The entire high ranking echelons of the Paradyne Academy exploded into a clamor. Inside a luxurious and humungous hall located at the peak of Fragrant Mountain, the Grand Elder, and the Clan Chief, Mathias Paradyne along with the other Elders lined up and respectfully glanced at the approaching old man who carried on his shoulders a rusted hammer.
"This is quite a nice welcome, did you expect that I would come here? Lil' Mathias..." The old man leaked a wide smile which exposed a row of pearly white teeth. The other Elders who knew about the identity of this old man revealed a slight smile of their own with their eyes, shining in a light of reverence.
"Senior could say that this junior, indeed. Expected Senior's arrival..." Mathias bowed and his lips, lifted a slight smile before continuing, "I suppose, Senior Takemikazuchi's purpose in coming in here is to join our ranks of Elders?"
Takemikazuchi smirked, "Well, yeah, Since Young Master is definitely joining this Academy, I will follow him," Mathias expression flickered when he heard Takemikazuchi's words, "Is there something special with that young man that he could command such a powerful man, like you, Senior?"
The former who heard the latter's words revealed a cold smile, "Is there any reason for me to answer your question?" Takemikazuchi turned around and walked towards the exit. But before he could walk away, Mathias shouted, "Senior, your blacksmith hall's peak is at the Hell's Furnace Peak, the second peak after this mountain..."
The former didn't answer as his figure disappeared into thin-air, flying like a beam towards the distant horizon. The Elders who observed Takemikazuchi's arrogance revealed wry smiles on their faces. The old man was a realm higher than them, how could they fight back?
They could only sigh in their hearts as they retreated along with Mathias.
Meanwhile outside the Paradyne Academy grounds, the figures of Natalie, Juliet and Dan could be seen lining up along with different other students. When their turn arrived, the Elder saw that both of their cultivation was at the lowest realm. Scanning their figures, his expression turned weird when he realized that there was a child in between them.
Without saying anything, he threw two jade tokens towards the two and said, "Since both of you came here late and your cultivation is subpar, both of you are not qualified to be an Outer Sect Disciple. The most that you could become is a medicinal servant."
His words indifferent and calm, but Juliet who snuggled up against the arms of his father, struggled and pointed at the old man, "Grandpa, bad grandpa! Don't scold mama!" Her innocent voice rang loud and clear as everyone who heard it turned towards the source of the adorable voice.
When they realized that Dan and Natalie held with them a dilapidated token meant for servants, they shook their heads and the light within their eyes changed into disdain. Particularly those who were accepted as a Peak Rank Outer Disciple.
"Both of you, since the Elder says that you do not have the qualification to even become the lowest ranked Outer Disciple, may the two of you please go away and follow your fellow servants at the side? You're wasting our time..." A feminine voice filled with mockery could be heard and the couple turned their heads towards the source of the voice.
When the crowd noticed the jet-black haired young woman clad in a robe befitting that of nobility. Their expressions turned respectful and some even commented about her beauty, satisfying her vanity in return.
Natalie who realized what kind of a woman she was, couldn't help but scoff in disdain as she mumbled, "So it's just a pretentious one..." She turned around as Dan revealed a smile of appreciation on his face. However, the young woman and the people around heard what she said as the latter pointed her fingers.
"You bitch, just what did you say? Why are you so disrespectful to me when I politely told you to scram away? Are you trying to test my patience?" Natalie found herself pierced by all sort of gazes, but she maintained her calm and indifference before saying, "Young miss, do you know how the saying goes for people like you?"
Her words echoed loud and clear as Dan's smile turned weird as he had a premonition in his mind. Juliet in his arms stared at her mother with a light of admiration, and Dan who noticed this couldn't help but think if she becomes like her mother when she grows up.
The crowd focused their gazes on Natalie as amused expressions surfaced on their faces. Mumbles echoed and everyone looked forward to seeing her comeback as the young woman said, "I don't have any interest towards the sayings in your dilapidated rural village, so can you please step aside and go with your fellow servants?"
She condescendingly glanced at her and the men who noticed Natalie's beauty couldn't help but curse the useless Dan who just observed at the side. However, if they knew what Dan was thinking, they would also do the same; after all. Natalie, his little wife wasn't someone that could easily be bullied.
"The smallest dogs always barks the loudest..." She dropped this bombshell and everyone's expression changed. The young woman who walked away froze as Dan's weird smile intensified.
"Bitch, just what did you say to me?! Are you saying that I am a dog?" The young woman's expression flushed in anger and she pointed her finger towards Natalie's direction.
However, Natalie just stood there and said, "Did I say that I referred to you as a dog?" She suffused a confused expression before her face lightened up in an epiphany, "Ahh!"
"So the reason why you got hurt by what I said is that you consider yourself as a dog?" Natalie's vicious retaliation earned the admiration of the crowd and Dan could see the young woman's expression turning a shade redder than before.
"How dare you insult me like this..." Her figure shivered and her expression looked as dark as the abyss. Natalie took this opportunity as she said, "Did I say something that insulted you? What I said was a fact, the smallest dog really barks the loudest." She clapped her hands together, "It's not my fault that you got offended by my words that spoke the truth. Hubby, let's just go and stop bothering this crazy woman..."
Before the couple could leave, her daughter, Juliet followed up with a laughter, "A crazy dog!" She even pointed her small index finger as the crowd prevented their guts from exploding into laughter.
"Who says that you can leave?!" She rushed forward, stepping onto the ground, she leaped towards the skies and sent a palm strike directly at the child that Dan carried in his arms.
If she attacked Natalie or himself, Dan would just block her attack. But since her killing intent was directed at the small innocent child within his arms, his expression turned incomparably cold, withdrawing his Desert Eagle, he quickly shot before swiftly returning it back at his Virtual Inventory.
"AAAHHH!"
A miserable shriek akin to demons echoed out as a hole opened on the young woman's thigh. Dan avoided a crucial artery so she wouldn't die from blood loss, but he still increased the temperature of the bullet so that it would cause the maximum pain possible.
She started thrashing on the ground as the people around them called for the Elders, saying that someone was murdering a fellow disciple of the sect.
Staring at the young woman who was writhing in pain on the ground, Dan didn't care whether she looked beautiful or not, all that he knew was that she targeted someone that was incredibly precious to him, akin to the reverse scale of a dragon.
Towards such a young woman who regarded the lives of other people that had a lower standing than her as a trash; he didn't have the leeway to give any mercy. Instead, he would try his best and teach them a vital lesson in life. And that was, to never underestimate the common people's determination and perseverance.
No matter how poor they were in life, they were still human and should not be regarded as garbage.
Sighing in his heart, Natalie tugged his robe sleeve as Dan stared at the incoming Elder. The Elder clad in a fiery robe of the Paradyne Academy stared at him in anger. But Dan didn't even look scared nor intimidated. Instead, he just calmly ruffled his daughter's head and waited for the arrival of the Elder who said.
"Young man! How dare you do such a thing! Someone, explain the situation in here," A member of the crowd approached the Elder and whispered something in his ears which aroused the anger within the Elder's expression.
"You look so young yet you already have such a vicious heart to do something like that towards your fellow disciple..." He enunciated each of his words and it echoed out, sending a cold vibe running through the hearts of everyone in the vicinity.
"That young woman insulted us first, saying that we don't have the qualifications to become an Outer Sect Disciple just because we have the lowest cultivation in here, at first, I didn't bother about what she was saying, but when she started insulting us along with the other servants in here that painstakingly cultivated to achieve their current achievements, my wife couldn't hold it anymore and retaliated..." Dan calmly explained the situation and the Elder's anger slightly dissipated.
However, when he realized that the young man before him didn't even have that much of a background compared to the injured young woman who was still trashing on the ground, he maintained the fires of his anger before saying, "That doesn't matter! All I see is that you injured this beautiful young woman of the Varandis Clan!"
Pointing his fingers, "Both of you, come with me and explain yourself!"
Dan coldly sneered, "So Senior thinks that we should be punished because we have a lower background standing than that young woman?"
The Elder choked in his own saliva, "What background are you talking about? I am just here to bring justice for this injured young woman, what are both of you doing, standing there? Do you want me to drag both of you towards the Detention Hall?"
Natalie who became incredibly annoyed by the Elder's antics couldn't help it anymore and take the letters that the Emperor of the Empire of Dawn itself handed over and opened it amidst the focused gazes of the crowd.
When the letter revealed its contents, a surge of Imperial Aura descended as everyone's figure shook. A mist of beguilement manifested along with a shadowy figure of a man clad in a brilliant armor that said, "This letter is a bonafide request from the Emperor of the Empire of Dawn, I do hope that this message is opened in the face of the Clan Chief itself, &$%*&$%^%" The shadowy figure spoke a bunch of intelligible nonsense at the end of its sentence.
But when the words echoed in the entire area, Mathias who was sipping his tea, snapped his eyes open, staring at the base of the Fragrant Peak, his figure rushed down and within a matter of seconds, reappeared towards the source of the voice and there, he found a bloodied young woman along with an Elder who looked angry and the young man who saved his daughter.
The Elder who violently berated Dan couldn't help but stagger backward as he stared at the couple in horror, 'Why...If you had such a huge background that even an Emperor of an Empire itself is behind you...Why must you come here in such a low-key manner...' He inwardly thought as he humbled himself down. Under the presence of the Imperial Might and appearance of the Clan Chief itself, he didn't dare to be arrogant.
The bloodied young woman who was still conscious turned green in regret as she laid on a pool of her own blood. Staring at the Clan Chief, a pleading look surfaced on her eyes as she realized that her vision, started narrowing.
If she could reverse time, she would never provoke these couple and attract a calamity for herself. No matter how huge her clan was, it was still, after all, a clan. And it could never compare with the power that an Emperor commands.
At this time, she could only hope that the couple would forget about what she did and forgive her presumptuousness, her intense regret along with her fluctuating emotions made her spat a mouthful of blood as her consciousness succumbed to slumber.