Chapter 69: The Sultry Offer

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: The Sultry Offer

Mira thought back to the image Lydia had transmitted into her consciousness.

"A young woman holding a sword," she said, pausing.

"She’s sitting in the middle of a vast starry sky. The stars seem to move around her, almost as if her existence is connected to the entire universe."

Johnny’s expression changed.

"She’s actually surrounded by a sea of stars?" he asked.

"Yes," Mira said.

Johnny fell silent. Then he muttered, almost to himself, "That explains it."

Samuel immediately turned toward him.

"Explains what?" he asked.

Johnny smiled faintly.

"You know that visualizations are generally divided into three levels," he said. "Lower, middle, and upper."

"Naturally," Samuel said, nodding.

"But do you know how those levels are actually determined?"

"The effectiveness of the visualization," Samuel answered without hesitation.

"That’s part of it," Johnny said, shaking his head.

"The problem is that visualization doesn’t produce identical results for everyone. Martial talent differs from person to person, and people can comprehend completely different things from the same image. So simply measuring the effect isn’t enough."

He leaned forward slightly.

"After years of research, several scholars and I reached another conclusion. The greater the world depicted within the visualization, the greater its potential." He continued.

"Last year, a martial artist publicly revealed a sword visualization. The image showed a swordsman standing above a city, drawing his blade and cutting straight through the sky. Because the visualization contained an entire city beneath the swordsman’s attack, it was classified as an upper tier visualization."

He paused.

"But that same visualization had actually appeared seven years earlier."

Samuel’s eyebrows rose.

"Seven years earlier?" he asked.

"Yes. Someone obtained what appeared to be the exact same sword cutting visualization," Johnny said, smiling.

"But in that version, the scene surrounding the swordsman was only the size of a small building. Because the world depicted within it was so limited, researchers classified it as a lower tier visualization."

Johnny turned toward Mira.

"Now compare that to yours," he said. "The background isn’t a building. It isn’t even a city. It’s an entire sea of stars."

His voice became unusually solemn. "That is something far beyond an upper tier visualization."

Mira’s eyes widened. Only now did she truly understand how extraordinary the inheritance Lydia had given her was.

She had known it was valuable. She had not realized it could be considered one of the highest level visualization inheritances humanity had ever encountered.

Samuel’s expression had also changed completely, his excitement impossible to hide.

The visualization could not be extracted from Mira’s mind, but that was not necessarily a disadvantage. If anything, it meant the inheritance had become permanently connected to her, and the implications were obvious.

Mira’s future potential was now even greater than they had previously believed. The Extraordinary Division absolutely could not afford to let someone like her slip away.

Samuel looked directly at her.

"Mira, have you ever considered joining the Extraordinary Division?" he asked.

Johnny immediately shot upright.

"Samuel!" he snapped, glaring at the vice minister. "That’s my student you’re trying to recruit!"

Then he turned toward Mira.

"Mira, don’t agree to anything yet," he urged.

"Whatever conditions he offers, Arcadia Academy can discuss matching them."

Samuel remained completely calm. He was not worried, because he had already considered what Mira cared about most.

"Johnny, you’re looking at this the wrong way," he said, then looked back at Mira. "Mira, have you heard of Snr Kim?"

Mira nodded slightly. She had heard the name before.

Samuel’s expression became more confident.

"Snr Kim recently retired from active service in the Extraordinary Division," he said.

"If you agree to join us, I can personally recommend your husband, Xavier Kane, to become Snr’s Kim direct disciple."

Johnny’s expression instantly changed.

Samuel smiled.

"How does that sound?"

Mira’s expression changed slightly. She had never expected Samuel Bush to bring Xavier into the discussion.

"Will that be possible?" she asked.

Samuel nodded.

"Snr Kim is not famous because he has reached some extraordinary level of martial strength," he said.

"His reputation comes from something far more unusual. More than sixty years ago, he created a unique body preservation technique and spent decades perfecting it."

Johnny’s face became increasingly serious. He knew exactly who Samuel was talking about.

Snr Kim was one of the most respected martial arts masters in the province.

Although his combat ability was not considered the most impressive among the region’s strongest martial artists, his greatest achievement was a technique that had earned him a reputation throughout the martial world.

It was called the True Essence Mending Heaven Technique.

The technique had been classified as a 5th-Tier martial skill.

Unlike ordinary martial skills that focused on increasing combat strength, this one was designed to preserve the body’s vitality and slow the aging process.

Its greatest advantage was its ability to dramatically extend the lifespan of martial artists in the lower ranks.

For someone at the Body Tempering level, becoming a martial artist did not suddenly grant them an extraordinarily long life.

Their lifespan was usually only a decade or two longer than that of an ordinary person. But the True Essence Mending Heaven Technique was different.

A martial artist who successfully mastered it could theoretically add more than a hundred years to their natural lifespan.

As long as they avoided accidents or fatal injuries, their physical decline could be delayed for decades.

Someone who reached a hundred years old after mastering the technique could potentially retain the strength and vitality normally seen in a person in their forties or fifties.

For martial artists at the Body Tempering and Foundation Establishment ranks, that kind of benefit was almost impossible to resist.

Mira listened quietly as Samuel explained. The more she heard, the more her thoughts turned toward Xavier.

This technique would be perfect for him. His cultivation talent was poor, and compared with powerful martial artists, his natural advantages were limited.

But if he could learn a technique capable of preserving his vitality and extending his lifespan, he would have far more time to grow.

Mira lowered her gaze. She had already lost too much in her life. Her family. Her Celestial Core. Her future.

She could not bear the thought of eventually losing Xavier as well.

She wanted to stay beside him for as long as possible.

If the True Essence Mending Heaven Technique could give him another century of life, then it was something she desperately wanted him to have.

Her husband’s talent might be limited, but that did not mean his future had to end early. At least now, there was hope.

"Samuel!" Johnny said, immediately realizing what Samuel was doing.

His eyes widened as he stared at the vice minister. "That’s an unfair offer."

Samuel only smiled.

Johnny pointed accusingly at him.

"You’re deliberately targeting the one thing she cares about most," he said.

Samuel remained completely composed.

"I am simply offering her an opportunity," he said.

Johnny scoffed.

"An opportunity that just happens to involve Snr Kim."

Samuel shrugged.

"I have a good relationship with Snr Kim despite the difference in our positions and ages," he said.

"That is why I have the authority to recommend someone to him. Otherwise, do you think he would casually accept a disciple?"

Johnny opened his mouth, but he could not immediately find an answer.

Samuel then looked toward Mira.

"So, Mira, what do you think?" he asked.

Mira did not answer immediately. She thought about Xavier.

She thought about their small apartment overlooking Lake East.

She thought about the way he had stood beside her when everyone else had abandoned her.

She thought about how much he had already done for her. If Xavier could receive such an opportunity because of her, she did not want to waste it.

Still, she was a student of Arcadia Academy, and she could not make such an important decision carelessly.

"Minister Samuel, I need some time to think about this," Mira said.

"I’m still a student, after all."

Samuel waved his hand dismissively.

"That isn’t a problem," he said, leaning back slightly.

"You don’t have to leave Arcadia Academy. You can join the Extraordinary Division on a part-time basis while you continue your studies. Once you graduate, you can decide whether to work with us permanently." He smiled.

"You’ll be able to remain a student while gaining experience with the division. After graduation, you’ll already have a place waiting for you."

Mira considered his proposal again. This time, she no longer hesitated.

"Then I’ll accept," she said.

"Thank you, Minister Samuel."

Samuel smiled with satisfaction. Johnny stared at Mira for several seconds.

He had originally thought Samuel had come to steal one of Arcadia Academy’s most promising students.

Now he realized that Samuel had essentially secured Mira’s future employment while giving her an opportunity to remain at the academy. There was little he could object to.

"Since we’ve settled that, you should head back," Samuel said. "It’s getting late."

Mira nodded.

"I’ll see you again, Minister Samuel," she said.

"Grant Mercer will come to the academy tomorrow morning," Samuel added.

"He’ll handle your Extraordinary Division credentials and the remaining paperwork."

"Understood," Mira said.

She bowed politely before leaving the office. Once she stepped outside, however, her thoughts immediately returned to Xavier.

A small smile appeared on her face. She could already imagine the expression he would make when she told him.

Her husband had given her so much since they met. He had stood beside her when the entire world seemed determined to abandon her.

For once, she finally had something she could give him in return. Perhaps this opportunity would allow Xavier to gain the technique he needed to protect his health and live a much longer life.

With that thought in mind, Mira walked across the academy campus. She had no idea that someone had been waiting for her.

Just as she passed the teaching buildings and approached the accommodation area, a young man in an Arcadia Academy uniform stepped into her path, a smile on his face.

"My dear cousin, Mira," he said. "It’s been a long time."

Mira stopped, the warmth disappearing from her expression immediately.

"Ryan Sinclair," she said.

The man standing before her was Ryan Sinclair, the eldest son of her uncle, Victor Sinclair. He was a second year student at Arcadia Academy.

Mira stared at him coldly. She could not understand why Ryan had suddenly come looking for her.