Chapter 355: Death’s Threat

The Grandmaster was working diligently at his desk, frantically reading and writing notes on a stack of parchment. He was deeply engrossed in compiling a complex magical research thesis, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Sword Pavilion Master Wu casually strolled into the Grandmaster’s office without knocking. He walked silently across the plush rug and took a seat in one of the leather visitor chairs. Wu simply sat there, staring at the highly distracted Grandmaster for several long minutes.

Finally, Wu leaned closer across the desk. "Is something troubling you, Gustav?"

The Grandmaster jolted in his chair, dropping his quill pen with a startled gasp. He backed his chair up slightly, clutching his chest, and glared at the Pavilion Master. "Do not sneak up on me like that!"

Wu chuckled softly. "I did not sneak up on anyone. I simply walked in and sat down. You were the one who was far too engrossed in whatever you are currently writing to notice your surroundings."

The Grandmaster scowled, adjusting his pristine coat. "Why are you even here?"

"I am bored," Wu admitted simply. "I do not have anything else to do right now, so I just thought of visiting you."

"I am not free like you," the Grandmaster grumbled, picking his quill back up. "I actually have administrative work to do."

"AHAHAHA" Wu laughed out loud, leaning back in his chair. "Why are you so frustrated? What is making you so troubled today?"

The Grandmaster let out a heavy sigh and dropped the pen again. "It is Solomon."

After a brief, tense silence, he continued. "Just as you asked me to, I am trying to delay Solomon’s return to the Eastern Realms. But I can not hold him off for more than a week."

Wu frowned slightly. "Why only a week? I asked you to hold him here for an entire month."

The Grandmaster slammed both of his hands onto the desk. "That is easy for you to say! You have no idea how exhausting it is to deal with that boy! The only reason I am even able to hold him here for a week is because he currently believes there is a legitimate issue with his live-streaming account.

He clenched his fist and raised it as he continued, "I tried numerous other bureaucratic methods to stall his deployment, but none of them worked. He is far too smart, and he completely ignores standard administrative hurdles."

The Grandmaster rubbed his temples, a headache forming behind his eyes. "And the only reason his broadcasting profile is currently offline is because I deliberately withheld the authorization codes from his new silver owl."

He sighed. "But now that the Technomantic Division team is actively looking to solve the issue, it is only a matter of time before they realize the authorization block is intentional and bypass it. So, I may not even be able to hold him for a full week. I might only have a few days."

Wu thoroughly enjoyed seeing the usually composed Grandmaster panic over administrative logistics. He laughed out loud. "I cannot believe a single student is giving you this much trouble. Especially since you yourself used to be the biggest troublemaker in the entire academy."

The Grandmaster’s eye twitched violently. "You were the one who always pulled ridiculous pranks and got us in trouble with the Master!"

"HAHAHAHA" Wu laughed even harder at the accusation.

"Do not laugh!" the Grandmaster shouted, pointing a finger at the door. "Otherwise, I will kick you out of my office right now! And why are you even here anyway?! You should have already returned to the Eastern Realms to manage your pavilion!"

Wu suddenly stopped laughing. His expression turned completely serious, the jovial demeanor vanishing instantly. "I am doing this to protect Solomon. As I already told you, the intelligence report I recently received mentioned that Solomon is in grave danger."

The Grandmaster sighed, waving a dismissive hand. "I used to panic like this too whenever he went on a mission. But I have seen how strong Solomon actually is now. The boy can easily handle almost every standard threat on his own."

"This report came directly from an oracle whose innate talent is Clairvoyance, combined with a high-tier Precognition ability," Wu stated, his voice dropping to a grim register. "They saw a fractured future where Solomon is destined to die."

The Grandmaster frowned, leaning forward. "And how is he supposed to die?"

"We do not know that detail," Wu admitted, shaking his head.

"Then how will holding him here at the academy for a month actively stop that prophecy from happening?" the Grandmaster asked logically. "You do not even know when that precognition is supposed to take place. The event could trigger tomorrow, or it could happen six months from now. Or maybe in ten years."

"There is obviously no way to know the timeline," Wu responded calmly. "But the oracle confirmed it is going to take place in the near future. If we deliberately throw his current trajectory off course by delaying his return, there is a distinct chance we can alter the timeline and completely avoid the fatal encounter. That is exactly what we are trying to do right now."

The Grandmaster leaned back in his chair, remaining skeptical. "It seems useless. I have met a few individuals with similar precognitive talents in my life. Although what they ’see’ technically turns out to be true, the visions are often wildly misunderstood and completely misinterpreted."

The Grandmaster paused. "And why would anyone even want to target Solomon in the Eastern Realms right now? He is just a student."

"Solomon has only been in the Martial World for over a month, and he has already made a terrifying amount of powerful enemies," Wu pointed out. "Solomon fought in the illegal underground arena, which was a subsidiary branch base of the Nether Fiend Sect. Solomon was also the one who informed the Azure Dragon Sect about the traitors hiding in our ranks. He stopped their decoy prison break, and then he single-handedly raided their forward operating base."

Wu continued listing the boy’s chaotic achievements. "Not only that, but Solomon also fought directly against the Crimson Bone Sect when they infiltrated the Azure Moon Kingdom to target the nobles. He tracked their flying assassins, destroyed their artillery, and completely eradicated their hidden base. Because of Solomon’s direct interference, two of the Four Great Evil Sects have suffered catastrophic, humiliating losses. So naturally, the remaining evil factions must be the ones hunting him."

The Grandmaster rubbed his chin. "Solomon is strong enough to handle their assassins. Furthermore, there are sect vanguard forces and other orthodox factions who will be keeping a very close eye on the Azure Dragon Sect’s borders. Unless Solomon intentionally, personally, and recklessly places himself in a highly dangerous, isolated situation..."

The Grandmaster suddenly stopped speaking. He let out an exhausted sigh. "Never mind. Solomon can and definitely will do that."

"I know the remaining two evil sects will eventually be handled by the Righteous Alliance," Wu added, his tone remaining grim. "But the main problem is their ultimate, unified goal. They are desperately trying to revive the Heavenly Demon. If they actually succeed in that ritual, it will unleash absolute chaos across the Eastern Realms. This event could easily be directly related to the precognition regarding Solomon’s death."

The Grandmaster pondered the theory for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I really do not think the Four Evil Sects are actually trying to literally revive the Heavenly Demon. There is no spell, ritual, or dark art in existence that can bring back the soul of a man who has been dead for centuries. It is biologically and magically impossible."

"Everything is possible in the Eastern Realms, Gustav," Wu countered seriously. "You should not underestimate the dark arts."

"I am not underestimating them. I am just thinking logically," the Grandmaster responded. "I have actually invited the Master of the Golden Radiance Magic Tower here to the academy for this exact purpose. We are going to discuss this specific ritual. He will give me his professional, arcane thoughts on the matter and determine whether if something like a true resurrection could actually be magically possible."

Wu’s eyes lit up with sudden, genuine delight. "Cedric is coming here?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner that Cedric was visiting?!"

The Grandmaster glared at him. "I did not want to tell you because I knew you would try to pull some kind of ridiculous prank on him the moment he arrived."

"AHAHAHA!" Master Wu threw his head back and laughed out loud, completely confirming the Grandmaster’s suspicion.