Chapter 78: Eternal Flame

In the side chamber, Theo had just finished making his bed.

After a moment’s thought, he guessed that the reason the ice block didn’t let him stay next door had something to do with her constitution.

"My own Abyssal Physique is far too low-key. Now even breaking through realms is a problem." Theo muttered these complaints to himself.

The system had never given him anything useless... But when it came to physiques. Those were things martial artists had to explore and refine over generations of trial and error.

Take Arthur, for example. He clearly knew he should focus on spear techniques to maximize the strengths of his physique.

Theo had no one to learn from.

He could only rely on himself, step by step, to figure it out.

With these thoughts in mind, Theo opened the two newly acquired peerless blade manuals and began studying them intently.

Gradually, the night deepened.

Suddenly, the World Seed trembled with a ripple of energy.

Elara clung to a tree branch, her head slightly lowered. She had just demonstrated her progress. Her eyes darting shyly toward the figure across from her.

Biting her lip, she finally mustered the courage to ask in a small voice.

"Teacher... did I disappoint you?"

She had no idea. The Sovereign of Genesis was practically holding his breath. He barely stopped himself from gasping.

This girl is a monster.

"A single blade of grass severing the sun and moon."

He only said that to motivate the princess.

But she had taken it literally!

When she swung her branch just now.

There was actually a trace of that indomitable will. "Wildfires cannot burn it all, the spring wind brings life anew."

It was blade intent.

Without ever formally learning a single manual, she had comprehended her own intent!

"Mm, not bad. You must have worked very hard."

"N-not... not too hard."

Elara’s cheeks flushed at the praise, and she waved her hands hurriedly.

"I just... practiced a little... when I woke up... when I ate... when I went outside to pick things up... and then before bed... I practiced with you for a while..."

Her daily routine was simple.

Eat, sleep, scavenge. And while doing these three things, practice combat forms.

Theo: "..."

Twelve hours a day, huh?

And didn’t he tell the Valerius family to take proper care of her? Why was she still picking through trash?

"Are you struggling with daily life?"

"I used to go hungry a lot. But after Big Brother Theo came, that never happened again."

Elara’s stutter suddenly vanished. Her voice soft and steady.

But when she mentioned Big Brother Theo, her words grew quieter and quieter.

"Then why do you still go out scavenging every day?"

At the Sovereign’s question, Elara tilted her head.

Huh, why do I?

She didn’t know either.

She just knew that whenever she picked up discarded things—broken paper kites, chipped bottles—and cleaned them up, arranging them neatly, she felt satisfied. Proud. Happy.

"A... a hobby?"

She blinked, testing the word.

Theo: "..."

What a niche hobby.

Well, as long as it made her happy.

"Teacher... how is Big Brother Theo doing lately?"

Her timid voice carried a quiet hope.

Her pale gray eyes shone even brighter than before.

She figured, since her teacher was so incredible, knowing even the grandest tales of ancient times, surely he would know how Big Brother Theo was doing.

This girl really cares about me.

Last time, he said he would visit her, but he never sent word.

Theo couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

Clearing his throat, he replied.

"Theo? He is doing fine."

"He recently placed in the top three at the sect evaluation. His reputation is soaring, admired by all the elites of the province."

"Just an unbiased observer here, but his blade arts are not bad."

Elara’s eyes sparkled. As if she could see it. Big Brother Theo standing triumphant on the stage, brimming with vigor.

She grinned foolishly.

"Big Brother Theo is amazing."

"Mm. He will probably visit the capital to see you soon."

"Really?"

"Alright, back to business. Take these two manuals and study them. Next time, I will test you. Practice quietly. Do not show them to anyone."

With a flick of his sleeve, the Sovereign placed the two blade texts on the table.

Elara accepted them reverently.

Then, clutching her stomach, she murmured in confusion.

"Teacher... my stomach... lately, it feels like there is a little mouse inside."

A little mouse?

Under the mask, Theo raised an eyebrow slightly and placed his hand on her wrist.

After sensing for a moment, he finally relaxed, though a hint of curiosity remained.

"That is not your stomach. It is your dantian."

"You are about to open your meridians."

"Open my meridians?"

Elara knew very little about martial arts and didn’t quite understand the concept.

Theo hadn’t had the chance to explain it to her yet.

He had planned to wait until she had recovered more before guiding her. Unexpectedly, she had stumbled upon the right path all on her own.

"In that case, I will give you some pills to protect your meridians."

The night grew deeper...

The bright moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over the entire Autumn Water Pavilion, making the ground shimmer with a snowy radiance.

The sound of the small stream flowing through the courtyard had vanished.

"Hah..."

Theo exhaled a breath of white mist and looked outside.

To his surprise, the entire stream had frozen solid at some point, gleaming with an eerie blue hue in the darkness.

The small pavilion had now become so cold that water turned to ice, as if it were the dead of winter.

"Ice block..."

"She should be fine, right?"

As he thought this, a system notification suddenly rang in his ears.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in ’Elara’, aiding her in opening her meridians.]

[Investment Reward: One Secret Silver Seal.]

[Secret Silver Seal: Can refine and perfect any technique below the level of a Divine Art, elevating it by one grade.]

"Finally!"

Theo’s eyes lit up with excitement.

He was just one Silver Seal away from upgrading a Supreme Art into a Divine Art, which would then allow him to use the saved Gold Seal.

This meant he would obtain an art beyond the level of a Divine Art.

And with it, a chance to break through to the Inner Scenery realm.

If the little princess were here right now, he would scoop her up and plant a big kiss on her cheeks.

Without hesitation, a small seal resembling flowing mercury appeared in his palm. Its inscriptions seeming to come alive.

He took out the Seven Forges of the Quaking Earth and stamped it with the seal.

The characters on the page suddenly shifted, as if countless tiny fish were darting through them.

"Abyssal Earth-Shattering Divine Forge."

A Divine Art.

Countless people across the domains dreamed of such a treasure, and now it lay quietly on the table before him.

A single Divine Art was enough to make countless experts fall and stir storms of blood and chaos.

Having studied the Moonlight and Solar Wheel Blade Canons, Theo knew that while these two techniques were exquisite, they were ultimately only low-grade Supreme Arts.

No matter how well they combined, they could never compare to a true Divine Art.

"Divine Arts are already beyond imagination. The pinnacle of martial arts."

"But what lies beyond them?"

Theo couldn’t help but feel his heart surge with excitement.

The Gold Seal slowly descended onto the paper in his palm.

Golden, profound runes erupted in that instant, converging like rivers flowing into the sea.

The fine paper gradually dissolved, as if the words written upon it had exceeded its capacity to bear them.

"Damn it, I didn’t even get to read it..."

Panic flashed through his mind, but Theo focused his gaze.

What he saw were characters so obscure and profound that they seemed to shift between existence and nothingness, impossible for any mortal to comprehend.

These were not characters Theo had ever seen before.

Hum! The paper finally vanished entirely.

Instead, it transformed into a rune imbued with profound mystery, flying straight into his brow.

Boom!! A vast, magnificent vision exploded in his mind.

It was as if the heavens and earth were just beginning to form, all things in chaos, with countless existences vanishing and rebirthing in an instant. Far more intense than anything he had witnessed in his World Seed.

A primordial crucible quietly took root...

With a mere pulse of its forge, boundless karmic flames scorched the sky.

...

It felt like an eternity had passed. Yet perhaps only an instant. Outside the window, the same cold moon hung in the sky. Casting its pale light over the frozen stream.

Inside the chamber, Theo opened his eyes in confusion.

The vast, primordial visions from before still lingered in his mind. Refusing to fade, nearly overwhelming his senses.

Now, only one sensation dominated his awareness.

Hunger.

Not the hunger of the stomach, but a soul-deep craving.

Instinctively, he retrieved a vial of Spirit Dew and gulped it down in one go.

The essence of the earth veins surged into his dantian. Absorbed by his fifteen primary meridians before converging into his core, bringing a sensation akin to parched land finally blessed with rain.

"Ah..."

Wiping his lips, Theo finally regained his composure and recalled what had just happened.

He had used the Gold Heavenly Seal to refine a martial technique.

He had elevated a Divine Art, transforming it into a single primordial crucible that took root in his mind.

"That technique... I am not even sure if it can still be called a martial art anymore."

The feeling was strange.

Theo understood its essence, yet he found no way to articulate it.

Words failed him.

Every method he knew for conveying knowledge seemed utterly inadequate to describe what the technique embodied.

Then, he noticed something unusual.

Quickly, he focused his attention inward, toward his dantian.

There, a faint wisp of energy hovered. Almost tangible.

Pale red in hue, like an eternal flame that had burned since time immemorial, never extinguishing!