Chapter 70: Gold Seal

"Skill approaching dao. Theoretically, it is possible."

"But the world’s martial techniques are countless. An ordinary person could exhaust their entire life and still only grasp a single drop from the vast ocean."

"Most never achieve it before growing old and dying, so no one can truly master it all. Unless... Never mind, do not dwell on this. It is meaningless."

What Liana almost said was that only legendary immortals, who shared the lifespan of heaven and earth, would have enough time to attain "skill approaching the dao."

But the existence of immortals was itself even more elusive and unfathomable than skill approaching the dao.

"I see."

Theo took a deep breath, suppressing the strange stirring in his heart.

"It is late. Thank you for enlightening me today."

"I will rest now."

With that, Theo rose gracefully and left.

He did not bother to wash the dishes after dinner.

As Theo’s figure disappeared, a leaf drifted into the tea bowl before Liana, rippling the reflection of her face in the tea.

The more time she spent with him, the more she felt how different he was from her past life.

From being utterly unremarkable at first, he had now become impossible to ignore.

Today, Theo drew even closer to the world she inhabited. Almost half a step already inside.

Of course.

Blade combat was not her strongest suit.

Yet, with his talent alone, he had earned the right to stand by her side.

"How does he compare to Elara?"

The thought had barely formed in Liana’s mind before she silently shook her head.

Elara was a born Sovereign Core. They weren’t even on the same starting line. Comparison was pointless.

[Reminder: The one-month Heavenly Mandate approaches. The overarching system will announce comparison results in seven days.]

[At that time, the system will rank all genius martial artists within the province.]

[Punishment for the defeated has been confirmed.]

[Punishment condition: Share a bed with the one who defeats you for at least one month.]

Liana didn’t even glance at the so-called punishment.

Now, she had already reached the twentieth meridian.

In seven days, she would fully complete the Body Cleansing cycle and step into the Inner Scenery realm.

Reaching the Inner Scenery realm in one month, with all twenty-four meridians unlocked. Even across the domains, this was an achievement unheard of since ancient times.

At the Inner Scenery realm, wielding the Aurora Spark, capable of harnessing the power of Supreme Yin, and possessing the insight and martial accumulation of the Reborn Empress.

Among her peers, she couldn’t imagine any existence that could surpass her.

****

Half an hour later.

Theo stared at the manual in his hands, lost in thought.

Seven Forges of the Quaking Earth.

A supreme blunt-force art.

With his foundation and a decade’s worth of system insights, he effortlessly mastered it to perfection. The difference between an advanced art and a supreme one was unmistakable.

And yet.

Despite the significantly stronger fluctuations from his fifteen meridians, he showed no signs of breaking through.

"I refuse to believe this."

Theo pulled out a vial of Earth Vein Spirit Dew. He uncorked it and took a large gulp.

Instantly, his meridians swelled with overwhelming energy.

He channeled the Seven Forges at full force. His meridians acted like a pump, voraciously devouring the earth vein essence.

Fifteen minutes later.

A faint flicker of energy emerged in his core.

"Inner Scenery?!"

Before Theo could rejoice.

In an instant.

The newly formed Inner Scenery energy vanished without a trace.

As if swallowed by an unseen abyss, leaving no shadow behind.

He was utterly baffled.

Not only was it difficult to condense Inner Scenery energy, but even when he succeeded, it disappeared?

"This makes no sense."

"Even a supreme art cannot break through my bottleneck?"

"Am I doomed to remain stuck in the Body Cleansing realm forever?"

Theo opened his eyes. He ceased his cultivation, his face a picture of existential doubt.

He forced himself to calm down and think.

The technique derived from the Bronze Seal couldn’t be flawed.

The problem had to lie within himself.

"The Abyssal Physique?"

A spark of realization flashed as Theo muttered to himself.

Truth be told, though he had possessed this anomaly for a long time, he knew little about it.

During his visits to the Grand Library, he scoured through countless records but found no mention of it.

Yet, after careful consideration, he could think of no other explanation.

"Fifteen meridians make it incredibly hard to condense Inner Scenery energy with a supreme art, and..."

"My physique cannot retain the energy."

Having identified these two issues, Theo fell into deep contemplation once more.

What now?

After much deliberation, he concluded there were two plausible solutions.

First, abandon his current cultivation and start over. This time, only opening twelve main meridians like ordinary practitioners, instead of fifteen.

Second, wait for a higher-grade Silver or Gold Seal.

With it, he could elevate the supreme art into a divine one.

Moreover, he could push the Seven Forges even further. Beyond divine.

The fifteen-meridian cycle was already formidable.

If he could break through to the Inner Scenery realm, the results would be unimaginable.

"Since I have already gone this far..."

"I might as well see it through."

After hesitating for exactly three seconds, Theo made his choice.

Wait.

With Liana and Elara by his side, obtaining a higher-grade seal was only a matter of time.

...

The Autumn Water Pavilion was eerily still.

The leaves hung frozen under layers of white frost, weighed down and lifeless.

Tonight, the pavilion was unnaturally cold. As if winter descended in an instant, turning everything to ice.

Inside Liana’s room, an intense chill radiated, accompanied by swirling auroras of light.

"She said tonight, and tonight it is."

"By tomorrow, she will have reached the Inner Scenery realm."

Theo sighed and retreated to his own room next door.

The cold didn’t bother him much. But his bed, pressed against the shared wall, froze solid. The blankets stiff as boards.

Suddenly, he sensed a ripple.

The World Seed reacted.

"Elara is always punctual."

Theo lay down, letting his body rest while his consciousness entered the World Seed.

"T-Teacher!"

Elara sat obediently at the stone table in a formal pose.

When she spotted the figure approaching with a stack of teaching materials, her small face lit up with a cautious smile.

Theo settled at the table with practiced ease. He brewed tea.

He poured but didn’t drink, instead raising his eyes and asking.

"Ahem. Have you fully grasped what I taught last time?"

"Mm!"

Elara nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice.

She took her studies extremely seriously.

The Sovereign’s standards were high, and she dreaded falling short of his expectations.

Even during her daily chores in the slums, she would practice combat forms with a wooden stick.

"Good. Then let us address your lingering doubts from last session."

Theo opened the notes.

This teaching material was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Courtesy of Liana, revised by Theo.

Elara’s combat talent was absurd.

Without learning a single formal art, she refined her self-created technique into an advanced-level martial art.

Nearing supreme-tier.

It was downright ridiculous.

Today, she absorbed every bit of combat theory Theo borrowed from Liana, soaking it up like a sponge.

At one point, Theo had to tap into his system insights just to keep up with her comprehension.

Once the lesson—which had been taxing for Theo—concluded.

"How is your recovery coming along?"

"Almost done!"

Elara fidgeted with her fingers.

"Then do not waste time. The sooner you recover, the sooner you can train properly."

Theo handed her another batch of restorative medicines.

Once Elara fully healed, he expected a decent reward.

Just as he was thinking this.

"Teacher..."

"Hm?"

Theo glanced up.

Elara sat across from him. She bit her lip hesitantly, her fingers twisting together. Her pale eyes shimmered with anticipation.

"What is it?"

"I want to hear more about the Barren Realm."

"..."

Last time, to motivate the princess, Theo embellished a story from his past life. He repackaged a webnovel he once read as an ancient legend.

Unsurprisingly, the tales were highly inspiring.

And incredibly engaging.

The gleam in Elara’s eyes spelled out one thing.

Next Chapter, please.

"Fine."

...

The next morning.

To everyone’s surprise, Vespera rose early.

Her stern voice echoed through the pavilion.

"For years, Armory Peak suffered defeat after defeat. Sapping our morale and tarnishing our prestige. This ends today!"

"Liana, my precious disciple. We must compete with dignity, confidence, and excellence!"

"The glory of Armory Peak rests on your shoulders."

Vespera clenched her fist, as if already envisioning the peak’s triumphant return to supremacy at the provincial evaluation.

After a beat of silence, Theo exchanged a glance with Liana before raising his hand.

"Master. Hypothetically speaking."

"Is Liana not the Sect Leader’s personal disciple?"

Vespera: "!"

Oh. Right.

How had she forgotten that?

The master’s smile faded rapidly.

"This is bad. I placed heavy bets."

Theo: "...There is a betting pool?"

So you weren’t just counting on the sect’s rewards. You were planning to clean up on side wagers too.

Vespera looked at Liana, massaging her temples with a sigh.

"We are doomed."

She initially held high hopes for Liana, who recently broke through to the Inner Scenery realm.

Theo sighed helplessly.

"Even if it is just me alone, it shouldn’t drag Armory Peak’s ranking down too badly, right?"

"Useless. I bet on first place. Do you really think you can defeat Liana?"

Vespera shook her head again.

She was already scheming about how to weasel out of her bet.

And so, the pre-tournament rally ended abruptly.

Outside, a carriage arrived right on time.