Shaurya led the group down from the Main Hall terrace with one hand resting casually inside his coat pocket while the other moved occasionally as he spoke.

King Tian Long walked beside him calmly, the corners of his mouth still carrying traces of amusement from earlier, while Administrator Xu Wen and the others followed close behind with recording scrolls already opened.

The deeper they moved into the sect, the more the atmosphere changed.

It was not noisy.

Not chaotic.

But alive.

Disciples moved continuously through the stone pathways crossing the mountain grounds, some carrying manuals beneath their arms while others headed toward training areas with weapons resting across their shoulders.

No one wandered aimlessly. Every movement carried purpose, familiarity, routine.

The sect breathed like a functioning organism.

Xu Wen observed everything carefully.

The discipline.

The organization.

The spacing between structures.

Even the spiritual density within the mountain itself.

None of it aligned with the records of a newly risen Level Twelve Sect.

Ahead of them, a large structure came into view.

Thin streams of pale smoke drifted upward from several openings near the roof while waves of heat rolled faintly through the surrounding air.

The Alchemy Hall.

Before they even entered, the scent reached them first.

Medicinal herbs.

Refined essence.

Spiritual fire.

Inside, rows of disciples operated around massive cauldrons engraved with glowing inscriptions while controlled flames burned steadily beneath them. Some disciples sorted spiritual herbs with absolute concentration while others monitored temperatures carefully under the supervision of senior members.

Not a single movement appeared careless.

At the center of the hall, Elder Wan stood beside an enormous emerald furnace while calmly instructing several disciples.

"Lower the flame slightly."

"One breath slower."

"And if the pill explodes again, you will personally explain to Elder Hua why half the medicinal herbs disappeared."

The disciples immediately straightened.

"Yes, Elder Wan!"

Only then did Elder Wan notice the approaching group.

His eyes lit up slightly.

"Oh?"

A grin spread across his face.

"We have guests."

Xu Wen's gaze slowly swept across the hall. His expression remained composed, but one of the administrators behind him had already begun writing rapidly onto his scroll.

"High-grade refinement control…"

"Efficient distribution…"

"Stable flame formations…"

Another administrator looked toward the disciples operating the smaller furnaces.

"…Even their assistants possess refined spiritual control."

Shaurya folded his arms proudly.

"We feed people well here."

Xu Wen ignored him completely and continued observing the hall.

The organization alone exceeded many middle-ranked sects.

And this was only one division.

The group soon departed the Alchemy Hall and continued deeper into the sect.

The next structure stood in sharp contrast to the warmth of Elder Wan's domain.

The Disciplinary Hall.

Dark jade pillars supported the heavy structure while sharp black inscriptions lined the walls like carved laws that could not be argued against. Even the atmosphere around the building felt colder.

Several disciples stood outside completely motionless while holding heavy stone tablets above their heads.

Punishment.

One of them trembled violently.

Another looked emotionally broken.

Near the entrance, Elder Jian Fan sat calmly on a wooden chair while reviewing a disciplinary scroll.

A disciple suddenly collapsed.

Jian Fan did not even look up.

"Stand again."

The disciple immediately stood back up in terror.

"Yes, Elder Jian Fan!"

Administrator Xu Wen's brows twitched slightly.

"…Efficient."

Shaurya nodded.

"We believe in emotional growth."

At that exact moment, Xiao Rui passed by carrying another broom.

Their eyes met.

"…Master."

"…Still sweeping?"

"…I've accepted my fate."

Jian Fan finally looked upward toward the group.

His sharp gaze moved briefly across the administrators before he cupped his fist respectfully toward Tian Long and Shaurya.

The pressure surrounding Elder Jian Fan remained perfectly restrained.

The pressure surrounding Elder Jian Fan wasn't explosive or overwhelming. It remained perfectly restrained, controlled to an almost frightening degree.

Like a blade still resting inside its sheath.

Xu Wen's footsteps slowed slightly.

His gaze settled on Jian Fan more carefully this time.

Then—

Spiritual energy stirred.

Seven deep purple spirit rings manifested silently behind Elder Jian Fan, rotating slowly like ancient halos suspended in darkness. The moment they appeared, the surrounding air grew heavier, carrying faint soul pressure sharp enough to make weaker disciples instinctively lower their breathing.

Nascent Soul Realm.

Seventh Level.

The rings did not flare violently.

They simply existed.

Stable.

Dense.

Refined to a terrifying extent.

And somehow—

That made them feel even more dangerous.

One administrator's recording brush paused mid-sentence.

Another looked up sharply toward Jian Fan before immediately checking the sect records again as if hoping he had read them incorrectly the first time.

A Level Twelve Sect possessing a high-level Nascent Soul elder already bordered on absurdity.

But what unsettled Xu Wen more was not Jian Fan's cultivation.

It was his control.

No instability.

No wasted aura.

No arrogance.

Just discipline sharpened to the extreme.

Xu Wen slowly closed part of the scroll in his hand.

The weight in his expression deepened slightly.

This sect…

was becoming harder to measure with common standards.

The group continued walking.

Soon, the atmosphere shifted again.

Quiet replaced pressure.

The Literature Hall stood tall near the eastern side of the sect grounds, its architecture calmer than the other buildings surrounding it. Long jade shelves stretched through the enormous interior while spiritual lamps illuminated countless manuals, scrolls, and ancient records arranged with impossible precision.

Disciples sat throughout the hall studying techniques silently.

Some copied formation diagrams.

Others discussed sword theories in low voices.

Near the center, Elder Yaochen adjusted a disciple's scroll before speaking calmly.

"Understanding a technique matters more than memorizing it."

"You cannot force enlightenment through panic."

The disciple bowed deeply in embarrassment.

"Yes, Elder."

Xu Wen slowed his steps unconsciously.

The hall carried none of the arrogance many cultivation sects possessed.

No meaningless shouting.

No superiority.

Only focus.

Research.

Learning.

"…Interesting," one administrator murmured softly.

Shaurya smirked slightly.

"We try keeping the brain damage to a minimum."

King Tian Long laughed openly beside him.

Xu Wen ignored both of them and continued recording observations.

The further they walked, the stranger the sect became.

The quiet discipline of the Literature Hall faded behind them the moment they approached the western courtyard.

They arrived before a massive building filled with movement.

The Mission Hall.

Dozens of disciples gathered around enormous mission boards while contribution rankings shimmered across spiritual screens lining the walls. Some disciples argued loudly over mission rewards while others rushed toward counters carrying demon beast materials.

At the center—

A man lazily leaned back upon a chair while eating fruit completely unbothered by the surrounding chaos.

Meow Mao.

"Next."

A disciple immediately rushed forward.

"Elder Meow Mao, I completed the Silver Fang Wolf mission."

"Proof?"

The disciple hurriedly produced three severed wolf tails.

Meow Mao glanced once.

"Accepted."

A token flew across the counter.

"Next."

Xu Wen stared for a moment.

"…He manages this entire hall?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Shaurya nodded proudly.

"He's incredibly reliable when awake."

Meow Mao looked upward lazily.

"I heard that."

"You were supposed to."

The administrators continued writing rapidly.

Internal mission systems.

Contribution rankings.

Reward distribution.

Independent disciple economy.

None of this should exist within a sect ranked this low.

Then—

They reached the northern side of the sect.

And everything changed.

The group eventually arrived before the largest structure on the northern side of the sect grounds.

It towered above the surrounding buildings like an ancient monument rooted directly into the mountain itself.

A nine-story pagoda.

Dark jade walls rose layer upon layer toward the sky, each floor lined with heavy black-gold edges that reflected faint traces of light beneath the drifting clouds above. Massive pillars supported the structure from every side, yet despite its size, the pagoda carried no decorative excess.

It was built for one purpose alone.

Pressure.

Even standing outside, the air around the building felt strangely dense, as though invisible weight lingered across the surrounding space.

Administrator Xu Wen slowly stopped walking.

His gaze lifted upward floor by floor.

The other administrators behind him gradually fell silent as well.

Shaurya noticed immediately.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"This," he said casually, "is our Gravitational Training Chamber."

Xu Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"…Gravitational?"

Shaurya nodded.

"Every floor increases the pressure on the cultivator's body through gravity amplification."

Silence.

Complete silence.

One administrator turned toward him slowly.

"…Gravity… amplification?"

Even King Tian Long looked genuinely surprised now.

Because techniques that manipulated pressure existed.

Some formations could increase weight temporarily.

But true gravitational control—

That belonged to an entirely different category.

Xu Wen stepped forward unconsciously, his eyes remaining fixed on the pagoda.

"…How many times?"

Shaurya shrugged casually.

"Depends on the floor."

A small pause.

"The first level starts at ten times gravity."

One of the administrators almost stumbled.

"…Ten?"

Another immediately looked upward toward the higher floors.

"…Then the upper levels…"

Shaurya grinned.

"Pretty fun."

Xu Wen no longer looked calm.

Not even slightly.

Without another word, he walked directly toward the entrance.

The others followed immediately.

King Tian Long glanced toward Shaurya once before entering as well.

"You continue to concern me in new ways."

Shaurya smiled proudly.

"Thank you."

The massive chamber doors opened slowly.

Heavy.

Dense.

The moment the group stepped inside—

Everything changed.

The doors closed behind them with a deep metallic resonance.

And instantly—

The outside world disappeared.

Several administrators froze.

Their eyes widened.

Because the interior should not have been this large.

The first floor stretched endlessly into the distance beneath a dim silver sky formed entirely from spiritual light. Massive stone platforms floated throughout the enormous space while gravity pressure pressed constantly against the body from every direction.

Ten times gravity.

Not enough to affect cultivators at their level significantly.

But that wasn't the shocking part.

It was the space itself.

There were no visible walls.

No ceiling.

No spatial boundary.

The pagoda outside could not possibly contain a world this vast.

Administrator Xu Wen slowly turned in place.

For the first time since arriving at the sect—

Genuine disbelief appeared openly on his face.

"…Spatial manipulation…"

One administrator stepped forward carefully, his breathing slightly unstable.

"No…"

"This is impossible…"

Another looked upward into the endless silver atmosphere.

"There are no visible formation inscriptions…"

"No formation cores either…"

King Tian Long's expression became heavy as he observed the surrounding space.

Even the Azure Dragon Royal Treasury did not possess an artifact of this level.

Xu Wen extended one hand carefully toward the empty air around him, sensing the fluctuations directly.

Then his eyes narrowed sharply.

"…This entire structure is functioning as a self-contained spatial artifact."

The realization shook even him.

Artifacts capable of folding space internally were legendary treasures.

The kind only ancient powers of the Central Continent possessed.

And yet—

One existed here.

Inside a sect that officially ranked at the very bottom of the continent's hierarchy.

Shaurya stood quietly near the entrance with both hands still resting casually inside his pockets while watching their reactions.

Inside his mind, however—

He was absolutely enjoying this.

System artifacts are really different…

A familiar gold window instantly appeared before him.

[Of course, Host.]

[The Great System only provides premium products.]

[No low-quality trash.]

Shaurya resisted the urge to laugh out loud.

Fair enough.

Meanwhile, Xu Wen continued observing the surrounding chamber with increasingly serious eyes.

The more he examined it—

The less sense it made.

There were no exposed inscriptions.

No visible mechanisms.

No spiritual anchors maintaining the gravitational pressure.

The artifact simply existed.

Perfectly.

As though heaven itself had accepted its function without requiring explanation.

"…How many disciples train here daily?" Xu Wen finally asked.

Shaurya answered casually.

"Almost all of them."

Another silence followed.

One administrator muttered quietly:

"…No wonder their physical foundations are absurd…"

Even King Tian Long exhaled slowly.

"…You built army of monsters."

Shaurya corrected him immediately.

"I built a family."

For once—

No one argued.

Because after witnessing this place—

The Sanatan Flame Sect no longer resembled an ordinary rising sect.

It resembled something far older.

Far more dangerous.

Eventually, the group exited the Gravitational Training Chamber, though the atmosphere around the administrators had completely changed now.

Earlier, they had come to inspect.

Now—

They were trying to understand.