The journey to the Sapphire Clan territory was quite lengthy but remarkably comfortable. The carriage they used was nothing like the one Neo and Helen typically took to the Blue Merchant—this one was nearly double the size, leaving ample room for the three individuals seated within.
Both Helen and Richard sported white clothes. Helen wore a white dress that gave her a graceful appearance, her hair tied up in a bun and accented with simple gold jewelry that transformed her into a fiery celestial maiden.
Richard, his muscles rippling with visible strength beneath his white robe, also adorned himself with gold jewelry. Neo was the odd one out, though not lacking in magnificence himself—he wore a noble black and white outfit with silver markings, the Tasher family crest displayed prominently on his chest, matching Helen and Richard.
Their arrival was announced as they stepped into the main hall. Noble families were already arriving, slowly filling the space. Each family was announced by the servant at the door as they entered. Almost every house came with its children trailing behind.
Neo found the entire affair somewhat surreal. He plucked a glass of water from a passing servant's tray and calmly positioned himself in a spot that offered a full view of the hall while keeping him slightly apart from the flowing currents of nobility. Helen stood close by as he observed in comfortable silence.
"The Umbra Family has arrived."
Several neatly dressed individuals stepped into the hall, led by a man in blue armor with a black cape spilling from the crevices at his back. Beside him walked a woman Neo assumed was his wife—silky black hair, gentle smile, moderate features, carrying herself with quiet pride.
"Hmm."
Neo's gaze shifted to one of the individuals behind the couple. A familiar face—the lanky, dark-haired youth who, with Ronald from the Wistern family, tried to confront him at the library entrance. He walked behind his parents, pride radiating from his every step. The other person beside him was a woman nearly Helen's height, her facial features strongly resembling her mother's.
They all moved slowly through the hall as Richard Tasher approached to make small talk. Richard himself was not negligent in his appearance tonight—his red hair slicked back, taming the wild look he usually sported, his white beard giving him an aged dignity. He wore a white robe that draped over a figure bearing decades—centuries—of accumulated power on the ascendant path.
Neo watched it all unfold silently from his corner, Helen beside him. More families continued to arrive, numbers climbing into the double digits until they finally stopped at the fifteenth family's entrance.
The Wistern family was naturally in attendance—Ronald would never miss an opportunity to mingle among high nobles. Currently, three high noble families were present at the banquet: the Umbra, Greenwood, and Sapphire Clans.
*Cling. Cling. Cling.*
"Ahem." Baldor raised his glass, drawing everyone's attention.
"Welcome, nobles of the Empire, to the Sapphire Clan. I'm sure the wine and meat thier finding their way around. Don't hold back, hahaha!" He coughed, then continued in a heavy voice.
"In all the centuries of the Sapphire Clan's existence, All your families some new and some as ancient as my clan itself have witnessed the succession of the seat of clan head when the successor crosses the Trial of Frost." He paused meaningfully. "And just as our clan rules demands, once again, I present to you the future head of the Sapphire Clan—Aurelia Sapphire."
The room plunged into darkness. Then, candles along a winding staircase ignited with blue flames, illuminating the hall in a mystical azure glow. Aurelia took her first step down the stairs, descending slowly in her white dress that fell to her knees, her snow-white hair pinned in an elegant bun. With her pale features and careful smile, she looked beautiful.
"Meet Aurelia Sapphire. My granddaughter will succeed me as head of the Sapphire Clan." Baldor smiled as Aurelia reached the bottom and stood with her father at the head of the hall.
"Also, let's not forget my youngest granddaughter, newly awakened—Venus Sapphire. The Sapphire Clan, as usual, remains the clan with the highest number of awakened ascendants to the North of the Empire... hahaha!" He indicated with a grin, bragging openly.
"Once again, welcome to the Sapphire Clan's banquet. Enjoy."
Richard vanished from his spot and reappeared beside Baldor, already pouring wine.
"Haha, Tasher!" Baldor's loud voice boomed as he saw Richard beside him. "I haven't seen that crest in a while. Thought you went cold."
Richard, true to his battle-crazed personality, replied with a grin. "Want to see how hot I can burn?"
Principal Greenwood suddenly appeared in their midst. "Oh, please..... cool your jets you two. Sometimes you forget how old you are."
A fourth figure walked into the group, clad in blue and black light armor. "Two hundred and fifty-four years precisely, if you need the specifics." Asakai Umbra, the head of the Umbra family, joined the circle.
All four had been friends during their academy days, with Richard at the head due to his overwhelming combat ability that all three of them respected. He had been the only one among them who wasn't nobility at the time, but his sheer talent had earned a noble title for his surname.
---
Helen and Neo stood together in a corner, the scene abnormal to each of them for different reasons.
"Neo, let's try the food!" Helen tugged him toward the buffet, which displayed different types of dishes.
'Well, what the hell. Let's at least enjoy one thing here.' Neo followed her, walking calmly beside her as they both maintained the necessary composure for the setting.
"Hmm, Neo, this actually tastes good... try it."
Neo picked up a piece of meat on a stick. It wafted an incredible aroma, the texture looking extremely supple and perfectly spiced. He took a large mouthful—the meat dissolved on his tongue, each taste coming together to form a perfect blend of flavor. He opened his eyes and was met with a sight that ruined his enthusiasm for a second bite.
Ronald Wistern was approaching. Probably aiming for Helen, as it was clear to Neo that he had developed feelings for her—feelings she remained completely oblivious to, seeing him as nothing more than Neo's young friend. The sheer persistence and pride with which he pursued Helen astonished Neo, especially since Ronald always kept antagonizing him for some reason.
"Hi, Lady Tasher. Remember me?" Ronald ignored Neo entirely, speaking directly to Helen.
"Oh, yes, of course. Ronald! It's nice to meet you again." Helen responded with her usual polite chatter, Ronald cracking into a dreamy smile as he listened to her comment on the dishes.
"Hey."
A voice broke Neo out of his stare. He turned to see the young girl, introduced as Venus, standing behind him.
"Oh, hey. Ahem, I'm sorry. Neo Tasher—it's a pleasure to meet you." He quickly corrected himself, adopting simple, noble manners.
"Haha... It's fine. I don't mind." She laughed lightly, waving him off.
Neo properly looked at her now—wild blonde hair, blue eyes. She had a certain wildness to her aura, paired with the fact that she wore light blue leather armor instead of a dress for the banquet.
"I never knew the Tashers had a male direct blood," Venus asked.
"Well, neither did I," Neo muttered
Venus leaned closer. "Huh?"
"Oh, I said we haven't been public in the empire for a while—"
A blond boy his age, with unrestrained pride in his raised eyebrows, suddenly cut between them, blocking Neo with his back while facing Venus.
"Lady Sapphire, you keep ignoring my gifts and my visits to the clan. How else can I make you know that my intentions are pure?"
Neo seethed behind him but managed to calm down, aided by his cringe at the speech he'd just heard.
"First, it's 'Lady Venus'. The title of Lady Sapphire now belongs to my sister. Second, your intentions, genuine or not, Atys you are of no interest to me." Venus spoke with a straight face to the noble called Atys.
"Now, maybe... just maybe if you were strong enough to defeat me, I'd consider listening to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was speaking to someone before you arrived?" A grin totally not girly in anyway plastered across her face as she spoke.
Atys turned without blinking, looking at Neo's facial features, then his family crest. "As a proud son of the Fang Family, I may not be allowed to hit a lady. But I'll be damned if I have to stand here and watch my woman take interest in you."
Neo looked silently at Atys Fang of the Fang Family, which he had to admit was quite cringe, drawing the attention of several individuals in the hall.
"Fight me. Right now. I'll use you as an example for anyone who wishes to gaze upon my woman. Do you dare accept my challenge?"
Neo regarded him quietly—his pale features, his piercing green eyes scrutinizing this character, Atys—before speaking in a low voice. "What do you intend to prove with all this noise? I really have nothing to do with your 'lady'."
Atys flared with his wild Mid Rank 1 spiritual energy. "It seems you underestimate me."
---
Back on the stands, Baldor looked to Greenwood, silently asking for his help seeing the commotion between the hotblooded kids. Principal Greenwood disappeared from his seat to coordinate the event—Baldor had asked him to, and besides, he wanted a closer view of Neo's progress, seeing as he was the one being challenged. He'd never spent so much of his wealth on anyone before. He simply hoped Neo's progress wouldn't disappoint.
Neo stood across from Atys with a gentle smile in an arena prepared for exactly this sort of activity. Atys was Mid Rank 1; Neo was Low Rank 1—the first disadvantage. Second, he still wasn't allowed to use spiritual energy.
A servant brought out two wooden swords, handing one to each combatant as they specified their weapon choice. Principal Greenwood's voice rang out. "No relics. You may use spiritual energy freely. Again, summoning your relic will result in immediate disqualification. Now, take five steps back from each other."
They complied.
"Fight."
Neo activated his True Sight on instinct. Suddenly, the difference became starkly apparent. Atys's spiritual energy movements were incredibly clumsy, his openings so easy to read that Neo felt his tense posture relax almost immediately.
Richard was the only person he'd fought since awakening. The inability to land a single hit on the old man had dampened his sense of progress—he'd had no one else to measure himself against. With Richard, he'd struggled to perceive the nuances that indicated his next attack, learning only through careful observation of muscle twitches and posture.
But looking at the haughty Atys, already wrapped in spiritual energy to enhance his defense and increase his strikes' lethality, Neo saw something else entirely.
The audience noticed Neo hadn't bothered to use spiritual energy. He simply raised one finger toward Atys and spoke for the first time that standing in the arena.
"Come."
Atys twitched in annoyance at the sight but didn't refuse the invitation. He burst forward with a surge of speed, sword held at his side.
Neo didn't realize he was smiling as he observed Atys through his True Sight. The jagged, inefficient use of spiritual energy gave away every movement before Atys could even make them. He'd never fought Richard while either of them used spiritual energy, so applying True Sight to combat in this manner was entirely new.
'Time to teach this kid some manners.'
Neo watched the spiritual energy in Atys's sword concentrate at the tip.
'A thrust huh....'
He flipped his head to the side, avoiding the strike before it was fully made. Atys began the motion, and Neo was already moving—two quick steps directly into Atys's face.
Confusion and shock flooded the young noble's face. Before he could recover, something slammed into his throat. His shoddy spiritual energy control shattered under the impact of Neo's wooden sword handle striking his windpipe.
"Ahh—Cough..... Arghh—"
BAM.
Neo followed up with another strike to the head, knocking Atys unconscious.
The entire crowd fell silent.
They had expected a fight at least—Atys's lackluster spiritual energy manipulation was obvious—but they did not expect a loss like this.
Neo was Low Rank 1. Atys was Mid Rank 1. Yet Neo hadn't used a trace of spiritual energy, shattering his defense through pure physical strength alone. The way he moved, dodging the attack before it even began, made it seem as though he could see the future.
Of course, only the old monsters present truly understood what they had witnessed.
Principal Greenwood was the most shocked, having observed the exchange more closely than most. He had seen Neo's initial tension—undeniable—and then the sudden relaxation. From the audience's perspective, Neo had simply dodged an attack before a finishing retaliation.
But Greenwood knew better. Neo had seen the attack far before that moment. He had followed Neo's pupils and watched them lose focus from everything else, zeroing in on the tip of the sword. All without sensing a trace of spiritual energy being used by the kid.