"If I'm not mistaken, Seraphina Starling's Arcanergy has already been cultivated to the fifth tier. Uncle, are you saying that Seraphina Starling, who possesses fifth-tier Arcanergy, was injured by Aurora, who has no knowledge of Furyflame and Arcanergy?" A hint of controlled anger flickered across Sarkspur Starling's smooth, jade-like face, lending an air of superiority to the normally gentle and refined young man.
Even Vladimir Starling could feel the powerful oppressive aura emanating from Sarkspur Starling, and he secretly marveled at it.
What kind of strength does this boy possess to be able to exude such a powerful aura?
A fifth-tier Arcanergy master injured by a fool who doesn't even know the basics of Arcanergy or Furyflame? If this were to get out, it would surely be recorded as the greatest joke of the past century in the Dragon Pavilion Empire.
Not even Arcanus Starling would believe it, and Vladimir Starling himself could hardly accept such a fact. If it were true, wouldn't it mean that the daughter he had always been proud of was not as strong as a mere fool?
Vladimir Starling's face turned pale, then green, and finally purple.
"Phoenix, what exactly happened? Speak," Arcanus Starling demanded, his brow furrowed. Normally, if something occurred in Aurora Starling's room, it would be Aurora who suffered at the hands of Seraphina and Phoenix. However, today it seemed as if their roles had been reversed, with Seraphina Starling unconscious and Phoenix Starling looking utterly defeated.
Phoenix Starling was still very afraid of his silent and reserved grandfather, Arcanus Starling. Even though he was his grandfather, they were not particularly close. Called upon, Phoenix Starling swallowed hard, instinctively glancing towards Aurora Starling, who was being shielded by Sarkspur Starling. At this moment, Aurora Starling seemed to have reverted to her usual naive and ignorant self, showing none of the malevolent aura from before. Yet, that brief glimpse was deeply etched into Phoenix Starling's mind. For some reason, when he looked at Aurora Starling now, his heart was filled with something other than the usual contempt and disdain—only an overwhelming sense of reluctance.
"Speak up!" Vladimir Starling shouted at his son, who was staring at the 'idiot' like a fool, his anger flaring.
Phoenix Starling started and hurriedly replied, "I... I don't know anything. My sister told me to stand guard at the door. I have no idea what happened inside the room."
Usually, Phoenix Starling would have taken the opportunity to add insult to injury. Even if he hadn't seen Aurora Starling strike, he would have certainly framed her. However, now his heart felt as if a boulder were pressing down on it, and he couldn't bring himself to utter a single slanderous word against Aurora Starling.
That chilling smile was something he never wanted to see again.
"Guarding the door?" Sarkspur Starling shot a glance at Phoenix Starling, who immediately shrank back like a startled quail and moved to the side.
Arcanus Starling's frown deepened. With no clues at hand, and Aurora Starling's mind being that of a four-year-old child, there was no hope of getting any information from her. And with Seraphina Starling still unconscious, there was no help to be expected from her either.
"Take the injured away and have Utumn examine them. Are you all trying to add to the chaos? Why are you all just standing around? Go do what you're supposed to be doing!" Arcanus Starling said with a headache. His entire focus was on awakening Bennu, and he had no time to deal with the squabbles of these mischievous children.
At Arcanus Starling's order, everyone had no choice but to comply.
Vladimir Starling reluctantly led Seraphina Starling and Phoenix Starling away, and after a few instructions, Arcanus Starling left as well.
Only Aurora Starling and Sarkspur Starling remained in the room.
"Don't be afraid," Sarkspur Starling said, patting Aurora Starling on the shoulder and looking at the pile of ashes that had been the gifts. "I'll have someone send more over tomorrow. Don't worry."
As if she'd worry about those things! Aurora Starling silently rolled her eyes in her mind. Apart from a slight regret for the food, she felt nothing for those beautifully useless "preschool" toys.
Seraphina Starling's misfortune ensured that the two mischievous children no longer harassed Aurora Starling in the following days. Due to Arcanus Starling's influence, Sarkspur Starling also had little time to spare by Aurora's side. As a result, the now-idle Aurora Starling was once again sent to endure the grueling training regimen.
The cultivation of Arcanergy and Furyflame was most rapid at the beginning, but as one approached the sixth tier, the pace of advancement slowed. Despite four consecutive days of the intense training, Aurora Starling's Furyflame and Arcanergy had only risen to the fourth and fifth tiers, respectively. This pace, which would be astonishing to ordinary people, was turtle-like compared to the daily tier promotions Aurora had previously experienced.
"Damn it, why isn't there any progress at all?" As night fell, Aurora Starling concluded her day's training, feeling as if her advancement had stalled. Her Furyflame had seen some improvement, but it was still a ways off from the fifth tier. However, her Arcanergy showed no movement whatsoever.
This was quite unaccustomed for Aurora Starling, who was used to soaring through the ranks.
'The breaking of the first seal only grants you the dual cultivation physique of Arcanergy and Furyflame. Until the second seal is broken, your progress will slow, and you will eventually come to a standstill at a certain level,' Heron's voice interjected at the appropriate moment.
"What exactly is this seal?" Aurora Starling felt frustrated. She had been promised a dramatic turnaround, a climb to the top of the Bennu family. If what Heron said was true, she feared that after reaching a certain level, she would be unable to move forward. The feeling of the seal breaking was exhilarating, but the subsequent issues were no small matter.
'Didn't I tell you, it suppresses your power. Breaking the first seal is just the beginning. If you wish to grow stronger, you must continue to break the remaining seals. This will not only allow you to continue advancing, but the suppressed power will also burst forth,' Heron's voice remained calm and collected, with a hint of frostiness.
"How do I break the second seal, then?" Aurora Starling inquired.
Heron fell silent for a moment before uttering a single word.
'Faunus.'
Faunus, the malevolent creatures that lurk in the shadows of the Light Continent, are neither human nor beast, nor ordinary animals. They are natural servants of the ravark race, feeding on livestock and humans. The stronger the faunus, the more powerful it becomes. While lesser faunus are merely brutal, the higher-ranked ones can assume human form, hiding in the midst of human settlements, biding their time to strike at their targets.
To faunus, human internal organs are their favorite delicacy, an irresistible temptation. Countless humans on the Light Continent have fallen prey to the faunus, their numbers once posing such a grave threat to the survival of the human population that several nations were forced to unite their armies to launch a campaign against the faunus and cleanse them from the land.