Chapter 343: Returning to Stormveil Academy

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Returning to Stormveil Academy

Chapter 343: Returning to Stormveil Academy

Before departing from Valdris City, Rhain made his final rounds.

He walked into the serene bamboo grove to bid a respectful farewell to Dean Qaylus and the Old Dean.

"I am departing, Old Dean, Dean Qaylus. I will leave the Valdris branch of the Pavilion in your care," Rhain spoke with a respectful bow.

Qaylus let out a heavy sigh, though his sharp eyes held a complex emotion of deep respect and lingering exasperation for the boy before him, "Just make sure you actually come back alive, Rhain. Don’t do anything unnecessarily suicidal in that wasteland."

Old Dean simply nodded, his ancient eyes reflecting a profound depth. "May the gods overlook your path, young man. Remember, the Valdris Royal Academy will always leave its gates open for you."

Rhain looked at Old Dean and Dean Qaylus and firmly nodded, "I will not forget the grace the Academy has shown me."

As Rhain stepped out of the grove, he was immediately swarmed by the thirty-something elderly Grandmaster Alchemists.

"Grandmaster Korryn! Please return to us soon!"

"We will guard your teachings with our very lives, Grandmaster!"

The fanatical elders bowed so deeply their white beards practically swept the stone pathways. Rhain simply offered them a polite nod before moving on.

Shortly after, within a soundproofed chamber, Rhain held a secret meeting with his core faction.

Vulcan, and the seven subdued Domain Master slaves stood in a perfectly rigid formation.

I will be completely off the grid for the next three months," Rhain commanded, "Vulcan, your primary objective remains the same. Expand the Celestial Elixir Pavilion’s influence in the capital and across the Inner Province. But remain entirely in the shadows. Do not draw the direct ire of the Royal Court while I am gone."

"Understood, Master!" Vulcan and the Domain Masters roared in unison, bowing at perfect ninety-degree angles.

With his affairs in Valdris City settled, Rhain headed to the central plaza.

Waiting for him aboard the luxurious white-gold skiff were four breathtakingly beautiful figures: Seris, Liana, Lyra, and Elara.

BOOM—!!!

The high-tier wind arrays ignited as the massive vessel shot into the sky, tearing through the clouds at maximum velocity as it set a direct course back to Stormveil Academy.

--------------------

The aerial journey was incredibly swift.

Within a few hours, the familiar structure of the Stormveil Academy pierced through the horizon.

The skiff descended gracefully, bypassing the outer and inner palaces and landing directly on the central platform of Dean Carmilla’s secluded island.

As the skiff descended, a group of familiar figures was already waiting.

"Seris! Rhain!"

Vice Dean Myrielle rushed forward, completely abandoning her usual refined composure, her sapphire eyes shimmering with tears of relief as she pulled her precious disciple into a tight embrace.

"Master!" Seris hugged her back, her pale purple eyes glowing with joy.

Standing a few paces away, Matriarch Seraphine offered a warm, approving nod to Rhain.

Carmilla stood along with Seraphine.

She looked paler than usual, her skin still bore a faint, sickly pale-green hue from the suppressed fire poison, but her bright, mischievous eyes still sparkled with overwhelming relief.

"You little thief," Carmilla laughed, stepping forward. "You really turned the entire dynasty upside down."

Just then, a figure broke from the ranks of the gathered High Preceptors and strode directly toward Rhain.

It was Preceptor Fabian.

But the aura rolling off his body was fundamentally different from before.

A true Domain Master Realm aura!

Fabian stopped right in front of Rhain.

Without a single shred of hesitation, he bowed deeply, bending at an impeccable ninety-degree angle as if a disciple saluting his master.

"Rhain," Fabian spoke, his voice trembling with overwhelming gratitude. "Thanks to you, I finally shattered my bottleneck. This grace is heavier than mountains!"

Rhain offered a polite smile. "You accumulated the foundation yourself, Preceptor Fabian. I merely spoke a few words."

"Hahaha! The boy is too modest!" Preceptor Krell laughed as he stepped forward. "And it isn’t just Fabian who benefited from your miracles! Zane has also ascended to Core Palace disciple status!"

Rhain’s eyebrows rose a fraction. "Zane?"

"Indeed," Preceptor Krell nodded, "Thanks to a flawless pill supplied directly by your Celestial Elixir Pavilion, Zane successfully shattered his bottleneck. He has officially ascended to the eight level of Spirit Manifestation Realm and has been formally elevated to Core Palace disciple status."

Rhain gave a faint nod. It seemed his Pavilion’s resources were already rapidly elevating the foundational strength of the Stormveil Academy.

"It is a day worthy of celebration," Seraphine remarked, her sharp eyes shifting toward her daughter, who had quietly stepped off the skiff. "Lyra, you have returned as well."

Lyra walked over to her mother, her expression unusually serious. "Mother. I have something to ask of you. But before that..."

Lyra turned her crimson eyes toward Rhain, signaling that it was time to drop the true purpose of their visit.

Seeing the subtle shift in their demeanor, Carmilla frowned slightly. "Rhain? How exactly did the negotiations in the Imperial Court conclude? Dean Qaylus sent word that you were pardoned, but knowing the Emperor, I assume there was a heavy price."

Rhain’s dark grey eyes remained perfectly placid.

"The execution order was pardoned," Rhain stated. "However, the Emperor demanded that I swear a Heavenly Vow, promising never to harm any member of the Royal Family."

"A Heavenly Vow..." Seraphine murmured, her brows knitting together. "A harsh condition, but entirely expected to preserve the Royal Family’s face. It is a small price to pay for your life."

"I refused it," Rhain said flatly.

The warm, celebratory atmosphere on the platform vanished in a microsecond.

"YOU WHAT?!" Carmilla and Seraphine blurted out simultaneously.

"I refused the Heavenly Vow," Rhain repeated, entirely unbothered by their sudden panic. "I will not bind my soul to spare Lucius’s life."

"Are you completely out of your mind?!" Carmilla exploded, her red robes fluttering as she marched forward, her bright eyes blazing with frustration. "Rhain! You were standing in the Imperial Court! Surrounded by the Emperor and the Imperial Patriarchs! You spat on a pardon? Do you even understand how dangerous it could have been?"

"Rhain, what happened next?"" Seraphine lost her dignified composure entirely, glaring at her son-in-law. "If you refused the vow, what did the Emperor do? He couldn’t possibly just let you walk away!"

"He didn’t," Rhain replied placidly, "As punishment for refusing the vow, the Emperor issued a modified sentence. I have been banished to the Sunless Umbral Basin. I am required to survive there for three full months."

Rhain’s calm words shook everyone’s soul.

Myrielle covered her mouth in shock. Fabian’s newly ascended Domain Master aura actually stuttered.

"Three months..." Carmilla whispered, her already pale face becoming even paler, "In the Sunless Umbral Basin?"

"Rhain, don’t you know why Carmilla is in this state today?" Seraphine shrieked, her maternal instincts flaring up in pure panic. "Sunless Umbral Basin...the toxic miasma alone will rot your meridians! The mutated Domain Master beasts there are far more dangerous than ordinary beasts! Why didn’t you deny it? Why didn’t you let Senior Brother Qaylus negotiate?"

They had thought the boy had secured his safety in the Royal Court. They had no idea he had voluntarily walked into a literal hell!

He listened to the frantic scolding of the two incredibly powerful women and spoke in a reassuring tone, "You do not need to panic. To the outside world, it might be a death trap. But to me, it is just another training ground."

His dark grey eyes flashed with confidence, "I will be perfectly fine."

"Perfectly fine?" Carmilla shrieked, furious due to his casual demeanor. "I was almost crippled in that very basin!"

As Carmilla continued to vent her frustrations, scolding him for his disregard for his own safety, Rhain sent a secret, direct mental transmission straight into Carmilla’s spiritual sea.

’Dean. Calm down.’

Carmilla blinked, her rant pausing mid-sentence as Rhain’s calm voice echoed directly in her mind.

"I did not come back to Stormveil Academy just to say goodbye before my banishment,’ Rhain transmitted, ’Take me to a private chamber immediately."

Carmilla stared at the dark-robed youth, entirely bewildered by the sudden secrecy.

’Why? What are you planning to do?’ Carmilla transmitted back, a trace of suspicion in her tone.

Rhain’s gaze drifted for a a second, locking onto her pale-green complexion.

’I need to personally examine your fire poison,’ Rhain’s voice echoed in her mind, ’Because before I leave for the basin, I need to find the way to cure you.’