Ethan stepped toward her, a low rumble of amusent in his chest. Without a single word of hesitation, he caught Hestia by the waist, pulled her close, and sealed her lips with a deep, authoritative kiss right in front of the entire assembly.
"You did an excellent job," Ethan said, breaking the kiss as his athyst eyes locked onto her flushed face. "It is ti to depart."
"I have brought everything you requested, Master," Hestia whispered, her breathing slightly uneven as she smoothly handed over a pristine, high-tier spatial ring.
Ethan accepted the ring, sweeping his divine sense through its massive contents before pocketing it with a firm nod. "I will reward you without a doubt, Hestia."
"Just grant my wish when the ti cos," she replied, her eyes shining with devotion.
"Of course I will, without a single doubt," Ethan said.
He turned back toward the courtyard, his towering figure instantly drawing every single eye. The atmosphere grew dead silent as his voice echoed across the stones.
"Now that everyone is gathered, this is the perfect mont to make a few realities entirely clear," Ethan announced, his tone shifting into a cold, unyielding register. "I expect none of you to ever use my na for any foolish behavior or personal greed. I will always back you up against external threats; however, if any of you dare to abuse my authority inside or outside our territory, I will not hesitate to annihilate you myself."
He let his words sink in, watching the heavy tremors run through the ranks of the new recruits before continuing.
"Before we board the transport, I will establish the hierarchy of this pavilion," Ethan stated. "When we arrive at the capital peak, new recruits and high-tier talents will inevitably be integrated into our ranks. However, there will always be a natural bias on my part toward all of you here, simply because you were the very first to serve , and you co from the exact sa border province as I do."
He gestured firmly toward the two won standing near his flank.
"Naturally, at the apex of this pyramid am I," Ethan declared loudly. "Directly alongside stand my wife, Louisa, and my mother-in-law, Mary. Their words are my words, and their desires are my desires. This order will never change, no matter what happens or who joins us in the future."
Hearing his declaration, both Mary and Louisa violently gasped, their hands flying to their lips as tears of profound emotion swelled in their eyes.
Just minutes prior, they had felt small, deeply terrified, and utterly unworthy of standing by his side as he ascended to the heavens. Yet, here was their man, publicly elevating them to the summit of his empire, permanently centing their supre authority in front of powerful elders like Driz and Ash.
Louisa’s heart hamred against her ribs. Despite her devotion, she couldn’t help but experience sharp, agonizing pangs of jealousy every single ti her husband ’treated’ other won. She knew exactly how he cured them, and she had no accurate count of how many doncellas he had thoroughly fucked over the last six months. Hell, he had just carried a new disciple into a side room and broken her barely fifteen minutes ago. But she had forced herself to accept her position, suppressing her paranoia—and now, her submission was being rewarded in the highest, most glorious way imaginable before the entire world.
"Directly below them stands Heidy," Ethan continued, his deep baritone carrying an weight that left zero room for discussion. "She is currently finishing a few operational tasks, but she will serve as the Leader of the Security Hall for our new pavilion. Elder Hestia will be officially in charge of our main Logistics Hall at the central headquarters, and she will also temporarily manage the Treasury Hall alongside Heidy."
He paused, his piercing athyst eyes turning slowly toward the two veteran politicians standing near the edge of the courtyard.
"The Recruitnt and Personnel Managent Hall will be placed entirely in the hands of Elder Ash," Ethan announced, a slow, razor-sharp smile spreading across his handso face. "And the Vice Hall Leader will be Driz. Ash, Driz... I am placing my trust in both of you."
Even though Ethan had delivered those final words with a massive, warm smile, a heavy drop of cold sweat instantly broke out down Driz’s back. He could practically feel Ash’s dead, rciless gaze drilling straight into his skull.
This small, casual clarification of placing him strictly as the Vice Leader was more than enough to make the strategic reality as crystal clear: Ethan was chaining him directly to Ash’s leash. From this exact millisecond onward, every single breath he took, every ledger he touched, and every ssage he attempted to transmit would be under extre, round-the-clock espionage surveillance. Driz had fully expected to face a tight security protocol upon entering the capital, but he had never calculated it would be this extre or this brutally direct.
Damn it all... Driz thought, his jaw tightening as he forced himself to maintain a flawless, respectful expression.
He had repeatedly told himself that everything he did was for the ultimate glory of the Soaring Dragon Kingdom. But looking at the unbreakable wall Ethan had just constructed around his inner circle, Driz realized a terrifying truth: Ethan’s structural loyalty to Princess Isabella was infinitely stronger, darker, and more deeply entrenched than the Fourth Prince’s faction had ever anticipated.
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From this mont forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks ntioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinent Realm
Skin Refinent / Bone Refinent / Organ Refinent
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Pri Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.
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