The sun rose timidly over Broken Peak, unsure of whether to fully greet the odd collection of people, demons, spirit beasts, and one arrogant goose who now called the ruins their home.
Aarav, freshly recovered from his near-death Guardian-bonding, stood at the center of the courtyard, face flushed and mind still processing the burning sigil etched over his heart.
Lady Ashvara floated beside him, silent but radiant, her expression unreadable. Her body shimmered with layered robes woven from cosmic thread, and her hair drifted like ink in water, suspended in the morning light.
His disciples watched from behind a spirit barrier Piko had crafted the night before. Safety reasons.
Bao leaned toward Meiyu and whispered, "She doesn't blink. I counted."
Tian Zhu clutched a talisman between his fingers. "Do you think she can hear thoughts?"
"She's a Guardian," Lianhua said flatly, her voice echoing with frost. "She can hear more than that."
Aarav cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Right! Sect meeting. Urgent. Mandatory. Entirely not because I'm scared she might explode if I disappoint her."
The disciples nodded, albeit slowly.
"I present to you," Aarav said, gesturing with both hands, "our first official Guardian: Lady Ashvara, the Flame of the Final Era."
Ashvara nodded once.
Silence followed.
Piko muttered, "You'd think someone from the Final Era would be better with small talk."
Ashvara's golden eyes turned to him, and his tablet instantly combusted in his hands.
"…Understood," he whispered.
Aarav coughed. "Right. So. With our sect growing, we'll need to begin assigning Peaks."
That got their attention.
"Peaks?" Meiyu echoed. "You mean… we get our own?"
"Correct," Aarav said, puffing out his chest. "One peak per disciple who proves themselves capable of guiding others. You'll build them, shape them, lead them. It's the next step."
Bao's eyes sparkled. "Can mine have a barbecue pit?"
"As long as it doesn't involve spirit pigs again, yes."
Tian Zhu perked up. "I want a treasury vault peak. For research purposes."
"You're not hoarding spirit coins again, are you?"
Tian Zhu looked away quickly.
Lianhua's voice floated like wind through trees. "I would like a peak of silence. For ghosts. They speak to me when it's quiet."
Aarav nodded slowly. "Disturbing, but approved."
"Wait," Meiyu interjected. "How will we expand the territory fast enough?"
Ashvara finally spoke, her voice melodic and ancient. "Through challenge. Through harmony. Through power forged in trial."
Aarav blinked. "That's poetic. But could you be more specific?"
Her gaze turned to the mountains in the distance. "There are spirits bound beneath this land. Awaken them. Defeat them. Integrate their essence into the mountain. The land will recognize your ownership."
Meiyu crossed her arms. "So we fight mountains now?"
"No," Ashvara said. "You awaken the memories of this world. The Sect that once was. And in doing so, claim it for the Sect that shall be."
---
The first to try was Meiyu.
Ashvara led her to an ancient stone bridge that spanned a deep ravine to the east. Fog covered everything below. Wind whispered curses in forgotten languages.
Aarav stood behind her, fidgeting. "I can come with you—"
"No," Ashvara said. "This trial is hers alone."
Meiyu stepped onto the bridge.
Each footstep echoed unnaturally.
Then… something shifted.
The sky turned grey. The sun vanished.
From the mist emerged a figure—an armored woman with blood-red eyes and a massive guandao.
"Who seeks the claim of Flame Peak?" she asked.
"I do," Meiyu said, hands tightening into fists.
"You carry guilt," the ghost said. "You burned down your last sect. Your master perished in flames you failed to control."
Meiyu flinched.
"I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I—I was pushed too far. I lost control."
"Intent does not erase consequence," the spirit said. "Show me your resolve."
The battle began.
Flames danced between them. Meiyu ducked under swings, countering with fire punches, heatwaves, spinning kicks. Each blow triggered memories she tried to suppress: screaming disciples, the crackling of burning wood, her master's last words.
"I'm not that girl anymore!" she shouted, delivering a final, roaring punch that split the guandao in two.
The ghost smiled.
And bowed.
The mist vanished.
The bridge solidified.
Meiyu fell to her knees, sobbing—not from pain, but from the release of guilt.
Ashvara placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You may claim this Peak. Flame Peak is yours to shape."
---
The process continued.
One by one, each disciple took on their trials:
• Bao faced a giant stone beast deep within the earth and won by cooking it a perfect meal instead of fighting. • Tian Zhu defeated his own greed, facing a shadow version of himself who traded lives for treasures. • Lianhua walked through a ghost forest and helped the lost souls move on. • Piko solved an impossible puzzle set by an ancient spirit librarian.
Each earned a Peak.
Each shaped it in their own style.
Ashvara watched from the shadows.
Aarav, meanwhile, felt the Sect begin to breathe.
The mountains responded.
The barrier expanded.
And with every disciple's triumph, Aarav's power stretched further from the core.
> [Current Sect Area Radius: 145 meters] [Peaks Established: 5 — Flame, Boulder, Whisper, Shadow, Code]
---
One night, as the stars twinkled above, Aarav stood with Ashvara on the balcony overlooking the valley.
"You said I carry a sliver of Agnivesh," he said.
"Yes," Ashvara replied. "But you are also not him. You are new."
"Was he a good man?"
"He burned for a world that forgot how to feel," she said quietly. "He gave everything. Even me."
Aarav looked down. "I won't make you do that again."
Ashvara studied him. "Then become strong enough that I never need to."
He smiled. "Deal."
---
The Sect was growing.
But in the distance, a storm gathered.
From the west, whispers spread of a Blood Sect. One that devoured minor sects and enslaved disciples.
And in their ranks, someone who once knew the name Agnivesh.
To be continued…
Reader Question: Which Peak would you choose to build if you were a disciple of Broken Peak—and what trial would challenge your deepest weakness?
Leave your answer below. Let's see which Peaks our readers might shape!