On the way back, Yoon Zhengyang hesitated and said, "Junior Brother Huang, it wasn't very wise of you to confront Aiden Ao so directly. If the Poison Emperor's assassination attempt really was arranged by them, now that you've exposed it, they'll surely rush to destroy any evidence."
Leon Huang smiled, "Senior Brother Yoon, did you really think I wanted to pursue this with Sea Emperor Sect?"
"Isn't that the case?" Yoon Zhengyang asked doubtfully.
Leon Huang shook his head, "Of course not! Think about it—this is Sea Emperor Sect's turf. Even if the Poison Emperor really was their doing, we can't do anything to them here. Besides, we're leaving for Sanctum Martial Academy tomorrow. Me confronting them was just to 'knock on the mountain to scare the tiger,' so they'd think twice before trying any more underhanded tricks."
Hearing Leon's explanation, Yoon Zhengyang couldn't help but admire him. He laughed, "Looks like Junior Brother Huang isn't just a martial genius—your wits are just as impressive."
"You're too kind, Senior Brother Yoon. It's just a little cleverness, nothing worth mentioning."
Walking quietly beside them, Harriet Gu let Leon and Yoon talk, saying nothing. Still, a subtle change flickered in her eyes that no one else noticed.
Back at the inn, Leon and Yoon reported the night's assassination attempt to Elder Hu and Elder Warren.
The two elders were both furious and shocked.
They were angry that Leon had been targeted, and stunned that he actually managed to kill the Poison Emperor.
This made them realize that Leon Huang was even more remarkable—more monstrous—than they had imagined. With him, Pristine Way Sect was sure to rise again and reclaim its place among the Human Race’s top powers. So, while they sent a full report back to the sect via messenger pigeon, they also went straight to the Ao clan’s manor to demand an explanation.
Of course, seeking an explanation was destined to be fruitless.
Still, the two elders had no choice but to go. If Pristine Way didn’t show its stance, others would really think it was weak and easy to bully.
Meanwhile, thanks to the word-of-mouth of Benson Bai, Celine Murong, Damon Meng, and others, news of Leon Huang slaying the Poison Emperor spread rapidly through all the sects in Sea Emperor City.
Many sects even used special channels to relay the story back home.
For the first time, the name 'Leon Huang' appeared on the desks of senior leaders across the major sects.
So, by the next day—
Leon’s inn was nearly overrun by visitors.
To ensure Leon’s safety and prevent any more sneak attacks from Sea Emperor Sect, Elder Hu personally assigned Skyler Sikong to act as his bodyguard.
Skyler Sikong was one of Pristine Way’s most outstanding Core Disciples, already at the late Grandmaster realm and a likely candidate to reach peak Grandmaster—or even inherit the sect master’s seat someday.
With Skyler Sikong personally guarding Leon, it was clear just how much the sect valued him.
At the Sword and Blade Sect’s temporary quarters in Sea Emperor City—
When Warren Wu heard that Leon Huang had actually killed a Grandmaster, he was devastated. After losing to Leon at yesterday’s banquet, he’d planned to train hard and win back some face, but now his confidence was completely shaken.
If Leon could kill a Grandmaster at the eighth layer of Qi-Refining, how terrifying would he be once he reached the ninth layer or became a Grandmaster himself?
Of course, while Warren Wu was in despair, Winnie Shentu—who admired Leon Huang—was overjoyed. After carefully dressing up, she hurried to Leon’s inn with precious healing medicine, convinced that Leon must have been wounded in the fight with the Poison Emperor.
To her surprise, when she arrived, she found the place packed—there were so many people waiting to see Leon that she’d have to wait her turn.
After sending off two disciples from Lion King Sect, Leon couldn’t help rubbing his cheeks, stiff from all the polite smiling. By temperament, he actually disliked dealing with these sycophants, but his third system mission was to unite the Human Race against the Devil Race.
If he acted too cold or aloof now, it would only cause trouble later when he had to consolidate the Human Race’s forces. That’s why he patiently received all these guests.
"Jean, could you please invite the next guest in?"
Leon addressed Jean Shan, who was standing quietly in the room, acting as his 'maid.'
Elder Hu and Elder Warren both strongly approved of Leon building ties with the younger generation from other sects.
That’s why they assigned Jean Shan, an Outer Disciple, to serve tea and welcome guests.
In the Outer Sect, Jean was president of the Daughters’ Society and one of the top disciples.
But now, she was completely won over by Leon, and didn’t feel that serving tea was beneath her—in fact, she was quite pleased. She reasoned that if she built a good relationship with Leon now, she’d reap plenty of benefits once he rose to power.
After all, even a Core Disciple like Skyler Sikong was assigned as Leon’s personal bodyguard—so what was the shame in an Outer Disciple acting as his maid?
"Senior Brother Huang, we meet again!"
Winnie Shentu’s face lit up with joy the moment she saw Leon.
"Oh, it’s Junior Sister Shentu. Please, have a seat," Leon said with a smile.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Huang."
Blushing, Winnie replied and sat down next to Leon. She quickly brought up his injuries and offered him the healing saint medicine she’d brought.
Leon had received plenty of gifts today—enough to fill half a room.
"Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister Shentu, but I’m not hurt. You should keep the medicine for yourself."
"Oh, you’re not injured? That’s wonderful! Still, you should hold onto the medicine—you might need it in the future."
Leon couldn’t help but smile at her insistence, but seeing Winnie’s sincerity, he accepted the healing medicine. In return, he gifted her a fifth-grade Breakthrough Pill.
After Winnie left, Benson Bai, Celine Murong, Damon Meng, and the others he’d met the night before all came by in turn.
Compared to yesterday, they were several times more enthusiastic—and all brought extremely valuable gifts.
But there were simply too many visitors today.
So Leon couldn’t spend much time chatting with each group.
From morning until dusk, Leon was constantly receiving guests. He finally got a moment to breathe—it was honestly more exhausting than his master’s training.
Of course, the rewards were massive: first, the gifts could fill an entire room, and second, he now had initial ties with young elites from seventy or eighty human sects.
Just then—
Elder Hu and Elder Warren arrived together.
Leon hurriedly rose and saluted.
After a few words of concern, Elder Hu got down to business: "Leon, the sect master has replied. He’s extremely pleased with your performance, and has instructed us to tell you—once you reach the Grandmaster realm, you’ll be promoted directly to Pristine Way’s Core Disciple!"
"Thank you, Sect Master, for your support!"
Leon was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.
"Right, you’ll be departing for Sanctum Martial Academy tomorrow, so be extra careful on the road. Also, here—these are Ancient Jade Talismans sent by the sect master."
As he spoke, Elder Hu took out a brocade box and handed it to Leon.
Leon opened it to find three palm-sized, emerald-green Ancient Jade Talismans.
Elder Hu explained in a low voice, "One is a defensive talisman—activate it, and it’ll block a full-force attack from a peak Grandmaster. The other two are offensive talismans—trigger them, and they can kill any martial artist below peak Grandmaster. All three are extremely precious. Unless it’s a life-or-death situation, don’t use them lightly!"
Leon’s heart tightened at the warning. He put the talismans away carefully and promised, "Don’t worry, Elder Hu—I won’t use them recklessly."
"Yes, the talismans are precious, but if your life is in danger, don’t hesitate to use them. The sect has decided to invest heavily in you, and you’ll never lack resources—just don’t let us down!"
"Please rest assured, Elder Hu and Sect Master—I’ll do my utmost!"
With that, the Sea Emperor City assassination arc came to a close: Leon consolidated his status as a monster genius who could kill Grandmasters, Pristine Way assigned him a Core Disciple bodyguard and gifted him Ancient Jade Talismans, and he forged connections with dozens of human sects, all in preparation for the looming Human–Devil war and his journey to Sanctum Martial Academy.