The Summit was a paradise above the clouds. Jade pavilions floated on islands of condensed spiritual energy. Crane-beasts with wingspans of thirty feet circled lazily. The air smelled of ancient herbs and immortality.
Into this paradise stepped a demon.
Kaelen stood at the edge of the Golden Platform. Steam rose from his charred skin, which was rapidly shedding black flakes to reveal the pristine, rune-etched flesh beneath. He was naked save for a tattered loincloth and the massive, rust-colored slab strapped to his back.
Viper lay behind him, gasping for air, her cultivation nearly shattered by the climb.
Facing them were five figures.
They wore robes woven from starlight silk. Their auras were dense, heavy, and terrifyingly stable.
**Core Formation Elders.**
A single step difference between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation was like the difference between a pond and an ocean. A Core Formation expert could level a city with a thought.
The lead Elder, a man made of what looked like living granite (**Elder Stone**, Core Stage 3), stepped forward. The ground trembled under his weight.
"Monster," Elder Stone boomed. "You trespassed on the Dragon Pillar. You destroyed the tribulation array. You defiled the Summit with your presence."
He raised a hand, his fingers turning into rocky spikes.
"Kneel and accept execution, and I will make it quick."
Kaelen looked at the five masters. He cracked his neck.
"I climbed ten miles," Kaelen said, his voice raspy from the lightning. "I'm thirsty."
He pointed at the massive, domed building behind them. The **Academy Treasury**.
"And I hear there's a very expensive drink inside."
Elder Stone's patience snapped. "Arrogant spawn! Die!"
**Secret Art: Mountain Crushing Seal.**
Elder Stone slammed his palms together. Above Kaelen, a massive mountain peak made of condensed golden Earth Qi materialized. It was the size of a house, dropping straight onto his head.
Viper screamed, trying to crawl away.
Kaelen didn't move. He didn't draw his slab.
He puffed out his chest. The **Titan's Ribcage** beneath his skin glowed through his pores, forming a spectral golden breastplate over his torso.
*BOOOOM.*
The mountain seal landed.
The Golden Platform cracked. A shockwave of dust and energy blew the roof off a nearby pavilion. The sheer weight should have turned any Foundation cultivator into paste.
The dust cleared.
Kaelen stood in a crater. The golden mountain seal was resting on his chest.
He hadn't budged an inch. His feet were buried to the ankles in the jade floor.
"Heavy," Kaelen grunted. His muscles screamed under the load, but the Titan bone held firm.
He wrapped his arms around the massive Qi mountain.
"But mine now."
He squeezed.
*CRUNCH.*
The energy construct shattered into motes of golden light.
The five Elders stared, their jaws practically on the floor.
"He... he broke a Core-level technique with brute strength?"
"Impossible! He must have a supreme defensive artifact!"
"Attack together!" Elder Stone roared, panicking. "Don't let him breathe! Vaporize him!"
The five Elders unleashed hell.
A tsunami of blue fire. A storm of wind blades. A hail of ice meteors. A barrage of lightning spears.
It was enough firepower to erase a small country. The combined attack converged on Kaelen, creating a blinding sphere of destruction.
Inside the sphere, Kaelen smiled.
"Finally," his voice echoed, distorted and demonic.
He opened his mouth. His jaw unhinged. A black singularity formed in his throat.
**Heaven-Devouring Scripture: Gluttony (Apex Mode).**
The swirling chaos of elemental energy didn't explode. It curved. It was sucked into the vacuum of his mouth.
Fire, ice, wind, lightning—it all rushed down his throat like water down a drain.
The Elders watched in horror as their supreme attacks were... eaten.
Kaelen swallowed. His stomach churned violently as it processed the chaotic energies. His skin flashed through a rainbow of colors before settling back to normal.
He belched. A small cloud of multi-colored smoke drifted out.
He looked at the terrified Core Formation experts.
"Is that all the Summit has to offer?" Kaelen asked, taking a step forward. The Elders instinctively took a step back.
"Enough."
A voice, quiet but absolute, stopped the world.
The air pressure on the Summit increased tenfold. Even the Elders dropped to one knee, struggling to breathe.
A figure materialized between Kaelen and the Treasury.
It was the old man from the projection. The **Dean**.
He looked frail, like a strong breeze would knock him over. But his eyes held the weight of centuries. **Core Formation Peak (Half-Step Nascent Soul).**
The Dean looked at Kaelen. He looked at the Titan glow fading from his chest. He looked at the Storm-Demon runes on his arms.
"You have the Thief's bone," the Dean stated calmly.
"I prefer 'Inheritor'," Kaelen corrected, not kneeling.
The Dean sighed. A sound that made the floating islands shudder.
"If we fight, the Summit falls," the Dean said. "You will die, but you will take half the Academy with you."
The Dean turned and walked toward the Treasury door. It was a massive slab of Star-Iron, covered in seals that would kill any intruder instantly.
"You want the Arms?" The Dean placed his hand on the door. The seals deactivated one by one.
"They have been waiting in the dark for a thousand years. They drove the last three geniuses who touched them mad."
The massive door groaned open, revealing absolute darkness inside.
A sound came from the dark. A metallic *clank*. Like chains rattling in a dungeon.
And a pulse. A heartbeat of pure, unadulterated rage that washed over the platform, making even the Core Elders shiver.
Kaelen felt his own Ribcage vibrate in resonance.
The Dean stepped aside, gesturing to the darkness.
"Enter, Calamity. See if the Titan accepts you, or if it tears you apart."