Chapter 141: Farewell

Chapter 141: Farewell

"Sect Master, before I go, there is one last thing that I want to give this sect."

Harmon looked at Rhain with a bewildered expression. "Give us? Rhain, you have already given us far more than we could ever—"

Rhain didn’t wait for Harmon to finish, and reached into his spatial ring.

Flash after flash of light burst from his palm as dozens of items materialized onto the long stone table.

Bottles of luminous pills, bundles of carefully preserved spiritual herbs, and several gleaming weapons clattered across the polished surface.

Harmon and the elders stared at the items.

Every single item radiated the aura of the Rare-Grade.

But just when they thought it was over, there was a final flash of light.

A thick stack of scrolls materialized beneath his palm.

Unlike the pills and weapons, these scrolls did not radiate any outward aura. They looked remarkably plain, almost ordinary.

But the moment everyone’s gaze fell upon the elegant, meticulously penned characters on the first scroll’s cover, they all knew that these scrolls were anything but ordinary.

"Rhain, what is this?" Harmon asked doubtfully.

"Azure Cloud Sect currently possesses a mountain of plundered resources," Rhain explained calmly, his dark grey eyes sweeping over the elders. "But resources are not infinite. Especially now that the sect is preparing to expand its influence and recruit countless new disciples from Mirravele City, those resources will eventually run dry."

"If the sect wishes to establish a permanent, unshakable foundation, it cannot simply rely on hoarded wealth. It needs a sustainable source. And in this world, there is no source more lucrative or powerful than Alchemy."

Rhain pointed at the ordinary scrolls on the table.

"These are Alchemy formulas. They range from the basics of a Novice Rank all the way up to the Master Rank."

Hearing Rhain’s words, everyone felt their minds buzzing.

Master Rank!

That was the level of the Guild Master of Mirravele City!

"I know that Greymist Town lacks high-level alchemists," Rhain continued, "The few who reside here are barely at the Novice level. That is why I have personally rewritten and simplified every single one of these formulas. I broke down the complex theories into the most basic, fundamental steps."

"As long as a disciple possesses a fire affinity and even a mediocre level of talent, they will be able to learn these formulas. With enough time and resources, it will not be impossible for our Azure Cloud Sect to produce its own Apprentice, Expert, or perhaps even Master Rank alchemists in the future."

Harmon, and all elders stared at the scrolls as if they were looking at sacred scriptures descended from the sky.

Pills were the lifeblood of any cultivation power.

In the vast Solathane Dynasty, alchemy was the most heavily monopolized and fiercely guarded profession in existence.

The great clans of Mirravele City had maintained their dominance for centuries precisely because they controlled the production and distribution of high-tier pills.

Rhain wasn’t just giving them fish; he was handing them the ultimate method to fish in the most treacherous waters.

It was the single most valuable thing Rhain could have left behind.

"Rhain..." Harmon slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes glistening with moisture he could no longer suppress. "You have thought of everything. Even after you leave, you are still paving the road for us."

"The Azure Cloud Sect is my home," Rhain replied with a smile. "I will not allow it to wither after I leave."

He looked across the faces of Torin, Silas, Amos, and Maren.

"Guard these scrolls carefully. They are not to be shared outside the sect under any circumstances. The formulas within them are worth more than every Aetherium Crystal in Mirravele City combined. If word of their existence reaches the wrong ears, it will invite disaster."

This was also the reason precisely why he didn’t give them Grandmaster Rank Alchemy formulas.

Not only would it have been impossible for them to learn, but it would have also most definitely invited the greedy eyes of even the Inner Province.

Every elder in the room nodded solemnly, knowing fully well how important of a responsibility this was.

"We understand," Harmon nodded resolutely. "These scrolls will be treated as the sect’s most sacred treasures. I will personally oversee the establishment of the Alchemy Division and ensure that only the most trustworthy and talented disciples gain access to the higher-tier formulas."

Rhain gave a satisfied nod.

With everything said and done, a brief silence returned over the hall.

There were no more arrangements to make.

All that remained was the farewell.

One by one, the elders stepped forward.

Torin clasped Rhain’s arm firmly, "Come back safely, Supreme Elder. We will hold the line until you return."

Silas offered his blessings in a deep voice. "May the gods guide your path."

Amos and Thorne also nodded, showing their concern, and pride.

Maren pulled Seris into one final, "Take care of yourself," she whispered. "And take care of that stubborn husband of yours."

"I will," Seris whispered back, "And you all also take care of yourselves."

Harmon was the last to step forward.

"Rhain," Harmon spoke, his cloudy eyes held no trace of worry. "From the day I met you, everything changed. It was just a small sect on the verge of destruction, but you gave us the hope when we had none. Every brick of this sect owes to you for whatever it has today. And now, even as you leave, you have ensured that we will never fall again."

He placed both hands on Rhain’s shoulders.

"I know someone of your calibre cannot be contained by even the Inner Province. If there is a world beyond Inner Province, you will go there and conquer it as well. A man like you is destined to be at the very peak of this world, but know it that when you will stand there, we will always be cheering for you from the foot of this mountain."

Rhain looked at the old man, Harmon was the closest thing to a parental figure he ever had.

"I promise that I will always remember this sect, no matter where I go, I will never forget that this was my home where I grew up," Rhain said quietly, his heart also heavy with this indefinite farewell, "Thank you, Sect Master! For giving a beautiful home, and a family to this orphan."

Harmon’s composure finally cracked. A tear escaped the corner of his cloudy eye, rolling silently down his weathered cheek.

He quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand and let out a choked laugh. "Go on now, before this old man embarrasses himself any further."

Rhain smiled, offering one final, deep bow to Harmon and the gathered elders.

Then he took Seris’s hand.

Together, they walked out of the Sect Master’s Hall.

The massive training ground of the Azure Cloud Sect was already filled with hundreds of disciples who had heard the news of their Supreme Elder’s departure.

Standing at the forefront of the crowd were the Graves family—Dorris, Roderick, and Kory.

Seeing Seris approach, Dorris’s face broke into a warm smile.

"Uncle Dorris, Uncle Roderick, Senior Kory," Seris spoke softly, her pale purple eyes filled with profound gratitude as she bowed gracefully. "Thank you for taking me in and treating me as your own daughter these past five days. I will never forget the warmth your family showed me."

Dorris let out a laugh, though his eyes glistened with genuine emotion. He gently patted her shoulder. "Silly girl! Once a daughter of the Graves family, always a daughter of the Graves family. No matter how high you soar in the Inner Province, remember that you always have a home here waiting for you."

Roderick and Kory nodded heavily, their faces brimming with pride as they offered their final blessings.

Nearby, Declan stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the chubby figure of Fenwick Luo.

"You are not coming?" Rhain asked.

Declan shook his head with a chuckle. "Not yet. I will stay in Greymist Town for a while longer. Fenwick and I have decades of catching up to do, and someone needs to keep an eye on these new vassal sects before they get any funny ideas." He paused, his eyes carrying a deep sincerity. "But when the Azure Cloud Sect is ready to march into Mirravele City, I will be at the front of the line."

Rhain extended his hand. Declan grasped it firmly.

No more words were needed between them.

Fenwick stepped forward as well, bowing deeply. "Supreme Elder, I will not disappoint you. By the time you return, the Azure Cloud Sect’s trading network will stretch across the entire Outer Frontier."

"I will hold you to that," Rhain replied with a nod.

With the final farewells concluded, Rhain turned his gaze to the towering blue eagle resting at the center of the plaza.

Vulcan was already standing atop the eagle’s broad back.

Rhain gently wrapped his arm around Seris’s slender waist.

With a light, effortless push off the ground, the two of them floated upward, landing smoothly atop Kiki.

He stood at the front of the massive eagle, his dark robes catching the morning wind. Seris stood close beside him, her hand firmly intertwined with his.

Below them, the entire Azure Cloud Sect looked up.

Hundreds of disciples, Victor, Bria, dozens of elders, Maren, Torin, the Graves family, and at the very front, Harmon.

Rhain looked down at all of them one final time.

"Take care everyone," Rhain said, his voice carrying clearly across the silent mountain. "I will return one day."

SCREEECH—!

With a flap of its colossal sapphire wings, the massive eagle launched itself into the sky, carrying Rhain, Seris, and Vulcan high above the clouds.

The Azure Cloud Sect shrank rapidly beneath them.

And then, even the mountains themselves faded into the horizon.

Down below, Harmon, the elders, the Graves family, and thousands of disciples tilted their heads upward, watching the shrinking silhouette of the giant eagle until it completely disappeared into the distant clouds.

A legend of the Greymist Town had now left to begin a new one in the Inner Province.