Grand Return System

Calm Before the Rift

It could be said that with this thing, Leon only needed to enter seclusion for a period of time and he would definitely be able to break through to the Pinnacle Realm and successfully form a Supreme Body.

The thought alone carried terrifying weight.

Inside the quiet training hall, the newly obtained Mana Principal Condense Fruit rested in Leon’s palm, its ancient radiance moving like liquid starlight beneath the skin of the fruit. Threads of Connate Mana swirled around it, almost as if breathing.

Leon’s purple eyes reflected that strange glow.

Supreme Body.

A realm countless cultivators pursued like moths chasing a moon reflected on water.

And now it sat within reach.

As long as one had a Supreme Body, they could still be reconstructed no matter how serious their injuries were, even if their limbs were broken.

That was no ordinary enhancement.

That was transcendence.

A watershed between mortal flesh and a body walking the edge of the divine.

A body no longer merely born of blood and bone—

But forged by Principal itself.

Leon’s fingers slowly curled around the fruit.

A lesser man might have rushed into secluded cultivation that very night.

But he did not.

His instincts, sharpened by caution and countless hidden dangers, stirred uneasily.

However, Leon didn’t plan on breaking through now because he could vaguely sense that there would definitely be changes in the next few days.

That intuition came not from reason.

It came from something harder to define.

The air had felt too still lately.

Too orderly.

And in the Forsaken Domain, calm often meant a storm gathering out of sight.

His gaze shifted toward the darkening mountains beyond the hall.

The wind outside had begun rising.

Clouds were slowly thickening over the Academy Premises.

Somewhere... something was moving.

He would not enter a breakthrough retreat blind.

Not yet.

Leon exhaled and pushed the thought aside.

Then his eyes gleamed with interest as another treasure surfaced in his thoughts.

"Thunder Floral Pins! Hmm... This is a good thing, but I won’t need it for the time being. I’ll keep it for now."

He spoke almost lazily, but there was satisfaction under the calm.

Leon took out the Thunder Floral Pins from the system storage and weighed it in his hand before putting it into his Storage Space.

But before storing them away, he studied them carefully.

Twelve pins.

Only twelve.

Yet each carried frightening pressure.

They looked elegant rather than murderous, silver needles etched with floral thunder patterns, almost delicate enough to be mistaken for ornaments.

But Leon knew appearances lied.

There were a total of twelve Thunder Floral Pins.

This was not some hidden weapon from mortal legends, nor was it poisonous.

It was a true Connate numinous treasure.

Born from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A killing artifact shaped by natural law.

Even Leon’s expression sharpened as he examined their principles.

It possessed absolute lethality.

Once activated, it could ignore any astral energy barrier and physical defense to stab the needle into the other party’s body.

That alone was monstrous.

Defense techniques.

Body tempering.

Protective barriers.

All bypassed.

It was almost unreasonable.

And then came the crueler part.

Once it entered the other party’s body, it could directly detonate from the inside and disintegrate all the other party’s defenses.

Leon’s brows rose.

He clicked his tongue.

"Ruthless."

Even he had to admit it.

This treasure was sinister in the most beautiful way.

A silent killer wrapped in elegance.

This thing was suitable for dealing with barbarian cultivators who tempered their bodies and some vicious beasts with powerful defense.

His thoughts immediately drifted to old enemies.

And future ones.

He imagined a hulking body cultivator laughing at ordinary blades—

Only for a single floral pin to enter his chest.

And bloom.

Leon almost smiled.

Useful indeed.

Still...

He had to personally test the exact effects.

That thought lingered.

Perhaps in the uninhabited regions.

Perhaps on some unfortunate beast.

Or some fool who mistook Amethyst Summit Division for prey.

Eventually, he stored the treasure away.

And time moved.

In the next few days, Amethyst Summit Division regained its former peace.

Not the dead peace of emptiness.

But the living peace of disciplined cultivation.

The mountain breathed.

Morning mists rolled across cliffs.

Bamboo leaves whispered beneath moonlight.

Waterfalls thundered distantly night and day.

Everything seemed slower.

As if the summit itself had entered meditation.

Selena went to Amethyst Cloud Cave to cultivate in seclusion.

Day after day, the cave pulsed faintly with cold Mana as her innate bone resonated within.

Leon occasionally sensed her aura growing sharper.

Denser.

Nearer the GrandMaster threshold.

And each time, satisfaction touched his heart.

Rias also hid in her room every day to cultivate.

Though she had joked and hidden her frustration after the Martial Meeting, Leon had seen through it.

She had felt the gap.

And pride would not let her rest.

Within her chamber, Inferno Lotus Art circulated like sleeping fire.

She was refining the precious bone in silence.

Trying to catch up.

Trying, perhaps, not to stand behind Selena forever.

Leon understood.

Competition among his students was not always harmful.

Sometimes it sharpened destiny.

Everything seemed exceptionally quiet.

And yet beneath that peace—

Change brewed.

Even Leon felt it.

At times, seated alone beneath old pine trees, he would stare toward the distant Black Rift.

The strange crack in the depths.

The ancient tomb.

The old turtle carrying a coffin.

Harry Taylor’s words returned to him more than once.

His instincts kept circling back.

Like a beast scenting blood on the wind.

One evening, while sipping Imperial Vein Tea alone, he murmured,

"Something is coming..."

No one heard.

But the mountain wind seemed to answer.

On this day, dawn spread in layers of pale gold over the Academy Premises.

Clouds drifted beneath the cliffs.

Cranes cried somewhere far away.

Leon rose from meditation.

His black hair fell loosely over midnight robes embroidered in amethyst threads.

The light caught in his purple eyes.

Calm.

But watchful.

There was business today.

Not battle.

But sometimes meetings among powerful cultivators were no less dangerous.

Emerald Crest Division had summoned a gathering.

And Leon already suspected the topic was not trivial.

Before leaving, he stood briefly outside the cave where Selena cultivated.

He said nothing.

Only looked.

Then turned away.

Teacher and student.

No words needed.

As he descended the mountain path, he passed renovated halls on the north mountain.