The atmosphere at the disciple recruitment square buzzed with anticipation.
Yet the eyes of the crowd weren't on the grand pavilions of the top sects.
Instead, they were glued to a broken chair, a garbage-picked table, and a young man in white robes wearing sunglasses.
Above him fluttered a tattered cloth banner, painted in crooked letters:
Sanatan Flame Sect – A New Life Begins.
Among the many sects present, three in particular were itching to slap him down.
The Iron Eagle Sect on the left.
The Tiger Claw Sect on the right.
And directly ahead—
The Mist Cloud Sect.
Their leaders stepped forward together, smirking like hyenas encircling a lone rabbit.
"Haha! Look at this clown!" jeered Fei Yun, leader of the Iron Eagle Sect. "You dare call yourself a Sect Leader looking like that?"
"Sanatan Flame Sect?" scoffed Guo Tie of the Tiger Claw Sect. "Never heard of it. What kind of destitute sect can't even afford a booth?"
Then Xu Wansheng of the Mist Cloud Sect stepped forward, his tone dripping with disdain.
"A beggar like you dares to recruit disciples? What will you give them? A bowl to beg with on the streets?"
The three leaders burst into laughter.
The crowd chuckled along, enjoying the spectacle.
Shaurya didn't flinch.
He leaned back in his squeaky chair, lifted his sunglasses slightly, and gave them a lazy, pitying look.
"A begging bowl? Perhaps." He smirked. "But that's still better than feeding them defective pills and teaching them garbage techniques like you three do. Right?"
The laughter died instantly.
Xu Wansheng's face turned red. "You—!"
Before the confrontation could explode, a terrifying pressure slammed down on the square.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
An Elder arrived.
He wore the fiery crimson robes of the Jade Fire Sect, dragging a bruised, limping disciple behind him like a sack of potatoes.
Elder Huo Ming.
The strongest expert in the city square.
He threw the battered disciple onto the ground.
"Where is he?"
The Young Master—the one Shaurya had crippled earlier—pointed a trembling finger toward the man in sunglasses.
"Elder! It's him! He humiliated us... and he destroyed my cultivation!"
The square went deathly silent.
Someone whispered, "Did I hear that right? That kid crippled a Jade Fire disciple?"
"He's a dead man walking..."
Sensing opportunity, Xu Wansheng hurriedly bowed, his voice eager.
"Elder Huo Ming! This boy insulted us too! I suggest we join forces to teach him a—"
Huo Ming turned his head slowly.
His eyes were cold enough to freeze magma.
"You're telling me what to do?"
Xu Wansheng turned pale and scrambled backward. "No! No, Elder! I meant no offense!"
Huo Ming's gaze shifted to Shaurya.
He took in the broken table.
The tattered banner.
The smiling young man.
"A poor boy... daring to call himself a Sect Leader?" he said slowly. "And what is this ridiculous name? Sanatan Flame Sect? I have lived over a hundred years, and I have never heard of anything so weird."
Shaurya blinked.
Then he leaned toward his terrified disciples, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Wait… a hundred years? Cultivators really live that long? No wonder this guy's face looks like a dried peach."
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence.
Elder Huo Ming's face twisted with fury. The veins bulging across his forehead became visible as spiritual energy surged violently through his body.
"You dare insult me?" His voice thundered across the plaza. "You crippled my disciple, humiliated my sect, and now you stand there mocking me? I won't simply kill you. I'll skin you alive, cripple every disciple you ever recruit, and erase your pathetic sect from history!"
Shaurya rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"To erase my sect from history, wouldn't I need an actual sect first?"
A system window immediately appeared before him.
[Then work harder, Host.]
[Also, try not to die.]
Shaurya's eye twitched.
"Your support is truly inspiring."
Unfortunately, Elder Huo Ming had already reached the limit of his patience.
A roar burst from his throat as crimson Qi erupted around his body like raging flames. The pressure alone caused nearby spectators to retreat several steps, while weaker cultivators felt their breathing become difficult.
"Die!"
The elder's figure exploded forward.
The stone beneath his feet shattered instantly, cracks racing across the plaza as he crossed the distance in the blink of an eye. His fist became wrapped in blazing Qi, transforming into a streak of crimson light that hurtled directly toward Shaurya's head.
The spectators gasped.
The attack was too fast.
Too sudden.
Too overwhelming.
Shaurya's playful expression vanished.
His instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he crossed both arms before his body.
The next instant—
BOOM!
The impact detonated like a cannon blast.
A shockwave exploded outward, scattering dust and loose stone across the plaza. Shaurya felt a terrifying force crash into him, and his entire body was launched backward. His boots dug desperately into the ground as he fought to maintain balance, carving two long trenches through the stone before finally coming to a stop nearly ten meters away.
For a moment, the plaza fell silent.
Shaurya lowered his arms.
Pain shot through them immediately.
His muscles trembled uncontrollably, and a numb sensation spread from his wrists to his shoulders.
Then a metallic taste filled his mouth.
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
The crowd immediately erupted.
"He blocked it!"
"Impossible!"
"That's Elder Huo Ming!"
Meanwhile, Shaurya rolled his aching shoulders and glanced toward the system.
"System."
A golden panel appeared instantly.
[Enemy Analysis]
[Target: Elder Huo Ming]
[Cultivation: Qi Initiate Realm Level 7]
[Warning: Target is four levels higher than Host.]
Shaurya looked at the information.
Then looked at Elder Huo Ming.
Then looked back at the information.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Instead of fear, excitement burned within his eyes.
"Four levels higher than me?"
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and cracked his neck.
The grin widened.
"Spicy."
His fighting spirit surged.
"I love a challenge."
The plaza descended into chaos.
Huo Ming attacked like a man possessed.
Crimson flames erupted from his palms as he surged forward again and again, refusing to give Shaurya even a moment to breathe. Every strike carried enough force to shatter stone, and every missed blow left scorched craters across the battlefield.
A flaming palm crashed downward.
Shaurya twisted sideways.
The attack slammed into the plaza behind him.
BOOM!
Stone exploded into the air.
Before the debris could even settle, another strike arrived.
Then another.
Then another.
The elder moved like a raging inferno, his robes snapping violently in the heat generated by his own Qi.
"You rat!" Huo Ming roared, his eyes bloodshot with fury. "Stop running!"
A dozen blazing palm prints erupted from his hands and swept across the battlefield like a tidal wave of fire.
The surrounding spectators immediately retreated.
The temperature soared.
Wooden stalls burst into flames.
The stone beneath their feet glowed faintly red.
Shaurya lowered his body and slipped beneath the advancing sea of fire. Heat brushed past his head so closely that several strands of hair curled and blackened instantly.
The smell of burning hair reached his nose.
For a brief moment, he touched the damaged strands.
Then he looked at Huo Ming.
Then at the flames.
Then back at Huo Ming.
A grin slowly appeared.
The elder's eye twitched.
The spectators stared.
Even Xiao Rui looked confused.
Why was he smiling?
He was losing.
He was injured.
Blood stained the corner of his mouth.
Yet the grin only widened.
A familiar notification suddenly appeared.
[Hidden Mission Completed: Smile in the Face of Death]
[Reward: +5 Dharma Points]
Shaurya's eyes lit up.
Then he started laughing.
Actually laughing.
Right in the middle of the battle.
Huo Ming froze.
The spectators froze.
Everyone froze.
"What are you laughing at?!"
Shaurya ignored him completely.
"System."
[Yes, Host?]
"How many Dharma Points do I have?"
[10 Dharma Points.]
The grin widened further.
"Good."
The excitement in his eyes became almost frightening.
"Use all of them."
The system paused.
[Confirming expenditure.]
[10 Dharma Points consumed.]
[Level Up Initiated.]
Golden light erupted around Shaurya.
The plaza shook.
Wind exploded outward.
Huo Ming instinctively raised an arm before his face as a pillar of radiant energy surged into the heavens.
[Qi Initiate Level 3 → Qi Initiate Level 5]
BOOOOOOM!
A shockwave burst outward from Shaurya's body.
The incoming flames were instantly blown apart.
The pressure alone forced nearby spectators backward.
Dust spiraled into the sky.
The ground trembled.
Huo Ming stared at the golden pillar in disbelief.
His pupils contracted.
His breathing stopped.
"What..."
His voice sounded hoarse.
"What is this?"
The aura continued rising.
Golden currents danced around Shaurya's body while spiritual energy flooded through his meridians.
Every wound vanished.
Every bruise disappeared.
The exhaustion weighing upon him moments earlier evaporated completely.
Strength.
Endless strength.
It surged through every muscle.
Every bone.
Every cell.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt truly powerful.
Huo Ming's face paled.
"You broke through?"
The elder staggered backward.
"Mid-battle?"
The golden light gradually faded.
A figure stepped forward from within the radiance.
Shaurya rolled his shoulders.
The sound of cracking joints echoed through the plaza.
His eyes blazed with renewed vitality.
A grin appeared.
"Round Two."
He looked Huo Ming up and down.
"Dried Peach."
The elder's face immediately darkened.
Unfortunately, his anger arrived too late.
Shaurya vanished.
Not moved.
Vanished.
The crowd gasped.
One moment he stood inside the golden light.
The next—
He was already in front of Huo Ming.
The elder's instincts screamed.
Too late.
BAM!
A fist buried itself into his ribs.
The sound resembled a hammer striking dry wood.
The elder's eyes widened.
Before the pain could register—
BAM!
Another strike crashed into his abdomen.
His body folded.
Air exploded from his lungs.
Then—
CRACK!
The unmistakable sound of breaking bone echoed across the battlefield.
Several spectators flinched.
Huo Ming coughed blood.
His ribs collapsed inward.
The elder stumbled backward, horror finally replacing his rage.
"Impossible!"
He tried to retreat.
Shaurya followed.
"You call yourself an elder?"
Another punch.
Blood sprayed into the air.
"You call yourself strong?"
A knee drove into his stomach.
The elder nearly vomited blood.
"I am an Elder!"
Desperation entered his voice.
"I am—"
"You are weak."
The words landed harder than any strike.
Before Huo Ming could react, Shaurya's hand shot forward and seized his face.
The elder's eyes widened.
Then the world flipped upside down.
Shaurya lifted him like a rag doll.
And slammed him into the plaza.
CRAAAAASH!
The ground exploded.
A massive crater spread outward beneath the impact.
Stone shattered.
Dust erupted skyward.
Shockwaves raced across the battlefield.
As the dust slowly settled, the battlefield finally became visible once more.
At the center of the crater lay Elder Huo Ming.
His robes were torn.
Blood stained the shattered stone beneath him.
The arrogance and fury that had filled his eyes moments ago were gone, replaced by disbelief and fear.
Above him stood Shaurya.
Uninjured.
Victorious.
A faint smile rested on his face.
The contrast alone was enough to send chills through the spectators.
Shaurya stepped forward and planted his foot firmly on Huo Ming's chest, pinning the defeated elder against the shattered stone.
The plaza had fallen completely silent.
Only the elder's ragged breathing remained.
Blood trickled from the corner of Huo Ming's mouth as his terrified eyes stared upward.
Gone was the arrogance.
Gone was the confidence.
Gone was the superiority he had displayed only minutes earlier.
Shaurya looked down at him calmly.
A faint mocking smile rested on his face.
"What happened, Elder Huo Ming?" he asked. "A moment ago you were talking about erasing me from history."
His foot pressed down slightly harder.
The elder's body trembled.
"Weren't you supposed to be powerful?" Shaurya continued. "Weren't you going to destroy my sect?"
Huo Ming opened his mouth.
No threats came out.
No arrogance remained.
Only fear.
Pure fear.
For the first time since the battle began, he truly understood the situation.
He had lost.
Completely.
Shaurya's gaze remained cold.
Merciless.
This wasn't a spar.
This wasn't a lesson.
And it certainly wasn't a game.
The elder had come intending to kill him, cripple innocent people, and destroy lives simply because his pride had been wounded.
Actions carried consequences.
Shaurya slowly lifted his foot from Huo Ming's chest and looked down at the defeated elder.
For a brief moment, hope flickered within Huo Ming's bloodshot eyes.
He thought it was over.
He thought he had been spared.
The corner of Shaurya's mouth curved slightly.
Then his foot came down.
A sickening impact echoed across the plaza.
Bone shattered instantly.
Blood and fragments of flesh burst across the cracked stone as Huo Ming's scream died before it could fully leave his throat.
The force behind the strike was overwhelming.
The elder's skull collapsed beneath Shaurya's heel like fragile glass, sending crimson splattering outward in every direction.
Several spectators turned pale.
Others instinctively looked away.
Shaurya didn't.
His expression remained completely unchanged as he pressed downward, grinding his heel into the shattered remains until nothing recognizable was left behind.
The stone beneath his foot cracked further under the pressure.
Blood seeped into the fractures.
Bits of broken bone mixed with the ruined ground.
Only after several seconds did Shaurya finally remove his foot.
The plaza fell deathly silent.
Where Elder Huo Ming's head had once been, there remained only a mangled mass of blood, flesh, and crushed bone embedded into the shattered stone.
No face.
No features.
Nothing that could still be identified as a person.
Shaurya glanced down at the remains with cold, emotionless eyes.
There was no satisfaction in his expression.
No excitement.
No triumph.
Only indifference.
To him, Huo Ming had ceased being a threat the moment the battle ended.
This was merely the consequence of the choices the elder had made.
Evil tolerated became evil encouraged.
Shaurya simply enforced the consequence.
A moment later, the battle came to its final conclusion.
Silence swept across the plaza.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Several spectators stared at the scene in stunned disbelief.
A Jade Fire Sect elder had fallen.
Not after a long siege.
Not after a battle between armies.
But during a recruitment event in Blue Stone City.
The realization left everyone speechless.
"He actually defeated Elder Huo Ming..."
A disciple swallowed nervously.
"That was a Qi Initiate Level Seven expert..."
Another spectator shook his head.
"Incredible."
Nearby, Xiao Rui and Xiao Lian looked toward Shaurya with shining eyes.
The admiration on their faces was impossible to hide.
Meanwhile, Shaurya calmly dusted off his clothes before returning to his battered wooden chair beneath the tree.
The chair creaked.
The torn banner fluttered overhead.
Everything looked exactly the same as before.
As though a powerful elder hadn't just been defeated a few moments ago.
Leaning back comfortably, Shaurya adjusted his sunglasses and looked toward the crowd.
"I'll say it one more time."
His voice carried effortlessly across the square.
"If you want to achieve something in life, join the Sanatan Flame Sect."
A grin appeared.
"A new life really begins here."
A familiar system notification immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Hidden Mission Complete: Punish an Evil Cultivator]
[Reward: Divine Eye Technique]
[Description: Analyze any skill, artifact, or object at a glance.]
Shaurya's eyes widened.
For a moment, he looked genuinely touched.
"System..."
His voice trembled slightly.
"You are the best."
The system wisely accepted the praise.
Then the silence shattered.
A young cultivator suddenly rushed forward.
"Master! I want to join!"
Another immediately followed.
"Please accept me!"
Soon a third joined.
Then a fourth.
Then ten more.
The crowd surged toward Shaurya's recruitment table like a flood breaking through a dam.
People pushed forward.
Applications flew through the air.
Questions erupted from every direction.
The broken table nearly collapsed under the pressure.
Even Xiao Rui and Xiao Lian looked stunned by the sudden chaos.
Meanwhile, a new notification quietly appeared before Shaurya.
[Auto-Recruitment Form Generation Activated.]
The Sect Master's smile widened.
Business was booming.
Within minutes—
[Mission Complete : Accept 10 Disciples
Current Disciples: 15/50 ]
[Reward: Sect Main Hall + Sect Infrastructure
Bonus Reward: 1x Divine Spin Wheel]
Shaurya leapt up, throwing his arms skyward.
"YESSS! Finally! The mission is complete!"
He grinned at the heavens, robes fluttering, ignoring the corpse cooling nearby.
The Sanatan Flame Sect had just taken its first bold step… and the world was beginning to notice.
To Be Continued…..