Grand Return System

Chapter 315: A Declaration Before the World

A Declaration Before the World

"Caelan Everwind... Why is he here too..."

She murmured almost inaudibly.

A complicated emotion surfaced in her beautiful red-pink eyes before disappearing just as quickly.

She instinctively glanced sideways at Leon.

Seeing his calm expression, a mischievous thought suddenly appeared in her mind.

The corners of her lips almost curved upward before she suppressed them.

Leon immediately noticed that tiny change.

His heart skipped a beat.

Something isn’t right...

He had only known Anna for a short time, and although she usually maintained a cold and indifferent expression, he had gradually realized that beneath that icy exterior was a surprisingly playful side that only surfaced on rare occasions.

The look she had just given him...

It definitely wasn’t innocent.

Could she be planning something?

Leon suddenly became suspicious.

...Surely she wasn’t about to drag him into some unnecessary trouble?

Before he could think further—

Whoosh!

A figure descended gracefully from the sky.

Caelan’s robes fluttered softly as he landed only a few steps away from Anna.

His stern expression instantly melted into warmth.

His eyes, which moments ago had been surveying the battlefield, were now filled only with her.

"Anna... so you’re really here. I’ve been looking for you..."

His voice was gentle, carrying unmistakable affection and genuine concern.

Leon blinked.

Then looked between the two.

Then blinked again.

His expression remained perfectly calm...

but inwardly...

A devoted admirer?

No...

This was far beyond admiration.

This fellow had chased her all the way to the Martial Emperor Tomb.

Leon couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

So this...

was the legendary love rival.

Anna’s expression instantly turned colder.

Her eyes showed no warmth whatsoever as she calmly took half a step away, increasing the distance between herself and Caelan.

"Caelan Everwind."

Her voice was as cold as drifting snow.

"We’re not familiar with each other. Please don’t call me that."

Her rejection was immediate.

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation.

However, Caelan didn’t appear offended.

Instead, he smiled bitterly before speaking again with remarkable patience.

"Anna, I know you dislike me."

"I know you still haven’t forgiven what happened before."

"But I can promise you..."

He took a slow breath.

"I’ll seriously correct my mistakes from now on. I won’t repeat them again."

His eyes never left hers.

"I also know your heart has always pursued only the Great Principle. You have no interest in matters between men and women."

"But that’s alright."

His smile became even gentler.

"I can wait."

"No matter whether it’s a hundred years..."

"...or a thousand years..."

"I can wait."

A strange silence followed.

Leon slowly drew in a deep breath.

His expression almost cracked.

This...

This was unbelievable.

Was this really the legendary supreme-level simp?

He had heard stories before...

Now he was witnessing one with his own eyes.

Still...

Leon couldn’t deny one thing.

Caelan was exceptionally handsome.

His cultivation was extraordinary.

His temperament was refined.

His background was equally astonishing.

By every reasonable standard, he was an outstanding young genius.

So why did Anna reject him so completely?

Leon couldn’t help wondering.

Then he quickly reached a conclusion.

First impressions.

Something significant must have happened between them in the past.

Once someone’s first impression was ruined, every effort afterward often felt forced.

No matter how sincere a person became later...

It was incredibly difficult to erase the shadow left by that beginning.

Anna remained completely unmoved.

Her expression was as calm as ever.

"No need, Caelan Everwind."

"I don’t want to be too ruthless."

"What you choose to do has nothing to do with me."

"There’s no need to deliberately show it to me."

"It’s only wasting your time."

Every sentence struck like a blade.

There wasn’t a trace of softness.

Caelan’s fingers unconsciously tightened beneath his sleeves.

For just a brief instant, disappointment flashed across his face.

Even so...

He quickly composed himself.

This wasn’t the first time she had rejected him.

He had long since grown accustomed to disappointment.

Taking a slow breath, he suppressed the bitterness rising in his heart.

His confidence never wavered.

As the foremost genius of Celestial Mist Mountain, he firmly believed that one day he would melt the ice surrounding Anna’s heart.

Time...

He had plenty of it.

He refused to believe there existed a woman who could forever ignore someone as outstanding as himself.

Then—

His gaze shifted.

Until now, his attention had been entirely focused on Anna.

Only then did he truly notice the young man standing quietly beside her.

Leon.

The distance between the two was neither close nor distant.

Yet somehow...

It felt natural.

Comfortable.

Anna wasn’t avoiding him.

She wasn’t showing the same icy rejection she displayed toward Caelan.

Instead, she stood beside Leon with complete ease, as though his presence was something she had already accepted.

That tiny detail...

stabbed far deeper than any insult.

Caelan’s expression gradually cooled.

His sharp eyes locked onto Leon.

The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.

"Who are you?"

His voice remained polite.

But the warmth from moments ago had completely vanished.

Leon met his gaze without the slightest fear.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

He casually cupped his fists.

"Me?"

Leon smiled as calmly as ever, the corners of his lips lifting into a relaxed grin despite the invisible pressure filling the air. His long shoulder-length black hair swayed gently in the wind, and the thin amethyst embroidery on his midnight robes shimmered beneath the light spilling from the Martial Emperor Tomb.

He casually cupped his fists and continued with an easy smile.

"I’m Leon of Celestis Academy, Ultimate Boot..."

He almost let something slip before correcting himself with a perfectly straight face.

"Ah... Uh, no, I mean... Young Master Caelan, nice to meet you..."

He almost let the words slip.

Fortunately, he corrected himself in time, though the brief pause was enough to make Anna glance at him with the faintest hint of amusement hidden deep within her crimson-pink eyes.

"Leon?"

Caelan Everwind froze for a moment.