Grand Return System-Chapter 87: The Weight of a Favor

The Weight of a Favor

"It’s hard to imagine that the sword technique senior used just now was actually so powerful. I’m very impressed..." Rex Vine said sincerely.

A hollowness stayed out of his words - not one bit of that false charm folks toss around to get ahead. What showed through, though, cut deeper, unpolished.

Hunger.

Something buried far below the surface, felt more than seen. A signal one warrior knows when it comes off another.

Peace sat thin across Ashford City now, the gusts finally still after their wild rush. Still, silence didn’t mean safety. Not for Rex. A whisper of Leon’s blade lingered - barely there, half imagined, yet sharp enough to prick his senses. As if thunder hid between breaths, refusing to let go.

Rex inhaled slowly.

Still, the trace of it lingered, brushing just beneath the surface of his Instinct Supreme Body. Light, but not harmless - more like a whisper waking what had long settled in his bones. A flicker ran through his hand, moving on its own, as though reaching for a memory too old to name.

Focused suddenly on Leon, his stare had grown more intense.

"...That strike," Rex added after a brief pause, his voice lower, more focused. "It wasn’t just power, was it? There was something else in it."

A hush fell. Leon did not move. Around him, everything seemed to slow, turning careful, like breath held too long.

A soft breeze stirred his long black hair as it brushed the dark robe, where thin lines of amethyst thread pulled what little daylight remained. Stillness shaped his stance, not pride or show, simply being there like stone in shadow. Quiet strength stayed even when silence deepened.

He stayed silent, just for a second.

Then -

"Yes," he replied calmly. "Your aptitude is not bad. You’re a genius in the Sword Principal."

Quietly, each word found its mark despite his calm, nearly detached voice. It wasn’t sharpness that carried them - it was stillness, exact and unhurried.

"As long as you don’t disappoint yourself," Leon continued, his gaze resting briefly on Rex, "and cultivate diligently, you can reach this realm in the future."

Simple words.

No grand speech. No unnecessary praise.

But coming from him—

They carried weight.

Rex felt it hit him harder than he expected.

His chest tightened slightly, not from pressure, but from something closer to excitement... no, recognition. To be acknowledged by someone who had just suppressed three Sage Realm experts with a single strike—

That wasn’t something you brushed off.

That wasn’t something you forgot.

A slow breath left his lips, and for a brief second, the intensity in his eyes softened into something almost boyish—before sharpening again, steadier than before.

"I won’t waste it," Rex said quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

Then, straightening, he stepped forward half a pace and brought his hands together in a respectful cupped-fist salute.

"Thank you for your praise, Senior!" Rex said with a respectful cupped-fist salute.

Leon nodded faintly.

Indeed, Rex’s foundation was extraordinary. The Instinct Supreme Body was a tier above Divine Ice Bones. A natural-born vessel of destiny. In the future, his achievements would not be ordinary.

Unfortunately—

He is not my student.

Leon suppressed the faint regret in his chest.

As the Heavenly Saint of supreme Paradise sect, Rex would never abandon his inheritance so easily. Recruiting him was unrealistic.

Leon let the thought go.

His gaze shifted.

Yasmin stood quietly to one side, golden hair reflecting warm light, golden eyes steady yet alert. Her aura was refined, her foundation solid. Not shallow. Not flashy. A proper cultivation base built brick by brick.

Not bad.

Leon gave a subtle nod in his heart.

Then his eyes moved to Fiona.

Azure hair flowing like water beneath moonlight, teal eyes serene but sharp. Her bearing was noble — not the arrogance of privilege, but the quiet certainty of someone raised among power.

Her talent was top-tier.

Not inferior to Rex at all.

Unfortunately—

She is not my student either.

A faint sigh stirred inside Leon’s chest.

What a pity.

"Who are you?" Leon asked suddenly, gaze shifting past the younger generation to the elders behind them.

A man stepped forward first, smiling gently.

"Fellow cultivator Leon, I’ve heard a great deal about you. You truly live up to your reputation."

"I am the disciplinary elder of Soft Water Divine Sect, Jadis. Greetings."

Leon returned the salute without hesitation.

"Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you."

His tone was neither arrogant nor overly humble.

He understood something clearly—

If he wanted to move freely across The Forsaken Domain in the future, he could not stand alone forever.

He could not always be at Selena and Rias’s side.

If he made allies now, their journeys later would be smoother.

Connections were protection.

After several brief exchanges — polite, measured — Shera finally approached.

His expression was stiff.

He had already learned everything from Clint Zain.

He had already cursed him countless times internally.

But curses did not solve problems.

Now he had to face Leon.

"Junior Brother," Shera said slowly, voice restrained. "I already understand everything that happened. I’ll apologize to the two students on behalf of the Zain household."

Selena and Rias did not show disrespect.

After all, Shera was still a senior of Celestis Academy.

They offered light bows in response.

Shera took a breath.

"Junior Brother, how about this?" he continued. "I have a supreme-grade Sword treasure, a supreme-grade silk inner armor treasure, and several medicinal pills. Take them as an apology to the two students."

"Let the Zain household off for my sake this time."

His sincerity was real.

So was his reluctance.

If not for the fact that the Zain household had supplied Secret Sword Summit with immense wealth over the years, he would never have interfered in this mess.

And yet—

Of all people, they had provoked Leon.

His sworn rival within the Seven Division.

Shera had lowered himself today.

This was his limit.

Leon looked at him quietly.

He could feel it.

The grievance.

The unwillingness.

The suppressed frustration.

And for some reason—

He felt extremely satisfied.

Ah...

Ten years.

Do you know how I endured those ten years?

Whispers. Dismissal. Hidden ridicule.

The "useless peak master" living under Respected Zeon’s shadow.

Leon’s lips curved almost imperceptibly.

Now the positions had reversed.

He did not care about the Zain household.

He cared about one thing—

His own satisfaction.

If he was content, that was enough.

As for the Zain household?

If they were smart, they would know what to do.

Leon looked at Shera calmly.

"Since Senior Brother has spoken," he began slowly—

The air around them held its breath.

The matter was not over.

But the balance had shifted.

And everyone present could feel it.