that him? The Librarian?"
"He has no Qi... but look at the monsters behind him!"
Gaurav stepped onto the arena floor. Waiting for him was a woman who seemed to be made of starlight and steel. She wore silver armor that clung to her curves like a second skin, and behind her, a faint halo of a thousand spectral swords hovered in the air.
This was Aria, the Goddess of a Thousand Blades.
She stepped forward, her silver eyes locking onto Gaurav's. The air between them crackled with an invisible friction. "So, you are the man who claims to correct the Heavens," she said, her voice like the chime of a bell. "My ex-husband, the Sun-God Sect Leader, says you are a fraud. But I see the way the space around you bows. You aren't a fraud... you are a thief of Laws."
Gaurav smiled, the Eye of the Sovereign scanning her instantly.
[Target: Aria (Goddess of Blades)]
[Condition: Soul-Bind Betrayal. Her ex-husband stole her 'Primary Origin' to reach Level 9 Peak.]
[Analysis: She is fighting with a broken heart and a hollow core. Potential 6th Wife.]
"And you, Aria," Gaurav said, his voice reaching only her ears, "are fighting with a sword that has no edge because you left your soul in the hands of a man who didn't deserve it."
Aria flinched, her spectral swords vibrating with a sudden, violent energy. Before she could retort, the Sun-God Sect Leader, Solan, stood up from his high throne.
"Enough talk!" Solan roared, his Level 9 aura flaring like a miniature sun. "Let the tournament begin! First Round: The Trial of Five Professions! Heavensward Institute, send forth your representative!"
Round 1: The Alchemist's Humiliation
The Sun-God Sect sent forward their Chief Alchemist, a man who had reached Level 8 and was famous for his "Golden Sun Pill." He produced a furnace made of pure sun-gold and began a flamboyant display of flame control.
Gaurav gestured to Old Man Wei. "Go, Wei. Show them why age isn't the same as wisdom."
The crowd laughed as the disheveled Old Man Wei walked out with his rusted, bronze cauldron.
"Is that a cooking pot?!" the Chief Alchemist sneered.
Wei didn't respond. He simply looked at Gaurav. Gaurav gave a slight nod.
[Technique Active: Sovereign Pulse — Molecular Catalyst]
Wei threw a handful of common weeds into his rusted pot. He didn't use a flashy fire; he used the Holy Energy Gaurav had taught him to refine. Within three minutes, a pillar of green light shot out of the bronze cauldron, piercing the solar-crystals of the canyon.
The aroma was so potent that several elderly cultivators in the front row suddenly broke through their bottlenecks just by breathing.
The result: 100% Purity Resurrection Pill.
The Sun-God Alchemist's "Golden Sun Pill" (82% Purity) looked like a piece of charcoal in comparison. The arena went silent.
Round 2: The Fist vs. The Shield
Next came the physical trial. The Heavenly Sword Academy sent their "Vajra Guard," a man whose skin was reinforced with Level 5 Earth-Qi and could withstand a mountain's collapse.
Gaurav looked at Han Tie. "Han Tie, don't punch him. Just stand there."
Han Tie walked to the center of the ring. He didn't even take a defensive stance. He just stood like a statue.
The Vajra Guard roared, his fist turning into a massive golden mallet as he struck Han Tie's chest with everything he had.
CLANG.
The shockwave shattered the stone tiles for a hundred meters. But Han Tie didn't move an inch. Instead, the golden light of the Vajra Guard's fist was absorbed into Han Tie's skin.
"My turn," Han Tie whispered. He simply tapped the Guard's shoulder.
The stored energy of the Guard's own Level 5 strike, multiplied by the Primal God Body, exploded. The Vajra Guard was sent flying out of the canyon, disappearing into the clouds like a shooting star.
The Climax: The Master's Duel
After his disciples had swept the first four rounds (Liu Fei's poison paralyzed an entire squad, and Kaelen trapped the Formation Masters in a recursive loop), the final moment arrived.
Solan, the Sun-God, stood up, his face twisted in rage. "Gaurav! Your students are impressive, but an Academy is only as strong as its Master! Aria, kill him!"
Aria stepped forward, her thousand blades forming a hurricane of silver light. But she hesitated. She looked at Gaurav's calm face and then at her ex-husband, who was looking at her not with love, but with greed—waiting for her to weaken Gaurav so he could strike.
"Aria," Gaurav said, stepping into the center of the arena. He didn't draw a weapon. He didn't even use a God-Binding Leaf. He simply opened the Sovereign Archive to its 2nd Level.
"Your husband stole your 'Origin' because he was afraid of your potential. You think you are the Goddess of Blades, but you are actually the Goddess of Space. You don't use swords to cut; you use them to pin down the fabric of reality."
Gaurav reached out, his hand glowing with a mix of Holy and Demonic energy. "Let me show you your true self."
[Technique Active: Sovereign Origin Restoration]
The golden light hit Aria. In an instant, the thousand spectral swords merged into a single, translucent blade of pure spatial energy. The 'hollow core' in her chest was filled by the Archive's power, healing the betrayal that had stunted her growth.
Aria gasped, her Level 9 aura suddenly surging toward Level 10. She turned around, not toward Gaurav, but toward the Sun-God throne.
"Solan," she said, her voice cold as the void. "The debt is settled."
With a single flick of her new blade, she didn't cut Solan. She erased the space he was sitting on. The throne and the Sun-God Leader were sucked into a microscopic black hole, vanishing from existence before he could even scream.
The arena was deathly quiet. The Goddess of Blades turned back to Gaurav and, to the shock of the entire Central Continent, she knelt.
"Master... you didn't just fix my sword. You gave me back my soul. I am no longer a Goddess. I am your student."
[System Notification: Sixth Personal Disciple Bound (Pending Master's Approval).]
[Note: Target Aria has bypassed 'Student' status and is seeking 'Wife' status.]
Zhu Feng and Mo Rong appeared on the stage instantly, their auras flaring.
"Wait just a minute!" Zhu Feng yelled, pointing at Aria. "She just killed a Sect Leader! She's dangerous! And she's definitely too pretty to be a 'student'!"
Gaurav looked at his three current wives, then at the kneeling Aria, then at his five cheering disciples. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"The tournament is over," Gaurav announced, his voice booming across the canyon. "Heavensward Institute is now the number one Academy in the Central Continent. And as for you, Aria... we have a very long 'orientation' session ahead of us."
As they boarded the floating library to return, the Archive pulsed with a new, dark red warning.
[WARNING!]
[The 'Great Calamity' has moved up its schedule. The World Will has noticed the Sovereign Archive. The first 'Heavenly Assassin' has been dispatched.]
Gaurav's eyes darkened. The game had just changed. It was no longer about teaching; it was about survival.