Grand Return System-Chapter 105: The Palm That Holds the Universe
The Palm That Holds the Universe
Under the impact of this terrifying Mana Blessings—
Something shifted.
A crack appeared in the invisible wall restraining Leon.
His aura loosened.
Subtle.
But unmistakable.
His cultivation—
Was showing signs of breaking through.
Around him, the entire Amethyst Summit Division had fallen into an almost sacred silence.
The violent cyclone howled above the academy premises, yet none of the people present spoke. Dozens of eyes stared upward toward the figure at the center of the storm.
No one dared breathe too loudly.
Even the elders of Celestis Academy held their breath.
At the heart of the swirling storm, Leon sat cross-legged in midair. His midnight robes embroidered with thin amethyst threads rippled violently in the wind, yet his body remained perfectly still—like a mountain that had existed long before storms were born.
Mana surged toward him endlessly.
Lightning crawled across the clouds.
And the Purple Lotus of Great Principal above his head shone like a celestial star.
Shera stood among the elders with a rigid expression.
Inside, however, his thoughts were anything but calm.
His heart was extremely complicated.
He refused to admit defeat.
Yet the truth unfolding before his eyes pressed down on him like a crushing weight.
Leon’s performance... was becoming more and more astonishing.
Each moment pushed Shera further into the background.
Further into irrelevance.
His jaw tightened.
He could already sense it.
Mike’s attitude was changing.
The Headmaster of Celestis Academy, who once trusted Shera as his strongest right hand, was beginning to lean toward Leon.
Shera’s position as the academy’s second authority—
Was no longer stable.
He hated that feeling.
He hated it more than anything.
Yet no matter how unwilling he was to admit it, the reality stood before him like a towering mountain.
Leon’s potential...
Was no longer something Shera could control.
The pride and confidence Shera once carried months ago—when he believed he held everything firmly in his grasp—
Had vanished.
Completely.
Now, looking back, the situation felt almost humiliating.
For years, Shera had deliberately made things difficult for Leon.
Subtle pressure.
Occasional ridicule.
Cold indifference.
Yet Leon had never responded.
Not once.
And now—
The distance between them had quietly grown into something impossible to bridge.
Shera stared at the Purple Lotus spinning above Leon’s head.
A bitter thought surfaced in his mind.
Primordial Principal Physics...
Purple Lotus of Great Principal...
How can someone like that be suppressed...?
He lowered his head slightly.
"Am I destined to fall behind in this life...?"
The question echoed quietly inside his heart.
No one heard it.
No one needed to.
No one in the crowd had expected Leon to hide so deeply.
Ten years.
For ten years he had remained unnoticed inside the academy.
Ten years of whispers.
Ten years of quiet humiliation.
Yet he had never explained.
Never defended himself.
Never revealed his true talent.
What kind of state of mind was required to endure that?
If Leon had revealed his physique earlier—
Celestis Academy would have poured endless resources into him without hesitation.
Sacred arts.
Treasures.
Divine pills.
Everything.
Yet Leon had chosen to remain silent.
Mike seemed to understand.
He slowly stroked his beard, eyes thoughtful.
Geniuses die easily.
In the brutal world of cultivators, the most dangerous moment for a genius was when their potential became known before they were strong enough to protect themselves.
Fame attracted envy.
Envy attracted knives.
Perhaps—
Leon had hidden himself precisely to avoid that fate.
At that moment—
Leon’s expression became solemn.
Inside the cyclone, his consciousness was fully immersed within the flow of Mana.
His Principal heart was being tempered.
Each breath carried tremendous pressure.
Each pulse of Mana hammered against his spiritual core.
But Leon did not rush.
He stabilized. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Balanced.
Tempered.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the perfect moment.
Then—
His eyes opened slightly.
Now.
The moment had arrived.
Suddenly—
Leon released the suppression he had been maintaining.
A tremendous surge of power exploded outward.
In an instant, an invisible pressure expanded from his body like a rising tide.
"Not good!"
Maya’s eyes widened.
"Everyone retreat!"
Without hesitation she grabbed Amaya’s wrist and pulled her backward.
"This is the power of a sage Realm cultivator!"
"If it hits us directly, we’ll be seriously injured—or worse!"
The two women retreated quickly across the courtyard, their robes fluttering wildly in the storm wind.
Many disciples reacted as well, stumbling backward in alarm.
Fortunately—
Mike was present.
The Headmaster calmly lifted his hand.
With a soft motion, he released a small circular bowl artifact into the air.
The artifact expanded instantly, forming a massive protective barrier that enveloped Leon’s cultivation area.
The destructive power was suppressed within the barrier.
"Stay back," Mike said calmly.
His voice was not loud, but it carried absolute authority.
Inside the barrier—
Mana continued to surge.
Under the hundred-fold Mana Blessings, the spiritual energy within a hundred miles had nearly been drained.
Like rivers pouring into the ocean, endless Mana rushed into Leon’s body.
Time passed.
Slowly.
Gradually.
Nearly two hours later—
A deep vibration spread through the air.
Leon’s aura rose.
Then—
It broke through.
From early-stage sage Realm—
Into mid-stage sage Realm.
The change was subtle, but every expert present felt it instantly.
This advancement might seem small.
Only a minor stage.
But at Leon’s level—
Even a tiny step forward required unimaginable effort.
Normally, such progress might take ten years.
Perhaps even a hundred.
Yet Leon had accomplished it in two hours.
Because the Mana Blessings were amplified by Kevin’s epiphany multiplied a hundred times.
Even so—
Only a single stage increase had been possible.
But that alone was already terrifying.
As the breakthrough stabilized, Leon slowly raised his hands.
His body rose gently into the air.
His long black hair drifted behind him like flowing ink.
In the violent storm, he looked like an immortal seated above the world.
Calm.
Detached.
Untouchable.
Inside his mind, countless realizations flowed.
The Purple Lotus of Great Principal continued to rotate above him, amplifying his comprehension to unimaginable heights.
Leon’s thoughts turned toward a technique he had recently obtained.
The Ultimate Hand Strike.
A divine-grade Sacred Art.
He had acquired it several days earlier.
But he had not practiced it yet.
The timing had never been right.
Now—
Inside this epiphany—
Inside this overwhelming comprehension—
The moment had arrived.
Leon slowly raised one hand.
His palm opened.
The surrounding Mana responded instantly.
Wind gathered.
Space trembled.
A faint phantom of a massive palm appeared behind him—vast and indistinct, as if capable of covering the heavens themselves.
Leon murmured softly to himself,
"Let’s see..."
"...how powerful this Sacred Art truly is."
Under the countless gazes of the academy elders and disciples—
Leon began to practice the Ultimate Hand Strike.
