by KSY
They decided to give Ryan two Immortal Artifacts of his choice.
A list of the Immortal Artifacts recovered from Desolate Graveyard was sent to him. He chose two of Water Attribute, a Sword and Armor, and gave them to Emilia. Many people were astonished on seeing Ryan’s selfless act towards his mother and couldn’t help but compliment him. He’d given her a powerful Life-saving artifact earlier and now he had given her two more powerful artifacts. Emilia naturally refused, but under repeated requests by Ryan, she had to take them. Ryan knew they were things she lacked, even though she was already an Immortal Realm Martial Artist. The matter ended without a problem.
Ryan was currently training his sword skills in the Sword Pavilion. He’d made rapid improvements and was certain that within a few months, he’d be able to comprehend the First realm of Sword intent.
He was fighting a metal puppet, which was highly durable. He had slashed it hundreds of times but was yet to put even a scratch on it. The metal puppet could only be damaged by a sword strike that had Sword-intent merged with it.
Ryan was using the First slash of the Heaven Sundering Sword Martial Skill to fight the metal puppet. This slash was called Hundred Slashes as One and it literally had the power of one hundred slashes. Each time Death Sword clashed with the body of the metal puppet a sound akin to an explosion reverberated in the chamber. Ryan kept on going until he had exhausted his Liquid Spirit Power in all his Soul Cores. He’d then rest to replenish his Liquid Spirit Power before repeating the whole sequence again … and again.
Ryan’s insights into Elemental Laws had also improved significantly. He made sure that his insights in Fire Elemental Laws and Death Elemental Laws remained in balance, and they were increasing at a terrifying pace. His insights in Poison Elemental Laws were also increasing at a fast pace, but at a rate slower than for the other two. Raymond was cheered by Ryan’s progress. He was certain that Ryan would be able to easily reach Late Mortal King Realm before God’s Domain opened and that he might very well go even beyond that.
Ryan exited the chamber of the Sword Pavilion with a big smile on his face. The reason for his smile was because he finally had a chance to meet Cynthia. That day, a feast had been organized by the Sect Head and all the Ancestor Level Martial Artists of the Sect along with their disciples were invited.
Ryan was eyeing this feast as a way of introducing himself to Cynthia and creating at least a formal relationship with her. Even after being in the Divine Martial Sect for so long, he had yet to even introduce himself to her. He’d already met Arlo a number of times, but Cynthia never accompanied him to Raymond’s home, so Ryan never got an opportunity to meet her. Ryan was certain, though, that she would go today as the feast was given by the Sect Head.
Ryan returned to Raymond’s mansion. Raymond had taken a rare break that day. Except for reading those manuscripts and books written by some Ancient Martial Artist, he didn’t do anything else. He was getting ready for the feast. Emerson was already standing beside him all ready. Ryan could tell that both Raymond and Emerson had worn their best clothes for the day’s event. Generally, Martial Artists don’t bother much about their clothes so Raymond and Emerson dressing in their best clothes signified the importance of the feast. The Divine Martial Sect had thousands of Ancestor Level Martial Artists and all were going to be present at the feast.
“Ryan, quickly get ready,” Raymond said with a smile, as he already knew what Ryan was planning.
“Yes, Master,” Ryan said as he smiled back. Emerson noticed all this but had no idea what it was about.
Ryan came to the living room after getting dressed up. He wore a blue shirt and some black trousers. His clothes were rather simple, but they suited him well. They created the image of a simple and sober guy.
A smile appeared on Raymond’s face and he nodded his head slightly, as he liked Ryan’s choice of clothes.
“OK, let’s head to the Sect Head’s home,” Emerson said and Raymond and Ryan nodded their heads.
The Sect Head being a person with the highest authority had a grandiose palace as his residence. The palace was spread over hundreds of hectares of land and had beautiful carvings on its walls. It had been built by the first Sect Head of the Divine Martial Sect and even after millions of years, it was still as beautiful as it had been in the past.
Raymond, Emerson and Ryan went directly to the Hall of the palace where the feast was being organized. Their entry, especially Ryan’s, attracted everyone’s attention. They knew about his background well enough as well as his talent. They also knew that he was fearless of the Dark Moon Family Clan, otherwise, he would not have become Raymond’s disciple.
Ryan greeted everyone without a hint of arrogance. He was humble and polite to everyone. Many people complimented him on that, as it was rare to see a kid with a powerful background behave humbly and politely. After completing the greetings, Raymond, Emerson and Ryan joined Arlo and Cynthia who had arrived before them. The maids served them some drinks.
Cynthia was dressed in a fiery red gown which further increased her beauty. She looked like a fiery flower. Her beauty attracted the attention of all the young men in the Hall, but none dared to approach her due to their fear of the Dark Moon Family Clan. The women and girls were envious of her beauty.
Ryan greeted her and Arlo in a polite manner. Cynthia too greeted him but she looked at him with a peculiar gaze. It was very difficult to tell but Ryan was able to sense it.
Ryan’s heart started beating violently, as he felt that something was not right with her gaze, though all this time his facial expression remained calm. No one would have been able to guess his mental state.
As Arlo, Emerson, and Raymond started to talk among themselves, Ryan decided to try his luck.
Cynthia’s condition was no different from Ryan’s. Her heart was pounding violently as Ryan greeted her even though her face showed no signs of it. She had a tranquil expression.
“Cynthia, this boy truly likes you. His feelings for you are genuine. You should give him a chance. It is very rare to find someone like him these days. He only loves you and not your talent and attribute,” a feminine voice rang inside Cynthia’s mind, the voice of her Martial Spirit.
“Selina! Don’t speak about him anymore! You know how dangerous it is for me to fall in love with someone,” Cynthia said with anger to her Martial Spirit. “The Dark Moon Family Clan wouldn’t accept it.”
“I don’t think that boy will give up on you. He will make a move on you sooner or later. He is fearless of the Dark Moon Family Clan. His background is also quite strong, so the Dark Moon Family Clan might not be able to do much. Think about it,” Selina said with a light laugh, but her words made Cynthia’s uneasy.
Cynthia possessed Twelve-winged Angel as her Martial Spirit, one of the five rarest Martial Spirits. Twelve-winged Angels are considered Divine beings and they are one of the most mysterious beings of the universe. Not much is known about them.
When Cynthia had stepped into the Elite Realm, she had unsealed an Innate Ability of Twelve-winged Angels that allowed her to know a person’s intention towards her. She called it Heart Eyes, and when she unsealed the Heart Eyes Innate Ability, her outlook on the world changed profoundly.
She knew then that Rai didn’t like her. He only wanted to marry her as she was a Life Martial Artist, as that would increase his prestige and help his Clan gain a powerful Life Attribute Martial Artist. She hated being used by others. She had met numerous young masters from different Family Clans and Sects, but everyone had had similar thoughts regarding her.
Ryan, on the other hand, was different. He just looked at her, not at her talent. It would be wrong to say she wasn’t interested in Ryan. No woman ever gives up on a guy, who loves her endlessly. It was just that she was not able to sort out her feelings.
“Cynthia, can I court you?” Ryan asked via Mental-message transmission. He had a smile on his face but his words almost made Cynthia’s mind go blank.
“He is
quite fast and direct,” Selina said as she giggled. Cynthia didn’t know how to react to the situation. She didn’t wish to reject Ryan’s advances but at the same time wanted to keep him at a distance.
“I am serious about you and will always keep you happy,” Ryan said via another Mental-message transmission, still with a smile on his face. Raymond, Emerson and Arlo, who were just standing beside them, didn’t know about Ryan making a move on Cynthia.
“He is even faster than I thought. He has already proposed marriage to you,” Selina said in astonishment, but her running commentary made Cynthia blush and she was unable to keep her facial expression ordinary. This was noticed by Arlo.
“Cynthia, what happened? Your face is turning red,” Arlo asked with concern. Raymond looked at Ryan, who had a smile on his face. Emerson understood everything immediately.
“Ryan, nice going. I feel like half of your work is already done,” Emerson said via Mental-message transmission as he winked at Ryan. Ryan felt a little embarrassed.
“Master, I am fine really. It must be due to the drink. I will be fine within a few minutes,” Cynthia said as she regained her composure.
“OK,” Arlo said as he again continued his talk with Emerson and Raymond.
“Can’t you take things slowly?” Cynthia sent an angry Mental-message transmission and the smile on Ryan’s face only became bigger. He was certain he was going in the right direction, as his advances had not been rejected by her.
“I prefer being fast – otherwise I might lose you to someone else,” Ryan said via Mental-message transmission. He was genuinely concerned about her engagement. Everything depended on the mood of the members of the Upper echelon of her Family Clan, as she was too weak currently to resist their orders.
Cynthia understood the meaning behind Ryan’s words.
“I am not marrying that guy. I would commit suicide before that,” Cynthia said in a nonchalantly via Mental-message transmission.
“I don’t want you to take such a drastic step!” Ryan said via Mental-message transmission, as the smile on his face vanished.
Cynthia could tell that Ryan was genuinely concerned about her. She was about to say a few words to calm him, but his next words again made her mind go blank.
“Don’t worry. I will kill your fiancé when God’s Domain opens in five years,” Ryan said with a smile via Mental-message transmission, but this smile sent a shiver down her spine, as she could tell that he was not joking.
“You will end up dead! He’s way too strong. Either way, there is no need to kill him, just ask your Family Clan to contact mine. Things will go smoothly then,” Cynthia said via Mental-message transmission, as she tried to convince Ryan not to take such a dire step. She knew that such a course of action by Ryan could cause many problems for him.
“So you accepted my proposal! How many children do you want?” Ryan asked via Mental-message transmission and a mischievous smile appeared on his face, as the cold one vanished.
Cynthia was again caught off guard, as her mental state was once more disturbed by Ryan. Her face turned red again when she heard Ryan talk kids.
“What the heck? It’s only been a few minutes since we met and he’s already talking about kids!” Cynthia thought to herself. She found him unpredictable.
“He is beyond words. You should have a bunch of them with him,” Selina said, as she giggled. She found the situation just hilarious, but Cynthia just ignored her.
“When did I agree? I was just suggesting ways to avoid complications,” Cynthia said and her face fully turned red. This time Arlo looked at Ryan and Ryan gave him a wry smile.
“I was just cracking some jokes,” Ryan said.
Arlo was not foolish – he knew the reason Ryan had come to the Divine Martial Sect. He’d never heard of Ryan interacting with any female disciple in the Sect, but today he was having a conversation with his disciple! It was clear to him that Ryan had come to the Divine Martial Sect for his disciple. He looked at Raymond and Emerson, who also gave him a wry smile. He could tell that his friends knew about this matter.
Arlo wasn’t the only one who’d noticed all this. Many young men also noticed and reported it to their masters. Within a few minutes, all the people in the Hall knew that something was going on between Ryan and Cynthia and many of them reached the same conclusion as Arlo but decided to ignore it. It was just too dangerous, so it was better to be a spectator.
“Boy, do you think I am a retard or something?” Arlo asked as he created an energy barrier around them, so no one was able to hear their conversation.
“No,” Ryan said with a serious face.
“So, why were you hitting on my disciple in my presence?” Arlo asked with a wide smile.
“I wasn’t. You can confirm it,” Ryan said. Arlo turned his head towards Cynthia, whose face was still flushed. Arlo found it amusing, as he knew that Cynthia rarely showed any emotion and kept a poker face most of the time.
Arlo just sighed. He knew that consulting Cynthia was useless as everything was written on her face.
“I will kill you if you make her unhappy. And one more thing, keep your movements low, otherwise you’ll unnecessarily cause a big ruckus. Got it?” Arlo said but Cynthia was alarmed on hearing that. Her eyes went wide with shock. She was amazed, as she hadn’t expected Ryan would be approved of by her Master so easily.
Ryan hurriedly nodded his head like an obedient child.
“He’s better than your fiancé and has an equally strong faction backing him,” Arlo said via Mental-message transmission, as he understood the reason for Cynthia’s stunned expression. She just slightly nodded her head in acknowledgment but her face turned even redder. She just wanted to leave the Hall as soon as possible.
Ryan smiled, as he found her reactions cute.
The Feast started soon afterwards. During it, Ryan and Cynthia conversed with each other which allowed them to get to know each other better. Arlo didn’t mind, as he felt that Ryan was better for his disciple than Rai.
The Sect Head soon announced the reason behind his decision to host the Feast. He was about to enter a one-thousand-year Closed-door Cultivation session to attain a breakthrough, so he could ascend to the Divine World on which the Main branch of Divine Martial Sect was established and a few people were selected to be in charge of the Sect in his absence.
The Feast ended on a happy note. Raymond, Emerson and Ryan returned to the mansion soon after. Raymond and Emerson gave Ryan a thumbs-up, but he felt a little embarrassed.
Ryan returned to his Cultivation chamber. He had no intention of slacking now. He had to increase his strength and powers before the God’s Domain opened.
Things didn’t remain calm for long.
The Dark Moon Family Clan declared that they would kill Ryan if he again made a move on Cynthia. The Heaven Sundering Family Clan declared that they would make anyone who made a move on Ryan pay a heavy price. It was clear a big confrontation could erupt any moment. All the factions of Grandura were patiently watching the confrontation between the Dark Moon Family Clan and the Heaven Sundering Family Clan from the sidelines, but people found the silence of the Raffle Family unreasonable – since Cynthia belonged to that Family Clan, they ought to choose a side.
Emilia was delighted when she came to know about the developing situation, as she readily approved of Cynthia.
“Good choice,” Emilia said via Mental-message transmission orb. Ryan blushed upon getting teased by his mother. His mother and her Family Clan had given him the thumbs-up for pursuing Cynthia, which was beneficial to him.
Ryan hadn’t expected the news regarding his pursuit of Cynthia would spread so fast. Just as he was thinking of ways to deal with this situation his Mental-message transmission orb started vibrating. It was from his grandfather.
“Ryan, when are you coming home?” Oscar’s voice rang in his mind the moment Ryan switched the Mental-message transmission orb on to single mode.
“I will make a trip soon,” Ryan sai
d with a sigh.
“What’s happened?” Oscar asked. He could tell that there was tension in Ryan’s voice.
“Nothing much. Just …” and Ryan narrated everything to Oscar.
“What kind of girl is Cynthia?” Oscar asked.
“She has a good character,” Ryan said and a smile appeared on his face as he started talking about her.
“Come home for some time. I will come to pick you up tomorrow in the morning. Get to Divine Martial City. Stay at home until things calm down and I will see what I can do. There are a lot of people here who wish to meet you,” Oscar said. Ryan didn’t find any change in his grandfather’s voice. He was so happy that his grandfather hadn’t lost his cool.
“OK,” Ryan said. Ryan and Oscar talked for some time then.
After that he talked to his brothers, who were also pissed off. They told him to return home as soon as possible, as they wanted him to meet some grandpas and grandmas.
Ryan went and informed his Master that he was going to his home for a few days and Raymond also agreed.
Ryan informed Cynthia too, who was also under pressure from the situation. The Dark Moon Family Clan had increased the pressure on her Family Clan, but the Raffle Family Clan was able to resist the pressure. It still created a lot of problems though. She also felt that Ryan’s decision to go home was good, as it wouldn’t allow the Dark Moon Family Clan to make a move on him.
Ryan gave her a bead necklace and asked her to wear it all the time. Cynthia agreed without asking a lot of questions, because she was certain it wasn’t an ordinary thing, as Ryan gave it so much importance.
Ryan used a Teleportation circle to arrive at Divine Martial City the next morning.
He needed to wait for his grandfather, so he decided to stroll through the market in the meantime.
Ch.25
Ryan cursed his luck. It had not even been an hour since he’d arrived at Divine Martial City and trouble had come looking for him.
