The morning sun over the Heavensward Institute did not bring its usual warmth. Instead, it struggled against a creeping, violet haze that bled from the horizon. The atmospheric pressure shifted, turning heavy and metallic. In the center of the academy courtyard, the newly appointed "Junior Janitor," Prince Zhao, stopped scrubbing the marble floors. His broom clattered to the ground as he stared at the sky, his body trembling with a fear that even the God-Binding Seal couldn't fully suppress.
High above, space itself began to tear. It wasn't the clean rupture of a teleportation circle; it was a jagged, rotting wound in reality.
In the library, Gaurav didn't even look up from the scroll he was "correcting." Beside him, Saintess Liu Fei was meticulously grinding emerald-colored herbs under the watchful, yet critical eye of Old Man Wei.
"Focus, Saintess," Wei barked, though his tone held a newfound respect. "Master's 'Holy Venom' requires a purity of 99.9%. If you slip to 99.8%, you won't brew a medicine; you'll brew a cloud of gas that will turn everyone in this room into stone!"
Liu Fei wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, her white veils shimmering. "I understand, Senior Wei. The balance between the Radiant Breath and the Toxic Essence is... delicate."
Suddenly, the library doors creaked open. Empress Mo Rong walked in, her silver hair flowing behind her like a frozen river. Her face was grimmer than usual. "Gaurav, the Void is bleeding. The Demon Abyss has sent a 'Negotiator.' But knowing their kind, he brought a legion instead of a contract."
Gaurav finally set down his brush. He looked at the golden screen of the Sovereign Archive hovering in the air, invisible to the others.
[System Alert: Inter-Dimensional Breach Detected.]
[Target: Prince Kaelen of the 7th Abyss.]
[Status: Seeking the 'Forbidden Knowledge' of the Archive.]
[Analysis: A 'Smart' Demon. Rare. Potential Third Personal Disciple.]
"A smart demon," Gaurav mused, a faint smile playing on his lips. "That's like finding a needle in a haystack of madness. Let us see what the Abyss considers a 'Negotiator.'"
The Shadow on the Threshold
Gaurav stepped out onto the main plaza, followed by his two dominant Queens and his two disciples. The scene was apocalyptic. The violet tear in the sky had widened, and from it, hundreds of winged, obsidian-skinned demons descended, landing on the academy walls like gargoyles.
In the center stood a young man who looked almost human, save for the two elegant, curved horns protruding from his silver hair and his eyes—voids of swirling purple smoke. He wore armor made of 'Void-Iron' that seemed to ripple like liquid.
"I am Kaelen, Third Prince of the Abyss," the demon spoke. His voice didn't echo; it seemed to pull the sound out of the air. "I was told a 'Librarian' had enslaved a Prince of the Crimson Empire. My father, the Demon King, finds this... amusing. He wants to know if the Librarian is interested in a trade. The girl—the Saintess—for the life of everyone in this universe."
Zhu Feng'er's hand burst into white-hot flames. "You dare bargain for my husband's student in his own house? You Abyssal filth have forgotten your place!"
Kaelen glanced at her, his purple eyes indifferent. "Matriarch of Flame, your fire is impressive, but the Abyss consumes all heat. My business is with the Master."
Gaurav walked forward, stopping just a few feet from the Demon Prince. The Abyssal guards hissed, their claws extending, but Gaurav ignored them. He was looking at Kaelen through the Eye of the Sovereign.
[Target: Kaelen]
[Condition: Soul-Fracture. He is trying to suppress his Demonic Instincts with Logic.]
[Hidden Talent: Grandmaster-level Formation Sense.]
[Flaw: 899. His 'Void Core' is unstable because he refuses to eat human souls, leading to a slow death.]
"A demon who refuses to be a monster," Gaurav said softly. The words hit Kaelen like a physical blow. The Demon Prince's stoic mask flickered for a fraction of a second.
"What did you say?" Kaelen whispered.
"You came here for a trade, but not the one your father ordered," Gaurav continued, walking in a slow circle around the demon. "You came because you heard there was a Library that holds the 'Truth of All Paths.' You want to know if there is a way to be a Demon without the hunger. You want to know if 'Logic' can replace 'Slaughter'."
The Abyssal guards roared, sensing their Prince's hesitation, and lunged at Gaurav.
"Stay back!" Kaelen shouted, but it was too late.
Gaurav didn't even raise a hand. He simply tapped his foot on the ground.
[Technique Active: Enslaved Tribulation Resonance (1% Output)]
A spark of black lightning, thin as a hair, spiraled out from Gaurav's heel. It hit the stone floor and expanded into a dome of crackling, dark energy. The demons who touched it weren't just shocked—they were erased. Their physical forms turned to ash, and their souls were pulled into the ground, fueling the Academy's foundation.
Kaelen watched in horror as his elite guard vanished in heartbeats. This wasn't cultivation. This was Authority.
"Your father sent you to die, Kaelen," Gaurav said, his voice now cold and echoing. "He knows you are 'defective.' He knows you seek a path that doesn't involve the Abyss. So, let's make a real trade. I will give you the 'Logic' you seek. I will show you how to stabilize your Void Core using Formation Mastery and Necromancy. In exchange, you will be my Third Disciple, and you will turn your father's 'Abyss' into my Academy's 'Shadow Garden'."
Kaelen fell to his knees. The purple smoke in his eyes stilled. For the first time in his life, the constant, gnawing hunger in his soul was silenced by the mere presence of Gaurav's aura.
"You can... you can fix the hunger?" Kaelen asked, his voice trembling.
"I am the Librarian," Gaurav replied. "I don't just fix bodies; I rewrite the laws of the soul. But be warned—once you become my student, the Demon King will be your first enemy. Are you ready to kill your past?"
Kaelen slammed his forehead into the stone. "Master! If you can give me a path that doesn't require the blood of the innocent, my life, my void, and my soul belong to the Heavensward Institute!"
[System Notification: Third Personal Disciple Bound.]
[Reward Unlocked: The Shadow Hall & 1 'Void-Construction' Blueprint.]
[Sovereign Archive Level Up! Level 2 Reached.]
The Formation of the Departments
With the addition of Kaelen, the Academy's physical structure began to evolve. Gaurav stood in the center of the courtyard and raised his hand. The God-Binding Leaves in his inventory glowed.
"Kaelen, take the Shadow Hall. You will be the Grandmaster of Formations and Celestial Design. Use the energy of the Abyss to create portals that connect our Academy to the 12 Realms."
"Wei, take the Cauldron Peak. You are the Grandmaster of Apothecary and Physician Arts. Your pills will now be the only currency the multiverse accepts."
"Liu Fei, take the Radiant Garden. You are the Saintess of Holy Venom. You will teach the world that purity is a weapon, and mercy is a choice."
As Gaurav spoke, the ground shook. Massive towers began to rise from the ruins, fueled by the souls of the demons Gaurav had just erased. The Heavensward Institute was no longer a ruin; it was becoming a fortress of the Gods.
The Night of the Queens
Late that evening, Gaurav retreated to the highest floor of the Sovereign Tower. The room was lavish, decorated with furs from ancient beasts and enchanted candles that burned with a soft, violet flame.
He wasn't alone.
Empress Mo Rong was sitting by the window, a cup of spirit tea in her hand, while Zhu Feng was pacing the room like a caged tigress.
"Three students in three days," Zhu Feng muttered, her flames casting long, dancing shadows. "A Prince, an Ancestor, and now a Demon. Gaurav, the 'Grand Academy Competition' is only six months away. The Imperial Empire, the Holy Sect, and the Abyss will all be there. They will see their heirs serving you. They will try to kill us all."
Gaurav walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. The heat of her body was intense, but his Holy Energy acted as a buffer. "Let them try, Feng'er. By the time the competition arrives, our students will be Level 7 experts, and our Academy will be the only place in the multiverse that can survive the coming 'Great Calamity'."
Mo Rong turned, her silver eyes glowing. She walked toward them, her fingers trailing over Gaurav's chest. "You keep talking about this 'Calamity,' husband. Is that why you are so desperate to build this 'Shadow Army'?"
Gaurav pulled Mo Rong into the embrace as well. Standing between the two most powerful and dominant women in the realm, he felt a surge of possessive pride.
"The Archive has shown me the future," Gaurav whispered, his voice dropping to a seductive, yet grave tone. "The 'World Will' is rotting. The Heavenly Tribulation is no longer a test; it's a harvest. I am not just building a school. I am building a Life-Boat for the entire multiverse. And you two... you are my Queens. You will lead the women of this new world."
Mo Rong leaned in, her cold lips brushing against his ear. "I don't care about the world, Gaurav. I only care about the man who thawed my frozen heart. But remember... if you take another wife without our permission, I will freeze your 'Sovereign Archive' personally."
Gaurav laughed, his hands wandering over the curves of his two wives. The dominance they showed in public was a stark contrast to the passionate surrender they offered in the privacy of the tower.
"Then I suppose I should focus on 'teaching' my current Queens tonight," Gaurav said, his aura flaring with a mix of Holy and Demonic energy.
As the curtains fell, the Sovereign Archive pulsed in the background, calculating the next step. The world was awakening, and the Master was just getting started.