"Ok master," Alex said and stood up.
"See you in 2 weeks."
With that, Alex left her home. He went back to his house and changed his clothes to wear the Tiger sect's robes. After that, he left the mountain.
He went down to meet the other elders and disciples before he left the sect.
He didn't immediately go to the Tiger sect, however, and instead went to the sect's pill store. He found an elder and handed him some pills he had made over the course of the past few days and told him to sell them.
The earnings were once more going back to Ma Rong for stay. When the elder realized who he was speaking with, he finally understood why there were such amazing pills being sold by a random disciple he hadn't seen before.
After confirming everything, Alex left the store as well and walked away. Finally, he reached the small market outside the gates with tiger statues on it.
He was back in Tiger sect.
Alex walked in and asked a guard to call his elder brother. However, it turned out that he wasn't there.
"Did he go somewhere?" Alex asked.
"No, he's posted on the wall, like almost everyone else," the guard said.
Alex didn't understand what he meant, so he left there. It had been 2 weeks since he left so he started wondering just how low he was sent by the people here.
So, he took out his badge and looked at it.
"Oh, 177 huh? That's not too bad. That… makes me an inner sect disciple, but I can live with that, I guess," he thought. The disciples along the way kept on staring at him, understanding who he was.
They pointed fingers towards him, surprised that he was finally back.
"Right, I've been gone for over 3 weeks now. I forgot about that. I did cause a commotion and then disappeared so it's only right that they are surprised," Alex thought.
Then, a smile crept up on his face. "Should I target someone tomorrow?" he thought. However, then he remembered that he was very strong and there were maybe two people in the sect that were his genuine match.
First was his sister who should have been back by now, and second was the strongest young person he had ever seen, Du Yuhan.
"Is sister even back yet?" Alex wondered. She was supposed to have stayed in Rubyroad city for 2 weeks after he left, but the two weeks had already passed. So he wasn't sure if she had time to leave and return in time.
Alex walked up the mountain and at the same time messaged his master that he was back.
Wen Cheng replied back saying he was a little busy and that Alex should wait around in his house for a bit before he returned.
Alex felt that was okay, so he walked all the way up. He was about to reach his master's manor when he stopped.
"Oh, if sister is back then she will get angry if I don't tell her I've returned," Alex thought. But then he remembered about the problem they faced.
'Is Du Yuhan the prime disciple now?' he wondered. Since his sister was available for target when she couldn't defend her rank, he could only think how many vultures would jump at that.
And no one was stronger or more troublesome than Du Yuhan. 'Oh god, I hope he isn't one yet. I don't know how Sister will ever beat him,' Alex thought.
So, to check if he was or not, Alex went to the house for the 2nd ranked disciple of the sect. He walked up the steps and took a deep breath before he knocked on the door.
The seconds when the door didn't open felt like eternity for him.
'Is he gone?'
'Did he really take the first spot?'
'Is sister not back?'
'Who's in this house then?'
'Is this empty?'
Many questions ran through his mind. He was starting to accept their worst case scenario as true when he heard a clack on the door.
His eyes widened as he watched the door slowly open. 'Who is inside?' Alex thought and watched as a figure slowly walked out.
The figure was surprisingly a female and it wasn't his sister. It took him a moment to recognize the figure and when he did, he couldn't help but be confused about why she was here.
"Huh? You're back? What are you doing here?" the girl asked.
Alex woke from his stupor and asked, "What are you doing here?" he couldn't believe for a second that she was the 2nd strongest disciple in the sect right now.
"What? I'm in my senior brother's house. Why are you here?" she asked.
Just then another person walked from behind her and came out. Alex finally understood what was happening when he saw Du Yuhan with her.
'Ah, right. I forgot Su Min was Du Yuhan's junior sister. Stupid me, thinking she was the 2nd strongest,' he thought. 'Then that means he didn't take sister's spot, or that she took it back.'
"Hello," Alex said. "I'm back from learning Alchemy, I hope you will teach me this time."
"It's good that you are back, but can you stop bothering me, I told you to find me when you are in the 3rd rank, didn't I? Little Su, let's go in. He's a maniac who will drag me into battle if we talk too long," Du Yuhan said and walked in.
"Eh?" Su Min looked back and forth between her brother and Alex and slowly closed the door. As she did, Alex could hear the words, "But it's Sunday."
Alex almost laughed out loud seeing Du Yuhan go back in a hurry. 'So that means our worries were for nothing, thank god,' he thought.
After learning that Du Yuhan was still the 2nd place, Alex was really surprised how his sister managed to even secure her place back.
'Did 2 weeks of handling other people's Qi increase her own ability somehow?' Alex wondered. He couldn't see how else she could beat Du Yuhan with his True realm equivalent of Sword Qi.
