Chapter 40: The nickname

...

Theo hummed a tune as he began his work in the kitchen. The ingredients today were the beasts he hunted during the trial. In high spirits, he found cooking enjoyable. His talent as a chef was probably better than his talent as a tactical rogue.

Spicy panther flanks. Stewed river-toad. Stir-fried ape ribs.

Four dishes and a soup. Delightful.

"Smells good."

Before the dishes hit the table, Vespera appeared at the door. She plucked a piece of meat with her fingers and popped it into her mouth.

"Elder, didn’t you go to the council meeting?" Theo handed her a pair of chopsticks.

The sect was in turbulent times.

Liana receiving the ancient legacy set the sect abuzz. If everyone regarded her as a prodigy before, they practically treated her like an ancestor now. If she weren’t a teenager, the elders would have enshrined her.

At this critical moment, Malakor’s faction stirred trouble. The Sect Master summoned all peak leaders for discussions.

"Those old men spout the same nonsense. I couldn’t be bothered to listen."

Vespera clicked her tongue. Her brows furrowed in disdain.

Theo smiled wryly. He couldn’t expect his mentor to contribute anything constructive.

"The Sect Master did assign me a task, though."

"I reluctantly agreed."

Vespera propped her chin on one hand while her chopsticks flew across the dishes.

Theo blinked. "You agreed to an order?"

"He told me to move my lab into the Autumn Water Pavilion so I can ’guide’ you two better." Vespera tilted her head. "If Liana wasn’t here, I wouldn’t bother."

Theo understood.

Rather than guiding him, this was about protecting Liana. His mentor might be unreliable, but she was undeniably formidable in a fight. She could pluck hairs from the Sect Master’s beard if provoked.

With a troublemaker like her standing guard, the security of the pavilion skyrocketed.

After the meal.

"Liana, what exactly does the Spark do?"

Vespera lowered her voice.

Liana set down her bowl. For some reason, she felt less cold toward this eccentric elder.

She channeled her qi. A faint halo of silver lightning enveloped her.

Vespera’s eyes flashed. She tossed a wine cup toward the glow.

A magnetic force suspended the cup mid-air. It slowly rotated atop the halo. The wine inside the cup drew outward, coalescing into a sphere of liquid that orbited Liana.

"Releasing inner breath at the Body Cleansing realm... No, this is far beyond mere inner breath."

Vespera marveled.

"Just a minor application," Liana replied.

The halo pulsed sharply.

Crack.

The wine cup shattered into dust.

Offensively, the magnetic halo could strike unseen. Defensively, it could redirect force with minimal effort.

Vespera clapped enthusiastically. She was thoroughly impressed.

Theo sighed at the scattered dust. "My clay wine cup..."

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Ice block, how much water can you control?"

"Water?"

Liana walked to the wash basin. She guided the halo.

Immediately, a rushing stream transformed into a coiling water dragon. It swirled effortlessly around her.

Theo’s eyes lit up.

He placed his empty rice bowls into the water current. He let them spin and clatter along with the flow.

Liana: "?"

"It washes them pretty fast," Theo said.

The boy seemed to have discovered a whole new world.

Seeing the wonder in his eyes, Liana’s furrowed brows relaxed. Strangely, she didn’t find this feeling unpleasant.

In fact, she felt a faint sense of accomplishment.

"Can you add the pots?"

"Of course."

"Amazing."

Vespera rested her chin on one hand. She watched the pair with tipsy amusement in her eyes.

Ice block.

The nickname fit.