"A high school student?"
The group's surprise was palpable, shock written across every face.
Wang Thornbeak's small eyes fixed intently on Vaelor as he emerged from the gravity chamber.
Could that Martial Will pressure have come from him...?
No, impossible!
That's right—he must have awakened a mental-attribute talent. That has to be it!
"Who are they?" Vaelor walked up to Kieran, his voice calm but carrying an undercurrent that made everyone tense.
Kieran quickly explained the situation—the false debt claim, the demand for her family's Heaven-Splitting Spear technique, Wang's harassment and threats.
After listening, Vaelor understood the full context.
He nodded and turned his golden gaze toward Wang and his group. "You want to challenge this martial hall, correct?"
"My name is Vaelor Draeth. I can be considered a disciple of Crimsonpeak Martial Hall. I'm authorized to fight on its behalf."
Kieran looked at him with surprise and gratitude.
Wang forced a smile, though his eyes remained calculating. "Young student, don't joke around. I've investigated thoroughly—this martial hall hasn't recruited any disciples in the past two months. I can see your vitality is well-cultivated. You must be preparing for the Martial Aptitude Examination."
"I advise you not to involve yourself in this mess. It would be unfortunate if you were injured and it affected your examination results."
His tone turned falsely magnanimous. "I am Wang Thornbeak, director of Thunder Martial Hall. Mention my name next time you visit our facility for training or sparring partners—I'll provide free access as a courtesy."
Vaelor's patience evaporated. "I don't need it. Stop wasting time. If you don't want to fight, leave immediately. You're interfering with my training."
Kieran added sharply, "Exactly!"
Wang's expression darkened, the false friendliness vanishing. "Boy, I offered you a gracious opportunity out of respect for students. You chose not to take it."
"Fine. I'll give you a chance to play hero in front of a beautiful woman. Let's see what you're capable of."
He leaned forward with undisguised malice. "Let me warn you in advance—my disciples are all warriors who've killed Abyssal Spawn and seen real blood. They're nothing like your academy classmates engaging in safe sparring. If you think you can win by relying on talent alone, prepare for serious injuries and hospitalization."
"Stop talking." Vaelor's golden eyes swept across the men behind Wang. "Who's coming up?"
Under the weight of that luminous gaze, the short and thin middle-aged warriors all felt tremendous oppressive force. Cold sweat broke out across their bodies despite the comfortable temperature.
What's wrong with this kid? How can a high school student project such overwhelming presence?
I'm a warrior, and I'm actually feeling fear from a student?
Something's very wrong here...
Wang said with forced confidence, his face dark, "Don't let him fool you! His awakened talent must be mental-attribute. That's all this is."
Hearing this rationalization, the warriors visibly relaxed.
"Song Brightforge, you go!"
"Yes, Director."
A tall, lean young man stepped forward, looking at Vaelor with open arrogance. "Boy, you think you can scare us with mental tricks? I'm being generous—it's not too late to admit defeat right now."
Vaelor said calmly, "Come."
"Kids these days have no sense of their place. They even dare provoke professional warriors."
Song sneered, crackling with confidence. "I'll show you the gap between ordinary people and professional warriors!"
He kicked off hard, electric arcs flashing beneath his feet as lightning-element energy activated. Wind whipped around him as his palm whistled toward Vaelor's head with Tier 1 Warrior speed.
The short middle-aged man crossed his arms, smiling. "He's won. With Song's speed, that kid won't even have a chance to activate his talent."
Another crew-cut warrior grinned viciously. "That kid can forget about the examination. After Song hits him, he'll be hospitalized for half a year..."
Vaelor remained perfectly calm, raising his hand in a casual slapping motion.
CRACK!
A figure shot past their ears like a cannonball, the shockwave whipping clothes and hair violently.
BOOM!
A massive crater appeared in the wall as Song's body buried itself in rubble and debris. Dust filled the air. Only his legs remained visible, protruding from the destruction.
The silence was absolute.
Heads turned with mechanical stiffness. Everyone stared blankly at Vaelor, who stood in the exact same position, hand still raised from the slapping motion.
The cigarette fell from Wang's mouth, hitting the floor unnoticed.
The short warrior's voice cracked. "Am I... am I hallucinating?"
"Song was defeated... in a single hit?"
The crew-cut man stared with his mouth hanging open, unable to process what he'd witnessed.
Vaelor looked at Wang calmly. "You trained such a weak warrior. It seems Thunder Martial Hall isn't particularly impressive."
Wang's eyes darkened, fixing on Vaelor with intense focus. "You're also a warrior..."
"I never said I wasn't."
Vaelor casually kicked up an iron practice spear from a nearby rack, caught it by the end, and pointed it at the remaining two warriors with casual authority. "Who's next? Or are you coming together?"
Wang clenched his fists, emotions warring across his features—anger, fury, shock.
Careless! So careless!
I thought he was just some kid who'd cultivated his vitality to 7 or 8 points. I never expected he'd already become a professional warrior before the examination!
And to defeat Song in a single move—his combat power must be substantial! He's definitely awakened an A-Rank talent and changed to a rare profession!
Damn it!
Where did Kieran recruit such a top-tier genius?! What could he possibly see in this broken-down martial hall?
Wang's eyes swept across Kieran's graceful figure, and something ugly twisted in his expression.
I understand now! She must have seduced him with her body, that witch!
The two remaining warriors asked nervously, "Director, what should we do?"
"Should we attack together?"
How should I know?!
Wang barely restrained himself from screaming at them. He glanced at Kieran, who gripped her E-Grade alloy spear with clear killing intent in her eyes.
He gave up on escalating further. He'd already lost tremendous face—no point making it worse.
"Forget it. I'll accept this loss."
Wang looked at Kieran, forcing a false smile. "Director Kieran is truly capable. You quietly recruited an exceptional disciple. Crimsonpeak Martial Hall is going to rise after all."
Kieran's voice remained cold. "That's none of your concern."
Vaelor said calmly, "Since we won, please honor your commitment, Director Wang. Don't cause trouble here again."
"Hahaha, young man, you misunderstand." Wang's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I wasn't here to cause trouble—merely engaging in martial hall sparring."
His expression turned calculating. "As for the B-Grade alloy weapon... it's worth tens of millions after all. Simply forgetting about it wouldn't be justifiable to my father and our hall's reputation. Besides, I wasn't properly prepared today—I brought along a few useless disciples."
Kieran's face went cold. She'd known it wouldn't be resolved this easily.
"So what do you want?"
"Here's my proposal." Wang's eyes gleamed with cunning light. "Five days from now, both our halls will send our best disciples to compete at Thunder Martial Hall. If you win that match, I'll never mention the alloy weapon again."
His smile turned predatory. "But if I win, your martial hall becomes mine."
Kieran sneered. "You won't send Tier 2 or even Tier 3 warriors to fight, will you?"
Wang laughed dismissively. "How is that possible? Doing so would only destroy Thunder Martial Hall's reputation. We have standards."
Kieran glanced at Vaelor, who gave a subtle nod.
"Fine. I accept."
Wang's corpulent face split into a triumphant grin. "Excellent! Then five days from now, I'll await you at Thunder Martial Hall."
He turned to leave, gesturing for his warriors to retrieve Song from the rubble.
But Vaelor had other plans.
These people came to harass Kieran, threatened her with false debts, propositioned her with disgusting offers, and now they're trying to leave with their dignity intact?
No. I don't think so.
Vaelor's golden eyes hardened. Without warning, he released his Genesis Will.
Not one percent.
Not ten percent.
Thirty percent of his full Genesis Will, focused with surgical precision on Wang and his warriors—excluding Kieran from its effects entirely.
The effect was instantaneous and devastating.
An invisible tsunami of spiritual pressure crashed down on the Thunder Martial Hall group like a physical force. It wasn't merely intimidation—it was existential terror made manifest, the weight of absolute dominance crushing their spirits beneath its inexorable force.
Wang's triumphant expression shattered. His eyes went wide with primal horror. His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. Every survival instinct he possessed screamed a single message: RUN OR DIE.
The short warrior's face went deathly pale. His bladder released involuntarily, a dark stain spreading across his pants. Tears streamed from his eyes unbidden.
The crew-cut warrior's mind simply... broke. His eyes rolled back, foam appearing at the corners of his mouth as his consciousness tried to flee from something it couldn't comprehend or resist.
All three men experienced the same fundamental revelation simultaneously:
If we don't run RIGHT NOW, we will die. Not 'might die'—WILL die. Absolutely. Certainly. Our deaths are guaranteed if we remain in this presence for even seconds longer.
"AHHHHH!" Wang's scream was animalistic—the sound of something reduced to pure prey instinct.
He turned and ran, his corpulent body moving faster than it had in years, fueled entirely by terror. His warriors followed instantly, scrambling toward the exit with desperate speed.
None of them remembered Song, still buried in the rubble.
None of them looked back.
None of them did anything except flee with every ounce of strength their bodies possessed, driven by the absolute certainty that death itself pursued them.
They crashed through the entrance doors, not bothering to open them properly, and disappeared into the street outside. Their panicked screaming continued to echo long after they'd vanished from sight.
Vaelor allowed his Genesis Will to dissipate, retracting it completely.
The oppressive atmosphere vanished as if it had never existed. The martial hall's temperature and air pressure returned to normal. Sunlight streaming through windows seemed brighter somehow, less threatening.
Kieran stood frozen, staring at the entrance where Wang and his warriors had fled in utter terror.
"That... that was..." Her voice emerged as barely a whisper. "Your Martial Will?"
Vaelor turned toward her, his expression calm as if nothing unusual had occurred. "Genesis Will, technically. First stage. I awakened it during cultivation just now."
"You awakened Martial Will at Tier 1?" Kieran's mind struggled with the impossibility. "And at such intensity... they looked like they'd seen death itself."
"They essentially did," Vaelor said matter-of-factly. "I released approximately thirty percent of my Genesis Will, focused specifically on them. Their minds interpreted it as absolute mortal danger—which, to be fair, was accurate. If I'd actually intended to kill them, they wouldn't have made it past the door."
He glanced at the rubble pile where Song remained unconscious. "Should we call medical services for that one?"
Kieran blinked, then started laughing—genuine, relieved laughter that released the tension of the entire confrontation. "Let him stay there for a bit. He'll wake up eventually."
She looked at Vaelor with renewed respect and something approaching awe. "You're... you're absolutely terrifying, you know that? Wang Thornbeak is Tier 3. His warriors are all Tier 1. And you made them flee like children running from nightmares."
"They came threatening you with false claims and disgusting propositions," Vaelor said simply. "They deserved to experience real fear for once."
Kieran's expression softened. "Thank you. For standing up for the martial hall. For me."
"I'm part of Crimson Rose now," Vaelor replied. "Guild members support each other. Besides, I needed to test my Genesis Will's practical applications. They provided a convenient opportunity."
And they'll probably never recover psychologically, he added mentally. Thirty percent of peak Stage 1 Genesis Will, delivered with hostile intent, directly targeting their spirits... they'll have nightmares for years. Might never be able to fight properly again.
He felt no guilt about it. They'd chosen to harass an innocent woman, threaten her livelihood, and proposition her with vile suggestions.
They'd gotten off lightly, all things considered.
"So," Vaelor said, changing the subject. "Five days from now, Thunder Martial Hall. Do you actually want to participate in that competition, or should I just solve the Wang problem permanently?"
Kieran considered. "Let's see how things develop. If Wang actually sends fair opponents, we'll compete properly. If he tries anything underhanded..."
"I'll handle it," Vaelor finished. "Understood."
He glanced toward the gravity chamber with obvious longing. "Speaking of which—I'd like to schedule regular sessions here. The results have been exceptional."
"Anytime you want," Kieran assured him immediately. "Consider it your personal training facility. After what you just did, you've earned lifetime free access."
Vaelor smiled. "Appreciated. Now if you'll excuse me—I need to return home, rest, and register with the Warrior Association later today."
"Of course. And Vaelor?"
He paused at the entrance, looking back.
"Thank you. Seriously."
"You're welcome."
Then he was gone, vanishing into the morning streets.
Kieran stood alone in the martial hall, looking at the rubble where Song remained unconscious, then at the entrance where three grown warriors had fled in abject terror.
"I recruited a dragon," she murmured to herself. "An absolute devilish, perversely, strong monster dragon disguised as a high school student."
She pulled out her communication device and began composing a message to Scarlet.
President, you need to know what just happened. Vaelor awakened Martial Will. At Tier 1. And he made a Tier 3 warrior flee in terror.
We didn't recruit a dark horse. We recruited something that might reshape the entire guild landscape.
She sent the message and began cleaning up—starting with calling medical services for the unfortunate Song, who'd be waking up to a world of confusion and pain.
Outside, Vaelor walked until he was certain no one observed him, then activated Spatial Displacement Intent and teleported directly back to his bedroom.
His shadow clone dissolved, memories merging seamlessly.
Vaelor collapsed onto his bed with exhaustion—but deep satisfaction filled him.
Foundation Establishment 2nd Stage. Genesis Will awakened at peak Level 9. Battle power exceeding 1.3 million. And I've established dominance over a potential future problem.
Tomorrow: Warrior Association registration. Then serious dungeon farming begins.
He closed his eyes, letting sleep claim him while his Eternal Cosmos Cultivation Scripture continued its passive work.
The path to supremacy accelerated with each passing day.
And Vaelor Draeth had barely scratched the surface of his potential.