[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-grand-return-system":3,"chapter-grand-return-system-grand-return-system-chapter-85":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Grand Return System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1080389,1397,"Chapter 85: The Weight of Pride","grand-return-system-chapter-85",85,"\u003Cp>The Weight of Pride\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zain family stood frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hush held everyone still. Not a single person stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gasp was all it took when Vita Zain dropped - thrown clear as if wind ripped him from his place. That crack, bone on rock, lingered underfoot, trembling through the cobbles long after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps spread fast across the faces in front of me. A hush followed, thick and sudden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Color vanished from their faces. A silence hung, heavy, where speech should have been. Their fingers shook, caught in the weight of what had unfolded before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their young master... defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not after a long battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not after some desperate struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a single exchange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pride of the Zain family shattered like glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then instinct finally broke through the paralysis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quick! Young Master Vita!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several elders rushed forward in panic, dropping to their knees beside the broken stones where Vita lay. One carefully lifted his shoulders while another checked his pulse with shaking fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s breathing... he’s still breathing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relief mixed with fear as they quickly carried him away from the center of the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, a few other clan members hurried toward Clint Zain, forming a protective circle around him. But their formation looked hollow, their confidence gone. Even as they stepped forward, their hands trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments ago they had stood proudly as members of one of Ashford City’s great clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that title felt fragile... almost laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it had collapsed beneath the casual wave of a single man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon hadn’t even moved from where he stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... How dare you hurt my son!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint Zain’s voice cracked as he shouted, the rage in his chest burning hotter than reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were bloodshot. Grief twisted his face into something almost unrecognizable. Thick veins bulged along his neck as his breathing grew heavy and uneven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone behind him tried to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Patriarch—wait—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Clint had already drawn his weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hammer in his hand flashed under the daylight as he pulled it free without hesitation. The metal head hummed with gathering mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think you can cripple my son and walk away from this street alive?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a roar, he lunged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana surged violently around him, whipping the air into a storm of pressure. The hammer tore through the air with terrifying force, aimed directly at Leon’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attack carried the full fury of a father whose pride had been crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as before—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon merely lifted his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unhurried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost bored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even a proper defensive stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a lazy gesture, as though brushing dust from his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Clint’s hammer entered Leon’s invisible range—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapon froze in the air as if the world itself had grabbed hold of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What—?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the question could leave his lips—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A formless force slammed into his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact exploded through the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint’s body lifted off the ground like a broken kite caught in a violent gust. He flew backward helplessly before crashing heavily across the fractured stone road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust burst into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several Zain clan members staggered back in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the face of absolute strength, even the most dazzling techniques were nothing more than clumsy displays before a true master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pfft—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint coughed violently, a mouthful of blood spraying onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hammer slipped from his hand and clattered uselessly across the stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time since becoming patriarch, fear crept into his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest burned where the invisible force had struck him. Even breathing felt like dragging knives through his lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him, the clan members looked lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one dared step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One miscalculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One moment of arrogance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all it had taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now the Zain family stood at the edge of ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint slowly lowered his head, the weight of that realization crushing down on him harder than the attack itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years he had ruled the clan with pride, believing his judgment flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that pride felt hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyelids closed briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The street was silent except for the faint sound of wind brushing through broken stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I... am the sinner of this household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon glanced at him calmly, purple eyes without ripple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the so-called great clan of Ashford City?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was mild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A frog at the bottom of a well. What a joke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each word cut deeper than any blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing intent gathered faintly in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selena felt it instantly. Her silver-white hair swayed as she inhaled softly, blue eyes steady but silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rias stood beside her, red silk fluttering, fingers tightening slightly at her sash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew that expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their Teacher was about to end this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint Zain’s pupils shrank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Junior Brother Leon, show mercy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice descended from above like a falling bell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A streak of light cut across the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged man in traditional robes descended slowly, sleeves fluttering, expression serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who is this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jadis narrowed his eyes instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Celestis Academy... Shera.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone carried weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona turned slightly, teal eyes gleaming. \"Shera? The master of Secret Sword Summit? A sage Realm expert?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jadis nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. He is powerful—and his temperament is peculiar. He remembers even the smallest slight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona absorbed that quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another sage Realm figure had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon’s brows furrowed slightly as he lowered his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shera landed beside Leon and Clint Zain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clint’s face lit up in desperate relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Shera, save me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shera did not smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He merely glanced at him coldly, almost with irritation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Shera wanted nothing more than to curse aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all people—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why provoke Leon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He already did not get along with him within the Seven Divisions. If Leon used this incident to attack him politically later, it would be troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Secret Sword Summit relied heavily on the Zain family’s commercial networks. Resources, spirit herbs, wealth—these families sustained the Divisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except Amethyst Summit Division, of course. Leon’s division had barely any students. They consumed almost nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shera took a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Junior Brother Leon,\" he said in a measured tone, \"this man has been my good friend for many years. I wonder how he offended you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused deliberately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not spare his life—for my sake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon looked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For years, Shera had regarded Leon as the weakest among the Seven Division leaders. A peak master without foundation. A man with little influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching from the sky earlier, observing that single sword that crushed three sage Realm cultivators—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shera felt something cold slide down his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leon was already his equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps even slightly beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And no one in Celestis Academy had realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shera’s heart grew heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The balance within the Seven Divisions... had quietly shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1172,"2026-06-03T10:40:08.787Z","2026-06-03T10:40:17.094Z",1,"novelbin.me","3070225cbca3429235851a25d0de374d8a1cbb23e6b80c436f4bbfc7c547cbda","grand-return-system-chapter-86","grand-return-system-chapter-84",234,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fgrand-return-system-cover.jpg"]