“What brought this all of a sudden?” Ely asked.
“I just…I have been staying in the academy because not because I want to, but because I feel like that’s where I’m supposed to stay at. Like there is no other place for me. However, that’s not true. The academy was merely a place that I happened to enter because of your brother.”
“In fact, I would’ve probably left a long time ago if I wasn’t a teacher there. But some sense of loyalty and responsibility kept me from moving on with my life, and I ended up staying there for so long.”
“But now… I think it’s time I leave,” Ning said.
Ely heard him and got quiet. She drooped her head and thought for a while as well. Anya and Dahlia looked at them, a little concerned as to what was happening.
“I think I understand,” Ely said. “I think I understand what you mean. Ever since my brother got his own family, and father stayed with them, I’ve felt like I don’t belong there anymore.”
“Not like I was unwelcome or anything, but like I needed to find my own place somewhere. Which was why I stayed in the academy in the first place.”
“However, slowly I felt like that wasn’t enough either. Many came and many left the academy, everything changed but me. Soon, I was starting to feel like I didn’t belong there either. However, I couldn’t voice what it was until now, but I knew I didn’t feel the same way as I did before.”
“Now I see. Time has lapped past me and the world is not ours anymore. It’s time for me to retire as well,” Ely said.
A single tear dropped from her eyes as she realized that the end of her days being a teacher was coming very soon.
“So you guys feel so too huh?” Anya asked. “I remember when I started feeling that way too. Perhaps, being ahead of a mountain made the feeling come for me faster.”
“Once I realized what was happening, I left the mountain for my daughters to look after as well. While I’m still the head in name, they are the ones that really do all the work.”
“If only they decided which one of them was going to be the next head so I could quickly pass along the position,” Anya said with a sigh.
Ning smiled. “Alright, enough of the depressing talk. Let’s change the topic,” Ning said. “Tell me more about where the other kids are.”
Soon the 4 of them got back to talking about their current situation again. Ning felt relieved thinking about it all, knowing that he didn’t need to be bound to a single place anymore.
A few more days passed and the other profession’s competitions ended as well. They weren’t as big or as celebrated as the Alchemy ones, but they were still thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
Then came the combat section of the competition. This one couldn’t even be called competition. With the Klavians being so strong thanks to Ning’s techniques, they easily won the whole thing.
In the end, it was Hijaka’s own grandson that won the whole thing with his 8th Golden Core cultivation realm.
“Inikaka, are you really coming over to the northern continent again?” Hijaka said with absolute happiness.
“Yes, I will come over and stay somewhere around there. It was a long time ago that Hyesi said I needed to settle down. I thought that was what I was doing in the academy, but I was wrong.”
“I was simply mistaking my loyalty to the academy for thinking I belonged there,” Ning said.
“Woah, Grandfather will be very happy after learning this. I will have to tell him about it as soon as we return,” Hijaka said.
“Wait, wait, wait. Not so fast. I’m going to go to the northern continent, but I’m not going to stay with your guys, obviously,” Ning said.
“Eh?” Hijaka was confused. “Then what will you be doing?”
“I will find someplace after I go there, don’t worry,” Ning said. “But it just won’t be around where you guys are.”
“I see. Well, grandfather will be happy either way,” Hijaka said.
Everyone was starting to leave the Bright Red Academy now. The Purple Beasts sect members came to thank Ning for helping them get in.
Tsado and the rest also came to thank Ning and Ely for being there.
Ning and Ely then went to the people from the Five Professions academy and explained why they wouldn’t be returning anymore.
Ning said goodbye to the few people he knew from the academy now and finally left.
“So, where do we go first?” Anya asked.
Not only her, but Hijaka was there too. Ning thought for a few seconds and said, “You guys head over to Ely’s house and stay there for a few days. I… have to go for a small trip to the southern empire.”
“I will take you all back once I’m back from there,” he said.
“Huh?” Anya was surprised. “What’s in the Southern Continent?”
Ning smiled and said, “A spider.”
* * * * * *
A few days had gone past, and Ning was in a tavern, eating some food. He had a soup made up of some bird meat that the tavern owner had cooked. Although, it would be a lie to call it meat since it was mostly just bones.
“Oh my god, this is so delicious, grandmaster. You have to totally try this.” A sound came from before him that brought back his attention.
“Eat slower. It’s not like it’s going to go anywhere,” Ning said.
“But Grandmaster, this sweet potato really is very sweet,” Dahlia said from in front of him. She had insisted that she too come with him in this little search of his.
“Alright, still eat slowly,” Ning said.
“Okay,” Dahlia said as she ate the sweet potato. “Oh right, when are you going to stop being so stubborn?”
“What do you mean?” Ning asked when he heard the weird question.
“I mean, when are you going to stop saying that you will find this spider on your own, and just use the system?” Dahlia asked.
“Hey! I don’t need the system for everything. I can do stuff on my own too,” Ning said.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Dahlia said as he took another bite of the potato. “You know, when my mother said you weren’t really as great as grandma said, I thought she was lying. Turns out she was right.”
“What? Little Tanya said that? That little…” Ning was getting irritated. These little kids were looking down on him just because he was using his system a lot.
That was one of the reasons why he decided to find the spider on his own too because Dahlia jokingly said he couldn’t really do much without the system.
She didn’t mean any harm, but that was the more harmful thing she could say to Ning right now. All because she was right.
Ning didn’t know he had a complex about it, but now that he heard it, he realized he did. ‘Damn these kids. Of course, I can do simple things on my own,’ he thought.
“Anyway, when are we leaving this town?” she asked.
“Wait for a bit. There is a small celebratory event in the Grider’s family home. While everyone is out on the front of it, we will sneak through the back. I don’t really know how it all looks, so it will take a little while,” Ning said.
Dahlia huffed and sighed. She would have to stay there for another whole day just because Ning didn’t want to use the system. Because of that, they couldn’t even directly teleport.
“Are you invited to the party by the way?” Dahlia asked.
“I probably would be… if it was 1800 years ago. But now this place has changed too, and I wasn’t strong enough to leave a mark at that time,” Ning said.
“Woah, I am sometimes really surprised as to how old you are. You are even older than my grandma, and she’s ancient,” she said.
“You do know Hyesi is the oldest right? Did your grandma ever tell you about how I was just gone for 165 years?” Ning asked.
“Yeah, but you were born earlier so you are the oldest. Fortunately, you don’t seem like it, so there’s that,” Dahlia said.
Suddenly, the doors to the tavern slammed open and a huffing man walked in.
“It… It’s happening,” he said. “The party is starting.”
“WOOHOOO!!!!” the entire crowd started shouting and celebrating all of a sudden.
“It’s started already?” Dahlia said in surprise.
“It’s time,” Ning said and stood up. He walked over to the tavern owner and paid him. Dahlia walked behind him and had attracted quite a few eyes, but her aura was enough to stop everyone from having any unnecessary thoughts.
The whole small town was celebrating since their lord’s son had hit it big. He was now the disciple of a really big Alchemist in the Central Continent.
“I don’t think they’re back by now, right?” Dahlia asked.
“No, they were just sent a message beforehand. Let’s go, it’s time to search,” Ning said and put up his hood. Dahlia followed closely and pulled up her hood as well.
As soon as they did, both of them lost their auras completely and soon disappeared in the midst of the many people.
Soon they came across a not-so-big mansion and stared at it.
“Can you feel it?” Dahlia asked.
Ning took a deep breath and felt all the little auras that were bouncing around outside the mansion.
“Yes, it’s definitely in there somewhere.”