Grand Return System

Chapter 242: A Sword Protects Its Own

A Sword Protects Its Own

"Fellow cultivator, what do you mean?"

The moment those words left Ronan’s mouth, the atmosphere across the battlefield turned cold.

Dust still drifted through the air from the earlier clash. Broken stone littered the ground, and a faint smell of scorched earth lingered beneath the mountain wind. The surrounding cultivators instinctively took several steps back.

Because everyone could feel it.

Shera was angry.

Not the kind of anger that exploded instantly.

The dangerous kind.

The kind that quietly gathered beneath the surface like a storm waiting to split the heavens apart.

"What do I mean?"

Shera laughed from anger.

"Hah... hahahaha..."

His figure slowly descended from the flying sword. Black robes fluttered under the wind while his eyes locked onto Ronan like blades.

"As an elder of the Prison Holy Sect, you bully the weak and attack students of Celestis Academy."

His voice suddenly dropped.

"Could it be that... you think us old fellows are all dead?"

Boom!

A terrifying pressure exploded outward.

The air itself seemed to sink.

Several nearby cultivators felt their breathing become difficult.

Ronan’s expression changed instantly.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead.

He hurriedly raised both hands.

"Fellow cultivator, you’ve misunderstood."

He forced a smile.

"This girl is ruthless. During a friendly exchange, she actually attempted to kill my student. If someone with such temperament grows in the future, disaster will surely follow."

He looked toward Selena.

"I only acted out of goodwill."

"I wanted to help discipline her so she would avoid creating trouble for your Academy later."

For a brief moment—

Silence.

Then— Shera burst into another loud laughter, his shoulders trembling slightly as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.

The sound rolled through the battlefield and echoed against the distant cliffs.

"Hahaha... Hahaha!"

The laughter wasn’t joyful.

It carried ridicule.

Disdain.

Mockery.

"What a joke!"

His eyes sharpened.

"Since when did it become your turn to judge students of Celestis Academy?"

He took a step forward.

"Sir, aren’t you interfering too much?"

"Even if students of Celestis Academy make mistakes, we discipline them ourselves."

His voice grew heavier.

"It isn’t your place."

"And besides—"

He looked toward Selena.

Her silver hair danced gently in the wind while her blue eyes stared silently ahead.

"She did nothing wrong."

"How can she be disciplined?"

The surrounding crowd immediately exploded into whispers.

"He’s right..."

"That was a fair fight."

"Prison Holy Sect lost and now the elder stepped in..."

"What face is this?"

Ronan’s expression became darker and darker.

Shera wasn’t leaving even the slightest room for him.

No—

He was intentionally humiliating him.

Ronan clenched his fists.

"Shera!"

"You—"

Before he could finish—

Shera sneered.

Then his gaze shifted behind Ronan toward Lavish.

His eyes carried obvious contempt.

"What proud heir of your sect?"

He shook his head.

"I think Prison Holy Sect isn’t much."

"You couldn’t even defeat my Martial Niece who only entered Celestis Academy three months ago."

Shera folded his arms.

"I think you should change your title."

A smile slowly appeared.

"How about—Leech Heir of Prison Holy Sect?"

The crowd froze.

Leech...

Leech Heir?

Shera continued calmly:

"Because just like leeches, all you seem to know is endlessly sucking resources."

"And after taking countless treasures, pills, techniques, and guidance..."

"You still lost."

"Interesting."

Several people nearly spat blood holding back laughter.

Harry Taylor’s shoulders shook violently.

He was trying very hard.

Very, very hard.

Not to laugh.

Lavish’s entire face immediately turned red.

Her body trembled.

"Y-you...!"

"You dare insult me?!"

Her eyes reddened from anger.

"I only lost because—"

"Because what?"

Shera interrupted instantly.

"Because heaven wasn’t fair?"

"Because earth betrayed you?"

"Because your opponent breathed too loudly?"

"Or because your sword suddenly forgot how to swing?"

The surrounding crowd could no longer hold it.

"Hahaha!"

"Too ruthless!"

"Guardian Elder Shera is too vicious!"

Lavish nearly exploded.

Even Ronan’s face twitched violently.

Then—

Before anyone could recover from his previous words, an old cultivator within the crowd suddenly widened his eyes.

"Wait... did you all hear that correctly?"

Everyone blinked and looked toward him.

The old man swallowed hard and repeated with disbelief,

"Shera just said that girl has cultivated for only three months."

Another person beside him immediately nodded.

"Yes! I heard it too."

A third cultivator sucked in a cold breath.

"No wonder he emphasized it. Damn... I only reacted now."

"Three months since entering Celestis Academy."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

The crowd became motionless.

Even the wind seemed to stop for a moment.

Then whispers gradually spread once again. Though they tried lowering their voices, there were simply too many people.

Every word could still be heard clearly.

Everyone stared at Selena in disbelief.

Not everyone was shocked.

Some who already knew about Selena’s growth merely sighed bitterly. They had already witnessed enough miracles around Amethyst Summit Division to gradually numb themselves.

But the proud students from various Powerful Sects and Academies who had never paid attention to her before—

Their expressions immediately stiffened.

Their eyes widened.

Their gazes locked onto the silver-haired young woman standing quietly beneath the sky.

Three months?

GrandMaster Realm in three months?

What kind of terrifying cultivation speed was that?

"Oh my god..."

Someone swallowed nervously.

"What kind of monster is this?"

"Does Amethyst Summit Division have immortal herbs that let people reach GrandMaster Realm in three months?"

"I can’t believe it!"

"Isn’t this too exaggerated?"

The crowd became chaotic.

Their conversations gradually shifted away from Selena—

Toward Leon.

Because everyone understood one thing.

A genius could be born by luck.

But creating a genius...

That was another matter entirely.

Talent alone wasn’t enough.

There were countless prodigies in the world.

But genius without guidance was merely raw stone.

Only a truly terrifying Teacher could polish stone into jade.

One old cultivator sighed emotionally.

"A dragon among men creates dragons among students."

Another nodded.

"Talent can be found everywhere."

"But someone capable of nurturing talent to this extent... that’s rare."

"Leon truly deserves the title Purple Sword Monarch."

Ronan’s expression became uglier and uglier.

He couldn’t refute a single word.

Because everything Shera said—

Was true.

Shera looked at him coldly.

"Is this Prison Holy Sect?"

"The young ones are weak."

"The old ones are shameless."

"I’ve truly learned something today."

His eyes narrowed.

"And from what I see..."

"My students of Celestis Academy don’t need punishment."

"They deserve appreciation."

Shera looked at Lavish with complete disdain.

"After all—"

"They merely showed a mirror to your sect heir."

"A mirror that reflected the arrogance of your so-called heir."

The battlefield fell silent.