The sign above the main gate of the Azure Sky Academy had been replaced. It no longer read "Azure Sky." In bold, gold-leaf letters that seemed to glow with an arrogant light, it now read: THE SOVEREIGN'S ARCHIVE.
Inside the training grounds, the atmosphere had shifted from a place of study to a place of war. But it wasn't a war of swords; it was a war of the mind. Gaurav sat on his floating silk sofa, hovering ten feet above the students. Below him, three hundred students—including the former elite disciples and the once-bullied "trash"—were all standing in the middle of a massive, shimmering gold circle.
"Listen up, you lumps of unrefined clay," Gaurav's voice boomed, amplified by his Instant Domain. "For centuries, you've been taught that cultivation is about hard work, meditation, and following the 'will of heaven.' I'm here to tell you that heaven is an idiot, and your hard work is just a slow way to fail."
A murmur went through the crowd. Suraj and Elara stood at the front, their eyes filled with absolute fanaticism. They had seen the truth.
"Cultivation is a math problem," Gaurav continued, tossing a spirit fruit into the air and catching it with his mouth. "Every technique has a flaw. Every meridian has a shortcut. Today, I am giving you the Path of the Efficient Sovereign. Archive... Broadcasting Mode."
Suddenly, every student felt a sharp sting in their minds. A map of their own bodies appeared in their vision, highlighting their "Death Lines" and "Power Gates" in glowing neon colors.
"In the next forty-eight hours, you will not sleep. You will not eat. You will only circulate your energy through the paths I have drawn for you. If I see anyone following the 'old way,' I will personally kick you out of the gate—literally."
The Transformation
For the next two days, the Academy was a scene of madness.
Suraj was the first to break through. Under Gaurav's guidance, his 'Stone Fist' evolved into the 'World-Eater Strike.' Every time he punched, the air didn't just vibrate; it compressed, creating a vacuum that pulled enemies toward his fist.
Elara, meanwhile, was learning the art of 'Absolute Zero.' Gaurav had told her to stop making ice and start removing heat. It was a subtle difference that changed everything. Instead of throwing ice spears, she could now simply snap her fingers and turn a target's internal blood into a solid block of crystal.
But the most shocking change was in the "average" students. Under the Archive's broadcast, students who had been stuck at Level 1 for years were breaking through to Level 4 and 5 in a single afternoon. The "flaws" that had blocked them were being systematically deleted by Gaurav's logic.
"Teacher," Elara approached the floating sofa, her aura so cold that the ground beneath her froze with every step. "The scouts report that the other three great academies have already arrived at the Blazing Sun Sect. They are calling us 'The Academy of Ghosts' because they still think we died in the cave."
Gaurav opened one eye. "Ghosts, huh? Perfect. There's nothing more terrifying than a ghost that comes back to collect a debt. Pack the bags. And by bags, I mean the most expensive carriages in the city. We're going to the tournament in style."
The Journey to the Blazing Sun Sect
The Blazing Sun Sect was built on the mouth of an active volcano. The heat was oppressive, and the spiritual energy was violent and fiery. This was the home of the strongest fire-cultivators in the empire.
As the Sovereign's Archive entourage arrived, the gates were crowded with the elite of the world. There were floating jade ships from the Lotus Sect, armored rhinos from the Iron Mountain Academy, and thousands of independent cultivators.
When Gaurav's carriage—a massive, gold-plated vehicle pulled by eight Spirit Dragons (which he had "borrowed" from the Imperial Stables using a forged permit)—rolled up, the crowd went silent.
"Who is that? Is the Emperor here?" someone whispered.
Gaurav stepped out, wearing robes made of Void-Silk that shimmered like a dying star. He looked at the massive volcanic gates and sighed. "Too hot. Elara, fix the weather. It's bad for my skin."
Elara stepped forward, her eyes glowing sapphire. She didn't chant. She didn't use a gesture. She simply released a pulse of her Absolute Zero energy.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, the scorching heat of the volcano was suppressed. A gentle, cool breeze began to blow, and snow—actual snow—began to fall on the volcanic slopes.
The guards at the gate froze. The fire-cultivators, whose power depended on the heat, felt their flames flicker and die.
"Who dares to disrespect the Blazing Sun?!" a roar came from the gatehouse.
A man in crimson armor, General Huo, leapt down. He was a peak Earth-Realm warrior, second only to the Sect Master. He landed with a thud, his eyes burning with literal fire.
"You! Turn off this ice immediately, or I will burn your soul to ash!" Huo roared.
Gaurav walked up to the General, ignoring the heat and the threats. He looked at Huo with his Eye of Destiny.
[Target]: General Huo.
[Destiny Path]: He thinks he's going to intimidate you.
[Funny Flaw]: He's wearing fire-resistant underwear that is two sizes too small. It's pinching his meridian at the hip.
Gaurav leaned in and whispered, "General, your left hip is hurting, isn't it? And your 'Burning Heart' technique is causing you a bit of... indigestion? Maybe if you wore bigger underwear and stopped screaming, you'd actually be able to hit Level 9."
Huo's eyes went wide. He stumbled back, his face turning a shade of red that had nothing to do with fire. "How... how do you..."
"Move aside, General," Gaurav said, his voice turning cold. "The Sovereign is here. And I'm not here to play games. I'm here to take everything."
The Grand Opening: The Face-Slap Begins
The Tournament Arena was a massive bowl carved into the crater of the volcano. Over fifty thousand people sat in the stands. In the center sat the Sect Masters of the Great Sects, including Yan Ling, who was watching the entrance with a bored expression.
When Gaurav entered the arena with his students, the announcer—a man from the Gilded Chamber who recognized Gaurav—hesitated.
"And finally... representing... the... Sovereign's Archive... Master Gaurav!"
The crowd erupted—not in cheers, but in laughter.
"Is that the guy who was supposed to be dead?"
"Look at his students! That kid Suraj was the laughingstock of the city last year!"
"The Sovereign's Archive? What a pretentious name!"
Young Master Wei, whose wrist was still in a sling from Chapter 5, stood in the competitor's box. "Gaurav! You got lucky in the market! Here, there are arrays that prevent your 'trickery'! You're going to die in the first round!"
Gaurav didn't even look at Wei. He looked at the VIP box, directly into the eyes of Yan Ling. He raised his hand and made a "come here" gesture with his finger.
The entire arena gasped. He was beckoning the Goddess of the Blazing Sun like she was a pet.
Yan Ling's smile was like a blade. She stood up, her red silk robes fluttering. "Master Gaurav. I see you brought your janitors with you. Shall we begin the first trial? Or are you too busy checking your nails?"
"The trial?" Gaurav asked, stepping onto the arena floor. "Why do one trial at a time? It's inefficient. Archive... Scan the Arena."
[System Prompt]:
Tournament Array Detected.
Flaw: The entire arena is built on a single pressure point of the volcano.
Arrogant Move: If you strike the center with 1% of your power, you can trigger a 'controlled' eruption that will only affect your enemies.
Gaurav looked at the other 100 competing teachers. "All of you. Come at me at once. If I move more than one foot from this spot, I'll forfeit and become Yan Ling's slave right now."
The silence was deafening.
"You've lost your mind!" one teacher yelled, drawing a lightning-spear. "Kill him!"
A hundred teachers, all Earth-Realm and high-tier masters, lunged at Gaurav from all sides. It was a storm of fire, lightning, and steel.
Gaurav didn't draw a sword. He didn't even use a spell. He lifted his right foot and slammed it down on the center of the arena.
"Heaven's Path: Volcanic Reset."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ground didn't break. Instead, a pillar of pure, white-hot spiritual energy erupted from the earth—not as fire, but as a shockwave of pure logic. It bypassed every shield, every armor, and every spell.
In a single second, all one hundred teachers were blown out of the arena, flying like ragdolls into the stands. Only Gaurav stood in the center, his robes not even dusty.
He looked up at the VIP box and winked at Yan Ling. "Next?"