Chapter Title: A Duel, A Secret, and A Sword**
Lavanya had never imagined this outcome. When she had initially made up her mind to challenge Aryan to a friendly duel, her confidence was absolute. After all, Aryan's rank was so low that any sane person would naturally assume he was a failure. Lavanya had no reason to think otherwise. In her mind, defeating him would be child's play.
But everything changed when she heard the unbelievable news—Aryan had defeated Avinash in a single move.
At first, Lavanya thought people were exaggerating or lying. But when she personally investigated the incident, using all the sources at her disposal, she came to a shocking conclusion: the information was 100% accurate.
Still unable to accept it, Lavanya devised several theories to explain Aryan's victory. Perhaps, she thought, he had taken some kind of forbidden pill that had temporarily boosted his power to unimaginable levels. Maybe it was just a one-time thing—he got lucky and used that power to overpower Avinash. Otherwise, how could a loser like Aryan stand a chance against someone like Avinash?
She even speculated that Aryan may have done it solely to attract the backing of Renu's powerful family. Whatever the truth was, one thing was certain—Lavanya needed to confirm it for herself. The only way to do that was to challenge Aryan directly.
That very morning, she had quietly left her academy-assigned room so no one would know her intentions. She walked straight to Aryan and issued her challenge, fully expecting to crush him and expose the truth.
But things didn't go as she had planned.
She only managed to launch two attacks on Aryan—both of which he effortlessly deflected without breaking a sweat. And when Aryan decided it was his turn to go on the offensive, Lavanya immediately felt a horrifying pressure radiating from him. The force behind his attack reminded her of the same overwhelming might she had once felt from her father during intense training.
Her face went pale as paper.
She had never anticipated that Aryan's counterattack would be so monstrous. As the power-packed move approached her like a tidal wave, she instinctively reached for the life-saving artifact her father had given her—prepared to activate it just to survive.
But before she could crush the artifact, a third person stepped in.
This figure didn't just interrupt the duel; he radiated power and authority—and he was clearly furious. Aryan's eyes widened when he saw the man and immediately fell to his knees out of respect.
"Teacher," Aryan said humbly, "you've arrived."
The man was none other than *Vaibhav Shrivastava*—a powerful mentor and one of the most feared instructors in the entire academy. He had been on his way to class when he sensed a powerful spiritual disturbance. Initially, he suspected it was caused by the Sixth Elder again, but when he arrived at the scene, he saw two young students engaged in a friendly duel.
At first, Vaibhav decided to observe quietly.
But the moment he realized how dangerous Aryan's attack was—and more importantly, that Aryan had *lost control* of his power—he had no choice but to intervene. In a flash, he blocked Aryan's terrifying strike and glared at him with sharp, angry eyes.
Vaibhav's voice cut through the tension like a blade:
"If you can't control your new powers, then you need to *learn* control before you go around fighting others! Do you have any idea what could've happened if I hadn't stepped in? This girl could've been seriously injured—or worse. Her life-saving artifact would've been useless against your attack!"
He paused, then added even more firmly,
"Next time you engage in a friendly duel, make sure you know *exactly* how much power you're using. This isn't a playground."
Aryan lowered his head and accepted the scolding in silence.
Vaibhav then turned to Lavanya. "I don't know who you are or what your background is," he said, "but don't pull stunts like this again. You were lucky this time. You may not be so fortunate next time."
Lavanya, hearing these words, felt a wave of shame wash over her. But more than embarrassment, she was *shocked*.
Timidly, she asked, "Sir... how did you know I had a hidden card in my sleeve?"
Vaibhav gave her a piercing look and said with a half-smile, "I'm not *that* foolish. Now leave. I believe you've seen for yourself that my student is more powerful than you thought. But before you go—you *will* clean my classroom. That was the condition you agreed to."
With that, he walked into his private office without another word.
Lavanya stood frozen.
Clean a classroom? *Her?* A dignified elite like her doing janitorial work? It was against everything she stood for. She'd rather die than mop a floor. But when she hesitated, Aryan smirked and mocked her, saying:
"Oh, what's the matter? The great young genius of our batch accepts a challenge but backs out when it's time to pay up? That's not very honorable, Miss Lavanya. Imagine what the other students will think when they hear this... Or maybe you don't care about your reputation?"
Lavanya's face turned red with anger. She clenched her fists but said nothing.
Aryan added, still grinning, "There's no point getting mad. Just go quietly and clean the room."
Gritting her teeth, Lavanya mentally cursed Aryan: *Enjoy your moment of triumph, you smug brat. One day, I'll become even stronger—and when I return, I'll make you regret this.*
With that vow burning in her heart, she entered the classroom and began cleaning. After some time, the room was spotless. She left the area with an expression full of humiliation and rage.
Meanwhile, Aryan approached his teacher once more, bowed, and sat on the floor respectfully.
Vaibhav Shrivastava had his eyes closed in deep thought. After a long silence, he opened them and asked,
"Yesterday, you were an ordinary mortal. Today, you're at the *peak* of Martial Spirit Gathering Level 3. Can you explain how this happened?"
Aryan hesitated.
Should he tell his teacher the truth? After a moment of deep consideration, he made up his mind and looked up.
"Yes, Teacher. Yesterday, while I was studying the Martial Spirit Gathering Level 1 cultivation technique, something strange happened in my mind. It felt like... a code. A kind of cheat code that allowed me to bypass the usual limits of cultivation. Using this code, I quickly understood and constructed techniques for Level 1, 2, and 3. Then I completed all three levels in a single night."
Aryan then explained everything he knew about the cheat-like system.
As Vaibhav listened, his expression grew stern. He suddenly unleashed spiritual pressure upon Aryan, testing him—crushing down on him like a mountain. Aryan felt as if he were about to explode. Just as he reached his limit, the pressure disappeared.
Soaked in sweat and trembling, Aryan looked up at his teacher in fear.
Vaibhav nodded slowly in satisfaction, then warned,
"Never. *Ever.* Tell anyone else about this. Not your friends, not your lover—no one. Do you understand? What you possess is *dangerous*. Others would kill you to extract it from your body. Even those closest to you could betray you."
Aryan nodded nervously.
"But Teacher," he asked, "why would people go so far just for this? Can you enlighten me?"
Vaibhav sighed. "Aryan, the artifact inside your body is so precious, so rare, that it could take someone to the top of the world. In time, it could even help them *create* a new world, or control the entire existing one. Think about that. Power like that... attracts greed like a flame draws moths."
He continued, "You might wonder why *I* am not interested in taking it. The truth is—you're not mature enough to understand my reasons yet. One day, maybe you will. But for now, forget all this and focus on training."
Vaibhav then added,
"You may be at Level 3, but your combat capability is high enough to challenge someone at Level 7. Still, in a true life-or-death battle, even a beginner at Level 7 could destroy you. That's why starting tomorrow, you're going into the jungle. You'll fight real beasts, gain real combat experience. Understood?"
Aryan nodded. He trusted his teacher completely.
Seeing Aryan agree, Vaibhav gave him a satisfied look and said,
"Since you're heading to the jungle, you'll need equipment."
He pulled out a weapon—a finely crafted sword—and handed it to Aryan.
"This sword," he said, "was made by a second-tier weapon craftsman. It's one of the highest-grade weapons at this level."
Aryan accepted the sword gratefully.
Then Vaibhav brought out several bottles filled with healing pills.
"These pills will help with injuries, deep wounds, even broken bones. Keep them close."
Aryan bowed respectfully and accepted the gifts.
As Aryan left, a soft mechanical sound echoed inside Vaibhav's mind:
> **Ding!** Your student's trust in you has reached 90%. You are awarded **10,000 years' worth of cultivation energy**.
Aryan smiled to himself as he walked away. "So, system... you *do* remember me."