The next day.
As usual, Olivier finished practicing Taiji Fist. Remembering that he had not practiced swordsmanship in a long time, he took out the Mystic Ice Sword from his spatial ring and began to train. He did not deliberately practice any particular sword technique, merely following his heart—sometimes fast, sometimes slow. There was the intent of Taiji's later strike, as well as the sharpness of light's preemptive strike.
"The profound mysteries of the Laws of Light and Darkness have fused. Simply combining direct attacks still feels like it does not bring out their greatest power. Perhaps I can study Taiji Fist and create a new ultimate technique."
Olivier pondered as he practiced, his movements natural and his heart following his intent. Only after quite some time did he stop.
"Big Brother, your swordsmanship doesn't look very powerful."
The moment Olivier stopped, he heard Blumer speak.
It was Blumer's first day after his wedding. By custom, a new bride was to pay respects to the family elders on her first day in the household. Since Olivier was like a father to his elder brother, Blumer had brought Julie to see him early in the morning.
"Good morning, Big Brother." Julie bowed in greeting. As an imperial princess, her manners were naturally proper, noble, and graceful.
"Good morning, sister-in-law." Olivier nodded.
"Second Brother, you and your wife have just married. Why aren't you resting more?"
At Olivier's words, both Blumer and Julie blushed slightly.
"Haha, I was just casually practicing my swordsmanship."
Seeing their expressions, Olivier timely changed the subject.
"Since you are both here, stay and have breakfast together later."
There were only the two brothers in the Archisoren Duke Mansion, and they were quite informal, with few rules. Since Blumer had just married, sharing a meal as a family would also help Julie integrate into the household more quickly.
The family happily ate breakfast together. Julie also met the two sisters, Sophie and Jessica, whom legend said had caused Olivier to fall into depravity. They truly possessed beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, and were intelligent and virtuous—certainly enough to make a man lose himself.
Sophie and Jessica also met the future mistress of the Achison Duke Mansion. Although Olivier had told Blumer to call the two women sisters-in-law, they still felt somewhat guilty and awkward before Julie, lacking a proper status.
Fortunately, all three women got along well. By the end of the meal, they already seemed like friends of many years. Julie even agreed to teach Sophie Fire Element magic. With Julie's strength as a ninth-rank magus, teaching Sophie was more than easy enough.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Blumer's wedding.
Olivier had originally planned to take Blumer out to train, but since Blumer had just married, he did not wish to casually dictate Blumer's life anymore. Olivier himself needed to increase his strength quickly. Besides, Blumer was already in the Saint-level and could slowly cultivate to become a deity. Thus, Olivier decided to leave Blumer alone for now. In any case, he had Olivier's protection.
Olivier decided to first send the sisters Sophie and Jessica to a magic academy in the Yulan Empire, then go to the Baruch Kingdom to search for the secret chamber that could aid cultivation.
"Big Brother, are you leaving again?"
Olivier had already finished preparing to depart when Blumer came to find him. After hearing Olivier's words, Blumer had also wanted to go out and challenge himself through training. However, having only just married Julie, he had no choice but to abandon that thought.
"Yes, I must increase my strength as soon as possible." Olivier spoke firmly. "Also, I will send Sophie and Jessica to the Yulan Empire Magic Academy to study."
"Big Brother, even Senior Brother Fane isn't your match. Do you really need to improve your strength so urgently?"
Ever since Olivier defeated Fane, Blumer had indeed felt that Olivier was already strong enough.
"Second Brother, your horizons are too narrow. If I told you that, in the future, deities would be everywhere across the continent, would you still think my current strength is enough?"
Olivier said gravely.
"Ah, that can't be true."
This information shocked Blumer. He had never imagined it. He believed that his big brother would reach the divine level in the future, and that would be the peak of the continent. As for there being many deities across the continent, he had never considered it. Even though Olivier had asked him to cultivate to the divine level himself, had those words not come from Olivier, he might have taken them as a joke.
"Second Brother, I told you that I hoped you could break through to the divine level yourself. With your current way of thinking, that will be difficult." Olivier realized that although he had told Blumer before, he had not changed his perspective.
"For the next three to five years, I will be staying in Linley's Baruch Empire. If anything comes up, you can find me there."
Olivier knew that saying more might have the opposite effect. He believed Blumer would have his own thoughts, so he stopped interfering too much and told him where he would be going.
The next day, Olivier left the Duke Mansion with Sophie and Jessica.
The Yulan River was the continent's largest inland river. Traveling south from Red Flame City along the Yulan River, one could go directly to the Yulan Empire's capital.
The surging Yulan River stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Its widest stretches were several miles across, while even its narrowest sections were several hundred meters wide. It was the mother river of the entire Yulan Continent. Who knew how many people it had nurtured? The recorded history of the Yulan Continent already spanned several hundred thousand years.
Olivier and the sisters Sophie boarded a three-story luxury passenger ship and rented the best rooms on the third floor, making it convenient to admire the scenery along the Yulan River.
This passenger ship of the magical world was extraordinarily luxurious. It had roughly fifty or sixty rooms, all lavishly furnished with carved dragons and phoenixes, unique yet elegant. Those traveling aboard were either wealthy or noble.
"My lord, this is my first time seeing the Yulan River. It is so beautiful."
Jessica clung excitedly to Olivier's arm. Sophie held his other arm and echoed her agreement.
Ever since Olivier had said he would send them to the Yulan Empire to study magic, the sisters had felt reluctant and depressed. Only after Olivier explained that it was so they could remain together forever did they begin to feel a little better.
Now, seeing the beautiful Yulan River, their moods truly improved.
To outsiders, Olivier and the two women appeared to be a young nobleman traveling with two maids.
There were quite a few people aboard the ship: young noblemen, merchants, warriors, and magi.
"I bet she's ugly, which is why she wears a mask."
Several young nobles in the distance were discussing a masked woman. This woman lived next door to Olivier and the others. She wore a silver mask and a magus's robe. It was clear that she was a woman, and she had an excellent figure. Olivier had noticed her as soon as she boarded.
From the moment she boarded until now, the woman had stood alone by the Yulan River, lost in thought. The cool breeze stirred her long hair, and her devilish figure appeared and disappeared beneath her robes. Her temperament was also exceptional. Although no one could see her face, she had still aroused everyone's curiosity.
"Why guess? If you have the guts, make her take off her mask and you'll know."
Another young noble said disdainfully.
"Don't cause trouble. Everyone on this ship is either rich or noble. She might be a powerful magus."
Another person spoke in a low voice. Clearly, he was not a completely brainless dandy.
"You people are so boring. There are two great beauties right here, yet you insist on obsessing over someone in a mask."
Clearly, Sophie and Jessica had also entered their sights.
The group whispered among themselves, but Olivier and the masked woman were both fully aware of their every movement.
Everyone had only just boarded, and none knew the others' backgrounds, so they remained mutually wary.
"I thought there would be a good show." Olivier muttered.
Between beauty and ugliness, one would naturally choose beauty first. Olivier felt that this had to be a great beauty.
In truth, Olivier was also extremely curious about the masked woman. He could not sense her exact strength, but his instincts told him that her power was unfathomable. He could not think of anyone on the Yulan Continent whose strength could make him feel this way. He had thought these young nobles might be able to probe her.
He was somewhat curious about her appearance, but even more curious about her strength.
This voyage would take roughly half a month before reaching the next dock. Soon, three days had passed, and the topic most discussed aboard the ship was Blumer and Julie's wedding.
Most of the men envied Blumer for marrying an imperial princess. Others felt that he was the second-youngest person after Linley to enter the Saint-level, so marrying a princess was only natural. They were inspired to become Saint-level warriors themselves.
The women envied the romantic fireworks and beautiful ring. Many guessed what the third gift might be, and Olivier merely chuckled at that.
The most eye-catching people on the ship were Olivier and the two women. Occasionally, someone would strike up a conversation with Sophie and Jessica, but no one behaved excessively. The masked beauty was the next most conspicuous person. Some wished to glimpse her true face, but she gave them no face at all, releasing a terrifying aura. In the end, no one dared disturb her.
Overall, everyone got along fairly harmoniously.
"Your fist technique appears completely powerless, yet it seems to contain the mysteries of Heaven and Earth." The masked woman finally spoke.
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, soothing to the heart. If she was not a beauty, Olivier would not believe it.
After what Olivier did with Sophie and Jessica at night, he still got up in the morning to practice Taiji Fist, hoping to comprehend a viable ultimate technique.
Sunrises on the ship differed from those on land. The sun rose from the horizon, reflecting across the water's surface in shimmering waves. The alternation of light and darkness at that moment contained a different kind of mystery. Olivier had caught a faint feeling, but regrettably, he had yet to find the key.
The reason for this scene was that, over the past few days, the masked woman had also grown curious about Olivier.
She could roughly sense Olivier's strength. He was a top expert among the Saint-level, traveling with two beautiful young maids. At night, he indulged in debauchery without restraint, yet he rose very early in the morning to practice a strange fist technique.
After watching several times, the masked woman discovered that this fist technique seemed to contain profound mysteries. She herself had vaguely gained some insight, so she spoke to ask him. This was also the first time she had spoken since boarding the ship.
"Taiji Fist emphasizes calming the mind, applying intent, and breathing naturally. It is mainly used to nourish the body and maintain health. What mysteries of Heaven and Earth could it possibly contain?"
Strangers meeting by chance, Olivier did not wish to say too much. People in this world would find the concepts behind Taiji difficult to understand.
Seeing that Olivier was unwilling, the masked woman did not ask further.
Over the following days, the masked woman watched Olivier practice his fist technique every morning, but she did not ask again. Once Olivier finished, she would leave.
Word of Olivier practicing Taiji Fist had long since spread through the ship, and many curious people began rising in the morning to watch him practice.
"Kid, I want to duel you. If you lose, Sophie and Jessica will be mine."
A beautiful woman was a source of disaster—Olivier had expected this long ago.
This person was a young nobleman and an eighth-rank warrior.
It could be said that Sophie and Jessica had drawn the attention of most of the men aboard the ship. He was the first to step forward.
Everyone loved beauty, but choosing the wrong target came at a price.
Before you continue