Chapter 235: Profound Light
"The Lady Dandara is truly a phoenix among women! Your wisdom is incredible! The problem is... our intelligence is far too limited to keep up with your reasoning. If you could explain it in a bit more detail, we’d be immensely grateful," one disciple said, bowing humbly.
Dandara kept an extremely serious expression and, with the dignified air of a grand professor, declared,
"The supreme principles of heaven and earth cannot be translated into simple words. Only direct enlightenment allows one to grasp the secrets of Primordial Chaos. What you lack is not intelligence, but opportunity. It all depends on each person’s comprehension. You cannot force the laws of the world."
Priam almost let out a laugh.
Dandara really had no shame at all, saying all that with the bearing of an ancient Sage.
Well... in the end, what mattered was sounding confident, not being right.
A little farther away, Shione and Flaris were surrounded by a group of women, while Lumiere was chatting with a pair of young Mages. Even his ordinary soldiers were talking with members of the Tenth Branch.
Priam found a quiet corner, pulled over a chair, and sat down comfortably.
’You can’t come out right now,’ he warned Mirra mentally as she protested fiercely inside his inner space. ’Your presence will scare people. Until you’re strong enough to defend yourself, you’ll only come out when we’re somewhere safe, with people we trust.’
Priam held his ground without giving in.
The place might have been relatively safe, but he needed to motivate her to train and grow stronger.
Despite being very intelligent, Mirra was still a child in every sense. Sometimes she worked hard, but most of the time she just wanted to play. If he wasn’t genuinely strict with her, she’d end up wasting all her talent.
"Excuse me... are you Senior Priam?"
Priam was still mentally scolding Mirra when a young woman appeared in front of him. She looked about seventeen or eighteen and was visibly shy.
"!"
Nearby, Dandara immediately turned her head in their direction, her eyes flashing with a dangerously sharp gleam.
Even Priam was startled.
"Yes. Do you need something?"
"I heard you’re the strongest member of the Eleventh Branch. Is that true?" she asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
"What kind of joke is that? The strongest person is talking with the Branch Leader Elders right now," Priam answered in a hurry, pointing at Mishnar with a tense expression. "If she hears that, she’ll beat me up!"
The young woman let out a small laugh.
"I meant among the younger generation! I heard you became a Mage Master in just one year. Your level may still be lower than the other two faction leaders right now, but your talent and potential are like heaven and earth compared to theirs."
The conversation ended up drawing attention. Shione and Flaris, along with the women they had been talking to, turned to look at Priam. Several nearby disciples also stopped what they were doing to watch.
"There are talented people everywhere. I’m just one more," Priam replied politely, shaking his head. "Having talent doesn’t mean I’ll go farther than you or any other Mage. But I’ll definitely do everything I can to help my fellow sect members if I’m able."
Hearing that, the young woman smiled in delight. This Priam really gave off a completely different impression from the terrifying geniuses she’d imagined. She felt like she could ask him anything at all, and he’d answer like an ordinary young man.
"Oh? Who would’ve thought the Eleventh Branch’s corner would be so lively? Perhaps things would quiet down if a few people were offered as sacrifices to the heavens."
A cold voice echoed out, instantly changing the atmosphere.
A tall, beautiful woman with long white hair and radiant blue eyes slowly approached. Her presence radiated a magnetic yet dangerous charm.
Priam narrowed his eyes. He remembered Dandara’s description.
This was the Branch Leader Elder of the Fourth Outer Branch—the second-ranked Branch in terms of power. Contrary to what one might expect from the second place, they were actually the Eighth Branch’s most loyal allies.
As soon as they saw her approaching, the Elders from the other Branches quickly pulled their disciples away. That woman’s temperament was feared by everyone.
Her name was Edhella. Alongside Mishnar, they were the only two female Branch Leader Elders among the Outer Branches, known throughout the sect as the Yin and Yang duo.
While Mishnar was reserved, polite, and avoided conflict, Edhella was her complete opposite, delighting in intimidating others and sowing chaos to assert her importance.
Mishnar stopped talking and looked at Edhella with an indifferent expression.
"Your strength has increased quite a bit since the last time I saw you. But it seems your temperament has become even more aggressive as well."
Edhella let out a dry laugh. "And you’re still the same mediocre woman as always. Anyway... I noticed things were getting pretty lively over here. It even looked like a fight was about to break out. Since we still have time, why don’t we have a few of our disciples exchange some pointers?"
A chill ran down everyone’s spine. The provocation couldn’t have been more obvious.
Priam sighed inwardly.
’What kind of cliché development is this? Did I somehow end up inside some third-rate story?’
At that moment, another woman stepped forward.
She was just as tall as Elder Leader Edhella, with the same white hair and radiant blue eyes. She was a Level 9 Mage Disciple and the leader of one of the Young Mage factions in her branch.
"I’m Mikhella, leader of the Fourth Branch’s young faction," she declared with a mocking smile. "Which disciple from the Eleventh Branch would like to exchange a few pointers with me? Of course... if you’re afraid of dying, don’t even bother stepping forward. I tend to have trouble holding back, and it’d be unfortunate if I accidentally killed one of you."
Mikhella swept an amused gaze across the crowd, savoring the palpable tension she’d created.
Inigo clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Just like him, Mikhella was the daughter of an Elder Leader. But the gap in strength between them was absurd. If he dared step forward, he’d only bring even greater humiliation upon his mother.
Arcane lines glowed across the pale skin of Mikhella’s bare arms, and a dense, suffocating killing intent radiated from her body. She was unquestionably an elite expert.
"Hehe... No need to be scared of me, I don’t bite," she mocked with a taunting laugh before turning toward Priam’s faction. "You’re the top factions even though you’re only Mage Disciples. So it’s only fair that I, a mere faction leader from a lower tier, challenge you. Or what... are you afraid I’ll hurt you? Hehe..."
"I’m gonna tear that bitch apart right now," Shione muttered through gritted teeth as she took a step forward, a vein bulging on her forehead.
"Nobody’s doing anything. What a stupid, pointless little game," Priam cut in, stopping her with a look and shaking his head.
If you accepted every cheap provocation thrown your way, you were just a complete idiot. Falling for such an obvious trap was the height of stupidity—though Priam knew patience had never been Shione’s strong suit.
"But, Priam!" she protested.
"No ’buts.’ In the future, don’t waste your time with this kind of pathetic performance. Use your brain more. Is it really worth fighting insignificant fools?" Priam said without even bothering to lower his voice.
"You bastard! Who the hell are you calling insignificant?!" Mikhella roared as her body began glowing dangerously.
"Boss, I think you’ve made a tiny mistake," Dandara cut in, putting on an exaggerated expression of shock. "Since her cognitive abilities were enough to realize Boss was insulting her, she must be a little smarter than she looks. In that case, I think we should classify her as just an average slut instead!"
Her words hit like a bomb. Mikhella’s aura fluctuated violently, on the verge of exploding and crushing everyone there, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to suppress her rage at the very last millisecond before turning to her mother.
"Mishnar! Are these really your disciples?!" Edhella shouted, her voice trembling with fury. "They’re nothing but a bunch of cowards whose only talent is spewing filthy insults! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?!"
To everyone’s surprise, Mishnar didn’t even blink. She simply offered a calm smile.
"Having a filthy mouth is still infinitely better than having a rotten heart."
The sharp sound of applause echoed through the air. Dandara was the first to clap, doing so with such mocking enthusiasm that it made the atmosphere even worse.
Priam let out an amused sigh. Dandara had switched into full "fuck it" mode... and honestly, he loved this side of her.
"Yes! Exactly!" Dandara exclaimed loudly. "Only someone with a pure soul can choose to be noble instead of becoming mentally sick! Your rotten soul even shows through that disgusting body and that stray bitch face of yours. Look at our Elder Leader, then look at yourself! No matter what angle I look from, all I see is a decrepit old cow that gave birth to a daughter just as revolting as herself... Honestly, I admire your courage for staying alive! If I looked in the mirror and saw that busted face of yours, I would’ve hanged myself a long time ago!"
"Beautiful!" Shione shouted, clapping excitedly while giving Dandara a huge thumbs-up.
Priam nodded seriously. "Accurate words..."
"Hehe, Boss! You praise me too much!" Dandara replied, blushing faintly as she humbly placed a hand over her chest. "It’s all thanks to your intensive training! Being immersed in your profound light every single day, I feel like my tongue is becoming more and more skilled, and my insides are getting completely filled by you!"
"..."
Absolute silence.
At that very moment, every single man’s jaw in the area dropped. The eyes of the disciples and Elders alike looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
"?"
Dandara blinked her big eyes, noticing everyone’s shocked expressions, and frowned in complete confusion.
Seeing Dandara’s angelic, genuinely innocent expression, everyone realized the terrible truth: she had absolutely no idea about the obscene double meaning of what she’d just said so innocently.
"Are you all trying to die right here and now?!" Edhella roared, completely losing control, her eyes bloodshot.
Even though she knew she had to maintain her dignity because of her position, the insults and that absurd scene had completely shattered her self-control.
"Meh, enough with this cheap cliché," Priam cursed dryly, crossing his arms as he looked the Elder Leader straight in the eyes. "Open your wallet and make a bet worthy of your position, Elder Leader. Do you really think anyone from my faction is going to fight your little brat for free?"