Sign-In System: Starting With Invincible Physique-Chapter 16: Aftermath

Chapter 16: Aftermath

The arena remained frozen.

Two hundred disciples sat in their seats like stone statues.

They looked at Rhain in the centre with various emotions.

Those who had seen him being bullied and laughed, were terrified.

Those who once looked down at him were in shock and disbelief.

Every single one of them had the same question in their minds:

Does he remember?

What would they do if he retaliates?

Just a mere thought of it made them shiver with fear.

In the front row, Hallie Brooks sat with her arms folded across her chest, her amber eyes fixed on Rhain’s back.

She had lost to him less than an hour ago.

At the time, the defeat had stung.

Now, watching him demolish a Level 8 inner disciple with the same casual ease he had used against her, the sting transformed into something else entirely.

Relief.

She was relieved that Rhain had treated their match as a friendly bout.

Because if he had fought her the way he fought Brennan...

Hallie quietly pushed the thought aside and looked away.

...

Rhain could feel those gazes, but he didn’t care what they were thinking.

In his eyes, these people who had once mocked and humiliated him were no different from the mud on the ground.

Rhain stepped off the platform and walked toward the lower benches where Seris sat.

Just like others, Seris was also sat without any motion.

Her eyes never left Rhain’s face.

This was the same face she had known for three years.

However, the aura of absolute dominance and cold arrogance he currently exuded was completely unfamiliar.

If one were to tell her a few days ago that Rhain would crush an Essence Awakening Level 8 Inner Disciple with a single, casual strike, it would sound like an incredibly fantastical story!

Yet, this completely unimaginable reality had played out right before her very eyes.

Rhain stopped half a pace in front of her.

The terrifying, abyssal suppression aura that had nearly suffocated the entire arena was completely withdrawn, leaving not a single trace behind.

"I hope it didn’t take long," Rhain said softly. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"You..." Seris finally found her voice, though it trembled uncontrollably. "Are you really okay?"

Rhain looked at her eyes filled with deep concern, and let out a light laugh.

His movements were incredibly slow, as he reached out and gently patted the top of her head.

"Do I look like I’m hurt?"

Seris’s face flushed slightly, "Don’t pat my head."

Although she said so, Rhain’s clear, warm gaze settled down the restless panic in her heart.

She bit her lip, staring openly at his face for a long time, and unconsciously let a whisper escape her lips. "What exactly happened to you..."

"I already gave you the answer to that," Rhain said with an easy expression. "But no matter how much I’ve changed, I am still the same Rhain who will not let anyone harm you. That will never change."

Rhain wasn’t sure why was it so exactly.

Maybe it was because Seris was the only person in this world that truly cared about him.

Maybe there was some other reason.

But he didn’t want her to be hurt.

Seris exhaled. It was a slow, controlled breath — the kind she used when she was trying very hard to organize thoughts that refused to be organized.

"Let’s go," Rhain said calmly, naturally lowering his hand to grasp her slender waist to support her.

Seris instinctively stiffened, but she did not struggle, obediently letting him put her arm around her waist.

They walked out of the arena together.

No one dared come within thirty feet.

As the silhouettes of Rhain and Seris slowly disappeared from their line of sight, the terrifying pressure that had enveloped the entire battle arena finally began to slowly dissipate.

"Hu..."

A collective, long sigh of relief overlapped across the stone benches.

One by one, they hurriedly scrambled to their feet, and quickly walked away.

Within a short span of a few minutes, the massive battle arena, which had just witnessed the most earth-shattering events in the history of the Azure Cloud Sect’s outer quarters, was completely emptied.

........

The walk back was quiet.

Seris didn’t press for more answers. She was smart enough to know when to stop asking, and her exhaustion had finally caught up to her.

After making sure she was safely back in her own courtyard, Rhain turned and headed toward his own quarters.

Rhain walked unhurriedly, his mind not on the path, but focused on what Maren told him before leaving.

He might be summoned by sect master.

In Azure Cloud Sect, inner disciples were the core assets.

He had casually pulverized a Level 8 inner disciple.

By all conventional logic of the sect’s rules, he should get punished by the sect.

But this world did not run on conventional logic.

It ran on power.

In his previous world, being too competent, seeing too much, and disrupting the established order had gotten him fired.

In this world, the rules were inverted.

Weakness was a crime punishable by death. Overwhelming, undeniable competence was the only true shield.

Harmon Vael. The Sect Master.

His memories provided very little about the man, other than the fact that he was a Spirit Manifestation Realm cultivator.

He had kept this dying, bottom-tier sect alive for decades through careful calculations and compromises.

To any dying sect, Rhain was not a threat.

He was a lifeline.

I just hope he makes a right decesion.

Rhain pushed the door open and stepped into his cell.

The door latched shut behind him with a dull click of iron.

It was completely silent.

Good.

He had things to do.

He didn’t go to rest.

Rhain closed his eyes and recalled the martial art that had been imprinted into his consciousness at the battle arena.

Void Fist. First Form.

It required the user to compress their Essence to an infinitesimally small point around the knuckles.

Upon impact, the compressed energy wouldn’t explode outward.

It would phase through the physical barrier and detonate directly inside the target’s internal organs.

It bypassed armor. It bypassed Essence shrouds.

He didn’t have the time to focus on this martial art before.

Now, alone in the dark, he could finally give it the attention it deserved.

He raised his fist and assumed the opening stance.

His left hand drew back to his hip, fingers curled loosely. His right fist extended forward at chest height, knuckles aligned precisely with his forearm.

Rhain drew a slow breath and activated his dantian.

The void spun.

Dark Essence rose from its depths, flowing up through his core meridians and into the channels of his right arm.

The darkness essence pooled around his right fist.

Rhain threw a slow, experimental punch at the empty air.

Whoosh.

The air resistance felt strangely heavy, as if he were punching underwater.

He adjusted the circulation, compressing the essence tighter.

Crack.

A sharp, localized vacuum was created in the path of his knuckles.

Rhain nodded.

This technique was really strong.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

He didn’t stop, and kept punching, slowly improving his control over the martial art.