Investing in the Reborn Empress, Rewarded With 10x Returns

The elders fell into silence. They saw a trace of horror in each other’s eyes.

The sect already had Liana, a born combat prodigy. That was headache enough.

If a second one were to emerge...

The elders collectively leaned back in their seats.

The only consolation was that while Theo was formidable in battle, his temperament was usually mild and amiable. This time, he only struck hard because Gael provoked him first.

"We should arrange a moral cultivation course for him," the steward muttered gravely.

"He is my disciple!" Vespera wrinkled her delicate nose and snorted. "A bunch of old fools. Just moments ago, you were questioning my teaching abilities."

His body-refining techniques and blade arts. What part of those had even the slightest connection to you?

This was purely the result of his own innate genius.

The fact that he reached such a level under Vespera’s tutelage only highlighted his raw potential.

"He obtained the Crimson Edge. His blade arts must be impressive as well."

"If his body-refining skills are on par, then his match against Liana will truly give us a clash of titans."

"Hahaha, the sect has birthed a true phoenix, and now a hidden dragon emerges!"

Given the skill Theo displayed on the stage. At just sixteen years old.

If he possessed considerable mastery in the blade, he would undoubtedly rank among the elite geniuses.

The elders cast amused glances at the representatives of the visiting factions.

Thought the sect was in decline?

Came to test our foundation?

Sweating bullets now, are you?

The match came to an end.

The outcome went without saying, and it left an indelible impression. After all, this was the first time in the current evaluation that someone had to be carried off on a stretcher.

If not for Gael’s twitching limbs as he was taken away, everyone would have thought he was dead.

Many turned their eyes to Liana.

Yet the young maiden remained composed. Sipping her tea as if this was no surprise at all.

She had personally instructed Theo in combat, so she knew.

To someone of his caliber in the blade path, body-refining was merely the icing on the cake.

Upon reflection, the crowd understood.

Since the two lived together, they must have had some insight into each other’s strength. It would be stranger if she were surprised.

The only question was.

Which of them held the upper hand now?

The sect evaluation continued.

But the subsequent matches were uneventful.

Liana’s battles could be summarized as:

"I moved, one strike, it is over."

However, someone else didn’t even need to strike.

In the semifinals, Theo faced a familiar opponent.

A disciple of Alchemy Peak. The same attendant who received them at the medical hall months ago.

"Heh, Theo, we meet again," the attendant said with a smile, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Back when I first saw you, you hadn’t even opened your meridians. I was already at the Jade Liquid realm."

"Who would have thought you would now be standing across from me in this arena?"

His true age was much older than his youthful appearance suggested, a result of an illness that stunted his growth.

"Senior Brother." Theo nodded.

"Hm?"

"If you want to say ’standing across’, you should probably step onto the stage first."

Seeing the attendant still loitering below the platform, Theo sighed in exasperation.

"Ah, right. I just remembered there is a batch of pills refining back at Alchemy Peak."

"I will take my leave now. I wouldn’t want to disturb."

The attendant scurried off in haste.

As he left, his gaze lingered between Liana and Theo before giving Theo a thumbs-up.

"Go for it, Theo."

"I am rooting for you."

Well, at least he didn’t have to move.

Now, the final match.

Theo looked up to see Liana at the foot of the steps. Her slender frame wrapped in a pale blue robe that fluttered in the wind. The depths of her dark, tranquil eyes finally rippled with emotion.

She never imagined.

That the person standing opposite her in the finals would be Theo.

The same boy who, in her past life, faded into obscurity almost instantly.

Yet in this life, he fearlessly leaped into the Abyss with her. He unhesitatingly yielded the Aurora Spark to her. He revealed astonishing talent, nearly rivaling Elara.

Because of him, her life took many unexpected turns.

Now, there were delicious meals every day. Someone to discuss blade arts with. Games of chess, and even the occasional amusing phrase that tumbled from his lips.

This feeling.

Was not half bad.

"Thanks to you, I have grown much stronger."

"I will not hold back," Theo said with a smile.

The rewards he gained from the ice block were too numerous to count.

And through daily immersion, he had finally realized his dream to become a dashing blademaster.

"No need to thank me. Thank your own hard work instead," Liana replied, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, unconscious smile.

"Let me see how much you have improved."

"I will definitely surprise you," Theo grinned brightly.

As a blademaster, facing a true master.

This was exhilarating.

"If you have made great strides, I will be happy for you," Liana murmured softly.

His blade arts were her teaching.

Naturally, she would take pride in his progress.

Victory or defeat?

That hardly mattered at all.

Wait, are you two going to fight or not?

Most competitors either trashtalked or at least exchanged cold glares. But here you are, being all supportive and proud of each other?

Should we just leave?

Fortunately, neither prolonged the conversation.

Theo tightened his grip on the Crimson Edge, steadying his breath.

Liana tied her dark hair into a high ponytail with one hand, then gave a slight nod.

The battle began.

Theo struck first. The tip of his blade flickered as the killing aura condensed into near-tangible sharpness.

Like a volley of crane feathers, each strand carried the force to pierce metal and shatter stone.

He hadn’t wasted his time these past months.

To better navigate interactions as the "Sovereign" for Elara, he buried himself in the library. He devoured every manual on techniques and principles, even investing a significant portion of his system insights into them.

He took a giant leap toward the realm of "skill approaching the dao."

"Using blade aura in place of internal energy."

"Not bad," Liana praised softly.

A frost-bright gleam flashed. She didn’t use internal energy either.

Yet her nimble footwork dissolved each deadly strand of aura with precision, leaving room to counter.

The disintegrated aura swirled back toward Theo in a reversed storm.

The next instant.

Theo vanished from his spot.

Gale Shadow Step.

"The art can be driven with the momentum of wind and rain."

"Constantly evading will only make my blade grow stronger," Liana’s clear voice rang out.

Theo fell into thought.

Both were using perfected blade techniques, so why was he being suppressed?

Suddenly, he stopped focusing on the advanced forms and instead traced back to the original foundational techniques.

Wildfire sweeping the prairie.

The audience below fell silent.

Were these two strong?

Extremely so.

Whether it was Theo or Liana, their blade arts far surpassed anything the spectators could imagine.

But... What the hell?

Where was the cutthroat intensity expected of a competition for the top martial rank?

Was this even a real fight?

They were practically sparring and feeding each other moves!

Theo, where was the brutality you showed when you crushed Gael into the ground?

Liana, where was your usual unstoppable dominance, ending battles in an instant?

You two were not like this before!

Are you kidding us?!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!