Emperor's Reckoning

Though they were rivals they were now on the same team. Pursuing their rivalry at present would demerit them instead. Unlike their appearance, the mental within their heart was mature enough to halt the moment of heat.

Taking one step to the side she suddenly stopped as she bowed to Lyon before sitting on an empty seat beside him.

He was caught off guard by the sudden gesture and didn't have any time to reply before she already sat down neatly. He immediately felt a burning sensation on his waist before he glanced at Luna whose hand was twisting his side albeit looking to the front.

"Well, let me explain a few things about the Crown," said Argeon with a cough.

"First of all, there is only one winner for this competition, no chances for second place!"

The Crown only had one vault to share with one team. The second place and the rest wouldn't even get a tissue for joining it. Thus the brutality of the competition would be higher than the others.

"What's the prize?" asked Lyon. With how he explained, the Crown must have prepared a massive treasury for the winner.

The principal rubbed his chin as he contemplated, "Hmm, I think a sack full of top-grade cultivation beads for each, and a huge sum of funding toward their academy. However, the prize is always changing for the better so maybe they go even more extravagant."

While the others' eyes glittered with desire, Lyon sighed. The prize was nothing compared to what he had within his ring. Pure mana that could help cultivators leaped bounds in a single night. The ultimate tier, of its type.

The principal took a glance at his ace. This young man was the only reason he dared to accept the invitation this time, he must not let him down. He muttered softly, "I heard one of the teachers there is quite devastatingly beautiful or is she one the committee?"

Lyon's ear immediately perked up like his companion, Fenrir. Though the middle-aged man in front of him only muttered softly, Lyon's sensitive radar easily picked up the information.

His mouth opened up before he furrowed his eyebrows. He knew that if he asked about it right now, the white tigress would surely shred him to pieces.

"Ah right, I forgot about something, the competition this time will be held at our neighboring world, Mabia," explained the principal.

"Mabia, heh," mused Lyon as a figure appeared in his mind. She was gracefully beautiful, fiercely strong. She could even toe to toe with him with his True Dragon Blessing activated. Truly a remarkable individual. (Wait, didn't she attend an academy there?).

Lyon glanced at the window as he smirked, (Look's like our reunion will happen sooner than I thought).

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Beyond the gate of the world was the Deo's neighbor, Mabia. This world was surely vast as the mana was denser than it. Many weaker cultivators seek strength on these lands but only a few succeeded, others ended up dead.

The cultivation world was cruel and just at the same time. Every reward has its prize, thus death was not a rare occurrence. However, despite so, many cultivators dared to risk it for greater power. Stupidity or courageous, wise or reckless, one couldn't judge.

The wind blew peacefully as the branches of a tree swayed against it. The sound of the dancing leaves brought about the calm that no one knew one needed. The warm gaze of the sun smeared the lively grasses around the tree. Three benches made of a sturdy wood were placed around it in a triangle point.

Many figures walked in front of it to the left and some to the right, the male, in particular, would sometime steal a glance. They wore the same uniform with a certain symbol embedded on their collar, an unsheathed sword.

At this point in time, only a handful of people would dare to approach the tree because of a certain cold beauty was sitting in one of the benches. Her graceful manner was like a princess yet her strength was like a beast. Many handsome suitors from powerful families coveted her maiden heart but none of them could even make her bat her eyes.

Her brown-apricot hair was tied up into a ponytail with a single string of curly hair hanging down the left side of her cheek. She wore the same uniform as her female colleges, white long-sleeved clothes with long black pants. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the moment.

*snap

A dead branch was accidentally stepped on and snapped into two. The closed eyes slowly opened up as her cold expressionless face looked at the figure in front of her. "What is it?"

The onlookers immediately halted their steps as they heard what the cold beauty said. This was a famous person inside their academy, her presence alone could change things that were not meant to be changed.

"Oi, oi, it's Chloe," whispered one of the students.

"Are they gonna fight?" whispered another.

While the onlookers were discussing among themselves. Chloe calmly looked at the person that was disturbing her relaxation.

It was a young man of a handsome feature. He had a lean body and wilderness always planted on his face. He had a fairly short black hair and the traces of his muscle was quite visible to the naked eye. The girls around his age were easily swooned by his coolness not to mention that he was born from a famous mighty family, he was the ideal man for every woman.

"The principal is calling for us and the other three. Looks like we are chosen for the Crown," the young man put out a smile.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Chloe as she walked passed by him.

"I heard from leaked information that a certain academy from your old home is joining the competition. I must say, they have guts to be shamed upon haha."

Chloe immediately halted her footsteps. She was stumped by his news, she knew it must be from his family that he got the information from. (What a bunch of fools! Why do they want to humiliate themselves?!).

Chloe walked to the principal's office while contemplating, ignoring the handsome young man's blabber along the way. (Hmph! What makes them think they could even put up a competition?! I can't think of anyone that could even-?!) Her pupils were suddenly shrunken.

"Are you sure you will forget about me?"

The familiar question suddenly screamed in her mind and shook her figure. The image of a charismatic young man smirking on her face appeared in her memories. An existence, that not even she could comprehend.