The chief arbiter took three deep, shuddering breaths.
His knuckles were white as chalk, his silk robes drenched in cold sweat. He looked down at Julian, who was still kneeling in the sand like a devout monk, then glanced up at the ten thousand shouting disciples clinging to the stone balustrades.
Finally, the arbiter raised the gilded wooden mallet with both shaking hands.
He brought it down against the rim of the great brass gong.
*BWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOONG!*
The deep metallic reverberation rolled across the arena, cutting through the noise like an iron blade.
"V-Victor!" the arbiter screamed into his amplifying talisman, his voice cracking from pure terror. "The winner of the Annual Academy Assessment Exhibition is Felix Vance of Solitude Spire! Uncontested victory!"
The announcer in the upper pavilion slammed his hands against the speaking horn.
"A clean sweep!" the announcer roared, barely able to keep his balance. "No blood drawn! No blades crossed! Senior Brother Vance has demonstrated the absolute pinnacle of martial virtue! Solitude Spire retains its sacred charter for the next one thousand years!"
Ten thousand spectators erupted into deafening cheers. Silk banners waved. Disciples threw their hats into the air.
From the central floating platform, Grand Chancellor Alistair and twelve high elders descended upon beams of soft light.
Alistair carried a heavy, polished jade plaque trimmed with pure dragon-gold. Inscribed upon the stone in glowing scarlet ink were the characters for *Supreme Martial Grandmaster*.
"Sovereign Vance!" Chancellor Alistair called out, bowing so low his white beard swept the sand. "On behalf of the Radiant Dawn Academy, we present you with the Imperial Charter of Absolute Exemption! You shall pay no taxes! You shall attend no morning bells! You may sleep until midnight if your celestial spirit desires!"
The surrounding elders bowed in unison, holding trays of rare incense and velvet pouches filled with top-grade spirit crystals.
Felix Vance looked at the giant gold plaque.
Then he looked at Alistair's tear-streaked face.
Felix didn't reach for the plaque. He didn't even take his left hand out of his trouser pocket.
"Yeah, cool," Felix said, waving his free hand in a dismissive little circle. "Just leave it on the porch or toss it in the junk drawer. I'm heading back."
Alistair blinked, holding the heavy jade plaque in mid-air. "You... you do not wish to give an acceptance address to the disciples? They yearn to drink from your fountain of wisdom!"
"I'm out of stamina," Felix said flatly. "And the sun is giving me a headache. See you next year."
Without waiting for an answer, Felix turned on his frayed straw slippers.
*Flap. Flap. Flap.*
He shuffled toward the southern exit archway, his shoulders slumped in their familiar, comfortable slacker curve.
Julian looked up from the sand, his golden eyes filled with tears of renewed reverence.
"Behold his humility..." Julian choked out, pressing his hands to his heart. "He crushes ten thousand swords, reforges my mortal shell with a single leaf, and turns his back on worldly glory without even glancing back. He truly walks upon the path of the ancient sages!"
Beside him, the three cronies nodded vigorously, weeping into the dust.
Lyra Ashford picked up her wicker lunch basket, straightened her white tunic, and walked briskly after Felix.
She fell into step two paces behind his right heel, her slender rapier resting against her hip. Her chin was held high, her expression calm and untouchable.
Together, they left the roaring arena behind.
***
The path back to Solitude Spire wound along the rocky edge of the western cliffs.
Far below, endless seas of white clouds drifted across the mountain valleys like soft cotton. The midday breeze was cool and brisk, carrying the clean scent of wild mountain pine and damp stone.
As they stepped onto the long wooden suspension bridge connecting the Second Spire to the Seventh Spire, Felix's obsidian slate vibrated against his thigh.
*Ding-ding-dong!*
A cascade of cheerful, sparkling chimes echoed directly inside Felix's head.
He pulled the slate from his pocket and pressed his thumb to the center groove.
A brilliant golden banner unfolded across the screen:
Felix's eyes lit up under the brim of his straw hat.
"Five hundred crystals," Felix whispered happily. "Plus my weekly login bonus from yesterday... that puts me over sixteen hundred. That is a full ten-pull on the Heavenly Vault banner."
He stopped in the middle of the suspension bridge.
Beside the wooden railing sat a large, flat gray boulder warmed by the midday sun.
Felix walked over and sat down on the rock, dangling his legs over the edge of the endless cloud sea. He leaned back against the mountain stone, crossing his ankles.
Lyra stopped three paces away, folding her hands respectfully over her basket.
*Senior Brother has paused at the edge of the abyss,* Lyra thought, watching him with breathless reverence. *He is preparing to commune with the higher dimensions. Every time he gazes into that obsidian tablet, the fate of empires shifts in the dark.*
She placed a hand on the hilt of her rapier, scanning the surrounding mist with sharp golden eyes, ready to cut down any wandering bird that dared disturb his meditation.
Felix, completely oblivious to her security stance, tapped the glowing `[OPEN GACHA VAULT]` button.
The screen shifted to a midnight-blue interface surrounded by swirling constellations and golden nebulae.
In the center floated a glowing banner:
"Eighty-nine pity," Felix muttered, his thumb hovering over the glass. "If I get a useless combat weapon after hitting soft pity, I am going to write a furious review on the forum."
He pressed `[CONFIRM 10x SUMMON]`.
The screen went pitch black.
Then, ten shooting stars streaked across the dark glass in a spiraling arc.
*Clink. Clink. Clink.*
The first pull cracked open:
【Item: Rusty Iron Nails (x10) | Rarity: 1-Star Trash】
"Garbage," Felix scoffed.
*Clink.*
【Item: Worn Leather Whetstone (x1) | Rarity: 2-Star Common】
"Junk."
*Clink. Clink. Clink.*
【Item: Low-Grade Copper Buttons (x5) | Rarity: 1-Star Trash】 【Item: Coarse Salt Packet (x2) | Rarity: 2-Star Common】 【Item: Dried Turnip Jerky (x1) | Rarity: 2-Star Common】
Felix's eye twitched under his straw hat.
"Nine blue and gray pulls in a row," Felix grumbled, clenching his teeth. "Classic indie studio scam. They rig the rates right up to hard pity."
Then came the tenth star.
The final streak of light didn't shatter into blue or gray.
The entire screen suddenly froze. The digital clock paused.
A deep, cosmic rumble vibrated through the obsidian frame.
*SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!*
A blinding explosion of iridescent rainbow light erupted from the center of the slate. Golden stardust poured out from the glass, accompanied by the majestic choir of celestial trumpets:
Felix's mouth dropped open.
He stared at the feature list for five full seconds.
"Sun-tracking pivot?" Felix whispered in absolute awe. "Heated lumbar massage? Zero-gravity levitation field?!"
A huge grin broke across Felix's face.
"Yes!" Felix cheered, pumping his fist in the quiet mountain air. "Finally! A real drop! No useless swords, no stupid spellbooks! Real quality of life!"
Across the path, Lyra's heart leaped into her throat.
*He smiled!* Lyra thought, her eyes widening in sheer astonishment. *Senior Brother Vance... celebrated! In all the months I have served him, he never once smiled when facing imperial fleets, ancient dreadnoughts, or ten thousand swords! Yet right now, his eyes shine with pure joy! What terrifying divine artifact did the constellations just bestow upon him?!*
Felix jumped down from the boulder, his tiredness completely forgotten.
"Come on, Lyra," Felix said briskly, his slippers flapping against the suspension bridge planks. "We have to get back. My delivery just arrived."
"Right behind you, Senior Brother!" Lyra called out, jogging after him.
Five minutes later, they stepped off the mountain bridge and onto the grassy soil of Solitude Spire.
The Seventh Spire was just as quiet and peaceful as when they had left.
Over in the corner of the garden, the Sun-Lotus Cabbage was blooming in full glory, its translucent golden leaves gently opening to soak in the warm afternoon sun.
On the front porch, the small wooden table sat perfectly steady, its wobbly fourth leg firmly anchored by the ancient Sovereign Heart Seal wedged beneath it.
Beside the doorway, perched on his cedar stand, Barnaby the Clockwork Owl stood completely motionless. The black rubber stopper was still firmly wedged into his brass beak, preventing him from screeching pompous proverbs. His little ruby eyes glared silently at the horizon.
And sitting right in the center of the cedar porch was a brand-new masterpiece of celestial engineering.
The Solar-Powered Zero-Gravity Recliner looked like a cross between a luxury leather armchair and a floating cloud. It was upholstered in deep midnight-blue celestial velvet that felt softer than dragon silk.
It hovered three inches above the wooden porch floorboards on a gentle, humming cushion of zero-gravity mana.
Beside it sat a massive, oversized memory foam beanbag chair, wrapped in soft gray linen.
Felix walked straight up the porch steps, kicked off his frayed straw slippers, and collapsed backward into the recliner.
*Fwwwwwump.*
The moment his back touched the cushions, the chair molded itself perfectly to every curve of his spine.
The micro-gravity matrix engaged with a soft, melodic hum. Felix's legs rose slightly, his head tilted back, and his entire body floated into a state of absolute, weightless bliss.
A gentle warmth radiated through the lumbar cushion, instantly melting away the stiffness from his walk.
"Ohhh man," Felix groaned in pure, unadulterated ecstasy. "That is the good stuff. That is ten out of ten. Game of the year."
Lyra stepped onto the porch.
She took the small tin of Premium Cloud-Mist Mountain Tea from the crate beside the door, boiled fresh spring water over the stove, and poured a steaming cup into Felix's ceramic mug.
She placed the cup into the spill-proof holder on the armrest of the floating recliner.
"Your tea, Senior Brother," Lyra said softly, bowing her head.
"Thanks, Lyra," Felix murmured, his eyes already half-closed.
He reached up, grabbed his wide-brimmed straw hat from the floor, and placed it gently over his face to block out the bright sky.
The recliner let out a tiny, contented hum, slowly pivoting three degrees to follow the drifting afternoon sun.
"Ah," Felix Vance breathed softly into the warm, scented porch air. "Now this is what I call peak gameplay."
He folded his hands across his stomach.
And the Master of Solitude Spire drifted peacefully off to sleep.