Chapter 71: Sect Master?
Chapter 71: Sect Master?
While the outside of the Azure Cloud Sect was boiling with unprecedented excitement, Rhain’s secluded courtyard remained entirely tranquil.
Clang! Clang!
The sharp, crisp sounds of clashing swords continuously reverberated across the courtyard.
Two figures were locked in a fierce spar.
Seris’s delicate figure blurred as she darted across the yard.
Her silver-blue hair fluttered wildly in the wind.
"Rhain, watch out!" she cried out softly.
A chilling ice essence wrapped tightly around the Rare-Grade Frost-Bite sword in her hand.
She thrust her blade forward.
Hundred Flowers Sword Art!
Countless icy sword bloomed in the air like a mesmerizing field of frozen lotuses, completely enveloping Rhain from every possible angle.
It was the Epic-Grade sword manual Rhain had handed her just two days prior.
Standing in the dead center of the freezing sword storm, Rhain’s expression remained as placid as a still lake.
He simply held a Rare-Grade silver sword in his right hand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He raised his hand and casually swung his sword a few times.
Yet, every single silver petal was perfectly intercepted and shattered into icy essence.
Seris gritted her teeth, her pale purple eyes burning with stubborn determination.
She forcefully twisted her waist, and lunged again.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Her attacks were incredibly fast and lethal.
But against Rhain, she felt completely and utterly powerless.
"That’s too slow."
"Your essence output is leaking on the third transition."
"Your essence flow in the fifth meridian is lagging."
"You are just focusing on brute force, it’s wrong."
Rhain continued to instruct as he blocked her attacks, his golden eyes tracking her every microscopic movement.
No matter how fast she swung, no matter how profoundly she executed the Epic-Grade sword stances, Rhain’s sword was always there, waiting for her.
He deflected her ultimate strikes with the casual ease of a man swatting away falling leaves.
He didn’t even take a single step backward.
Ten minutes later.
Seris forcefully pushed her ice essence to its breaking point.
A massive, icy-blue phantom of a blooming lotus materialized behind her, radiating a bone-chilling temperature that froze the morning dew on the courtyard grass.
She swung her Rare-Grade sword with everything she had.
But the burden of an Epic-Grade martial art was simply too vast for someone who had just broken through to the Essence Condensation Realm.
The icy lotus phantom shuddered, and then shattered.
Her delicate body swayed, as she collapsed directly toward the hard, rocky ground.
Swoosh!
Rhain materialized right beside her.
He firmly wrapped his arm around her slender, soft waist, gently pulling her exhausted body against his chest.
"You pushed yourself too hard," Rhain said, his voice carrying a scolding but undeniably gentle tone.
Seris leaned weakly against his solid chest, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath.
She looked up at his completely unbothered, perfectly composed face, and a feeling of deep powerlessness washed over her.
"It is so unfair..." Seris murmured, her pink lips pouting slightly in grievance.
"Why is it that you can comprehend an Epic-Grade manual perfectly with just a single,... but I have been practicing endlessly for two whole days, and I still cannot even execute it properly?"
Hearing her frustrated complaint, Rhain looked down at her aggrieved face, and smiled.
Rhain lowered his sword, his dark grey eyes softening instantly.
He walked over and looked down at her.
Seris looked up at him, her pale purple eyes filled with a rare, helpless grievance.
She pouted, her flawless face showing a trace of deep unwillingness.
"It is entirely unfair," she complained softly, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "You just took a single glance at the manual and perfectly understood every single stance."
"I have been practicing without sleep for two whole days, and I still can’t even land a single scratch on your clothes."
Hearing her frustrated complaint, the corners of Rhain’s lips curled into a gentle smile.
He casually tossed his Rare-Grade sword aside and crouched down beside her.
He reached out, gently wiping a stray strand of silver-blue hair that had stuck to her damp cheek.
"Are you really comparing yourself to me?" Rhain asked, his voice completely devoid of its usual coldness, carrying an unprecedented tenderness.
Seris bit her pink lip and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Rhain let out a soft chuckle.
"Seris, you are being far too harsh on yourself."
He looked deeply into her eyes.
"It take several months just to comprehend the opening stance of a Rare-Grade martial art."
"But the Hundred Flowers Sword Art? That is an Epic-Grade technique."
Rhain gently patted her head.
"Yet, in just two days, you have already managed to execute it with thirty percent efficiency and even merge them with your innate ice essence."
"At this rate, you’ll master it in a few more weeks. If the people outside knew your progression speed, they’d probably die from jealousy."
Seris rubbed her forehead. Her pale purple eyes blinked.
"Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Rhain chuckled.
Thud.
Suddenly, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps came from outside.
Seris sprang backwards like a frightened rabbit.
If others saw them acting so intimately, she would be too ashamed to see anyone!
Rhain simply let out a faint, amused breath and slowly straightened up.
Five figures walked in the open courtyard.
Harmon, Silas, Amos, Torin, and Thorne.
All five Spirit Manifestation Realm experts of the Azure Cloud Sect had arrived together.
Torin and Thorne’s auras were still slightly fluctuating due their recent breakthroughs.
Seeing the dark-robed youth standing in the center of the courtyard, the five towering pillars of the sect immediately greeted him.
"Sect Master. Elders," Rhain gave a slight nod, his dark grey irises sweeping over them. "To what do I owe the pleasure of all five Spirit Manifestation experts visiting my courtyard?"
Harmon exchanged a glance of approval with Silas and the others before taking a heavy step forward.
"Rhain, we have spent the last two days organizing the resources and discussing the future of the Azure Cloud Sect."
Harmon took a deep breath, his cloudy eyes igniting with resolve.
"After careful consideration, five of us have reached a unanimous decision."
Harmon looked directly into Rhain’s eyes.
"I am stepping down. We want you to officially take over as the Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect."
The words dropped like a thunderclap in the quiet courtyard.
Standing to the side, Seris’s face bloomed with surprise, and delight.
But Rhain’s expression remained utterly unbothered.
"I refuse," Rhain stated without hesitation.
The blunt, instantaneous rejection caught the five elders completely off guard.
"Rhain..." Harmon stammered, entirely bewildered. "This is absolute authority over the entire Greymist Region! With the resources you provided, our sect will soon rival the powers of Mirravele City!"
Rhain casually crossed his arms.
"I have no interest in handling the tedious affairs of a sect," Rhain said indifferently. "Playing politics, managing disciples, and allocating resources... it’s a complete waste of my time. I only want to cultivate in peace."
Hearing his reasoning, Harmon was taken aback, but he hurriedly stepped forward.
"You misunderstand, Rhain!" Harmon clarified. "You wouldn’t have to do a single thing! We will handle all the management, and the daily sect affairs. You only need to hold the title and serve as the pillar of our sect."
Great Elder Silas, who had originally been slated as the undisputed next-in-line to become the Sect Master, stepped forward without a single shred of jealousy in his eyes.
Instead, his gaze was full of sincerity.
"Rhain, as the Great Elder, I was next in line to inherit the title of Sect Master. But compared to your contribution, talent and strength, my qualifications are nothing but a joke. Only you are worthy to lead us into this new era of our sect!"
"Rhain!" Torin spoke, his voice heavy with emotion. "If not for you, I would have died miserably in that False Hollow Realm. My life belongs to you!"
Thorne also stepped forward, his eyes burning with immense gratitude. "I was trapped at the peak of the Essence Condensation Realm for an entire decade. I was a dying old man waiting for his grave. It was your Crimson Core Seeds and your resources that allowed me to break through to the Spirit Manifestation Realm. We owe you our very lives and our futures! We beg you, please accept the position!"
Despite the passionate, almost pleading requests of five Spirit Manifestation experts, Rhain simply shook his head.
"My answer is still no," Rhain said calmly.
He looked at Harmon. "You have kept this sect alive through its darkest decades. You know how to govern it far better than I ever could. It is best for you to remain the Sect Master."
Rhain paused, his dark grey irises shifting toward the distant horizon.
"Furthermore... my stay in Greymist Town is temporary."
The words completely silenced the five elders.
"I will be leaving the Azure Cloud Sect after some time," Rhain declared.
He still had Zephyrus’s main pocket dimension to conquer in a year, and the boundless Verdane Continent was waiting for him.
Greymist Town was merely a temporary stay.
To chain himself to a Sect Master’s throne here was completely meaningless.
Harmon stared at the dark-robed youth.
A deep, bitter sigh escaped the old man’s lips.
He knew that Rhain’s stage was a world so vast they couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
But Harmon refused to simply let this connection slip away entirely.
"If you refuse to be the Sect Master," He said obstinately, not caring about bearing of the sect master, "then you absolutely must not refuse to become our sect’s Supreme Elder!"
Seris blinked in astonishment.
Supreme Elder!
In the Azure Cloud sect, a Supreme Elder was an existence whose strength equaled or completely surpassed the Sect Master.
Their authority was no less than the Sect Master themselves, yet they bore zero administrative responsibilities.
"You will not have to handle a single sect affair," Harmon promised, "if you do not accept this, the entire Azure Cloud Sect will forever live in shame, unable to repay our debt to you!"
Rhain looked at Harmon, then at the other four expectant elders.
It looked like they won’t back down if he did not agree.
"Alright," Rhain nodded lightly. "I accept."