Grand Return System-Chapter 22: Warm Food, Cold Moon

Warm Food, Cold Moon

"Of course not! Teacher only knows how to scare people..."

Selena turned aside, cheeks glowing pink, replaying her own reckless boldness in her mind. Shame mixed with a shy kind of warmth, and she tried to hide both behind calm breathing.

Leon watched the happiness on her face and felt quietly gratified.

He never wanted his student to grow into someone numb — a frozen soul walking through life like an empty shell. Everything he had done earlier was meant to wake her — to let her remember what it meant to feel, to laugh, to hurt, to live.

But it seemed that warmth... only appeared before him.

With others, she remained distant — like snow that refused to melt.

Divine Ice Bones...

That companion bone shaped everything. As her cultivation rose, it would only deepen that natural chill. Her gaze would grow clearer. Her heart steadier. And yes — colder.

But it didn’t worry him.

Cold was fine.

Cold could also be elegance — untouched, dignified, untouchable. Dressed in white, expression serene, she looked like a fairy from beyond the Nine Heavens — sacred and flawless.

Exactly the kind of student Leon intended to shape.

He looked at her gently and said,

"Alright — back to business. Your cultivation has already stepped into the Onyx Realm. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you the Amethyst Mist Sword."

His voice softened slightly.

"It’s already late. Go rest. Balance matters. Cultivation is important, but rest is the root of the body — and the body is the foundation of cultivation. Understand?"

Selena nodded seriously.

"Teacher, I understand."

If Leon said it — it was right. Simple as that.

A moment later, she tilted her head.

"Teacher, do you want to eat something? I’ll cook for you..."

Leon froze.

Right... food.

He blinked.

"Ah. I nearly forgot... This girl is only at the Onyx Realm. She hasn’t fully abstained from eating yet."

A drop of sweat slid down the back of his neck.

The past few days, he had thrown himself entirely into seclusion — almost forgetting that there was now another life on Amethyst Summit Division.

How had she even survived?

Amethyst Summit Division wasn’t like the other divisions. They had no labor students, no servants, no bustling kitchens filled with chatter.

Only the two of them.

Usually, he cooked. Always had. But then — he’d disappeared into cultivation without explaining anything.

Good thing she figured out the kitchen on her own... otherwise...

He pictured her starving quietly while training and grimaced.

In the kitchen, ingredients delivered periodically by the Acedmy were stored away — maybe she’d stumbled across them the day she got too hungry to endure.

He sighed.

"Alright, that’s fine too. Just make whatever you like."

Curiosity tickled his chest. He hadn’t tasted food in a long time — cultivation past the Astral Realm made food optional, and stepping into the GrandMaster Realm had removed the need almost completely.

He could still eat, if he wanted.

He simply... didn’t need to.

"Okay, Teacher! I’ll start right away."

Selena’s face brightened. She practically bounced toward the kitchen across the Acedmy premises, determined to repay him somehow — even if only with a meal.

Leon watched her vanish around the doorway... and suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Can she actually cook...?"

A chill crawled down his spine.

"...am I going to die?"

He slowly leaned back, staring at the ceiling —

and instantly regretted everything.