The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Chapter 64: THE PERSON IN ROBE

Chapter 64: THE PERSON IN ROBE

CHEN YU’S VILLA

Inside Chen Yu’s private study, the atmosphere was silent and heavy—tense enough to cut through. A warm fireplace crackled in the background, its flickering flames casting long shadows across the obsidian-black wood bookshelves and the jade-sculpted furnishings that lined the walls. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, drowning out the gentle golden light of the Earth Realm’s peaceful afternoon. Here, inside this sanctuary of silence and strategy, the fate of a kingdom was about to be rewritten.

Vornark stood near the far wall, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his towering frame still and statuesque. His sharp eyes, colder than usual, remained locked on Chen Yu. He wasn’t impatient. Just waiting—for truth, for orders, for a path forward. There was a beast behind those eyes, caged for too long.

Chen Yu stood beside the massive obsidian table at the center of the room. Above it floated a sprawling, three-dimensional map of the Beast Kingdom, glowing in hues of red, gold, and shadowy grey. The terrain shifted in real time, with markers and sigils pulsing across mountain ranges, rivers, and military checkpoints. Energy paths glowed like veins on a beating heart. It was more than a map. It was a war blueprint.

Chen Yu’s voice cut through the room like a blade—calm, low, and commanding.

"Vornark, this is how we take back what’s yours."

He extended his hand and gestured toward the western mountain range—a jagged region shrouded in darkness on the map. His fingers hovered above a faint red marker, which pulsed like a quiet scream.

"First... we need proof. The nobles won’t move just because we claim your uncle is a usurper. That accusation means nothing without blood-backed evidence. But if we bring your parents back alive from the Black Maw Prison..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"...then the kingdom will have no choice but to listen. They are the only voices powerful enough to shake the throne."

Vornark’s jaw tightened. A storm flickered in his usually unreadable eyes.

"They’re alive?" he asked, his voice low and raw.

Chen Yu nodded. "Barely. Your uncle’s kept them drugged, bound in soul-sealing chains. Their presence was erased, their names stricken from every record. He wanted you—and the rest of the world—to believe they were dead. But they endure. That’s his greatest mistake."

A cold, dangerous silence followed. Vornark’s fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into flesh. Years of grief, rage, and guilt churned beneath his skin, but he remained still. Listening. Processing.

Chen Yu continued, his tone sharpening.

"I’ve already dispatched an agent. Black Maw is wrapped in cursed stone and guarded by Warden Beasts that don’t bleed or rest. Its defenses are layered with rituals meant to trap even the strongest. We’ll strike it in four days. No noise. No war cries. Stealth and precision. We extract your parents and disappear before the alarms catch up."

He tapped the map again, this time shifting its focus to the northern regions. Dozens of beast clan emblems lit up—each unique, each representing a sovereign tribe hardened by centuries of survival.

"Next, we move on to the independent clans. They have no love for your uncle. But they don’t trust outsiders either. Not me. Not even you. What they respect is lineage—and trials."

Chen Yu looked up at Vornark, his expression unreadable.

"If you survive their Blood Pledge Rites, they’ll recognize you. Not as an exile. Not as a lost prince. But as the one true heir."

Vornark exhaled, slow and heavy. "And if I fail?"

"You won’t." Chen Yu’s answer came without hesitation, his voice like stone. "Because I’ll train you myself. No shortcuts. No mercy. I’ll use every Lawrenderer technique I’ve mastered to accelerate your growth. You’ll become strong—strong enough to defeat their champions without revealing our full strength. Once the clans acknowledge you, the dominoes begin to fall."

He motioned again. This time, the lower sections of the kingdom lit up—rebel districts, slums, and areas buried in red mist.

"In parallel, my agents will begin spreading unrest. Krow is blind to the pain of the slums. That’s where we start the fire. Food shortages, tax revolts, whispers of the forgotten heir... it will spread faster than he can control it. The kingdom will crack from within."

Vornark’s gaze deepened. "You plan to break it from the inside."

"Exactly." Chen Yu stepped back from the map and looked him dead in the eye.

"And just when the kingdom starts tearing itself apart, when the walls between worlds begin to thin—"

He paused, voice softening as the flames cast shifting shadows across his face.

"That’s when we strike the Citadel."

His eyes burned with chilling clarity.

"You’ll challenge Krow under the ancient law of succession. He won’t refuse. His pride won’t allow it. But by then, his army will be divided, his foundation rotting. And when he falls..."

Chen Yu stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"You won’t just be king. You’ll be the reason the continent survives the storms ahead."

A long silence followed. Only the quiet hiss of the fire remained.

Vornark looked down, then slowly raised his gaze again. The decision had been made. Not in that moment, but long ago—when his clan was taken, when the throne was stolen, when the world called him dead.

He nodded, voice like stone.

"Tell me what comes first."

Chen Yu’s lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"Training," he said. "And then... we break into hell."

He turned toward the hallway leading deeper into the villa, his steps light but purposeful.

As he walked, his voice echoed behind him.

"Meiyun and Ruxue have already entered the chamber. With the time barrier I created, a single day out here becomes weeks inside. By now... their growth should be remarkable."

The two of them moved through a silent corridor of crystal-lined walls, finally arriving before a massive jade door carved with runes older than any written language.

With a gesture, Chen Yu dispersed the barrier.

The air shifted instantly.

Mana rushed out like a wave—heavy, sharp, alive. The training ground beyond it wasn’t just a chamber. It was a world of its own, wrapped in compressed time and forged pressure. The floor was made of reinforced spirit alloy, and the walls shimmered with embedded veins of chaos ore, designed to contain even the wildest explosions.

The moment they stepped inside, the change was palpable.

Heat. Power. Effort.

In the far chamber, Meiyun was mid-combat, her body flowing through forms of weaponized martial arts enhanced by the dragon scale’s influence. Her strikes echoed with focused bursts of elemental pressure, each one refined, brutal, and swift. Sweat glistened on her skin, but her expression was calm—controlled. She had already evolved.

Not far from her, Ruxue knelt in a flaming circle, controlling streams of fire around her in a disciplined spiral. Her aura was no longer chaotic. It was honed. Sharpened. Each spark moved at her command.

And just beyond them, Roman was running drills alone—grinding through form repetition, drenched, trembling, but unrelenting.

Then, a flicker.

Hui appeared in front of them in a silver blur, as elegant as a falling feather.

"Husband~!" she beamed, throwing her arms around Chen Yu, her energy wild, affectionate, and completely shameless. "Finally! I’ve been so bored training your two little girlfriends. Let’s sneak away~ Hmm?"

He chuckled softly, placing a hand on her lower back. But as her eyes looked into his, she froze.

The mood had changed.

"Hui," he said gently but firmly, "there’s something you all need to hear."

She blinked, the playful shine in her eyes dimming slightly. The others began to approach, slowly, sensing the sudden seriousness in the air. Even Roman paused, wiping the sweat from his brow, eyes narrowing.

Chen Yu stepped forward, turning to face them all.

"The situation has changed. It’s time you all knew the full truth—and the plan going forward."

He paused, letting the words hang.

And under the glowing lights of the chamber—where time was bent, and warriors were forged—he began to speak.

About the throne. About Vornark. About the nine days they had left.

And what must be done... before the storm arrived.

Suddenly, Chen Yu’s eyes narrowed. The ambient energy in the training chamber rippled unnaturally.

"...Something’s wrong," he muttered.

Everyone paused.

Chen Yu slowly turned his gaze toward the ceiling. "Someone just breached the barrier."

Vornark tensed. "That’s not possible. You created it yourself—using your Lawrenderer ability."

"I know," Chen Yu said coldly. "Which means whoever’s out there... isn’t ordinary."

BOOM!

An earth-shaking explosion rocked the villa.

A deafening crack echoed through the chamber as the mansion’s front doors were blown to pieces—reduced to splinters in a wave of force.

Without hesitation, Chen Yu vanished in a blink of light.

He reappeared at the shattered entrance, the air around him thick with pressure. His golden pupils locked onto the figure now stepping through the smoke.

A person cloaked in a black robe, face hidden, but presence unmistakably dangerous.

The intruder stood calmly amidst the wreckage, as if the destruction he caused was beneath his notice.

"I’ve been waiting for you, Chen Yu," the figure said, his voice low, echoing with layered tones—as if more than one being spoke at once.

Chen Yu didn’t blink. "You have guts to walk into my home. I’ll give you that."

The robed man tilted his head slightly. "Guts?" He chuckled. "No. I came here because your time is almost up. I thought you should hear it from me."

Chen Yu’s expression didn’t change. "So you’re here to talk?"

"No," the figure said, stepping forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet. "I’m here to deliver a message... and if I’m lucky, take your head while I’m at it."

A deadly silence filled the space.

Then Chen Yu smiled, slowly, dangerously. "You should’ve stayed in the shadows."

Energy began to swirl around him—silent at first, then violently condensing into golden streams of law.

"Because now that you’ve shown yourself..." His voice dropped, razor-sharp. "You’re not walking out of here alive."