Luna turned her head sharply.

"How dare you attack Master like that?" she snapped. "Do you think this is a battlefield? Even if that sword had hit you, you wouldn't have been hurt anyway."

Vanessa stiffened. But then, as a frown appeared on her face, intending to argue about Luna's current position in the household, Qin Wei lifted his head slightly and gave a small shake. "It's alright," he said hoarsely. "Things happen in spars."

Vanessa then said, crossing her arms, "Master Icarus, the fact that you forced me to move like that already means you're doing more than well."

She paused, her gaze steady.

"In three months, you've reached a level only someone with real talent could touch. Still…" Her voice softened. "It's a pity that Master Icarus is a plainfolk. And your talismans can't hold enough mana."

She lifted her hand slightly and continued. "I think Master Icarus should focus more on how to improve that talisman. If you want that trick to work better, you'll need talismans that can store far more energy. Otherwise, it will always fall short."

Qin Wei gave a helpless smile.

He knew the truth better than anyone.

The sealing technique he used was only a C-rank seal he bought from the system. He can't upgrade it. This was the maximum it could do. What he needed was not a better seal.

He needed an artifact.

Something built to carry massive mana reserves.

His chest throbbed again. He let out a low groan and slowly pushed himself up. Luna rushed to his side and slipped her arm around his waist without waiting for permission.

"Slowly," she said.

Qin Wei leaned against her.

"I need some rest," he said to Vanessa.

She nodded once. "I'll leave you to it."

*

Meanwhile;

Far from Moonvilla, at the northern ridge outside the city, the Immortal Guild stood wrapped in drifting clouds.

Inside its inner corridor, two apprentices hurried along with heavy stacks of parchments piled in their arms. The long hallway stretched between rows of sealed training chambers, each door etched with glowing patterns.

Without warning, one of the chamber doors burst open.

The wind howled out, and the parchments were ripped from their hands, thrown into the air. The apprentices staggered backward, cries caught in their throats as the documents scattered wildly.

But just then, the parchments froze mid-air.

The wind reversed.

The loose parchments were pulled back in a single smooth motion, flowing toward the open chamber like mist being swallowed by a hidden tide.

As the mist cleared out, a figure stepped out, holding the parchments that were already neatly stacked.

"Elder Thea."

As the apprentices snapped to attention at once and greeted her, Thea walked forward with a sword resting at her side. A faint smile curved her lips as she nodded gently, handed the papers back to them, and walked past without another word.

The two stood frozen for several breaths, staring after her retreating figure.

"She was only at the elementary stage of rank seven three months ago," one whispered.

"She's at the peak stage now," the other murmured. "Three stages in three months…"

"Maybe she found some fortuitous encounter."

"Those encounters are for people without backing. For someone like her, there are no such thing as lucky chances. She probably used some absurd elixir."

A quiet laugh slipped between them, dry and bitter.

"She's younger than us."

"And already an elder."

Their voices dropped lower.

"Well, we can only blame our fate, born into a commoner household," one said. The other sighed in agreement.

Thea heard those words from far away, but she didn't stop and look around. She knew that people were often jealous of her background, and she didn't bother to justify herself either.

Ignoring them, she climbed to the the floor floor and walked through the quiet halls, her steps slow and steady against the polished stone. The air here felt heavier than below, thick with layered formations and restrained power.

She stopped before the largest door at the end of the corridor.

A gentle push sent it open.

Inside, A tall figure stood near a long table, hands resting on its surface. The woman looked like she was barely in her 20s, just like Thea, but in reality, this grand Arcane Master was over 100 years old.

Grand Arcane Masters are those who walked on both the path of Blade and sorcery simultaneously and still achieved Rank-10. There are fewer than five such people who exist, not just in Elysia but in the entire continent. But at the same time, attaining such mastery in both paths also cut off their path to Rank-11, meaning they couldn't become a Half-Deity in their lives, although they could still fight against one on an equal footing.

The moment Thea stepped in, Elena Raiden turned around.

Her sharp eyes softened as they fell on her disciple.

"It seems the artifact did its job well," Elena said with a faint smile.

Thea inclined her head respectfully. "It was all thanks to Master's guidance. If you hadn't given me the artifact and guided me to pair with the Elixir of Tranquility, my refinement speed wouldn't have reached a hundred times faster than normal."

She lifted her wrist, and a soft glow flashed. A cauldron appeared in mid-air and settled onto the desk with a muted thud. Its surface shimmered faintly with lingering heat. Thea handed it to her, "Thank you for lending me the artifact."

Elena glanced at the cauldron, then back at her. "You could have stayed a few more months," she said lightly. "With your current momentum, breaking into rank eight would not have been difficult."

Thea shook her head.

"These three months were already too much, Master," she replied. "Staying alone inside that chamber felt like torture. I can't lock myself away any longer."

She hesitated briefly, then continued in a lower voice.

"I came out as soon as the process was complete. If I delayed any further, my father would have personally come here and dragged me home."

Elena let out a quiet chuckle.

"So, it is fear of your father that brought you out," she teased. "Not because you missed your husband."

Thea averted her gaze. A faint trace of color crept up her cheeks.

"Why would I miss him?" she said. "We haven't even been married long. That wedding was nothing more than His Majesty forcing an arrangement on me."

Elena shook her head with another soft laugh. "Say whatever you like."

Her expression shifted slightly.

"Still, quite a few things happened in your house while you were in seclusion," she added. "Especially where your husband is concerned."

The auras in the room subtly shifted.

"He almost died." As Elena added quietly, Thea's eyes widened.

"What?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended. "What happened to him. Who dared to attack my husband?"

Elena studied her calmly, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "So you do care," she said with amusement.

Thea clenched her fist. "Master, please stop joking," she said. "Tell me what happened."

Elena's smile faded.

Her gaze turned serious as she began recounting the events that had shaken the city three months ago.

And with each word, Thea's heart sank deeper.

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