Mysterious Masked Woman

The next day.

Olivier finished his Taiji Fist as usual. Remembering he hadn't practiced his swordsmanship in a long time, he retrieved the Mystic Ice Sword from his interspatial ring and began to train. He did not deliberately practice any specific sword style, letting his heart guide his movements; at times fast, at times slow, blending the Taiji philosophy of yielding to control with the sharp, preemptive strike of light.

The fusion of the Laws of Light and Darkness—simply fusing direct attacks doesn't seem to unleash their maximum power. Perhaps I can contemplate and create a new ultimate technique based on Taiji Fist.

Olivier pondered as he practiced, his moves flowing naturally as his heart willed. It was quite a while before he finally stopped.

"Big Brother, your swordsmanship doesn't look very powerful."

No sooner had Olivier stopped than he heard Blumer's voice.

It was the first day of Blumer's marriage. According to custom, the first day required the new bride to meet the elders of the family. As the eldest brother, Olivier stood in the place of a father, so Blumer had brought Julie to see him early in the morning.

"Big Brother, good morning." Julie bowed and offered her greetings; her royal princess etiquette was naturally impeccable, noble and graceful.

"Sister-in-law, good morning," Olivier nodded.

"Second Brother, you two are newlyweds; you should have rested more."

At Olivier's words, both Blumer and Julie blushed.

"Haha, I was just practicing my swordplay casually."

Seeing their reaction, Olivier shifted the topic at the right moment.

"Since you're both here, let's have breakfast together in a moment."

The Archisoren Duke Mansion only had the two brothers, so they were quite casual and lacked rigid rules. With Blumer newly married, having a family meal would help Julie integrate into the household more quickly.

The family enjoyed breakfast together. Julie also met the legendary Sophie and Jessica, the two sisters who had supposedly caused Olivier to fall from grace. They were indeed stunningly beautiful, clever, and virtuous—they certainly had the capital to make a man lose his way.

Sophie and Jessica also met the future mistress of the Archisoren mansion. Although Olivier had told Blumer to call them sisters-in-law, they felt a sense of impropriety and unease in front of Julie.

Fortunately, all three women were easy to get along with. By the end of the meal, they were already like old friends. Julie even promised to teach Sophie fire-style magic; with Julie's strength as a ninth-rank mage, she was more than qualified to instruct Sophie.

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 he was newly married, Olivier didn't want to dictate his brother's life anymore. He needed to improve his own strength rapidly. Besides, Blumer was already a Saint-level expert and could slowly cultivate toward godhood, so he decided to leave him be for now—he was under his protection anyway.

Olivier decided to first send Sophie and Jessica to the Yulan Empire Magic Academy, then head to the Baruch Kingdom to search for the secret chamber that could aid in his cultivation.

"Big Brother, are you leaving again?"

Olivier was already prepared to depart when Blumer found him. In truth, after listening to Olivier's words, Blumer had also wanted to go out and challenge himself, but having just married Julie, he had to abandon that thought.

"Yes, I must improve my strength immediately," Olivier affirmed. "Also, I will be sending Sophie and Jessica to the Yulan Empire Magic Academy to study."

"Big Brother, even Senior Fane is no match for you. You don't need to be in such a rush to improve, do you?"

Ever since Olivier defeated Fane, Blumer truly felt that Olivier's strength was already sufficient.

"Second Brother, your perspective is too narrow. If I told you that in the future, god-level experts will be walking all over the continent, would you still think my current strength is enough?"

Olivier said in a deep voice.

"Ah, no way."

This information shocked Blumer. He had never considered such a thing. He believed his big brother could reach the god-level in the future, which would be the absolute peak of the continent. As for the continent having many god-level experts, he had never imagined it. If it hadn't been Olivier saying it, he might have taken it as a joke.

"Second Brother, I've told you before, I hope you can break through to the god-level on your own. With your current mindset, it will be very difficult." Olivier realized that even though he had spoken to Blumer, he hadn't been able to change his outlook.

"Within the next three to five years, I will be staying in Linley's Baruch Kingdom. If you need anything, you can find me there."

Olivier knew that saying more might have the opposite effect. Trusting that Blumer would eventually form his own ideas, he stopped interfering and simply told him his destination.

The next day, Olivier left the Duke Mansion with the sisters, Sophie and Jessica.

The Yulan River was the number one inland river on the continent. Heading south from Red Flame City, one could follow the Yulan River directly to the capital of the Yulan Empire.

The surging waters of the Yulan River stretched for tens of thousands of miles, reaching several miles wide in some places and several hundred meters in others. It was the "Mother River" of the entire Yulan Continent, having nurtured countless people. The recorded history of the Yulan Continent could be traced back hundreds of thousands of years.

Olivier and the sisters boarded a three-story luxury passenger ship, renting the best rooms on the top deck to conveniently enjoy the scenery along the Yulan River.

This passenger ship of the magical world was exceptionally luxurious, containing about fifty or sixty rooms. The decor was opulent, featuring intricate carvings of dragons and phoenixes, elegant and unique. All the passengers were either wealthy or noble.

"My Lord, this is my first time seeing the Yulan River. It's so beautiful."

Jessica hugged Olivier's arm and said excitedly. Sophie hugged his other arm in agreement.

Ever since Olivier announced he would send them to the Yulan Empire to study magic, the sisters had been feeling down and reluctant to part. It was only after Olivier explained that it was so they could be together forever that their moods had improved.

Seeing the beautiful Yulan River now, their spirits had truly lifted.

To outsiders, the three of them looked like a young nobleman out for a pleasure trip with two handmaidens.

There were many people on the ship: noble sons, merchants, warriors, and mages.

"I bet she must be ugly, that's why she's wearing a mask."

In the distance, several noble youths were discussing a masked woman. This woman lived next door to Olivier's group. She wore a silver mask and a mage's robe; one could tell she was a woman, and she had a wonderful figure. Olivier had noticed her as soon as he boarded.

From the moment she boarded until now, the woman had been staring at the Yulan River alone. With the cool breeze blowing and her hair fluttering, her devilish figure was partially visible, and her temperament was outstanding. Although her face was hidden, she had piqued the curiosity of everyone on the ship.

"Guessing is useless. If you've got the guts, go make her take off the mask and see for yourself," another noble youth said with disdain.

"Don't go looking for trouble. Everyone on this ship is either wealthy or noble, and she is very likely a powerful mage."

Another person whispered, clearly not some brainless playboy.

"You guys are so boring. With two great beauties right here, you insist on obsessing over someone wearing a mask."

Clearly, Sophie and Jessica were also within their line of sight.

The group muttered to themselves, though in reality, every move they made was perfectly clear to both Olivier and the masked woman.

Everyone had just boarded the ship, and since no one knew each other's background, there was mutual wariness.

"I thought I was going to see a good show," Olivier muttered to himself.

Between beauty and ugliness, one naturally chooses beauty; Olivier felt certain that she must be a great beauty.

In truth, Olivier was also extremely curious about this masked woman. He could not sense her specific strength, but his intuition told him that her power was unfathomable. He couldn't think of anyone on the Yulan Continent who gave him such a feeling, and he had hoped these noble youths might test her.

He was somewhat curious about the woman's appearance, but even more curious about her strength.

This voyage would take about half a month to reach the next port. Three days passed quickly, and the topic discussed most on the ship was the wedding of Blumer and Julie.

Most of the men envied Blumer for marrying an imperial princess; others believed it was only natural, as he was the second youngest person after Linley to step into the Saint-level, and they were inspired to become Saint-level themselves.

The ladies envied the romantic fireworks and the beautiful ring, and many speculated about what the third gift might be, at which Olivier simply chuckled.

The most eye-catching people on the ship were Olivier and his two companions. Occasionally, someone would try to strike up a conversation with Sophie and Jessica, but no one went too far. Next was the masked beauty; some had wanted to catch a glimpse of her true face, but unfortunately, she gave them no face at all, releasing a terrifying aura until eventually, no one dared to disturb her.

Overall, the interactions remained relatively harmonious.

"This fist technique of yours appears to have no power, yet it seems to contain the mysteries of the earth," the masked woman asked aloud.

Her voice was crisp and melodious, refreshing to the heart; if she weren't a beauty, Olivier wouldn't have believed it.

Despite what Olivier did with Sophie and Jessica at night, he still rose in the morning to practice Taiji Fist, hoping to comprehend a unique ultimate move.

The sunrise on the ship was different from that on land. The sun rose from the horizon, reflecting off the water's surface in shimmering waves. At this moment, the alternation of light and dark contained a different kind of mystery, and Olivier had a faint feeling, though he had yet to find the key.

The reason this scene occurred was that, over these past few days, the masked woman had also begun to grow curious about Olivier.

She could roughly sense Olivier's strength—a top-tier expert among the Saint-level—traveling with two beautiful maids, living a life of debauchery at night, yet rising early in the morning to practice a strange fist technique.

The masked woman had watched a few times and discovered that this fist technique seemed to hold great mysteries, and she had even gained some faint insights herself, which was why she spoke up—the first time she had done so since boarding the ship.

"Taiji Fist. Calm the heart, focus the intent, and breathe naturally. It is mainly for health and fitness; there are no mysteries of the earth in it."

As casual acquaintances, Olivier did not want to say too much; the philosophy of Taiji was difficult for people of this world to understand.

Seeing that Olivier was unwilling to share, the masked woman did not press further.

In the days that followed, the masked woman would watch Olivier practice his fist technique every morning, but she did not ask again, leaving as soon as he finished.

The news of Olivier practicing Taiji Fist had long since spread across the ship, and many curious people would get up early to watch him.

"Boy, I challenge you to a duel. If you lose, Sophie and Jessica belong to me."

A beauty is a curse; this was well within Olivier's expectations.

The man was a young noble, an eighth-rank warrior.

It could be said that Sophie and Jessica had attracted the gaze of most men on the ship, and he was the first to jump out.

Everyone has an appreciation for beauty, but choosing the wrong target comes with a price.