Divine Artifact

What was originally meant to be a competition for Norton Academy to once again gain fame turned into a tumultuous event, upended by an unknown young man, leaving the academy's reputation greatly diminished in the eyes of everyone present.

As the crowd began to thin and most of the people made their way out of the academy, Leah stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the direction Ryan had left.

"Leah, why aren't you leaving? What are you staring at?"

Leah turned her head to see Anna, who was walking toward her with her younger sister, and quickly snapped out of her trance. "Oh, nothing. Ryan said he was going to the restroom, but the competition's over now, and I still haven't seen him. I don't know where that brat ran off to. I was just looking for him."

"Ah, I see. I thought you were just standing there because you liked that scruffy young man!" Anna teased with a playful grin.

Hearing this, Leah immediately responded, "Impossible! I don't even know him. He's just some talented little brat, that's all."

Leah knew full well that, no matter how impressive that young man was, it was impossible for them to be together. After all, he was her brother.

Anna, sensing that Leah had firmly dismissed any such notion, changed the subject. "Has Ryan gone home already? You're not going to wait around here for him, are you?"

Before Leah could answer, Annie, with a dismissive tone, interrupted, "I think there's no need to wait for that second-generation heir. He's probably off with some girl right now. Hmph..."

Annie's words left Leah and Anna momentarily speechless. They really couldn't figure out what was going on in this little girl's mind.

Just as they fell into silence, Leah suddenly spotted a young man in the crowd, seemingly looking for someone. Upon closer inspection, it was Ryan, his appearance now restored.

After Ryan had left the competition as the scruffy young man, with Silver Moon's guidance, he had found a secluded spot where he could revert to his true form. Now, he rushed back to find Leah.

When Leah saw Ryan, a joyful smile appeared on her face as she waved. "Ryan, I'm over here!"

Ryan, upon seeing Leah, hurried toward her, but before he could speak, Leah pretended to be angry and said, "You brat, where did you go? I've been looking for you forever! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Panting, Ryan explained, "Ah, when I came out of the restroom, I suddenly saw a bunch of people and realized the competition had already started. I couldn't squeeze in, so I had to watch from the outside. I was just waiting for it to end to find you. But that young man was really amazing! Watching him fight felt so satisfying!" He then flashed a grin at Leah.

Leah couldn't help but smile at his explanation and, fondly patting his head, said, "Alright, he was impressive. I even lost to him. But let's stop standing around here. Let's go."

The four of them walked together, talking and laughing about the scruffy young man as they left the academy. Before they parted ways, Anna even jokingly reminded Ryan to go learn from that scruffy youth and not end up like an idle heir with no skills.

On their way home, the two siblings walked side by side. Leah didn't ask any questions; she knew it wasn't the right time yet.

Though Leah had publicly admitted defeat, she didn't feel burdened in the slightest. On the contrary, she was genuinely happy. Compared to Ryan's rise, any regret was nothing.

Once they arrived at the House Stark residence and Ryan entered his room, Leah finally asked, "Alright, tell me, what's really going on?"

Ryan knew that for Leah to have waited this long to ask, it wasn't easy for her to hold back. He didn't keep any secrets, and told her about the events of the past few years in detail.

He explained how when he fell from Blade's Edge Cliff, it was the pendant that saved him, and he mysteriously formed a connection with it. That connection led him to learn the Phantom Step technique and gain access to The Compendium of Rare Herbs and Elixirs. It was also because of this that he became an apprentice at the brewery.

However, Ryan didn't mention Silver Moon at all and attributed everything to the pendant.

Leah didn't question much, as she too had the pendant and had benefited greatly from it. But when she heard that Ryan had obtained the Water Spirit Crystal by defeating the hydra and then advanced to the Mingzhi realm, she was truly stunned and looked at him as if he were some sort of monster.

"By the way, how did you manage to get rid of Yarr's Sulfur Fire Cage today?" Leah also couldn't figure that out. Back when she faced the same attack, she had struggled for quite a while, but Ryan seemed to have dealt with it effortlessly.

Ryan gave Leah a sly grin but didn't say much. Instead, he suddenly changed, and Leah noticed that his clothes were charred, and his exposed skin was red and swollen. She quickly realized what had happened.

With a gasp, she exclaimed, "So you…"

Ryan grinned mischievously. "Yep, I didn't actually break his Sulfur Fire Cage. I used an illusion to block the fire cage and made everyone think I'd neutralized the attack. If Yarr hadn't seen the fire cage disappear and lost hope, he would have kept fighting. I might've been in trouble then!"

Although Leah had more or less guessed the situation, hearing Ryan confirm it directly still made her palms sweat with anxiety. Was this really something that the so-called "wasteful younger brother" could accomplish?

Ryan's growth both surprised and taught her a lesson. Behind every battle, it wasn't just about who won or lost, but also about courage and decisiveness. If it had been her, would she have been as resolute as he was?

Though Leah felt happy for Ryan's growth, she couldn't help but scold him, "Are you crazy? Taking such a suicidal gamble? What were you thinking? You might as well have thrown your life away..."

Ryan just chuckled sheepishly and nodded in agreement, offering no rebuttal. He knew Leah was just worried about him.

Seeing Ryan not argue, Leah didn't press further but sternly warned him, "From now on, don't do something so reckless again. A fight is just a fight—losing is no big deal. Got it?"

Ryan's playful smile faded, and his expression grew serious as he answered, "Sis, I had to beat him. I couldn't lose. He hurt you before, and if I can't even defeat him, how can I protect you in the future?"

His tone wasn't heavy, but the words hit Leah deeply. Looking at his slightly burned, reddened skin, Leah's heart tightened, and a mist of tears clouded her vision. Without saying anything else, she gently began to tend to his wounds.

By the time she finished, it was already evening, and Leah left Ryan's room.

As she walked out, Ryan used his spiritual connection to ask Silver Moon, "By the way, can you also transform?" He was curious how Silver Moon had managed to conjure a magical energy source that allowed her to transform.

Although Ryan could shape-shift, it required him to have seen the object first. If it weren't for Silver Moon's sudden manifestation of magical energy, Ryan would have probably been thrown out by Annis by now, with no chance of competing.

"Pfft! It's easy to borrow something from elsewhere for you to see. But if I didn't care about you getting kicked out of that Academy, I wouldn't even bother," Silver Moon replied with disdain.

"By the way, seeing how close you and your sister are, I'll warn you—she shouldn't let anyone see that weapon called 'Snow Condenses'."

"Why?" Ryan asked, already knowing that Silver Moon wouldn't give pointless advice, but he didn't understand the reason behind this particular warning.

Silver Moon didn't tease him but answered directly, "If I'm not mistaken, that weapon isn't ordinary—it's highly adaptable, and its potential for growth is immense."

"Adaptable?" Ryan was surprised, hearing that weapons could have this kind of flexibility.

"Of course. There's a saying, 'Divine weapons are easy to find, but a true bond is hard to form.' This means that any weapon with spirit has a 'centripetal nature.' It becomes more attuned to its owner over time and grows with them. If the owner's strength increases, the weapon evolves too. This connection between the two makes it easier to wield. If the owner is bloodthirsty, the weapon will become more violent. And only the weapon's first master can truly unlock this potential."

Ryan's eyes widened as he listened, realizing that the dagger he had been carrying was, in fact, a divine weapon. He quickly asked, "So you're saying my sister's spear is also a divine weapon?"

Silver Moon thought for a moment, then replied, "Not exactly. Her weapon has the potential to become one, but it depends on how far she can go. Right now, it hasn't truly bonded with her. She's still its first potential master. If someone sees it and wants to claim it, they would have to kill your sister to reforge the master bond. Understand?"

Ryan nodded grimly. "I see..."

"Don't doubt me," Silver Moon warned. "Anyone who can discern this would have no trouble killing your sister to take the weapon. If you want her to live, remind her. In Sweet Spring Town, nothing much will happen, because the people here can't even see through your simple illusions. But once you leave here, it'll be a different story. Also, be careful with your illusions. If people find out about your talent, it'll lose its edge."

Ryan took Silver Moon's warning to heart. Sweet Spring Town was too small for anything significant to happen. If it hadn't been for the town's lack of skilled individuals, his illusion would have been spotted already. Even though he had reached the Bright Mind Realm, as Silver Moon said, he still wasn't strong enough to defeat someone with a higher realm, like his sister. The gap between cultivation levels and combat skills was still too vast.

Looking into the distance, Ryan wondered: his sister would be leaving soon, so maybe it was time for him to step out and explore beyond Sweet Spring Town. There was nothing left for him here, but where would he go?