All Chapters of Vengeance of The Reborn Heir: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
46 chapters
The Meteoric Rise of Lucien Cross
But near the very front, Ronan Crowne stood motionless.He was no longer the naïve student who was fooled by love.A century of bitter, merciless lessons in his past life had burned away that innocence, leaving a mind too sharp to be swayed by rousing speeches.He scanned the crowd to find his nemesis.Lucien Cross.It had been less than two weeks since their last encounter, yet the difference was staggering.Lucien’s back was ramrod straight, his shoulders carrying a quiet dominance, every movement pulsing with confidence and raw vitality.Even Ronan’s gaze lingered for half a beat longer than he expected.What happened to him?Without hesitation, Ronan extended his spiritual sense.Invisible threads of perception brushed over Lucien’s presence, peeling away the surface.The result struck like a hammer blow.Mid-phase Rank 5.It was concealed so flawlessly that, without probing, even an expert might have overlooked it entirely.Ronan’s eyes narrowed, his voice low enough for only hims
A Name in the Upper Circle
The commotion caused by Lucien’s sudden rise had already swept through the academy grounds like wildfire, but it wasn’t only the students who took notice.Inside the high-ceilinged conference chamber of the Thalara Martial Arts Vocational University, a meeting had been called in haste.Around a long table sat thirty men and women.They were the true powers behind Thalara, senior administrators and department heads who shaped the academy’s future.The weakest among them was still an early-phase Rank 7 Grandmaster, a level that most students could only dream of.One of the administrators, a lean man with neatly-combed hair, rose from his seat. A thin report folder rested in his grip as he scanned the faces before him.He cleared his throat.“Lucien Cross, current tenth place on the Genius Ranking List, originally placed three hundred and first in the Azure Province Advanced Martial Arts Entrance Examination. Based on that score, he should not have been admitted.”“However,” the man conti
The Clash for the Top
Just as the conference chamber had settled back into heavy silence, the doors swung open with a sharp creak.A Peak-phase Rank 6 Spirit Conduit instructor strode in.He hadn’t even crossed the threshold fully before speaking.“Breaking news! There’s been another major upset on the Genius Ranking List!”“Lucien Cross has just challenged and defeated Therry, the student holding Rank No. 4!”A ripple of shock coursed through the room.“No. 4?” someone murmured in disbelief.The instructor gave a sharp nod.“That’s not all. Word is, Lucien intends to challenge Rank No. 1, Tristan Blackthorne, this very afternoon.”Then, as the words sank in, disbelief began shifting to astonishment across their faces.The message was clear, Lucien Cross was no ordinary upstart.Principal Hadrian Voss chuckled.“It seems a dark horse is tearing through the Genius Ranking List,” he said.“Perhaps… this graduating class might just witness a repeat of the glory achieved by that legendary student thirty years a
A Trap with No Escape
The crowd stood frozen, the oppressive silence pressing down on the arena.Then—“Battle concluded!”The referee’s voice cracked, “The victor, Lucien Cross!”Cheers burst forth in an unstoppable wave.Dozens, no, hundreds, of eyes locked onto Lucien, filled with awe, admiration, and a touch of shock.They screamed his name.“Did you see that?! He beat Tristan Blackthorne!”“That’s not luck, that’s real strength!”“Guess he’s not the pretty boy living off Calista after all.”“Pretty boy? He’s a damn monster!”Others muttered in disbelief, still trying to process what they had just witnessed.In the middle of the uproar, Lucien stood tall.Even in his exhausted state, there was something in his bearing that made people instinctively avert their eyes.Through the deafening chants, a faint gleam of triumph flickered in Lucien’s eyes, but he quickly buried it beneath a mask of calm pride.He waited, letting the noise crest and settle, before drawing upon his energy and blood essence, projec
The Knock on the Door
As far as anyone knew, Ronan Crowne’s cultivation was weaker than that of many mid-ranked geniuses on the Genius Ranking List.“Ronan, take the challenge!”“Come on! Don’t hide!”“Prove you’re not just talk, Crowne!”The roar from the crowd surged like a tidal wave, demanding Ronan step forward.In the center of the arena, Lucien stood with a faint, knowing smile.His eyes swept across the audience, savoring every word hurled toward Ronan’s absence.Every detail had unfolded exactly as he envisioned, and satisfaction swelled in his chest.From the stands, a young man sneered, “What’s the matter? Did the Crowne heir lose his courage?”Another voice rang out, “If he doesn’t show, the Crowne family name will be nothing but a joke!”Lucien’s smirk deepened.Perfect. Keep fanning the flames for me.So what if Ronan held power and influence?So what if the Crowne family was one of the oldest and most revered clans in the kingdom?As long as Lucien remained a student within one of the Ministr
The Gauntlet Thrown
Back in the challenge arena, five… six minutes had already passed.The chants had not stopped, thousands of voices still roared Ronan Crowne’s name, demanding he step forward to face Lucien Cross.But slowly, the waves of shouting began to break apart, replaced by whispers and uneasy murmurs rippling through the crowd.“Could it be… that Ronan is actually afraid?”“No response after all this time? Is he just pretending not to hear us?”A few scoffed immediately, their faces twisted in disbelief.“Impossible! The noble heir of House Crowne, afraid? That can’t be!”But others shook their heads grimly.“Let’s be real, wouldn’t anyone be afraid? Ronan is only in Early-phase Rank 5. Lucien didn’t announce his cultivation, but he just defeated Tristan Blackthorne, who was solidly Mid-phase Rank 6! What chance does Ronan have? With what? His head? That’s nothing but suicide!”Meanwhile, at the very center of the arena, Lucien slowly opened his eyes.He had taken these few minutes to recover,
The Only One Who Can End It
As sentiment shifted, a sudden roar ripped through the arena:“Make Ronan come out and face the challenge! Is the Young Master of House Crowne too afraid to defend his own name?”“Come out, Ronan! Stop hiding behind your family’s title!”“A so-called heir of House Crowne, cowering like a child?”“If you can’t even defend your own honor, what right do you have to rule over others?”“Lucien stood tall, where is Ronan Crowne now?”“Are all nobles this shameless?”“Face him, or admit you’re nothing but a coward!”“Come out and fight, Ronan! Let us see if your blood is truly noble, or rotten with arrogance!”“House Crowne should hang its head if its heir trembles before a challenge!”The chant grew into a single rhythm, the arena trembling with the force of their cries.“RONAN CROWN! COME OUT!”Their fury was no longer just directed at him as an individual, it was an indictment against everything he represented.In a corner of the arena, Calista’s eyes shone as she stared at Lucien’s figure
The Stakes of Reputation
It wasn’t only the common students who scoffed at Ronan’s words.Even the noble-born disciples sneered, their laughter cold and cutting.“He’s gone mad with arrogance.”“Too pampered by House Crowne and the blind praise of the masses… does he really think himself an untouchable legend?”Their voices dripped with contempt.For everyone knew the truth.During the last ten years, Ronan had abandoned cultivation entirely, chasing after a woman instead.He had squandered countless resources, throwing away his potential just to win Calista’s heart with endless confessions and gestures of devotion that had amounted to nothing.What good was talent without perseverance?What good was potential when it lay rotting?Meanwhile, Lucien was no longer the boy he once had been.He was now ranked #1 on the Genius Ranking List of the Thalara Martial Art University. A title that was anything but symbolic.In past years, the academy’s top graduates had reached no higher than the Peak of Rank 5, or at mos
The Clash Begins
Lucien’s fist tightened at his side.Veins bulged along his temple, his jaw clenched so hard it looked as though his teeth might shatter.Damn him!Ronan had gone too far.Did he truly believe that just because he had stepped into Early Rank 6, he was now untouchable?Lucien scoffed inwardly.He had once defeated Tristan Blackthorne, a Mid-Rank 6 cultivator, while still only at the Peak of Rank 5.How could he possibly lose to Ronan, who had only just broken through to Rank 6?So what if Ronan was heir to the mighty House Crowne?So what if he possessed the so-called potential to one day become a Martial Saint?Did that mean Tristan Blackthorne was beneath him?Laughable!Thristan’s father was a Martial Saint himself, and still, Lucien had crushed him.If he could topple Tristan, why not Ronan?Driven by fury, Lucien roared at him, voice booming across the arena:“Enough stalling! Stop wasting everyone’s time and fight me, Ronan!”At that instant, a wave of violent energy burst from hi
The Blade Intent
The instant Lucien roared, the arena trembled as if struck by thunder.From the Heaven Slaughter Sword in his hand, a tidal wave of sword energy erupted, flooding the entire stage in a storm of shimmering blades.The sharpness was suffocating, so intense that even students seated far in the stands hissed and recoiled, clutching their arms as if invisible steel had carved shallow wounds into their skin.Gasps tore through the crowd.“This… this isn’t ordinary sword energy!” someone shouted.A disciple who specialized in the way of the sword went pale, his lips trembling.“That’s… that’s Sword Intent. Not just the first layer, but at the Proficient Realm!”A deafening commotion followed.Sword Intent, the dream of every swordsman, the absolute path beyond mere techniques.It was divided into four stages: Initial Comprehension, Minor Achievement, Proficient Realm, and finally, the legendary Heart of the Sword.Initial Comprehension was merely brushing against the threshold, flickers of in