Nia & O'Brien

Nia looked over just as Wharton looked at her. Their eyes met, and Nia's heart suddenly pounded wildly. She hurriedly looked away, turning her flushed face aside. Even so, Wharton still caught the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Third Brother, that's the Empire's Seventh Princess, His Majesty's favorite princess. She has plenty of admirers, so pursuing her won't be easy," Aaron said, watching Wharton's expression.

"What's there to fear, Third Brother? If you like her, go for it. We brothers support you. Worst case, we'll just snatch her back and make her your wife," Kate said, eager to stir up trouble.

"What are you talking about? Always going on about snatching women. No wonder you've attended every ball all these years and never brought back a girlfriend," Kane said, knocking him on the head.

It was as though Wharton had not heard their teasing.

Wharton did not know where he found the courage, but he ignored everyone else's gazes and walked straight toward Nia, giving her a gentlemanly noble's bow.

"Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of this dance?" Wharton asked with a smile.

Standing directly before Nia, with his nearly one-meter-eighty-five frame, he was not particularly burly, but among those his age, he was still strikingly imposing. As though the boy had suddenly appeared before her, a distinctly masculine aura washed over Nia. Her heart began racing even faster. She glanced at her companions nearby, but though they were not far away, they suddenly felt impossibly distant. For a moment, she did not know how to respond.

"Wow, Nia, what are you waiting for?" Her companion, noticing the looks Aaron and the others gave him, reached out and gave Nia a push. Clearly, they had known one another for a long time.

"Uh..."

Nia hurriedly came back to her senses.

Looking at Wharton's expectant face, she hesitated briefly. Then, looking at the young man before her who made her heart race, she accepted his invitation. To be honest, she already had a very favorable impression of him.

Perhaps it was fate's bond that brought Wharton and Nia together. The feelings between them were intense, and Wharton liked Nia very much. Fate itself seemed to be pushing them toward one another. Although they had not yet confirmed their relationship, it was only a matter of time, and Wharton gladly accepted fate's wonderful arrangement.

From then on, the two often went on dates. Before long, they both fell deeply in love. Now, besides cultivation, another important thing in Wharton's heart was spending time with Nia. Whenever he was with her, Wharton felt exceptionally relaxed.

Nia's talent was not particularly good. After they confirmed their relationship, Wharton first gave her a Foundation-Building Pill to improve her aptitude. He also expended a tremendous amount of mental energy to improve her constitution and widen her meridians, greatly enhancing both her talent and physique. Every day, he also circulated the unique vitality of Dragonblood Battle Qi to temper Nia's body.

In the original story, Nia had not even reached the Saint Domain. This time, Wharton would absolutely not allow that to happen again. With the impurities in her body removed and Wharton's long-term help tempering her physique, in just a few months, Nia underwent enormous changes in both strength and figure. Her entire bearing became more refined, though she still retained a faint heroic air. Nia had considerable talent for water magic and also trained as a warrior. Wharton made time every day to guide her cultivation, and he gave her a water-element cultivation manual he had prepared for her. In only a few months, she rose directly from a Fifth-Level Mage to the late stage of a Sixth-Level Mage, her cultivation speed not much slower than Kane and the others.

Of course, Wharton also told Nia to keep the matter of the Foundation-Building Pill secret. If others learned of a pill capable of improving one's aptitude, it would be enough to bring enormous danger to Wharton as he was now. Nia understood the seriousness of the matter and did not tell even the emperor of the O'Brien Empire.

Although helping Nia temper her body slowed Wharton's cultivation, it was not without benefits. First, the daily depletion and precise control of Dragonblood Battle Qi greatly improved the purity of Wharton's Dragonblood Battle Qi. His foundation became even more solid, and his control more perfect.

It was also while cultivating with Nia, as his control of Dragonblood Battle Qi became increasingly precise, that he comprehended the realm of the Force of Heaven and Earth, increasing Wharton's strength by at least fivefold.