Return to Athyst Summit Division
"Looks like we made the right choice by placing our bet on Athyst Summit Division."
Harrier Taylor’s voice was low, almost reverent, as he watched the distant figures vanish into the horizon.
The dust on Ashford Street had not yet fully settled. The echoes of battle still clung faintly to the air, like a lingering storm that had passed too quickly for mortal hearts to process.
After a mont of silence, Harrier turned toward his son.
"Harry," he said earnestly, eyes no longer stern but warm with rare approval, "you did well this ti. If you hadn’t protected Respected Leon’s two students, our Taylor family wouldn’t have been able to draw close to Athyst Summit Division so easily."
Harry froze.
For years, he had braced himself whenever his father called his na. It usually ant criticism. Or disappointnt.
But today...
"In the past," Harrier continued, voice steady but sincere, "I doubted your ability. I questioned whether you could shoulder responsibility. But after today... I see you differently."
He placed a firm hand on Harry’s shoulder.
"I can rest easy even if the Taylor family is handed over to you one day."
Harry’s throat tightened.
The praise struck deeper than any insult ever had.
He blinked hard, refusing to let his eyes redden in front of everyone.
After so many years... he finally sees .
But then another thought crept in, and his lips twitched slightly.
Eh... so I’m actually not that bad.
Compared to vita Zain, that reckless fool from the Zain family... he was practically a model heir.
A cough sounded beside them.
"Patriarch," Elder White— stepped forward respectfully, "now that all the major families in Ashford City know we’ve aligned ourselves with Athyst Summit Division, shouldn’t we show our sincerity properly?"
Harrier’s eyes brightened instantly.
"Yes! You’re right."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, then declared boldly,
"Add ten thousand coins of gold to the original gift. And send craftsn to repaint and renovate Athyst Summit Division. If we support them, we support them with style. We cannot appear small-minded."
His chest swelled with pride.
"We lack everything... except money."
He shot a satisfied glance toward the miserable Clint Zain in the distance.
Clint stood pale and humiliated, the Zain family’s prestige shattered in a single day.
Harrier felt no pity.
The world of cultivation had never been kind.
He turned and left, satisfied.
—
A few hours later.
Athyst Summit Division.
Three figures descended slowly from the sky, robes fluttering in the high-altitude breeze before settling gently onto the grass before a modest wooden house.
Purple clouds drifted lazily overhead, sunlight filtering through them in soft streaks.
"This... is Athyst Summit Division?"
Rias whispered, red eyes wide as she stared at the floating sea of athyst mist.
Her crimson robes danced lightly in the wind, golden dragon embroidery shimring faintly under the sun.
The mountain air was crisp. Clean. Filled with abundant Mana that flowed like invisible streams through the land.
The mountains embraced the sky.
Waterfalls cascaded in the distance.
Birdsong echoed gently from the treetops.
It was nothing like the cold, suffocating palace walls she had grown up in.
"It’s... beautiful," she murmured.
Selena stood quietly beside her, silver-white hair glowing faintly beneath the light. The soft sash at her waist fluttered as she inhaled deeply.
Her porcelain skin reflected the mountain sunlight.
Leon observed them calmly.
"Selena," he said evenly, "bring your junior sister around. Show her the geography of Athyst Summit Division. Explain the academy rules. After that, return and rest. We’ll speak tomorrow."
"Yes, Teacher."
Selena nodded gracefully, then turned to Rias with a faint smile.
"Junior Sister. Follow ."
Rias eagerly followed, her long red hair swaying behind her like a fla against the mountain breeze.
Leon watched them leave for a mont.
Then, without another word, he entered his room.
The wooden door closed softly.
Inside, the atmosphere shifted.
Leon sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed and opened his Storage Space.
From within, he withdrew a dark beast bone.
The mont it erged, the air around it seed to dim slightly.
A faint, invasive dark aura pulsed along its surface.
Leon narrowed his purple eyes.
"This is the source..."
His fingers traced the bone carefully. The energy felt similar to the corrupted beasts he had encountered in the depths of The Forsaken Domain.
But stronger.
Much stronger.
"This should be from the first batch of infection..."
He leaned back slightly, thoughts racing.
In the uninhabited region, beneath a bottomless abyss, he had found this bone. And not far from it...
A crack.
A fracture in the Eastern barrier.
Strange dark aura had seeped through that fissure like poison entering blood.
So far, only beasts were infected.
No humans.
But Leon’s instincts warned him.
This was not coincidence.
There’s sothing behind this.
He had stayed and observed the crack for hours.
Nothing erged.
No creature.
No entity.
Only silent darkness beyond.
On his return journey, he had stumbled upon another discovery—a Martial Emperor’s tomb.
But he had arrived late.
The great households and Powerful Sects were already circling like vultures.
Rex Vine and the others appearing in Ashford City likely had sothing to do with that tomb.
Information moved fast among ancient orthodoxies.
Still...
The seal of the tomb remained strong.
It would not open easily.
Leon exhaled slowly.
"The Seven Division Martial Gathering cos first."
His students’ growth mattered more.
He set the bone aside.
"My head hurts... Forget it."
He lay back onto the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling.
"Thinking too much burns the brain."
Soon, exhaustion pulled him into sleep.
—
The night passed peacefully.
—
Morning.
"Ah..."
Leon stretched lazily as he stepped outside his room.
The crisp mountain air brushed against his face.
The Mana he had exhausted in battle had fully recovered overnight.
He glanced toward the adjacent rooms.
Their doors were closed.
"Still asleep?"
He raised an eyebrow.
Then—
He felt it.
Two gentle currents of Mana drifting from the cliffside.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Diligent."
He didn’t interrupt.
Instead, he walked quietly to the training hall and began his own cultivation.
The hours slipped by.
At noon, two figures returned hand in hand.
"Teacher, we’re back!"
Rias’ voice was bright, full of excitent.
Leon slowly opened his eyes.
Selena stood composed, silver hair gleaming softly. Rias, on the other hand, radiated happiness.
On this single morning, Selena had taken her through ditation, foundational exercises, and a tour of the entire Athyst Summit Division.
They had watched the sunrise from the cliff.
Practiced Mana circulation under waterfalls.
Laughed when Rias nearly slipped on wet stone.
For the first ti in her life, Rias felt light.
Free.
No guards.
No politics.
No suffocating expectations.
Only mountains. Wind. And warmth.
"Teacher," Rias said softly now, sincerity replacing excitent, "this place... it feels like ho. I really like it here."
Leon studied her quietly.
She wasn’t exaggerating.
Her eyes carried sothing he hadn’t seen before.
Peace.
"Good," he replied calmly.
Then he nodded once.
"Alright, that’s good."
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