"This is the place. You two, go in."

  The High Speaker spoke in a low, resonant voice.

  "And remember—caution is paramount. If anything feels wrong, crush this immediately!!"

  Suddenly, as if recalling a dire necessity, he cast a deep, lingering look toward the depths of Sunfire Hall. He reached out and handed a small, unassuming sphere to Lance.

  "Hm? What is this?"

  Lance stared at the object, momentarily bewildered.

  "Just take it, Lance," Selina urged, her voice tight, as if she knew exactly what the object represented.

  "Understood. My thanks, High Speaker."

  Lance gave a faint smile and tucked the sphere away.

  "Go now," the High Speaker said. Though his voice remained steady, a trace of unease flickered in his eyes.

  Lance and Selina kicked off the floor, their bodies lifting into the air as they flew toward the heart of the temple.

  The High Speaker watched their retreating figures, his pupils contracting slightly. Both of them... they both possess [Grandmaster]-level strength. What kind of place is Planet Silvermoon, truly?

  A surge of genuine wonder filled his mind. The odds of a tiny, single-planet system producing two monsters of this caliber simultaneously were practically zero.

  Could there be something wrong with that planet?

  The High Speaker stroked his beard, his thoughts racing. He decided then and there that once he had the time, he would visit Planet Silvermoon personally to see what secrets it held.

  No... I cannot wait, he thought, his expression turning grim. The Solaris Emperor granting an audience to Lance... the High Guardians must be informed of this immediately.

  He began to channel his energy to establish a secure link with the High Guardians.

  As they flew deeper into the temple, Selina’s expression underwent a subtle, dark transformation.

  "Selina, are you alright?" Lance asked. He had noticed the shift in her demeanor immediately.

  "I'm fine," she replied. She took a sharp breath, pulling her features back into a mask of composure, but the response was hollow.

  Lance didn't believe her for a second. Her entire aura had shifted, vibrating with a suppressed intensity. However, he didn't pry. He knew everyone carried their own shadows; if she wanted him to know, she would tell him. Just as he had never questioned the powerful presence lurking within her soul, he wouldn't demand answers now.

  After flying for several kilometers, they finally reached the innermost sanctum.

  The area was a sea of endless fire. Roaring cobalt-purple flames erupted from the ground, spiraling upward into a colossal pillar of fire that converged upon a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in the void.

  A complex array hummed around the fire pillar, keeping the heat contained. Lance estimated that without that barrier, even his current strength wouldn't save him from being turned to ash instantly—provided he didn't deploy his defenses or use his [Infernal Dark Flame]. If he unleashed his SSS-Rank fire, the result would be the opposite: the cobalt flames would be incinerated into nothingness by his own dark embers.

  [System Alert: Analysis complete. S-Rank fire detected: [Geocentric Star Flame].]

  Lance’s brow twitched at the Intellect’s report. So this is the Geocentric Star Flame. It seems the Solaris Emperor is using it as a catalyst for his cultivation.

  The array served a dual purpose: it protected the surrounding temple from being leveled, but it also acted as a cage for the flame itself.

  The fire seems to be in a dormant state, Lance noted, a smirk playing on his lips. If it ever fully erupted, the Solaris Emperor would be reduced to a cinder before he could blink.

  He remembered the Cinder Emperor being burned alive quite clearly. Though this S-Rank flame was far inferior to Selina’s SS-Rank [Ice Spirit Star Flame], it was still powerful enough to threaten a [Stellar Class] warrior if it went wild—let alone a mere [Planetary Class (Rank 5)] like the man before them.

  "This... Master, is this the Geocentric Star Flame?"

  Selina’s entire body was trembling as she stared at the blue-purple fire. A boundless, suffocating rage began to radiate from her.

  "It is," Sovereign Glacia’s voice echoed in her mind, heavy with cold disdain. "The man is as ruthless as they come. To think he would murder his own disciple just to steal her legacy."

  Glacia knew the history of the Skylar family intimately. Selina’s obsession with seeing the Solaris Emperor stemmed from a blood-debt involving her ancestor.

  A thousand years ago, Selina’s family didn't live on Planet Silvermoon. They ruled the Skylar System, one of the most powerful star systems in the Solaris Sector. Their strongest warrior, Ancestor Skylar, was a [Great Grandmaster (Rank 8)] and one of the legendary Top Ten of the sector.

  Ancestor Skylar had another title: the direct disciple of the Solaris Emperor. Both were supreme masters of the path of fire.

  During an expedition into a [Galactic Realm] secret realm a millennium ago, Ancestor Skylar had explored the depths alongside his master and several other sovereigns. Her luck was extraordinary—she had discovered an S-Rank Aether Fire that successfully acknowledged her as its master. It was the very [Geocentric Star Flame] they were looking at now.

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  In that moment, her potential had leaped from S-Rank to the very peak of S+. It was a golden ticket to the [Planetary Class]. Within a hundred years, she would have broken her limits and stood as an equal to her master.

  Initially, the Solaris Emperor had seemed overjoyed. He had celebrated her fortune and promised to pass down his most guarded, ultimate techniques to her, acting the part of the devoted, selfless mentor.

  But it was a charade. In the very moment he "passed down" the techniques, he struck. He utilized his superior strength to instantly obliterate Ancestor Skylar, forcibly ripping the [Geocentric Star Flame] from her dying soul.

  He didn't stop there. Fearing retaliation and seeking to erase his crime, he traveled to the Skylar System and personally exterminated every single member of the House Skylar he could find.

  In the aftermath of the massacre, the Solaris Emperor shifted the blame entirely onto the other four great races. He claimed they had learned of Ancestor Skylar’s rising potential and, fearing she would become the next [Planetary Class] sovereign, dispatched assassins to erase her.

  It was a convenient lie, though it only fooled the common masses. High-level officials and anyone above the [Great Grandmaster] rank knew exactly whose hands were stained with Ancestor Skylar’s blood.

  However, House Skylar had not been completely extinguished. Ancestor Skylar’s youngest son had been spirited away just before his mother’s death. He sought refuge on Planet Silvermoon—a world that had only recently been colonized and was considered a remote backwater. He vanished into the fringes of the sector, evading the Emperor’s purge.

  A thousand years passed. House Skylar survived through dozens of generations on Planet Silvermoon until only Selina remained. The family had kept the memory of the betrayal alive, but as the centuries wore on, their original [War Arts] and techniques were lost or abandoned out of fear that using them would alert the capital. By the time Selina was born, the once-great house had dwindled into a minor martial family. Had she not awakened her frost powers, the lineage likely would have vanished within another generation.

  This secret was known only to the survivors of House Skylar. Even now, only Selina and Sovereign Glacia held the truth. A millennium had passed, and the Solaris Emperor still hadn't fully tamed the [Geocentric Star Flame], though he was nearing the final stages of the process.

  Buzz!!!

  In the void above the fire pillar, the middle-aged man calmly opened his eyes.

  In that instant, Lance and Selina felt a supreme, regal pressure surge toward them. The raw power was so dense it caused the surrounding air to compress into a liquid state. Selina’s face turned deathly pale, but her eyes remained cold and defiant. She stared back at the Solaris Emperor, refusing to bow her head.

  Lance, on the other hand, was entirely unaffected. The Emperor was clearly testing them, and while the pressure was significant, it wasn't enough to make Lance flinch.

  "Impressive. Truly an SS-Rank genius," the Solaris Emperor said, his voice echoing with approval. He then turned his gaze to Selina. "And you... to withstand the pressure of a [Grandmaster (Rank 4)] at your age, you are a paragon even among S+ geniuses."

  With those words, he drifted out of the [Geocentric Star Flame] and hovered before them.

  The Emperor’s deep, calculating eyes swept over the two teenagers. When his gaze lingered on Selina, his brow twitched slightly. A strange, fleeting sense of familiarity nagged at his subconscious.

  This girl...

  The Solaris Emperor felt a flicker of annoyance at her cold, disrespectful stare, but his confusion was greater. He felt as though he had seen her before. But he quickly dismissed the thought; he had met tens of billions of people over his long life. It was impossible to remember every face, and similarities in appearance were common across such a vast population.

  "Lance," the Emperor said, turning his attention to the boy and offering a thin smile. "I’ve noted that you possess a fire-type affinity, specifically the S-Rank [Solar Stellar Flame]. I assume that is the primary reason for your meteoric rise in strength."

  Lance nodded calmly. The Emperor had likely seen the [Solar Stellar Flame] in the combat footage provided by the High Speaker. Lance had hidden it well, but a [Planetary Class] expert would still be able to detect the specific energy signature of an S-Rank trait.

  Had the Emperor seen the footage of Lance deleting Corbin and his crew, he would have been truly stunned. In that fight, Lance had utilized his [Holy Light Power]. If the high-ranking officials of the human race ever saw that, Lance’s talent rating would jump from SS to SSS instantly.

  Lance had prepared for that, however. He had used his internal Intellect to scrub the official records, altering the footage to make the light beams appear as if they were a specific [War Art] rather than a raw supernatural trait. Only a [Planetary Class] warrior witnessing the fight in person could have guessed the truth.

  Lance had only revealed the [Holy Light Power] to test the reactions of the soul residing within Selina. He wanted to see if she harbored any hostility. If she did, he intended to solve the problem before her strength recovered to a point where he couldn't handle it.

  "You are correct, Your Majesty. It is indeed as you say," Lance replied with a polite nod, choosing not to challenge the Emperor's assessment.

  Hmph. This kid is quite the actor, Sovereign Glacia’s voice echoed in Selina’s mind, dripping with sarcasm. If he revealed everything he’s hiding, the Federation’s top brass would probably have a collective heart attack. A mere [Solar Stellar Flame] could never produce those results.

  Hearing her master’s voice helped Selina steady her nerves.

  "In that case," the Solaris Emperor continued, finally reaching his point, "I was wondering if you would be interested in becoming my personal disciple."

  The invitation hung in the air. The Emperor knew that Lance would eventually be eligible to become a disciple of the God of War after passing certain trials, but he also knew that without the guidance of a supreme expert, passing those trials was nearly impossible. He was confident that within the Solaris Sector, no fire-type cultivator—save for the High Guardians—surpassed him in strength or knowledge.

  As a native of his sector, Lance becoming his disciple would be a natural and prestigious arrangement.

  Selina’s heart hammered against her ribs. She was deeply entangled with the Solaris Emperor; if Lance became his disciple, her quest for revenge would be compromised. If she struck at the Emperor, Lance would be forced to defend his master, and if he didn't, he would be branded a traitor.

  "That... is a generous offer," Lance said, without a moment's hesitation. "But I must respectfully decline. I already have a master."

  Selina let out a silent breath of relief. The Solaris Emperor, however, frowned.

  "You have a master?" the Emperor scoffed. "And who might that be? Is your master more powerful than a [Planetary Class] sovereign like myself?"

  "The [Solar Stellar Flame]... it is a treasure. Once I tame the [Geocentric Star Flame] and seize that boy's power, my talent will break through the S+ ceiling and reach the SS-Rank. When that happens, those old fossils in the capital won't dare move against me—not when I'm the key to humanity's future!"

  Inside his mind, the Solaris Emperor had already finalized his scheme. S-Rank fire affinities were so rare that in the entire history of the human Federation, fewer than ten people had ever mastered them. Every one of those individuals had been an S+ Rank genius.

  Most had grown into [Great Grandmaster] peaks or even [Planetary Class] sovereigns themselves, making their power impossible to steal. But Lance? Lance was just a [Grandmaster].

  The Emperor believed the boy was his to take.

  Of course, he needed to finish merging with the [Geocentric Star Flame] first. Killing two supreme geniuses at once—even for a [Planetary Class] sovereign—would draw too much heat from the High Guardians. He needed to be surgical.

  "Lance has already told you he has no interest in being your disciple," Selina suddenly interjected, her voice cutting through the Emperor's arrogance like a blade of ice. "Does the Solaris Emperor intend to resort to coercion?"

  The Emperor’s face turned instantly arctic at her words.

  Even Lance was taken aback. Damn. She really has a grudge. Well, it looks like the Solaris Emperor is going to be deleted today. Which means that [Geocentric Star Flame] is going to be up for grabs...

  Lance read the room immediately. It was obvious why Selina’s expression darkened whenever the Emperor’s name was mentioned. She wasn't just here for an audience; she was here for blood.

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