The night air was still, but the atmosphere inside Gaurav's newly furnished quarters was electric. Gaurav sat cross-legged on his plush silk sofa, his eyes closed. In his mind, the Omniscience Archive was undergoing a chaotic transformation.
Pixels of golden light were rearranging themselves, and a massive amount of data was pouring into his consciousness.
[System Upgrade Initializing...]
Processing Core: 100%
New Module Unlocked: The Path of Destiny (Vision Level 1)
Description: You no longer just see what is wrong with a person; you see where their choices will lead them. You can now see the 'Luck Value' and 'Death Lines' of any target.
Gaurav opened his eyes. They weren't their usual brown; for a split second, they glowed with a terrifying, ancient gold. He looked at a small spider crawling on the wall.
[Target]: Common House Spider.
[Destiny Path]: Will be crushed by a falling book in 42 seconds.
[Change Fate?]: Move the book 2 inches to the left.
Gaurav reached out and nudged a heavy manual on "Basic Herbs" on his shelf. Forty-two seconds later, the shelf vibrated, the book tilted, and it slammed onto the wood—missing the spider by a hair.
"Interesting," Gaurav smirked. "I'm not just a teacher anymore. I'm a cheat-code for life itself."
The Gravity Chamber Training
"TEACHER! I CAN'T... BREATHE!"
Suraj's voice came from the center of the room. Gaurav had used his new Black-Gold Card to buy a rare Earth-Core Gourd, which he had modified using the Archive. Now, the gourd was hovering in the air, emitting a heavy, violet aura that increased the gravity in a ten-foot radius by five times.
Suraj was flat on his face, his "Stone Fist" shaking as he tried to push himself up. Elara was in a slightly better position, kneeling, her teeth clenched as she tried to maintain her 'Ice Shield' against the crushing pressure.
"Stop whining, Suraj," Gaurav said, casually peeling an orange. "Destiny says that if you don't master this by tomorrow, you'll be defeated in the first round of the tournament by a guy named 'One-Hit Wang.' Do you want to be known as the guy who lost to someone named One-Hit Wang?"
"N-No, Sir!" Suraj wheezed, his muscles bulging.
"And Elara," Gaurav turned to her. "You're too focused on defending. Your destiny shows a path where your ice becomes so brittle it shatters. Don't fight the gravity. Incorporate it. Let the weight of the world become the weight of your sword."
Elara looked up, her eyes narrowing. She closed them and stopped fighting the pressure. Instead of pushing back, she allowed her mana to sink, becoming heavy and dense. Suddenly, the violet aura around her seemed to flow into her ice. Her frost turned from a pale white to a deep, translucent sapphire.
"Better," Gaurav noted.
The Principal's Sabotage
While Gaurav's students were suffering under the gourd, a shadowy meeting was taking place in the Academy's highest tower.
Principal Mo, a man whose beard was longer than his sense of ethics, slammed his fist on a stone table. Beside him stood Elder Han, looking humiliated and vengeful.
"He is becoming too popular," Mo hissed. "The students are calling him the 'God Teacher.' If he wins the Blazing Sun Tournament, the Sect will take him, and our Academy will lose its funding for 'Special Talents.' We cannot let him attend."
"But he has the invitation from Yan Ling herself!" Han whispered. "We can't stop him openly."
"We won't," Principal Mo smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. "Tomorrow is the 'Test of the Spirit Well.' Every teacher must lead their students into the ancient caves to recharge the Academy's core. I have 'modified' the array. Gaurav and his little brats will enter the Cave of No Return. By the time they realize the exit is sealed, the tournament will be over... and they will be skeletons."
The Trapped Lion
The next morning, the Academy gathered at the mouth of the Spirit Well. Gaurav arrived late, as usual, yawning and wearing a pair of silk pajamas under his robes.
"Master Gaurav," Principal Mo said with a fake, grandfatherly smile. "Since you are our most 'gifted' instructor, you shall take the lead in Section 4. It is the most vital part of the well."
Gaurav looked at the Principal. His new Eye of Destiny flickered.
[Target]: Principal Mo.
[Current Thought]: Die in the dark, you arrogant brat.
[Destiny Path]: Sealed fate. He is leading you into a 'Rank 6 Void Trap.'
Gaurav's smirk didn't fade. In fact, it grew wider. He knew it was a trap, but the Archive also showed him something else—something hidden deep within Section 4.
[Hidden Path Detected]: Beneath the trap lies the 'Primordial Path Stone.' > [Reward]: 500,000 Arrogance Points and a System Evolution.
"Section 4? Sounds cozy," Gaurav said, waving Suraj and Elara forward. "Let's go, kids. Time to show the Principal exactly what happens when you try to cage a dragon."
As they stepped into the dark tunnel, a heavy stone door slammed shut behind them. The light vanished. The air turned cold.
"Teacher! The door is sealed! The energy... it's draining our mana!" Suraj panicked.
"Relax, Suraj," Gaurav's voice came from the darkness, calm and mocking as ever. "They didn't trap us in here with the monsters. They trapped the monsters in here with me."
Gaurav snapped his fingers. A ball of golden light erupted, illuminating a cavern filled with thousands of glowing, red-eyed Spirit Bats.
"Elara, remember that 'Heavy Ice' we practiced? Consider this your first exam. Suraj, if you miss a single bat, I'm making you run back to the academy in your underwear."
Gaurav sat down on a nearby rock, pulled out a book, and checked his nails. "Begin. I'll be here when you're done clearing the path to my promotion."