The next day, six Humvees sped along the border of Slatin and Shipmeda Province.
Lyra sat in the passenger seat of the first vehicle, her eyes fixed on the documents in her hands. They detailed Flynn’s three-month itinerary in Niarak, meticulously thorough.
There were also a dozen photos of young women, each annotated with their names and full family histories.
“This bastard!” Lyra couldn’t help but curse aloud.
Her captain of the guard, Tamsin, glanced at her cautiously. “Boss, I think you might be overreacting a bit,” she said tentatively.
“Lord Valerian Nox doesn’t have a marriage agreement with you, and he’s never promised to marry you. You don’t really have the right to interfere in his private life, do you?”
Tamsin, as Lyra’s trusted confidant, knew everything about her. She also knew Flynn’s identity. A man like him could attract any woman, but Tamsin still felt Lyra’s reaction was a bit excessive. There wasn’t any justification for confronting him or making accusations.
Lyra sighed and shook her head. “Tamsin, you’ve only guessed half the reason I’m angry. The deeper reason, well-” She trailed off, a note of sorrow creeping into her voice.
“If I can’t persuade Flynn to become the King of Haralu, Ostrad will plunge into chaos…”
She closed the file gently, her gaze drifting into the distance. Beneath her sharp brows, her eyes carried a trace of melancholy.
“Chaos?” Tamsin’s eyes widened in alarm as she turned to look at Lyra.
Meanwhile, Flynn sneezed three times in quick succession, rubbing his nose in annoyance.
“Who’s cursing me this time? Molly, that troublesome disciple of mine?”
He threw off the covers and got out of bed.
Sure enough, as soon as Flynn left his bedroom, Molly, who had finished preparing breakfast, shot him a disdainful look.
Case solved. His rebellious pupil was badmouthing him behind his back again.
“Waking up in a foul mood like this means your liver isn’t in good shape, and your heart has issues too,” Flynn said casually as he swaggered to the couch, grabbing a fried bun and stuffing it into his mouth.
Molly snorted. “If you didn’t sleep until the sun hit your backside every day and got up to make breakfast once in a while, I’d probably be a lot healthier.”
“Feeling wronged?” Flynn smirked, raising a brow to tease her. “Ms. Sharp, it’s fine if you sleep in, but now you’re holding me accountable? It seems I’ve been too indulgent with you!”
Though Molly’s words were sharp, she still placed a plate of fried dough sticks in front of him, her face full of indignation.
“Rose works late every night while you sit around watching videos after eating, doing absolutely nothing. How can you even compare yourself to her? If you have so much free time, why don’t you help me correct my sword techniques? You’re always calling yourself my master, but aren’t you ashamed?”
Flynn had given her the Cloud Strikes technique before coming to Slatin.
But after two days of practice, Molly couldn’t achieve the majestic sword energy described in Flynn’s notes. The effect was barely half of what it was supposed to be.
“Teach swordsmanship?” Flynn chuckled, dipping a dough stick into soy milk before taking a bite. “So that’s what this is about!”
“Fine! Let’s see how your Cloud Strikes is coming along later.”
“Really?” Molly’s eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly sat beside Flynn.
Flynn glanced at her chest, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “Of course, I’m serious-”
“What did you just say?” Molly’s brows furrowed as she picked up a chopstick, ready to strike.
Flynn quickly averted his gaze and shoved a tea egg into his mouth. “Ahem… I said I’m serious!”
“Hmph! Shameless!” Molly gave him a look of disdain before turning to call Rose.
After breakfast, Rose returned upstairs. She had received news from Titan Holdings yesterday-they had agreed. Over the next two days, she would help Scarlet organize and summarize their assets.
“Rose hasn’t been in a good mood since yesterday. She only ate one fried bun just now. I feel like she’s hiding something,” Molly muttered as she cleared the table.
Unaware of the arrangement with Titan Holdings, Molly could only speculate.
Flynn replied nonchalantly, “She’s just overthinking. I’ll surprise her in a few days.”
He could have told Rose directly, but he was curious to see how far this silly woman would go for him.
“A surprise? As long as it’s not a scare,” Molly said dryly.
Flynn smiled mysteriously. “Who knows? It might just be a scare.”
“Let’s go. Bring your sword and show me what you’ve got!”
Using a napkin to wipe his mouth, Flynn stood and headed to the backyard.
The villa, purchased for three million dollars, did not disappoint. The backyard was vast, bordered by a cliff with a river rushing below, fed by a waterfall two miles away. The ten-meter-wide cascade was majestic, and the scenery was breathtaking.
Molly changed into loose athletic wear and carried her longsword as she approached.
Without a word, she began practicing the Cloud Strikes technique.
Her movements were agile and swift, like a swallow darting through the air. The sharp glint of her sword cut through the atmosphere, stirring up a fierce wind.
“Wrong! Stop!” Flynn immediately noticed the flaws.
The move, though seemingly powerful, lacked force. It could kill a Grandmaster, but a Great Grandmaster would easily withstand it.
Molly, currently a Lesser Sovereign, had received Flynn’s spiritual energy infusion. At its peak, this technique should have been able to slay an Adept Lesser Sovereign. Clearly, something was off with her execution.
Molly felt a pang of frustration and looked at Flynn dejectedly.
“I know there’s something wrong, but even after discussing it with my sisters several times, we couldn’t figure it out.”
“You’re all so clueless!” Flynn shook his head, exasperated. “Lesser Sovereigns can vaguely harness the forces of nature. If you’re only relying on internal energy without syncing it with the natural world, of course, you can’t unleash the full power of Cloud Strikes.”
Molly pouted, feeling wronged. “It’s not like we’ve done this before. You never taught me how to use the forces of nature…”
Ignoring her complaints, Flynn patiently explained, “To harness the forces of nature, you need to master the circulation of energy in your dantian.
“No matter if you’re an Adept or a Blademaster, when executing techniques, you must focus your spiritual energy on your dantian, allowing it to mediate between your internal energy and the natural forces around you.
“The key is to slightly contract your lower abdomen and concentrate your mind on the dantian.
“At this point, in your mind’s eye, there will be a red sun in your dantian, its light illuminating your internal organs, limbs, and bones.
“Simultaneously, a beam of moonlight carrying yin energy will rise from the earth and flow into your dantian from below.
“Above your head, a ray of sunlight infused with yang energy will descend and merge with the red sun in your dantian.
“When the yin and yang energies blend, your dantian will feel warm and harmonious.”
Flynn took Molly’s sword and said, “Watch my movements. I’ll demonstrate at the Lesser Sovereign level.”
He began to move.
As Flynn spun, the sword’s radiance erupted skyward, like a galaxy overturned. Sword energy swept across the heavens, dazzling and awe-inspiring.
The entire valley was enveloped in his sword’s aura.
Then, with a single slash, Flynn aimed his sword at the cliff’s edge.
“Boom!”
The sword energy roared like an earthquake, splitting the valley apart.
The blinding, overwhelming sword light was like a giant axe cleaving the heavens and earth. It struck the waterfall two miles away, severing it cleanly in half.