Marriage?!

'I've just turned eighteen this year, and my Internal Family Boxing has already reached a limit.' Jie Ning felt the force from every muscle in his body and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

'But if it were my previous life's body, I'd probably have reached that limit a few years earlier.'

The human body's limit in this world completely surpassed that of Jie Ning's previous life—there was simply no comparison.

By Jie Ning's estimate, his pure strength in his past life was probably only at the level of a Level 3 Warrior in this world, maybe peaking at Level 4, but even then, that would be a relatively weak Level 4 Warrior.

"And now, with pure physical strength alone, I should be at the level of a Level 7 Warrior." Jie Ning casually threw a punch, and with the airflow, a fist imprint appeared on a nearby tree.

'Although there are some subtle differences between this body and my past life's, thankfully the gap isn't too large. Most of the boxing techniques and training methods are still usable.' Jie Ning thought with a hint of regret. 'But unfortunately, even though I've recovered to the Grandmaster realm and reached a new height in body control, as someone with ordinary human bloodline, this body's strength maxing out at Level 7 Warrior is already its limit. Then again, if I hadn't broken through to Internal Family Boxing Grandmaster, pure strength reaching Level 6 Warrior would already be the limit for most people.'

'And the biggest benefit the Grandmaster realm of Internal Family Boxing brings me isn't this...'

With a shift of thought, Jie Ning's aura seemed to undergo a subtle change.

If someone were beside Jie Ning at that moment, they would notice a strange 'sense of harmony' between him and the entire world—as if he belonged there, as if he were a part of that space.

'The Grandmaster realm has always had another name: Unity of Heaven and Man. In this world, calling it Momentum is quite fitting.' A calm smile appeared on Jie Ning's face.

'And if I add this...' With a slight mental stir, Jie Ning activated his Battle Qi. 'Level 8 Battle Qi—I estimate I'll break through to Level 9 in about a month.'

Cultivating Battle Qi posed no difficulty for Jie Ning. Once his body's strength met the standard, the only thing limiting his Battle Qi growth was the speed of refining elemental energy from the world. When the quantity reached the threshold, the realm would naturally break through.

So, 'For me, the Saint Realm is within reach, and immortality is within reach.'

'And once I become a Saint, I should start studying magic. After all, the most important thing for becoming a god is Laws and Profound Mysteries. The help my past life's memories can give me ends here. As a lower-tier version of the Laws, magic is the most suitable entry point.' Jie Ning had always had a complete plan for his growth: first, take the most familiar warrior path to reach the Saint Realm, gain immortality and a certain level of strength, then turn back to study magic. From the very beginning, his goal had been 'to become a god.'

So, even though Jie Ning had known since his childhood tests that he possessed supreme elemental affinity for both the Fire Element and the Earth Element, he still firmly chose to walk the warrior path first.

This was fortunate, as the atmosphere in Duke Darut's Territory leaned more toward warriors, and Jie Ning had consistently shown high warrior talent in the days that followed, naturally earning his family's support.

Just then, a hurried breathing sound came, and Jie Ning looked over.

"Young Master Jie Ning," a maid ran over, panting, "the Baron and his wife are looking for you."

Jie Ning nodded and smiled gently at the maid. "I understand. Thank you for your trouble, Kanweier."

Though it changed nothing, Jie Ning had always maintained a warm and polite attitude toward the household servants. He could accept their service calmly, but he also respected their existence as individuals.

Kanweier looked at Jie Ning's smile, seemingly infected by it. Her heart, racing from the run, seemed to calm down quickly—maybe even skip a beat. A youthful face flushed with some redness. "Young Master Jie Ning, you'd better go now. This time, the master and mistress really seem to have urgent matters."

"Haha, I know. I'll head over now." Seeing the shy reaction of the young girl, Jie Ning couldn't help but smile, though he teased, "But I might still need Miss Kanweier to tell me where my father and mother are waiting for me."

Kanweier's face reddened a bit more. "In the living room, Young Master Jie Ning." This time, it was from embarrassment.

Jie Ning didn't plan to keep 'bullying' this shy maid, so he chuckled and said as he walked toward the living room, "Alright, I understand. But it seems I saw Lia just ahead." He had already noticed another young girl's figure approaching from not far away.

Jie Ning strode off, and faintly behind him came the teasing voices of two maids. "Hehe, Kanweier, you really are Miss 'Red Tomato'..."

"Lia, you..."

Before long, Jie Ning arrived at the living room. Seated there, besides his parents in this life, was a middle-aged man with a 'stern' face, though this person was no stranger to Jie Ning.

Toward the baron and his wife, who had given him a new life in this world, Jie Ning was quite open-minded. While he didn't have deep parental affection, he still respected and loved them. He greeted them respectfully, "Father, Mother."

Then, turning to the 'dignified' man, he greeted, "Uncle Maki, it's been a while. I send you my regards."

Baron Chris Darut and Lady Melinda looked at their eldest son with satisfaction.

Maki looked at his sturdy nephew, stood up, and patted Jie Ning's shoulder with a firm hand, laughing. "Good lad. When I heard Melinda and Chris bragging that you're already an excellent warrior, I thought they were exaggerating. But now it seems they were actually being modest."

Hearing Maki praise his son, Chris's smile deepened. "Maki, you're underestimating Jie Ning. Melinda already told you in her letter that your nephew is now a powerful Level 7 Warrior."

Jie Ning didn't refute this. In truth, the last time his father had asked was seven or eight months ago, and back then he really was a Level 7 Warrior. It just hadn't been long after that when he broke through again.

And at that time, his Internal Family Boxing training was also nearing a limit. He had readjusted his training schedule, adding more Battle Qi practice, so his Battle Qi had indeed improved faster in recent months than before. It was normal for it to exceed his father's expectations.

"Haha, my mistake then." Maki didn't mind Chris's smugness and looked at Jie Ning with satisfaction.

"Haha, I remember Jie Ning is only eighteen, right? Becoming a Level 7 Warrior at this age—I believe you'll surely become a new Saint Realm powerhouse for our Dalut Family."

Chris barely suppressed his grin, forcing a stern expression. "Alright, Maki, that's too exaggerated. In over fifteen hundred years, our Dalut Family has only produced a little over twenty Saint Realm experts. Jie Ning still has a long way to go."

Then, turning to Jie Ning, he said, "You must keep working hard and not slack off, understand?"

Jie Ning accepted both the praise and the admonition calmly, responding steadily, "Yes, Father."

Melinda smiled as she watched her brother and husband praise her son. After they finished greeting each other, she reminded them, "Alright, we're all family. Stop with the formalities. You called Jie Ning here for serious business."

Hearing his mother's words, Jie Ning looked curiously at his father and uncle. He wondered what urgent matter had suddenly come up. His uncle usually only visited around the New Year—why had he come now, seemingly specifically for him?

Maki straightened his expression, glanced at Chris and Melinda, then asked Jie Ning seriously, "Though I've already asked your father and mother for their opinion, I still feel I need to ask you directly..."

Seeing Maki's solemn face, Jie Ning couldn't help but grow more serious, straightening his posture.

"Count Lewis Cardin's eldest daughter has also turned eighteen this year, and he intends to find her a suitable husband. The Duke Kading's Territory and our Duke Darut's Territory have been friendly for generations, starting from Duke Kading and Duke Darut. Count Lewis is also interested in finding a suitable marriage alliance within our Dalut Family."

"The suitable candidates in our Duke Darut's Territory for this generation are only you and Count Huli's second son."

As he spoke, Maki's expression turned a bit odd, but he continued, "However, Count Huli's second son seems to have no interest in women. So now, it depends on your thoughts..."

Jie Ning was momentarily caught off guard by this. 'You bring up such a serious topic, and it turns out Uncle Maki is playing matchmaker?'

Still, Jie Ning had experience with this sort of thing, even if in his past life he had been the one playing matchmaker.

First ignoring the irrelevant second son of Count Huli that Maki mentioned, he asked with some surprise, "Why are there so few candidates?"

Maki wasn't surprised by Jie Ning's question and patiently explained, "There are many reasons. First, the Count's eldest daughter naturally can't marry just any commoner. Second, the young lady in question is currently a fifth-rank mage."

Jie Ning instantly understood—it was about matching status and strength. Of course, in this world, it could also be said that his strength simply wasn't outstanding enough yet.

As long as one's strength was sufficient, everything else was just a byproduct.

Then, Maki smiled smugly. "Of course, the most important thing is that I once went on an adventure with Count Lewis and forged a deep friendship. Plus, your mother mentioned your strength in a letter she wrote to me recently. As your uncle, I naturally seized the opportunity to recommend you to Count Lewis."

"So, Uncle, you've already settled things with the Count?" Jie Ning suddenly noticed a blind spot.

Maki's face stiffened, and he quickly laughed it off. "Not exactly. I just wanted you two to meet first. If it's a good fit, then we'll talk engagement..."

Maki's voice grew softer, and his expression turned awkward.

Jie Ning's mother, Ms. Melinda, also caught on. It seemed her brother had already gone and boasted to Count Lewis on his own, since that wasn't what he'd told her before. Still, she stepped in to smooth things over, first shooting Maki a look to shut him up, then turning to her son. "Alright, Jie Ning, what do you think?"

"If you don't think it's suitable, we'll have your uncle go to Count Lewis's house and apologize on his own." At the end, Melinda stressed the words "on his own."

Maki gave an awkward smile but didn't say much else.

Jie Ning looked at the people around him. Maki wore a flustered but hopeful expression. His mother, Melinda, still looked at him gently. His father, Chris—well, forget him. What was that smug look on his face supposed to mean?

Jie Ning nodded slightly. "In that case, I'll get to know this lady first." Having lived a second life, Jie Ning had no particular pursuit of love or romance. Still, he didn't mind marrying a suitable partner. If she couldn't keep up with his pace, she would merely be a passerby in his life. If she could, she might just become a fitting Dao companion.

Hearing Jie Ning's answer, Maki's face immediately lit up with a grin. "Good, good, good. Since that's the case, then it's settled..."

Melinda breathed a quiet sigh of relief at Jie Ning's calm response.

But then—it seemed some people had forgotten that I am a powerful Flame Warrior.

Melinda suddenly spoke up. "In that case, Jie Ning, you go ahead and get busy. Your father, your uncle, and I have some things to discuss..."

Jie Ning caught the mysterious smile that suddenly appeared on Melinda's face and understood. He calmly bowed to the three elders and walked out of the living room.

Chris and Maki, seeing the smile on their wife's or sister's face that they hadn't seen in a long time, both shuddered at the same time.

Just then, the living room door was slammed shut by Melinda with a wave of her Battle Qi.

From inside the living room, faint sounds of screaming could be heard.

But Jie Ning looked up at the clear blue sky. "What lovely weather..."