The Prison King Returns

An Arrogant Heir

The moment Elias stepped fully into the chamber, he felt the pressure.

The air itself seemed heavier around the long obsidian table.

Twelve elders.

Twelve powerful figures whose auras remained restrained, yet still radiated an intimidating sense of dominance.

Elias’s senses sharpened instinctively.

Every one of them was at least at the Dragon Lord level, a realm immediately beneath the Celestial Realm.

In the world of martial cultivation, strength was divided into distinct realms: Sentinel, Regent, Sovereign, Dragon Lord, Celestial, Primordial, and Apex Primordial.

Elias had only recently entered the Celestial Realm.

Yet the twelve people sitting before him were monsters in their own right.

Their eyes moved over him, and disappointment quickly surfaced.

“A young man?” one elder muttered.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

Quiet murmurs spread around the table.

A heavyset man with streaks of silver in his hair leaned forward. His expression carried open hostility.

His name was Chad Bozeman.

His aura was sharp and aggressive, even while restrained.

“How,” Chad asked slowly, “could Master Zucker choose a boy like this to inherit Azure?”

The word heir seemed to echo through the chamber.

Zia remained respectfully near the entrance.

“I do not know Master Zucker’s reasoning,” she said carefully. “But his decision was final.”

The elders exchanged glances.

They had expected someone older. Someone with decades of experience, someone hardened by war and business battles.

Instead, they had been given Elias Crowe, a man who looked barely twenty-five.

Elias understood immediately.

They weren't respecting him.

They were tolerating him because of Zucker.

He remained calm.

But Chad clearly had no intention of doing the same.

“This is unacceptable.”

Chad pushed himself to his feet.

His chair scraped across the polished floor.

He stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at Elias.

“Boy, do you even understand what Aether is?”

Aether was the primordial life force existing between matter and spirit. It was the force that allowed martial artists to break beyond ordinary human limitations.

Only a tiny fraction of humanity could sense it. Fewer could control it, and fewer still could turn it into a weapon.

That power was the foundation of every true warrior.

Chad released a portion of his aura.

The pressure immediately spread through the chamber, pushing toward Elias like an invisible wall.

“Are you even a warrior?”

The pressure intensified.

Several elders watched closely.

“What is your cultivation level?” Chad demanded.

Elias slowly raised his eyes.

His expression remained calm, but something colder appeared beneath it.

He had spent years inside Blackstone learning patience.

That didn't mean he tolerated disrespect.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“You look old,” Elias said evenly, “yet you still haven't learned how to speak to your new master?”

The chamber fell silent.

Zia's expression changed.

Of all the elders, Chad Bozeman had perhaps the worst temper.

He was a peak Dragon Lord, a man who had crushed rivals, broken enemies, and commanded private forces across Greyhaven.

And now, on Elias's first day inside Azure headquarters, the young heir had openly challenged him.

Zia knew Elias possessed Aether. She knew Master Zucker trusted him.

But she had never witnessed Elias's true strength.

Challenging Chad without demonstrating his power first was dangerous.

The air began to vibrate.

Chad's eyes darkened.

“How dare you!”

His voice thundered through the chamber.

“Even if you are Master Zucker's chosen heir, you have not officially taken his position. And you already have the arrogance to speak to me like that?”

The veins along his neck became visible as his aura surged.

Most Dragon Lords could control their presence.

Chad wasn't trying to.

The pressure bearing down on Elias grew heavier.

Yet Elias didn't move.

“You elders demand respect,” he replied calmly, “but you don't seem to understand that respect goes both ways.”

Chad's fists tightened.

For the first time, the elders stopped treating the situation like an amusing dispute.

They could feel it.

The young heir wasn't afraid.

Not even slightly.