Chapter 98: Marriage Alliance

Theo swore an oath to himself.

His moral character was impeccable, and his focus was unbroken.

But what man could endure a hyper-realistic mental projection of Liana modeling a sheer, adaptive-sizing bikini?

The combination of her natural icy aloofness and the swimsuit’s bold design was a lethal contradiction.

He was a cultivator, not a saint... The system was entirely at fault.

Theo calmly wiped the blood from his chin and maintained a straight face.

"Elder Thorne and I were forging an External Qi-Core in the courtyard below," Theo explained, his voice even. "The karmic fire spiked unexpectedly. I inhaled a bit too much ambient heat, and it irritated my upper meridians."

Liana stared at his face. Her moonlit silver eyes flickered, searching for any deception.

Theo felt a familiar itch returning to his sinuses as the mental image threatened to resurface. He forcefully suppressed it.

"The night is passing," Theo said. "We should begin our circulation. We need to stabilize your foundation before dawn."

"Agreed," Liana said, giving a slight nod toward the moon.

"Give me a moment," Theo added, raising a hand. "I need to adjust my mental state."

The dual-cultivation technique they used required a deep, empathetic connection.

If his mind was clouded with stray, inappropriate thoughts regarding system-generated swimwear, Liana would undoubtedly sense the emotional fluctuations.

The system’s demonstration was seared into his memory. The way the midnight silk contrasted with her pale skin... he needed to purge the image immediately.

He swallowed a calming pill and spent three minutes mentally reciting the architectural blueprints of the sect’s main library, focusing on the load-bearing support pillars to force his heart rate down.

"I am ready," Theo finally announced.

He conjured two soft, floating cushions made of dense qi. "Take a seat."

Liana looked at the cushions. Her eyelashes fluttered, but she shook her head.

"No."

"You used them last week," Theo pointed out, confused.

Liana offered no explanation. Ever since they first connected their internal energies, she had become hypersensitive to his stray thoughts. Sitting in close proximity on his constructed cushions felt too intimate after the humiliating "Fortune-Bearing Consort" title had been broadcast to the entire province.

"Let us begin," Theo said, reaching out.

"Wait."

Before his fingers could brush against her skin, she pulled her hand back.

Theo blinked in surprise.

Liana closed her eyes, her breathing steady. "I require a moment to meditate as well."

The boy and the girl sat across from each other, neither speaking, both fighting their own internal battles to maintain their composure.

Ten minutes later, their hands finally connected...

A profound ripple of energy washed over the rooftop as the Abyssal Forge and the Supreme Yin locked into their perfect cycle.

...

Dawn.

As they severed their energy connection after a night of flawless cultivation, hurried footsteps echoed from the staircase.

"Theo!" Corey burst onto the roof, sliding to a halt. He was out of breath. "There is a mob outside the estate! They are trying to break down the front gates!"

"How many?" Theo asked, instantly alert.

Corey held up his hands, trying to count on his fingers before giving up. "Too many. Dozens of them. They are not wearing uniforms, Theo! They look like mercenaries, but they are carrying large wooden chests. Maybe it is a new type of siege weapon? Or a bomb? We need to activate the estate’s defensive arrays!"

Archon Zelia’s assassins.

Theo had expected the Syndicate to move quickly after Silas failed to report in, but a full frontal assault in broad daylight was brazen, even for them.

"Corey, gather the elders," Theo ordered, his eyes narrowing. "Wake Vespera. Tell her to bring her sword."

Theo turned to Liana. "Are you coming?"

Liana shook her head. "I need to cycle the foreign true essence you transferred into my meridians. I will join you shortly."

"Stay alert," Theo warned, before rushing down the stairs with Corey.

Liana watched him leave.

She moved to the spot where Theo had been sitting, intending to meditate in the center of the residual array lines he had drawn earlier.

She sat down.

A moment later, she froze.

The clay tiles beneath her were still radiating the distinct, lingering warmth of his Abyssal Forge. The heat seeped through her thin silk robes. She had shared a bed with him in the World Seed, but that was an artificial environment...

This was the world.

The lingering heat felt intensely personal, an invasive reminder of the boundaries they crossed every night to further their cultivation.

It was just ambient heat. Yet, Liana’s face flushed a deep shade of crimson. She quickly shifted a few feet to the left, her heart beating a fraction faster than normal.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus on her sword intent.

Down on the first floor, the situation was not what Theo expected.

He walked into the main hall expecting a bloodbath. Instead, he found the sect elders standing awkwardly around a mountain of opulent gifts.

The intruders were not Syndicate assassins.

They were high-level merchant guards, all radiating Inner Scenery auras.

They stood in disciplined formation around a single, seated man.

Corey stood near the staircase, his jaw hanging open. "Is that Lord Cassander?"

Theo looked at the seated man.

Lord Cassander, the head of the Golden Coin Consortium, was a legend in the provincial capital. He controlled three major trade routes and half the spirit-vein mines in the eastern territory. He was dressed in layers of embroidered silk, a belt of pure star-iron wrapped around his waist.

"Greetings, esteemed elders of the Silent Thunder Sect," Cassander said, standing up as Theo entered.

His words flattered the elders, but his eyes were locked on Theo.

"I am Cassander, head of the Consortium. I have come this morning to pay my respects to the Abyssal Sword Sovereign, and to forge a lasting bond between our houses."

The elders exchanged bewildered glances.

The Silent Thunder Sect was respected, but a titan like Cassander usually ignored regional sects entirely.

"Lord Cassander," Theo said, stepping forward and offering a bow. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Theo maintained his Heavenly Mandate Divine Eye, scanning the man’s aura.

Cassander was not an assassin in disguise; he was a genuine, late-stage Inner Scenery expert.

Cassander chuckled, clearly pleased by Theo’s calm demeanor.

"You possess a remarkable presence, young master Theo," Cassander praised. "My youngest daughter is an avid follower of the provincial rankings. She admires your exploits greatly. She is my only heir, and I find myself unable to deny her requests."

Cassander snapped his fingers.

The merchant guards stepped forward. They opened a dozen spatial rings.

A torrential cascade of wealth spilled onto the floor.

Crates of high-grade spirit stones clattered against the floorboards.

Locked chests filled with rare, millennium-old Ice-Vein Lotuses were stacked like common firewood.

Display stands holding peak-tier defensive artifacts and offensive array plates materialized in the hall.

The sheer volume of treasure illuminated the room, casting a golden hue over the shocked faces of the sect elders.

"I have come to propose a formal marriage alliance," Cassander declared, gesturing to the mountain of wealth. "This is merely a fraction of the dowry. Might I ask if you are currently betrothed, Young Master Theo?"

*Tap*

A light footstep echoed from the staircase.

Someone had just stepped onto the landing, arriving at the exact moment the question was asked.

Theo turned his head.

Liana stood on the steps. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her posture was straight.