In his hundreds of years of life, Sarwana had never experienced anything like what had just occurred. Let alone absorbing his energy, few warriors had ever been able to stand against him. But this time was different—he was now certain that Arya was the warrior foretold by the old hermit.
"I must explain to him the prophecy and the challenges he will face," Sarwana muttered softly, his eyes fixed on the process of uniting the elemental energy and pure essence within Arya's body.
Arya spent nearly the entire day absorbing the elemental energy of the area. Just as Sarwana had said, the extreme heat gradually turned into a pleasant coolness the more energy Arya absorbed. The scorching heat no longer bothered him, allowing him to meditate in comfort.
Finally, the process of merging the elemental energy and pure essence within Arya reached its peak. An invisible explosion of energy erupted from his body, sweeping away everything around him. Dust billowed into the air, and small stones were flung in chaotic directions.
Sarwana could only hold his breath, stunned by the sheer power of the energy explosion.
Incredible! That was the only word he could utter. He had never imagined that the handsome young man he saved would turn out to be the most gifted martial talent in the history of the martial arts world.
From afar, Sarwana saw Arya's body emitting a multicolored aura, with two dominant hues—red and green.
He understood that the red aura symbolized anger, while the green represented its opposite. These two opposing energies would become a significant challenge for Arya to balance, especially the red aura, which needed to be suppressed to its lowest level.
Sarwana's amazement knew no bounds. He watched as Arya's body levitated four meters into the air, still in a cross-legged position.
For someone who had lived for centuries, the sight before him was beyond anything he could have imagined. In his experience, only those at the pinnacle of martial arts mastery could manipulate their inner energy to such an extent as to levitate. But Arya was just a young man beginning his martial arts journey. It seemed almost impossible for him to have mastered his energy so quickly.
Arya's body continued to hover, spinning rapidly and creating a vortex of wind that grew larger over time. The dust and small stones that had been flung away by the energy explosion were drawn back into the vortex.
The windstorm persisted for quite some time until it reached its climax. A brilliant green aura surged high into the sky.
Unfortunately, this extraordinary event occurred during the late afternoon. Had it taken place at night, it would have been breathtaking against the darkness.
The surge of energy caused clouds to gather, forming thick, black masses that darkened the sky. Soon after, bolts of lightning streaked across the heavens.
Neither Arya nor Sarwana noticed that one of the lightning bolts struck the earth nearby, within the Panguripan Gorge. The strike occurred not far from where Arya was training.
Unbeknownst to them, before the lightning struck, a massive dragon swirled within the dense cloud formations.
In other regions, dozens to hundreds of warriors witnessed the lightning bolt descending to Earth. To their amazement, they also saw the massive dragon soaring through the skies before the bolt struck. However, they couldn't determine the exact location of the lightning's impact.
In one location, an elderly warrior surrounded by his students watched the event without blinking, especially the appearance of the great dragon.
His brow furrowed deeply as his mind wandered back to a conversation he had years ago with a hermit friend—not a warrior but a seer.
The hermit had said, "A time will come when the strongest artifact in the martial arts world will appear. Alongside it, an unknown warrior of extraordinary ability will rise. If this warrior unites with the artifact and masters its power, no one will be able to defeat them."
The elderly warrior furrowed his brows in contemplation. His ambition to dominate the martial arts world could be crushed if someone else claimed the strongest artifact. The only solution was to obtain it first.
"Is there a specific sign that marks the artifact's appearance?" he had asked.
"There is. Its arrival will be preceded by repeated lightning strikes, accompanied by the appearance of a massive dragon. The artifact is called the Flame Dragon Sword," the hermit had replied.
"Has anyone else been told about this?"
"No one. You're the only one I've shared this with. I fear that if others find out, there will be much bloodshed."
"Good," the elderly warrior had said before suddenly drawing a small dagger from his robe and stabbing the hermit straight in the heart.
"W-What are you doing, Ronggo? Why would you kill me after I shared such an important secret with you?" the hermit had asked, struggling for breath.
"To ensure that this secret remains hidden, Widura! As the source of this information, you must be eliminated so no one else learns of it. I will obtain the Flame Dragon Sword and dominate the martial arts world!" Ronggo had pressed the dagger deeper into Widura's chest.
"You'll never succeed, Ronggo! I can't believe a so-called righteous warrior like you harbors such darkness!" Widura had gasped.
"Enough talk, Widura! Rot in hell!" Ronggo had exerted his inner energy, driving the dagger further in, its handle vanishing into Widura's body.
"For your information, Ronggo… I lied to you. You're not the only one who knows about the Flame Dragon Sword! Hahaha!" Widura's laugh echoed as he drew his final breath.
Ronggo's eyes opened as he recalled the events of that day. His ambition to rule the martial arts world had driven him to kill his own friend.
Yet, he still harbored doubts about the truth of Widura's final words. Whether it was true or not, he didn't know.
"You all! Spread out and gather information about the sacred sword that descended from the heavens!" he ordered his students. "Search near the area where the lightning struck!"
The students immediately dispersed, eager to follow Ronggo's orders. They had also witnessed the event, giving them some clues to aid in their search.