The morning sun rose slowly, but the academy was anything but quiet.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
"Four assassins vanished from the Shadowfall Kingdom overnight…"
"Asura was attacked? And survived? No—he killed them?"
"They say he didn't even draw his sword…"
Whispers filled the halls, sparking fear, awe, and envy.
The instructors? Silent. The elders? Watching.
And the elite students?
They finally understood—
Asura was no longer just a rising star. He was the storm itself.
The Crimson Pavilion
Far from the main academy, nestled atop a misty cliff, stood the Crimson Pavilion—an exclusive faction reserved only for monstrous geniuses, most of whom were direct descendants of major royal clans.
Its walls were carved from ancient red jade. Its disciples? Arrogant, ruthless, born into supremacy.
And now, their peace had been shattered.
A blood-red banner fluttered at the Pavilion gate—ripped down, stomped, and left with a single word written in qi-blood:
"Boring." – Asura.
Inside, a storm brewed.
A young man with crimson hair and golden eyes crushed a tea cup in his hand. His aura flared violently, distorting the space around him. He was none other than Ji Xuan, heir to the Flame Kingdom's direct royal bloodline—and the Crimson Pavilion's de facto leader.
"That peasant dares mock us?" he spat.
One of his followers bowed respectfully. "He did more than mock, young master. He crippled Third Brother Jin after yesterday's duel..."
Ji Xuan's gaze turned murderous.
Jin was one of the Top 10 Core Disciples, and Asura had casually shattered his foundation with one strike.
"This can't continue."
Another voice entered the room—calm, deep, cold.
"He's not just some upstart. He's evolving."
The speaker was none other than Luo Feng, the Pavilion's most mysterious member. A descendant of the Shadowfall Kingdom, Luo Feng possessed the Silent Vein Art, making his presence nearly undetectable.
His eyes were narrow slits, glowing faintly.
"I've seen it… last night, when he fought the assassins—he awakened something."
Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Luo Feng looked toward the heavens.
"The Supreme Martial Eyes."
Asura's Awakening
Elsewhere, in the depths of the academy's forest, Asura stood on a flat stone platform. Shirtless, eyes closed, arms relaxed. Around him, thousands of golden inscriptions floated in the air—techniques from every opponent he'd ever faced.
The Supreme Martial Eyes were awake.
Copy. Remodel. Perfect.
He could now do more than copy techniques—he could evolve them.
Each technique hovered in his vision like data: their weaknesses, strengths, structure, flow.
And slowly, piece by piece, they were devoured by the martial beast inside him.
Heaven's End: The Path of Asura began to shift again.
He incorporated the bone chain's death qi, the twin dagger's flicker step, the black sword's void movement, and even the sickle's forbidden curse pattern.
His own technique—once already above divine level—was now reaching into a realm even gods feared to name.
Visions of War
Suddenly, Asura's body trembled.
A flash.
He saw a mountain of corpses, flames devouring a kingdom. The scent of ashes. And in the sky above—
Twelve figures.
Shrouded in demonic qi.
The Twelve Scourges.
Each one stronger than a Supreme Elder. Each one trained to kill rising gods.
Asura opened his eyes.
The world was calm.
But his heart wasn't.
"They're coming."
Back at the Academy – The Challenge
News reached the ears of every major faction.
The Crimson Pavilion had issued a challenge.
A formal duel—7 days from now.
Ji Xuan himself would face Asura.
And he wasn't coming alone.
He'd bring three elite Pavilion disciples with him, all from royal bloodlines. The fight would be broadcast across the entire academy—a deathmatch under heaven's rules.
Either side could kill.
Shao whistled when he heard the news. "They're scared. They think numbers will work."
Lira, folding her arms, narrowed her eyes. "No… they think it'll be enough to force Asura to show everything."
Asura leaned back under a tree, hands behind his head, grinning lazily.
"Perfect," he said. "I've been bored."
He looked up at the sky, where storm clouds were starting to gather.
His Supreme Martial Eyes glowed faintly, revealing something no one else could see:
The clouds weren't natural.
They were drawn by fate.
War was approaching.
Final Scene – A Whisper from the Past
That night, as Asura meditated, he was drawn deep into his inner world.
There, standing in front of an ancient broken temple surrounded by floating stars, a familiar silhouette appeared—cloaked in divine armor, face obscured, voice echoing with unimaginable power.
"You're close, my successor… but you must find the final fragment."
"Before the Twelve Scourges arrive, seek the Starflame Mausoleum."
"Inside… lies your next inheritance."
Asura opened his eyes—heart pounding, blood roaring.
Things were accelerating.
And war wasn't waiting.
End of Chapter 83