ttznovel Chapter 684: The Leash on the Horizon
Chapter 684: The Leash on the Horizon
Scarcely ten minutes after Ash had melted back into the perimeter, another dense, authoritative energetic footprint crossed the courtyard’s boundary.
Elder Driz stepped heavily over the shattered stone threshold, his sharp eyes immediately sweeping the ruined courtyard before locking onto Ethan’s solitary figure. Despite his internal shock at the sheer, heavy presence vibrating from Ethan’s newly solidified Golden Core, the veteran politician smoothly brought his hands together, lowering his torso into an exceptionally deep, theatrical martial salute.
"Master Ethan," said Driz, his deep voice loaded with an engineered, grand reverence. "I humbly supplicate for an immediate, high-stakes audience before the supreme transport docks. I have come to formally request permission to accompany your brilliant lineage to the capital line."
Ethan slowly leaned back against the mahogany desk, his amethyst eyes unbothered, hiding the predatory amusement running through his mind. He was fully aware that Driz operated as the primary local asset for the Fourth Prince. Yet, Driz was far too intelligent and politically seasoned to ever mention his master’s name in this room; he knew exactly where Ethan’s hidden allegiances lay, and dropping the Prince’s banner right now would be an act of suicide.
"You desire to migrate with my inner circle, Elder Driz?" Ethan asked, his gravelly voice dropping into a calm, measuring register. "Give me a compelling operational reason why I should expand my capital registry to include your presence."
Driz immediately stepped forward, his face morphing into an expression of profound, unadulterated patriotism.
"This request is driven entirely by the future glory and sovereign expansion of our beloved Soaring Dragon Kingdom!" Driz argued passionately, placing a firm hand over his heart. "The central headquarters is a treacherous, cutthroat arena. A genius of your magnitude should not be forced to waste valuable cognitive processing power on mundane logistical defense or regional administration. I possess centuries of experience navigating the complex legislative grids of the high sects. By allowing me to manage your political paperwork and public relations, you will be entirely free to focus on your divine medical arts, accelerating our kingdom’s strategic influence at the summit!"
He took a slow, deep breath, sharpening his gaze to deliver his ultimate tactical pitch.
"Furthermore, if a formidable asset like myself remains isolated on this frontier border, my talents will stagnate," Driz added, his tone dripping with an unyielding devotion to the crown. "But under your sovereign shadow on a capital peak, I can serve as a powerful, loyal vanguard for the realm. We must present a united, unbreakable front to the central factions to ensure the Soaring Dragon Kingdom forces them to respect our sovereign weight!"
Ethan watched the old fox execute his performance, a dark, thoroughly amused smile playing upon his lips. He was making Driz dance right over the palm of his hand.
From a tactical standpoint, Ethan’s calculations quickly aligned with the benefits of this arrangement. Leaving a dangerous, highly ambitious political operator like Driz unsupervised on this frontier peak was an option that didn’t make him feel entirely secure; it would grant the Fourth Prince an unhindered base to slowly rebuild his local influence. However, if he forcefully dragged Driz straight into the capital line, the old fox would be isolated. In the central headquarters, Driz wouldn’t know a single high-tier soul, he wouldn’t possess a single domestic network, and his entire survival would depend entirely on Ethan’s administrative favor. It was infinitely safer to keep his enemies tightly bound to his own leash.
"Your arguments possess a very compelling weight, Elder Driz," said Ethan, his deep baritone carrying an definitive authority that cut through the old man’s tension. "The future glory of the realm does indeed require capable hands at the summit. Prepare your personal ledger and secure your core assets immediately. You are officially granted a slot on my transport line."
Driz let out a sudden, intense breath of relief, his eyes flashing with a brief spark of triumph as he bowed deeply once more. "Your magnanimity is as boundless as the seas, Master Ethan! I shall organize my vanguard and return before the dreadnought breaks the atmosphere!"
As the old politician rapidly retreated to pack his belongings, Ethan’s predatory smile widened. Driz genuinely believed he had successfully secured a bridgehead for the Fourth Prince inside the capital line blind to the reality that he had just eagerly signed his own deployment into a gilded cage.
Ethan had already smoothly packed his core personal assets and secured the primary medical ledgers when the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside.
His four assistants—Meave, Mirah, Cardis, and Clare—rushed back into the private courtyard, out of breath from their frantic sprint across the peaks. They had managed to bring only two young women along with them. Moving quickly before the tight operational window closed, the assistants eagerly stepped forward to make the formal introductions.
The two new arrivals were close friends who had entered the sect registry together with them a couple of years ago. Throughout that entire time, their small circle had remained unbreakable; even after Ethan’s assistants had obtained the supreme grace and prestigious employment of the Immortal Doctor nothing had changed in their tight-knit bond, causing them to value this deep friendship above all else.
"You are both thoroughly welcome here," said Ethan, his deep, gravelly baritone carrying an reassuring weight as he looked down at the nervous newcomers. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Under my sovereign command, there is only one unyielding rule: you must never betray my trust. It does not matter what you hear, and it does not matter what you witness inside these walls nothing is permitted to leave the boundaries of this pavilion. If you execute your loyalty flawlessly, infinite riches will descend directly from the heavens upon your heads. But you must remember that I never grant a second opportunity."
The new recruits quickly bowed their heads, their faces thoroughly flushed as they tried to process the surreal, astronomical scale of the wealth that had just been casually guaranteed to them.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.