The news of the Third Prince's "enlightenment"—or as the commoners called it, his absolute humiliation—spread through the Crimson Empire like a wildfire in a dry forest. But within the walls of the Heavensward Institute, the atmosphere was thick with a different kind of tension.
Gaurav sat in the center of the library, but the room had changed. The Sovereign Archive had begun to resonate with the building. The dust had vanished, replaced by a faint, rhythmic pulse of golden light emanating from the floorboards.
Standing before him was Zhu Feng, her arms crossed over her chest, her fiery aura flickering between curiosity and her usual dominance. Beside her stood a new figure, one whose presence turned the air into ice.
She was tall, draped in robes of midnight silk that seemed to absorb the very light of the room. Her skin was as pale as moonlight, and her eyes were silver orbs that held the weight of centuries. This was Empress Mo Rong, the Empress of the Eternal Night. She was the older, colder counterpart to Zhu Feng, and Gaurav's second wife.
"A God-Binding Leaf," Mo Rong's voice was like velvet sliding over glass. She stepped closer to Gaurav, her scent of sandalwood and cold rain filling his senses. "I have lived for fifteen hundred years, Gaurav. I have seen the rise and fall of the Void Emperors. Never have I seen a treasure that could turn a Royal Bloodline into a mindless servant with a single flick."
Gaurav looked up at her. The Eye of the Sovereign immediately flared.
[Target: Mo Rong (Wife)]
[Cultivation: Level 9 (Sovereign Step) — Early Stage]
[Critical Flaw: Soul-Frost. Her heart is freezing due to an incomplete 'Lunar Path' technique. She has 3 years of life remaining.]
Gaurav felt a pang of sorrow. This cold, dominant woman had been protecting the Academy from the shadows for years, hidden from the world, all while her own soul was turning to ice.
"It is not a mindless servant, Rong'er," Gaurav said, standing up. He walked toward her, and for the first time, he didn't look away from her piercing silver gaze. "It is a correction. Zhao was a cancer to his own power. Now, he is useful."
Mo Rong narrowed her eyes. She reached out, her cold fingers lifting Gaurav's chin. "You have changed, my little librarian. There is a hunger in your eyes that wasn't there yesterday. Tell me, where did this power come from? Or do I need to... interrogate you in my chambers tonight?"
Zhu Feng snorted, her flames licking the air. "Get in line, Mo Rong. He still hasn't explained how he knew about my Solar Vein."
Gaurav chuckled, feeling the familiar pressure of his two dominant wives. "All in good time. But first, we have a guest. An old friend who has been hiding in the mountains for three centuries, waiting for a sign."
[DING!]
[Scanning 500 miles radius... Target Found.]
[First Ancestor Student Identified: The Undying Alchemist.]
"A guest?" Zhu Feng frowned. "The barriers are sealed. No one can enter—"
Before she could finish, the sky outside turned a vivid shade of emerald. A massive explosion of herbal aroma hit the Academy, so strong that the dying plants in the courtyard suddenly bloomed into vibrant life.
A streak of green light descended from the heavens, crashing into the courtyard with the force of a meteor. When the smoke cleared, an old man stood there. His beard reached his knees, his robes were stained with colorful potions, and he held a rusted bronze cauldron as if it were a baby.
This was Old Man Wei, the Ancestor of Apothecaries. A man who was a legend before the Crimson Empire was even founded.
He ignored the soldiers and the now-cleaning Prince Zhao. He ran toward the library, his eyes manic. "Where is he?! Who sent that pulse of Perfect Grade Qi?! Who dares to correct the 'Great Pill Formula' in my head?!"
Wei burst into the library, ignoring the two lethal Queens. He slid across the floor on his knees, stopping right in front of Gaurav's desk.
"You!" Wei pointed a shaking finger at Gaurav. "You are the one! I felt it in my cauldron! The 'Heavenly Dao' shifted! Tell me, boy! The 4th ingredient of the Resurrection Pill... why did you change it to Dried Star-Grass in my soul's reflection?!"
Gaurav looked at the frantic Ancestor.
[Target: Old Man Wei]
[Profession: Apothecary (Grandmaster - Flawed)]
[Cultivation: Level 9 (Sovereign Step) — Mid Stage]
[Potential: High. Needs 4 Professions to reach God-Rank.]
"Because, Old Man Wei," Gaurav said, leaning back with a smirk. "You were using Fire-Root to stabilize the energy. But Fire-Root is a destructive element. Star-Grass is a conductor. You've been blowing up your furnaces for three hundred years because you've been trying to force the pill to submit, rather than letting it breathe."
Old Man Wei froze. His eyes widened. He began to mumble, his fingers tracing imaginary formulas in the air. "Conductor... not stabilizer... Star-Grass... The cosmic alignment... By the Heavens!"
Wei slammed his head against the floor in a thunderous kowtow. "Master! I have been a fool! I have spent two millennia as a 'Grandmaster,' but I am nothing but a blind child! Please! Accept this old bag of bones as your student! I will clean the cauldrons! I will gather the herbs! Just teach me the Truth!"
Zhu Feng and Mo Rong exchanged a look of pure disbelief. One of the most powerful men in the multiverse was begging their "trash" husband to be a student.
"I will accept you, Wei," Gaurav said, his voice echoing with the power of the Archive. "But you will not just be an Apothecary. You will master the paths of the Physician, the Poison Master, and the Spirit Awakener. You will be my First Personal Disciple."
[System Notification: First Personal Disciple Bound.]
[Reward: 1 'Perfect Grade' Divine Furnace & 100,000 Exp for the Sovereign Archive.]
"Master! I shall obey!" Wei cried, tears of joy streaming down his face.
Gaurav stood up, looking at his two wives. "Feng'er, Rong'er, it seems our Academy needs a new department. The Cauldron Peak is now open. And Wei? Your first task is to brew a 'Soul-Thaw' elixir for Mo Rong. I will provide the formula."
Mo Rong's eyes widened. "You... you know about my heart?"
Gaurav walked up to her, his hand gently resting on her waist—a move that usually would have resulted in him being frozen solid. But this time, Mo Rong didn't move. She felt a warmth spreading from his palm, a Holy Energy so pure it made her Soul-Frost tremble.
"I know everything, Rong'er," Gaurav whispered. "I am the Teacher of All Realms. And no wife of mine will ever fade while I hold the Archive."
Outside, the first portal began to shimmer in the sky. The Demons of the Abyss had felt the shift in power. The invasion was coming. But for the first time in ten thousand years, the Heavensward Institute wasn't afraid.
"Wei," Gaurav commanded, his voice turning cold. "Go to the gate. There are guests from the Abyss coming. Show them what happens when they disturb my lesson."
"With pleasure, Master!" The old Ancestor grinned, his rusted cauldron suddenly glowing with a terrifying, sickly green light.