Chapter 153: Well Earned Rest
Chapter 153: Well Earned Rest
Elizabeth gripped the hilt of her wooden rapier. "Are you not concerned about him? The instructors locked down the entire sect because of the ongoing infiltrations."
"I would rather worry about whoever decides to go against Solomon," Arthur chuckled, adjusting his spectacles. "Furthermore, the instructors told us the evil sect is exclusively targeting nobles and royals. Solomon is a commoner. He shouldn’t be anyone’s target."
"Wasn’t he kidnapped twice already by this exact evil sect?" Elizabeth blurted out.
Arthur froze completely still. He blinked multiple times at the white-haired royal. He pointed a finger at her hovering owl. "Do you watch his live stream?"
"No," Elizabeth snapped immediately, turning her head away to look at the distant training rings.
[GoonLord: MY WIFE IS WATCHING HIS STREAM?!]
[IceWaterKat: she definitely watches the stream.]
[BloodKnight: Information gathering is a valid tactical pursuit.]
[Fatal_Beauty: caught in 4K.]
Arthur simply shrugged his shoulders and returned his hands to his pockets. "Solomon was abducted twice, and he returned perfectly safe and sound both times. Even if it happens again, he will definitely come back."
Elizabeth stomped her boot against the cobblestones. "You are not a true friend at all. True friends actively worry about their companions."
Arthur tilted his head, completely failing to understand her sudden outburst. He looked at her clenched fists and sighed.
"If you are this concerned about his safety, you should just go to his personal quarters and check on him yourself," Arthur suggested, offering a completely practical solution. "Or better yet, go ask Pavilion Leader Jin about his current status."
A brilliant crimson flush instantly crawled up Elizabeth’s neck and coated her cheeks. She glared at the boy with thick glasses and bared her teeth.
"Who said I am worried about him?!" Elizabeth hissed.
She spun around on her heel and sprinted down the stone path, completely abandoning the conversation and leaving Arthur standing alone in the middle of the courtyard.
Sunlight washed over the sprawling dirt rings of the Sword Pavilion. Dozens of blue-robed instructors walked between the rows of sweating first-year disciples. The teenagers swung their wooden training swords through the initial deflection arcs of the Azure Crane Blade.
Most of the novices stumbled over their own boots and dropped their weapons onto the cobblestones, prompting the teachers to tap misaligned shoulders with wooden pens to physically correct their flawed stances.
Further up the mountain, Pavilion Leader Jin stood in the center of the polished VIP courtyard. He clasped his hands behind his back and watched the elite disciples execute advanced thrusts. Dark circles pooled under his eyes to reveal his total lack of sleep.
Fortunately, a bright smile remained firmly planted on his face. He displayed absolutely zero physical reactions regarding his brutal defeat from the previous night.
Jin stepped past a third-year senior and pointed at the young man’s boots. "Rotate your hips before lifting the blade. Your kinetic transfer stalls at the waist."
Marco Alfoy stood near the edge of the ring. The second-year student executed the eleventh step of the sequence flawlessly. He wiped sweat from his brow and glanced at the pavilion leader.
Jin simply nodded in approval and moved on to the next disciple. The instructor looked genuinely exhausted, yet he radiated an incredibly peaceful energy while guiding the prodigies.
Meanwhile, deep inside the corridors of the novice dormitories, a completely different atmosphere settled over a private room.
Solomon lay sprawled face-first across his mattress. His limbs stretched out completely over the tangled blankets. He snored quietly into his pillow, entirely oblivious to the grueling training sessions happening outside his window.
The mechanical bronze owl hovered faithfully near the ceiling. It broadcasted the mundane sight of the sleeping teenager to a dedicated group of viewers. The translucent blue interface occasionally blinked with new messages.
[LazyCat: he has been asleep for like eight hours.]
[GamerGuy: let the man rest. he basically conquered a whole city yesterday.]
[1Fizzy: I am doing my homework while watching him sleep lol.]
[GoonLord: I HOPE HE WAKES UP SOON I MISS THE ACTION!]
Solomon shifted his weight on the mattress and rolled onto his back. He threw one arm lazily over his eyes to block out the sunlight streaming through the small window.
He muttered something entirely incoherent about giant scorpions and fell right back into a deep sleep.
[User12: bro is dreaming about the dungeon run.]
[BloodKnight: True recovery requires complete mental detachment from the battlefield.]
[NewbHunter: I wish I could sleep that well after fighting my instructor.]
The immortal angelic core beating inside his chest pumped rejuvenating life force through his veins. Every single bruised knuckle and strained muscle tissue knitted itself back to absolute perfection.
It worked with his indefatigable ability. If the stamina tax caught up to him, the Eden heart’s power also slowed down.
A few hours later, Solomon opened his eyes and pushed the tangled blankets off his legs.
He sat up on the edge of the mattress and stretched his arms until his shoulder joints popped. Walking across the wooden floorboards, he unlatched the small window and pushed the wooden shutters wide open.
The bright orange sun rested perfectly between the craggy mountain cliffs in the distance, casting long shadows across the Azure Dragon Sect pavilions.
"I guess the sun still hasn’t risen yet," Solomon muttered to the floating bronze owl. "But I slept incredibly well."
[LazyCat: bro it is literally evening.]
[GamerGuy: you slept the whole day away. that is a sunset.]
[1Fizzy: the sun sets in the west Solo Man.][NewbHunter: completely lost his sense of time.]
Solomon rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wooden frame. "Obviously, I knew that. I was just testing your geographical awareness. The sun clearly sets in that specific direction and rises from the complete opposite side. I am perfectly aware of the time."
[User12: the gaslighting starts immediately.]
[Mezz_3863: sure you did.]
[GoonLord: YOU ARE NOT FOOLING ANYONE!]
He turned away from the window and pulled out a fresh set of the deep blue Azure Dragon Sect robes from the wardrobe. He quickly swapped his dark combat trousers and spider-silk shirt for the local uniform.
The loose fabric folded comfortably over his torso. He grabbed the thick leather strap of Eden’s Penance and secured the massive executioner’s sword across his back.
Pushing the wooden door open, he stepped out into the stone corridor.
"I feel like today is going to be better than yesterday."