Guan Ren, absorbed in refining the essence of fire throughout the night, was oblivious to the tempest that had stormed the outside world.

On the forums, the video post featuring Officer Guan standing resilient against a Boss soared past thirty million views, amplified by the whispers and machinations of the Slaughterworld Syndicate members. A wave of vitriol swelled within the forums against Officer Guan.

"Damn it, he's a cheater! And here I was, mistaking him for an NPC!"

"Right? Clear Rain Pavilion claimed the first kill, but to associate with someone like this? Seems the guild isn't much after all!"

"Report him! He's a cheater! If he's not, I'll live-stream fxxking a five-blade fan for apology!"

…

Inside a private room at the Sunward Town Inn, Violet was restless, frowning at the sight of Officer Guan's name, conspicuously online but unresponsive to any messages.

Where could he possibly be? Didn't he know the magnitude of the news break?

"Any sign of him yet?"

"Nothing yet."

A Clear Rain Pavilion member within the room spoke, "Sister Violet, do you think he might actually be..."

"Impossible!" Violet stated with conviction, trusting her intuition.

...

Outside in the wild plains near Sunward Town, a man closed his forum page, a sly smile betraying his thoughts.

"This time, I'm curious to see how that kid will turn it around!"

Slaughter Charge chuckled darkly, "The situation has escalated. If we just catch the officials' attention and have them review Officer Guan's data; once his cheating is confirmed, he'll have no choice but to buzz off!"

While the officials touted the Heaven's Way System's powerful capabilities, claiming it was infallible and devoid of any exploits, not all players were convinced. After all, "Heaven's Arrival" was a game-changing masterpiece, and the understanding of the Heaven's Way System that powered it wasn't widespread.

So, the initial official stance was taken with a pinch of salt, seen as mere exaggeration for promotional purposes; the true extent of the facts remained unclear.

"But, Slaughter Charge, I have a question," a stocky man scratched his head, looking puzzled.

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"Ask away; I'm in a good mood today."

"If... and I mean if, Officer Guan truly hasn't cheated? Aren't we inadvertently promoting him and boosting his fame by making such a big deal out of this video and forum post?"

"Shut it if you can't speak wisely," Slaughter Charge's relatively good mood evaporated rapidly. "Do you think it's reasonable for someone to achieve such a level of strength within just four hours of the game launch?"

"No... it's unreasonable."

"Let me ask again then! A person smeared all over the forums who dares not speak, does that not scream guilt?"

"Well..."

"Listen to me, he must have cheated! And if not, henceforth, you can call me daddy!"

…

The stocky man's face paled, his reply dying on his lips. He meant well with his reminder, never anticipating the scale of this uproar.

…

In a subterranean chamber, before an anvil, Guan Ren stood, drenched in sweat, as he admired the slowly rising flame in the furnace, akin to a golden firefly. His efforts throughout the night were not in vain; he had truly managed to refine the first essence of fire.

"Well done! With this first success, the subsequent refinement should come with much more ease," Fang, who had been meditating beside him, stroked his beard, his eyes barely a slit. "You're exhausted now. Take a rest."

Acknowledging with a nod, Guan Ren massaged his sore arms and forehead, rising to his feet. Upon checking the time, he realized it was already 7 a.m. Time had slipped by unnoticed.

Time to log off and check on Xiao Yun.

With that thought, Guan Ren opted to log out.

[ Ding! You are currently in a special scene and unable to log out. ]

Hmm?

"Town Chief, may I step out for a while?"

"Certainly."

Nodding at Fang's consent, Guan Ren retraced his path through the tunnel back to Fang’s study.

[ Ding! You have new messages, please check! ]

Over and over, the system alerts sounded like thunder striking his very being, almost too overwhelming.

Hurriedly silencing the alerts, Guan Ren opened his chat interface with a puzzled look, confronting a barrage of insulting messages.

"Cheating scum, come out and confess!"

"Gaming with cheats? Deadbeat trash!"

The relentless stream of abuse ignited a fire within Guan Ren.

Just then, Violet's avatar in his friends' list shook with an incoming message: "The usual spot, hurry over!"

With furrowed brows, Guan Ren was eager to learn what had transpired this very morning.

…

"This is what happened."

Violet explained the overnight events to him within the private room of the inn, "I know someone at the official forums, maybe we could..."

"No need, let them check all they want!" A cold smile curled on Guan Ren's lips. "I'm eager to see what other tricks these Slaughterworld Syndicate members have up their sleeves!"

The Ultimate Acceleration System had informed him, upon first logging into the game, that the emergence of The Heart of Heaven's Punishment was no random occurrence; in fact, it was a tool of balance meticulously forged by the Heaven's Way System and bound to Guan Ren.

As innocence prevails, Guan Ren feared not the crooked shadows.

He then proceeded to open a forum post titled "I, Officer Guan, Have Not Cheated" and tagged the Heaven's Way System to directly inspect his account.

As he made his post, it beckoned immediate mass scrutiny.

"Slaughterworld Syndicate wants to play dirty? Then I'll use the traction they've generated to permanently establish the reputation of Officer Guan!"

The Heaven's Way System, a super AI intelligence, was something Guan Ren's past life had not thoroughly fathomed, knowing only of its autonomous consciousness and formidable power!

Sure enough, shortly after tagging the Heaven's Way System, a reply came: "Account verification in progress, please wait..."

"Pah, tagging the Heaven's Way System? Don’t tell me he's running his own show on a secondary account?"

"Laughable indeed. Hiding all night to come up with such a plan? The intellectual dilemma is real!"

"Why not summon an official personnel from Heaven's Arrival to testify if he's claiming his innocence? Perhaps because the guilty mind fears?"

Many mocked and jeered under his post, even Slaughter Charge couldn't resist chiming in, "You cheater, still trying to clean your slate? Just wait for your ban! Ha-ha!"

[ Ding! Your account has been temporarily banned for seven days due to illegal activities! Please visit the official forum for details. ]