Wasn't the Saint Lord's thought process a bit too bizarre? Because he was worried she couldn't complete one task, he decided to assign her two?
"Saint Lord, I know you have been busy helping the family disciples elevate their cultivation recently." Lara said weakly.
"Although I am relatively young, I am not a junior of the family."
"Besides, I have been stuck at the seventh level of the Mahayana Realm for ten years without making any progress."
"If I could break through, I would have done so long ago."
"Reaching the Supreme Realm in fifty days... it is simply impossible for me to accomplish..."
"No, I feel you can do it." Alex smiled faintly.
"If I say you can, then you definitely can!"
He waved his hand, turned around, and left.
Stepping out of the Alchemist Pavilion, he opened the system's investment function.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for a successful investment, 20,000 Providence Points have been invested in the family member, Lara!]
[Family member Lara's cultivation speed is increased by 1,000%, and her comprehension is increased by 100 times!]
"Lara, I can only help you this much." Alex stroked his chin, chuckling to himself.
"You need to put in the effort and make me proud. Don't let my first major investment go down the drain."
…
After Alex left, Lara stood holding the Heavenly Heart Unregretful Orchid, her face full of gloom.
"The Saint Lord is really..."
"Even if he is eager to elevate the family's strength, he shouldn't be so impatient for success."
"It would have been one thing if he was just spurring on the young disciples of the household."
"But now, even an elder like me is being driven onto the perch like a duck."
"Inspirational soup is easy to dish out, but how could it be so easy to do?"
"Does he think that just because I believe I can break through to the Supreme Realm, I actually..."
A flash of inspiration streaked across her mind.
A look of absolute shock appeared on her face.
"This... this is..."
She felt as if she were standing in the middle of a starry cosmos.
Tens of thousands of stars surrounded her, within reach of her fingertips.
Each one a flash of insight.
With every star she plucked, the shackles hindering her breakthrough lessened by a layer.
"Cultivation... is actually such a relaxed and simple thing?"
"Heavens, how did I never notice this before?"
In an instant, Lara plucked dozens of stars. Her realm, stagnant for ten years, finally began to loosen.
She absorbed a massive amount of spiritual energy, battering against her realm barrier. Now only a hair's breadth from the eighth level of the Mahayana Realm.
Lara clenched her fists, her face blooming with a joyful smile.
"Could it be... I truly am a genius?!"
…
Within the capital of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty.
Aurelia sat upon her throne, elegant brows tightly furrowed.
Knox stood before her, head lowered in anxious embarrassment.
"Young Master Knox, what exactly is going on?" Aurelia asked indifferently after a long silence.
"Previously, you went to the Hale family alongside Selene and the Duke of Hale."
"Why is it that today, only you returned alone to see Us?"
"This..." Knox forced a smile.
"I don't know either. Perhaps the two of them were exhausted from the journey and returned to their palaces to rest..."
"Is that so?" Aurelia's voice grew noticeably colder.
"But Selene already came to seek an audience with me four hours ago."
"She stated that the Duke of Hale failed to suppress Alex and was instead expelled from the Hale family by him."
"She also stated that from this day forward, she will no longer involve herself in any matters related to you, Young Master Knox."
"Selene is a kind and pure-hearted person. This is the very first time I have ever heard her speak such heartless words."
"Just what exactly happened at the Hale family?"
Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Knox's forehead.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and recount what had happened.
Of course, he only revealed that the two hundred thousand spirit stones Daven had presented were stolen from the Hale family. His desire to abandon Daven, and the fact that he had slapped him, not a single word.
"I think Princess Orchid must have been deeply disappointed by the Duke of Hale's actions."
"Furthermore, to save him, she lost her most precious Heavenly Heart Unregretful Orchid at the Hale family."
"That is likely why her heart turned to ash, making her unwilling to interfere in my trivial matters anymore."
Aurelia nodded thoughtfully. "That is indeed not impossible..."
"I truly never expected that a mere Hale family could be so difficult to deal with."
"To actually force two of Our Princesses to retreat in the face of difficulties."
With a thud, Knox fell to his knees.
"Your Majesty, the enmity between me, Knox, and the Hale family is as deep as the sea. We cannot live under the same sky!"
"I beg Your Majesty to take action, help me wipe away my past humiliation, and exact my revenge!"
"If I do not avenge this grudge, I will never be able to eat or sleep in peace, and I will die with my eyes unclosed!"
Aurelia sighed softly. "Young Master Knox, please rise first."
"You are a benefactor of my Heavenly Flame Dynasty, I will naturally not stand idly by regarding your vengeance."
"It is just that you should have noticed by now. a massive change has occurred within Alex."
"He is no longer cold and tyrannically violent like before. He has become highly resourceful, able to bend and stretch as needed, and possesses extraordinary strategic judgement."
"With the power of my Heavenly Flame Dynasty, sweeping away the Hale family would naturally be as easy as flipping a hand."
"However, without a righteous cause to convince the world, I cannot make a move."
Knox gritted his teeth. "Then... what should we do?"
"I still have many state affairs to attend to and truly have no time to go picking at the Hale family's faults." Aurelia pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Young Master Knox, if you are truly so anxious for revenge, you might as well go ask her if she has any good strategies."
Knox froze slightly, then immediately nodded excitedly. "Many thanks, Your Majesty! I will go at once!"
The "her" Aurelia spoke of was precisely the Moon Princess among the Four Great Princesses of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, Lyra.
Lyra's cultivation had reached the third level of the Supreme Realm.