Chapter 510: A Hidden Genius [Part 2]

A Hidden Genius [Part 2]

Maya was just about to withdraw her divine sense when something unexpected happened.

"Hmm?"

A sudden surge of strength burst from Shasa’s body.

Maya’s expression changed.

Before she could react, Shasa twisted her little body and slipped free from her embrace.

The movement was so sudden that Maya barely had time to respond.

Even more surprising was the strength behind it.

Maya was forced to take a step backward.

For a brief moment, she simply stared at the girl.

"What astonishing strength!"

The words escaped her before she could stop them.

The air around them seemed to tremble faintly.

Shasa, meanwhile, landed lightly on the stone ground. Her little feet barely made a sound.

She looked up at Maya with wide, innocent eyes.

"Respected Maya?"

Maya didn’t answer immediately.

Her gaze remained fixed on the girl.

Shasa glanced down at herself, then back at Maya.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Maya finally recovered from her surprise.

"No, no. You didn’t do anything wrong."

Maya approached Shasa again. Curiosity and disbelief were written all over her face.

"Tell me, little one. Did you really use your own strength to break free from my arms?"

Shasa nodded.

"Mm-hmm."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to stand on my own."

Maya blinked.

"That’s it?"

"Yes."

Shasa tilted her head. She seemed genuinely confused.

"Was I supposed to do something else?"

Maya opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.

She closed it again.

For once, she didn’t know what to say.

She had felt it herself. That sudden burst of strength had been real. Shasa had pushed hard enough to force Maya, an accomplished cultivator, to take a step backward.

Yet the girl didn’t seem to realize how incredible that was.

To her, it had been nothing more than a simple attempt to stand on her own.

Maya lowered herself slightly until she was closer to Shasa’s eye level.

"Shasa, do you know how strong you are?"

Shasa thought for a moment.

Then she shook her head.

"Not really."

"You don’t?"

"No."

She looked up at Maya with her clear blue eyes.

"Am I supposed to know?"

Maya stared at her.

Slowly, she straightened.

What kind of girl is this?

First, she couldn’t see through Shasa at all. Now, the girl had displayed astonishing physical strength without even realizing it.

And when Maya asked her about it, she received nothing but a perfectly innocent answer.

Shasa looked back at her as though they were discussing something completely ordinary.

Maya couldn’t help staring.

Her curiosity had grown considerably.

At first, she had only wanted to understand why Leon had chosen this particular girl as his student. She had assumed there must be something special about Shasa, but she hadn’t expected to encounter so many unanswered questions.

Now, she wasn’t even sure where to begin.

The mysterious veil surrounding Shasa was strange enough.

But her physical strength?

That was something else entirely.

How could a girl with such a delicate appearance possess such terrifying power?

And more importantly, why couldn’t Maya sense anything unusual about her?

She studied Shasa from head to toe.

The blonde-haired girl simply blinked back at her.

There wasn’t a hint of nervousness on her face. She didn’t seem to care that Maya was examining her so closely.

She just stood there, waiting.

Maya slowly exhaled.

She had come here hoping to satisfy a little curiosity.

Instead, she had discovered an even greater mystery.

And somehow, she doubted this was the last surprise Shasa would give her.

The surrounding air seemed to tremble for an instant.

Shasa landed lightly on the ground.

She steadied herself and looked up at Maya, her expression as innocent as ever. There was no sign that she understood how astonishing her display of strength had been.

Maya, meanwhile, remained rooted to the spot.

Her gaze drifted toward her own hand.

She could still remember the force behind that brief struggle.

It hadn’t felt like the resistance of an ordinary young cultivator.

There had been no complicated technique involved. No visible circulation of spiritual energy. No deliberate use of some powerful martial art.

It was simply strength.

Raw, physical strength.

And it had been terrifying.

Maya’s expression gradually changed as she considered the implications.

This girl was born with an extraordinary physique.

Shasa was only eighteen or nineteen. She had barely begun her journey as a cultivator, yet her natural physical strength had already reached an astonishing level.

Ten thousand pounds.

That was the strength her body could produce without relying on cultivation techniques.

And this was only her physical power.

Maya’s expression grew serious.

She had seen plenty of talented youngsters during her years at Celestis Academy. Some possessed remarkable spiritual roots. Others had extraordinary comprehension or rare constitutions that made their cultivation progress far faster than their peers.

But Shasa was different.

Her physique was simply too unusual.

It wasn’t the sort of talent that could be measured by ordinary standards.

Maya turned toward Leon.

"Junior Brother..."

She paused, then smiled.

"Congratulations on accepting another genius student."

Her tone was sincere.

"With talent like hers and your guidance, she’ll undoubtedly become an extraordinary figure in the future."

Maya wasn’t exaggerating to flatter him.

She genuinely believed it.

Shasa’s potential was frightening. If that natural strength was only the beginning, then her future achievements might exceed anything Maya could reasonably predict.

Yet Leon showed little reaction.

He remained as calm as ever, with his hands resting casually behind his back.

Only the faint curve of his lips betrayed his satisfaction.

Of course, Shasa’s physique was extraordinary.

She possessed the potential to reach the Martial Emperor Realm.

Otherwise, why would Leon jokingly call her Martial Emperor Shasa?

He had originally given her that title partly to tease her.

But the more he observed her, the more he felt that the name might not be an exaggeration after all.

Her talent was genuinely heaven-defying.

Still, Leon had no intention of revealing what he knew.

He merely smiled and shook his head.

"Senior Sister, you’re being too generous."

His voice remained modest.

"There’s nothing particularly remarkable about my student’s talent. How could she compare with someone as talented as you? I’m only teaching her a few things. What she achieves in the future will depend on her own efforts and luck."

Maya’s smile froze.

She stared at him for a moment.

Then she rolled her eyes.

Teaching her a few things?

Nothing remarkable?

Was this fellow seriously trying to fool her?

If that wasn’t deliberate false modesty, then what was?

Maya had plenty of students of her own. She knew better than most how difficult it was to find someone with genuine talent.

Yet when she compared her students with Leon’s disciples, the difference was painfully obvious.

His disciples possessed exceptional gifts. They also seemed to encounter opportunities that ordinary cultivators could only dream about.

And now he stood there, pretending that none of it was worth mentioning.

Maya felt her eyebrow twitch.

This guy...

He’s showing off again.

The worst part was that he did it with such a straight face.

It was infuriating.

She took a deep breath and decided that arguing with him would only waste her time.

"Alright, alright. Let’s go."

She waved her hand toward the women of the Holy Water Division who had gathered nearby.

They reluctantly began to disperse.

Judging by their expressions, none of them wanted to leave just yet.

They hadn’t spent nearly enough time with Shasa.

The reason was simple.

The little girl was far too interesting.

She was beautiful, lively, fearless, and strangely adorable. There was also something wonderfully unpredictable about her.

Shasa didn’t seem to understand embarrassment the way most young women did.

If someone teased her, she would stare right back without the slightest hesitation.

If someone patted her head, she might reach over and pat theirs in return.

If someone challenged her, she would accept without giving it a second thought.

And if anyone tried to bully her...

Well, the unfortunate boys in Greyhaven City had already learned what happened when someone made that mistake.

The women of the Holy Water Division had spent quite some time surrounding Shasa. They had teased her, pinched her cheeks, asked her all sorts of questions, and tried every trick they could think of to make her laugh.

At first, Shasa had tolerated their attention.

Before long, however, her patience had begun to wear thin.

She didn’t particularly enjoy being treated like some rare little animal that everyone wanted to touch.

Even so, she never became genuinely flustered.

Most of the time, she simply looked at them with a puzzled expression, as though she couldn’t understand why they were making such a fuss over her.

And somehow, that only made them like her more.

Now that they had to leave, several women looked back at her with obvious reluctance.

Shasa raised her hand and waved cheerfully.

"Goodbye!"

The women immediately smiled.

"Goodbye, little Shasa!"

"Come visit us again!"

"Don’t forget about your big sisters!"

Shasa waved a little longer as they departed.

Only when the last of them disappeared from sight did the mountain finally grow quiet again.

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves overhead.

Warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering golden patches across the stone path.

Leon glanced at his companions.

"Alright, let’s go."

Selena nodded obediently.

"Yes, Teacher."

Rias followed without hesitation.

Shasa stood between them, looking around with open curiosity.

She had only recently joined their group, yet she already seemed comfortable among the people of Celestis Academy.

Perhaps it was because Leon had given her somewhere to belong.

Perhaps it was because Selena and Rias had welcomed her without making her feel like an outsider.

Or perhaps, after spending so long surviving on her own, she had simply discovered that she liked having people around her.

Whatever the reason, the hesitation she had once carried was no longer visible in her steps.

She followed the others without looking back.

Under Leon’s lead, the group soon rose into the air.

Their robes fluttered as the wind swept past them.

Below, the mountain paths and surrounding trees gradually grew smaller. Above them stretched a vast, cloud-dappled sky, its distant horizon bathed in the warm light of the afternoon.

Their destination was the Amethyst Summit Division.

Their new home.

And for Shasa, it marked the beginning of an entirely different life.

Leon glanced back over his shoulder.

His purple eyes settled on the blonde-haired girl following behind him.

A faint smile touched his lips.

He had originally intended to take in another student.

That was all.

Yet somehow, he had a feeling that Shasa would bring considerably more trouble to Celestis Academy than he had anticipated.

She was too curious, too fearless, and far too willing to do whatever happened to cross her mind.

The thought alone was enough to make him smile.

Still, trouble wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Sometimes, a little chaos was exactly what a quiet mountain needed.

Leon turned forward again.

Without another word, he increased his speed.

Selena and Rias followed closely behind him.

Shasa, however, couldn’t resist looking toward their destination.

Her deep blue eyes shone with curiosity as the wind swept her blonde hair behind her.

The academy was growing closer.

She didn’t know what awaited her there. She didn’t know what kind of days lay ahead or how much her life would change.

But for once, those questions didn’t trouble her.

She was heading somewhere without worrying about whether she would have a place to return to.

For someone who had spent so long surviving on her own, that simple feeling was worth more than she could explain.

A quiet smile appeared on her face.

She followed Leon toward the distant mountains, her heart lighter than it had been in a long time.

Soon, the group disappeared into the vast afternoon sky.

And not long afterward, the familiar silhouette of the Amethyst Summit Division came into view.