Grand Return System

Chapter 121: The Opening Move

The Opening Move

Mike’s announcement struck the entire Celestis Academy like thunder.

For a brief moment, the martial arena fell into stunned silence.

Then—

Whispers erupted everywhere.

Students looked at one another with wide eyes, excitement burning in their gazes. The promise of the Mana Guidance Fruit was simply too tempting.

Some people’s breathing even became heavier.

The competition had not even officially begun—

Yet the battle had already started in everyone’s hearts.

Greed.

Ambition.

Expectation.

All of it quietly ignited beneath the surface.

On the elevated platform where the division leaders stood, Shera cast a sideways glance toward Leon.

The corner of his lips lifted slightly in a mocking smile.

"Looks like Junior Brother Leon is determined to get this reward?"

His tone carried a faint hint of ridicule.

Everyone nearby quietly turned their attention toward Leon, curious about his response.

Leon seemed momentarily surprised.

A single blink came first, followed by a quiet laugh - like the thought was secretly funny. Then again, maybe it just caught him off guard.

"Senior Brother must be joking."

That quiet tone of his carried through the room. A stillness sat inside each word he spoke.

"Our Amethyst Summit Division has very few people."

"And my students are still inexperienced."

A flicker passed across his fingers as they skimmed the dark fabric. Smiling like it meant nothing, he carried on.

"I’ll just treat this Martial Meeting as a grand occasion to play around."

"I don’t have any thoughts about this reward."

The moment those words left his mouth—

Several division leaders almost rolled their eyes.

Play around?

No one believed a single word.

Leon’s reputation inside Celestis Academy was already well known.

This man had a bad habit.

He liked to pretend to be weak.

Then suddenly erupt and stun everyone.

Many people still remembered the rumors.

Five days after entering the academy—

His student had already reached the first star of the Onyx Realm.

Three months had passed since then.

Who knew how far she had progressed now?

The masters exchanged silent glances.

This kid is lying again.

If Leon’s student inherited even half his personality—

She was probably doing the same thing.

Pretending to be harmless while secretly preparing to shock the entire academy.

But none of them exposed him.

Everyone simply cursed silently in their hearts.

Nearby, Maya gently tugged the edge of Leon’s sleeve.

Her sky-blue robes shimmered softly in the sunlight as she leaned slightly closer and whispered.

"Junior Brother..."

Her voice carried a trace of concern.

"Why don’t you look nervous at all?"

Her blue eyes flickered toward Shera standing not far away.

"Senior Brother Shera has been waiting for this day."

"If your Amethyst Summit Division loses..."

"He won’t miss the chance to humiliate you."

Leon paused.

Then he slowly turned his head toward her.

Their eyes met.

For some reason, the way he looked at her made Maya suddenly feel slightly flustered.

Leon tilted his head slightly, his expression thoughtful.

"Senior Sister..."

He said softly.

"Are you worried about me?"

Maya’s cheeks immediately flushed.

"Go to hell!"

"Who’s worried about you!"

She glared at him angrily, but the redness spreading across her face betrayed her embarrassment.

"You’d better be eliminated in the first round."

"That way I won’t have to worry about Holy Water Division being last!"

She huffed and quickly turned away.

Then—

Almost like a thief escaping the scene—

She slipped back into the crowd.

Leon watched her leave and shrugged lightly.

A faint smile lingered on his lips.

Being at the bottom?

That wasn’t going to happen.

And humiliating him?

Shera would need far more ability than that.

Soon after—

The drawing ceremony began.

Students lined up one by one to draw their match tokens.

The process took some time.

Occasionally, small waves of discussion broke out among the crowd.

After everything finished, Shera stepped forward and delivered a brief speech.

Most of it was the usual formal talk.

Assuring everyone that the referee group would maintain absolute fairness.

That the competition would be conducted with integrity.

That no faction would receive special treatment.

Except—

Everyone present silently added one thought in their minds.

Except Secret Sword Summit.

When Shera finished speaking, people began leaving the platform area.

Today was the first day of the Martial Meeting.

Across the training ground, eight arenas had already been constructed.

Each arena was large and elevated, surrounded by protective formations to prevent stray attacks from injuring spectators.

Students began moving toward their assigned arenas.

Leon said a brief farewell to Mike, then returned to where his students were waiting.

The moment he approached—

Selena and Rias stopped their quiet discussion.

They bowed respectfully.

"Teacher."

Leon nodded slightly.

Before he could say anything, Harry Taylor suddenly burst out complaining.

"Senior!"

"That Shera is really shameless!"

"He actually tampered with the drawing of lots!"

Harry’s face was full of indignation.

Leon didn’t react much.

From the moment the reward was announced, he had already guessed Shera would do something.

But honestly—

It didn’t matter.

Schemes only worked when strength was equal.

When the difference in strength became too large—

No trick could change the outcome.

Leon’s gaze slowly moved toward his two students.

Selena stood quietly with her sword at her side.

Her long silver-white hair swayed softly in the breeze, her blue eyes calm and focused.

There was no sign of nervousness on her face.

Beside her, Rias stood with a relaxed posture.

Her red silk robes flowed lightly around her slender waist, the gold sash accentuating the graceful curve of her hips. Her bright red eyes sparkled with curiosity rather than worry.

Neither of them seemed affected by the situation.

Leon felt satisfied.

Their mental composure alone was already better than many students.

Then—

His gaze shifted toward Harry.

The young man was still muttering angrily.

Leon looked at him with open disdain.

Harry completely ignored it and continued ranting.

"Damn it!"

"That guy is really shameless."

"He can’t win openly, so he plays dirty tricks."

"This is only the first match..."

"But Sister Selena and Sister Rias already drew opponents from Secret Sword Summit."

He pointed dramatically toward the arena list.

"Sister Selena is fine."

"But what if Sister Rias holds back and loses?"

Harry slapped his forehead dramatically.

"Wouldn’t that embarrass our Amethyst Summit Division completely?"