In the main hall of Clan Surya, the atmosphere of the family meeting was filled with an aura of ambition. The patriarch, Eyang Radeya, sat on his throne, observing each important member present.
"In the ancestral land of the Baskara family, there are valuable resources. Though not the most extraordinary, it still holds worth. We must not waste this opportunity," he said calmly but firmly.
He continued while unrolling a secret map, "With this map, we can enter without their knowledge. It's time to strategize. Are you all ready?"
The elite members of Clan Surya nodded enthusiastically. After the deliberations, they immediately dispatched an elite team to the ancestral land, moving quietly yet with careful planning.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the hall of the Baskara family was filled with similar tension. Eyang Pradipa, with a sharp gaze, stood leading the meeting.
"We cannot allow the ancestral land to be desecrated. Increase the guard. If even one member of Clan Surya is seen, capture them. Alive or dead," he ordered without hesitation.
After the meeting was adjourned, the Baskara family sent their elites. Four of the elders joined the defense, while the other four remained in the main hall. Eyang Pradipa himself decided to stay behind, observing the situation from the shadows with great caution.
After monitoring the situation for half a day, Eyang Pradipa received a report from the ancestral land. His face immediately turned grim upon hearing that his family's forces were struggling. It seemed Clan Surya truly possessed the secret map.
"I will go there," Eyang Pradipa said as he stood, indicating he would take matters into his own hands.
But before departing, he first entered Baskara's meditation room. There, he handed over the family's secret techniques—some of which were great secrets passed only to selected descendants. The purpose was simple: for Baskara to immerse himself in understanding and training, without being disturbed by external conflicts.
"Focus, my child. Do not think of anything else for now. The time has not yet come for you," he murmured before leaving.
In addition to aiding his family, Eyang Pradipa had another goal: to recover the legendary kris passed down by their ancestors, which was believed to originate from the central plains. This weapon had to be brought back... for Baskara.
Once everything was prepared, Eyang Pradipa vanished from the house. In an instant, he flew toward the ancestral land.
Above the mountains of the ancestral land, Elder Kirandi stood, stepping on the air, watching the valleys below. He was one of the four elders entrusted with guarding this area.
Suddenly, he felt a strange fluctuation in the air. The wind suddenly blew strong, shaking the trees. He turned, and Eyang Pradipa appeared beside him.
"How is the situation?" Pradipa asked.
"We're struggling. They're moving fast… and indeed, they have the map," Kirandi replied softly.
"In that case, let's move deeper into the land," Eyang Pradipa said.
In an instant, the two figures vanished, soaring through the air toward the heart of the ancestral land—the place where the legendary kris was hidden.
In the silent and dimmed meditation room, only the calm breath of Baskara sitting in lotus position could be heard. The spiritual aura around him was dense, vibrating softly, as if signaling that the flow of energy within him had reached a high level of stability. After receiving several family legacy techniques from Eyang Pradipa, Baskara began to study them one by one.
One of the techniques now in his grasp was an advanced development of Tapak Geni — a technique he had mastered up to the third layer. Eyang Pradipa, though not witnessing his training firsthand, could sense through his instincts and spiritual connection that Baskara had penetrated the virtual hand layer. That was more than enough to open the path to even more lethal techniques.
Baskara opened the next scroll of techniques: the Soul Destroying Cleaver. A deadly attack technique that didn't just cut flesh but tore apart existence. If properly channeled, this attack could slice through the soul of the opponent, destroying it to the point of never being able to reunite. This technique could only be used by those who had inner calm and heightened spiritual sensitivity—because touching the soul of an enemy also meant risking the steadiness of one's own soul.
Then, the final technique from that day's legacy: the Gate of the Hall, a high-level defensive technique.
As the name suggests, the Gate of the Hall was inspired by the place where the large family always held meetings—the hall, a sacred space where great decisions were made. In that room, voices didn't leak out, and secrets weren't told to the wind.
"True defense is not just about withstanding attacks, but about keeping the core inside from being tainted. Just as the hall is closed, solid, and full of honor, this technique protects its user with walls of will and steadfastness. The enemy may strike, but as long as the soul remains unshaken, no truth will fall."
Baskara slowly absorbed these meanings, and his awareness began to dissolve into profound understanding. Outside the meditation room, the world was in turmoil. But within that space, a young ascetic was forming an invisible wall—the final defense that would eventually shake the fate of many.
After receiving the legacy techniques from Eyang Pradipa, Baskara's spirit reignited. Among the techniques he had learned, one caught his attention—the development of Tapak Geni, which was the Finger Blaze Technique. This technique allowed all five fingers of Baskara's hand to emit fire, and each touch of those fingers on an opponent could cause an explosive heat that destroyed.
Not only that, but if mastered further, those five fingers could manifest in virtual form—fire fingers that were invisible but possessed real destructive power. When thrust into the ground, these fingers could trigger eruptions of lava from within the earth, causing chaos around them.
Baskara's eyes gleamed. He forgot everything—the outside world, the family conflict, even time. What remained was his burning desire to master that technique. In his intense four-day meditation, he managed to break through to the intermediate stage of the Finger Blaze Technique and was able to create virtual fire fingers from his palm.
When he emerged from his meditation, Baskara's body appeared exhausted, but his eyes were filled with resolve. He walked casually to his room, passing through the large hallway of Eyang Pradipa's house. However, his steps suddenly halted.
A trail of blood.
It was clearly visible on the floor, with footprints leading toward the grandfather's room.
Baskara slowed his steps, quietly following the trail. When he reached the door to his grandfather's room, he hesitated. But his concern overpowered all else. Slowly, he pushed the door open and entered.
Inside, he saw Eyang Pradipa sitting cross-legged, his clothes torn, blood-soaked, and his body appeared weak despite still channeling spiritual energy to heal himself.
"Grandfather…" Baskara said softly, filled with concern.
Eyang Pradipa opened his eyes. He took a deep breath. "Come here…" he said weakly. From beneath his robe, he produced an old kris that glowed faintly.
"I got this kris from our ancestral land… But the struggle was intense, Baskara. Clan Surya blocked us, and we've suffered losses. Even… we were betrayed by our own family." Eyang Pradipa's aged face looked grim.
Baskara took the kris with both hands, his eyes turning serious as he stood silently, staring at it with great meaning.
"How is my father, Grandfather?" he asked after a pause.
"He suffered light wounds. But don't worry, your mother has been tending to him," Eyang Pradipa answered quietly, closing his eyes again to continue his healing process.
Baskara bowed deeply, then left, saying, "I want to see Father first, Grandfather."
Eyang Pradipa nodded faintly.
With swift yet calm steps, Baskara walked toward his family's house. Now, his fate was beginning to shift.