Chapter 104: A Quiet Week, A Growing Power [Part 2]

Then another.

Within seconds, the entire boulder collapsed.

Not into pieces.

Into dust.

Victor stared at the empty space where the boulder had been.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Not bad.

After mastering the Earth Shattering Palm, he moved on to the Light Wind Movement Technique.

It was a Low-Grade Earth Ranked skill.

Unlike the overwhelming power of the Earth Shattering Palm, this technique focused entirely on movement.

Speed.

Agility.

Control.

The technique allowed the user to move with the speed and freedom of the wind.

Victor practiced it constantly.

He moved between the trees.

Across the grass.

Around the garden walls.

At first, his movements were still somewhat rough.

Then they became smoother.

Faster.

More natural.

Eventually, he could disappear from one side of the garden and appear on the other almost instantly.

To anyone watching from a distance, it looked as though the wind itself had carried him there.

After that came the Heaven Piercing Spear.

This was a Mid-Grade Earth Ranked spear technique.

Victor liked it immediately.

There was no unnecessary movement.

No complicated sequence.

Everything came down to one attack.

One thrust.

One point of focus.

All of the user’s spiritual mana had to be gathered into the spear.

Then released at the exact moment of impact.

If done correctly, the attack would create an illusionary spear capable of piercing through almost anything.

Victor spent countless hours practicing it.

He thrust again and again.

Each movement became sharper.

Cleaner.

More precise.

His breathing gradually synchronized with the movement of the spear.

Eventually, the air itself seemed to tremble whenever he thrust forward.

The next technique was the Aura Concealment Art.

This one was different.

It wasn’t designed to kill.

It was designed to hide.

The secret technique allowed Victor to conceal his cultivation completely.

That was incredibly useful.

A powerful cultivator who openly displayed his strength would naturally attract attention.

Victor had no desire to do that.

So he practiced until he could suppress his aura perfectly.

Little by little, the spiritual pressure surrounding him disappeared.

His presence became ordinary.

Almost nonexistent.

If someone passed him on the street without knowing who he was, they might mistake him for a normal mortal.

Victor found that rather amusing.

Finally, there was the Void Steps.

A Peak Earth Ranked flying technique.

Victor spent considerably more time mastering this one.

Flying wasn’t simply about forcing spiritual mana beneath the body.

It required control.

Balance.

Awareness.

The first few attempts were awkward.

He nearly lost his balance more than once.

But Victor didn’t give up.

He continued practicing.

Eventually, his feet left the ground.

Then his body rose higher.

Higher still.

A breeze swept through his long hair as he stood in the air.

Victor looked down at the garden.

For a moment, he simply smiled.

Then he moved.

His body shot forward.

He changed direction in midair.

Turned.

Rose higher.

Then descended smoothly.

He could now move freely through the sky.

There was something strangely liberating about it.

For a man who had spent so much time trapped on the ground, the feeling of simply stepping into the air was difficult to describe.

But perhaps the best part of his days wasn’t cultivation.

It wasn’t mastering martial arts.

It wasn’t even the feeling of growing stronger.

It was dinner.

Every evening, the family gathered together.

The table was rarely quiet.

Anna would talk about her pill refinement.

Sometimes she would become so absorbed in explaining a particular reaction between two herbs that she would forget everyone else was eating.

Clara would tell them about the herbs she had gathered that day.

She remembered every detail.

Where she had found them.

How they had grown.

What they could be used for.

Rias was usually quieter.

She didn’t speak much during dinner.

But every now and then, something would amuse her.

And when that happened, a rare smile would appear on her face.

Victor always noticed those moments.

Skyla and Lane were usually the loudest.

They would talk about their day.

Then argue about the food.

Then somehow end up arguing about something completely unrelated.

The entire table would fill with their voices.

Sometimes Anna would join in.

Clara would laugh.

Even Rias would occasionally add a quiet comment.

Victor would simply sit there and listen.

He didn’t always have something to say.

He didn’t need to.

There was something comforting about hearing their voices around him.

The warmth of the food.

The soft light filling the room.

The laughter.

The familiar faces sitting around the same table.

For once, Victor wasn’t thinking about cultivation.

He wasn’t thinking about enemies.

He wasn’t thinking about strength.

He wasn’t wondering what would happen tomorrow.

He simply sat there.

And listened.

A quiet warmth spread through his chest.

His gaze moved from one person to another.

Anna.

Clara.

Rias.

Skyla.

Lane.

They were all here.

Together.

For a moment, Victor simply smiled.

This is happiness, he thought.

—

One evening, as they sat around the dinner table, Clara looked at Victor with a playful smile.

Her purple eyes sparkled with amusement.

Her E-cup breasts pressed against her purple robe.

“You’ve been very productive this week, Victor. I saw you practicing in the garden—your spear techniques are improving rapidly.”

Victor smiled.

“Thank you, Aunt Clara. I’ve had good teachers.”

“Good teachers?” Clara raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall teaching you anything.”

“Not directly,” Victor said. “But watching you and Mother work, seeing Rias cultivate with such dedication… it motivates me to work harder.”

Rias’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Her red eyes softened.

“That’s… kind of you to say.”

Anna smiled warmly.

Her black hair flowed over her shoulders.

Her F-cup breasts rose and fell with her breath.

“You’ve grown so much, Victor. Not just in cultivation, but as a person.”

Victor felt his heart swell.

“Thank you, Mother.”

Skyla leaned against his shoulder.

Her blonde hair brushed against his cheek.

Her green eyes sparkled.

“Young Master, you’re becoming more amazing every day.”