Jared, too, seized the opportunity of dual cultivation. While guiding Lyra, honed the Power of Three and the Power of Dragons. The wounds on his meridians left by the reckless draw of the Divine Bow mended beneath the tower’s rich celestial energy and Lyra’s gentle nourishment.

Spiritual energy pooled inside his elixir field, dense and luminous, pressing against the distant gate of the Earthly Immortal Realm. The hush did not last. From a nearby stone platform, Flaxseed shattered the quiet with a startled cry.

That day, Jared threaded a particularly fierce surge of the Power of Dragons into Lyra, helping storm Earthly Immortal Realm Level Seven.

Beads of sweat blossomed on forehead, a muffled moan escaped throat. An instant later, a dull thump echoed across the chamber, Flaxseed had toppled clean off his own platform.

“Mr. Flaxseed, are you all right?” Jared withdrew the power at once, hurried from the alcove, and crouched beside Flaxseed. Flaxseed clutched the back of his head, cheeks puffed with embarrassment.

“I’m fine… Just sat too long, legs went numb,” muttered, yet his eyes skittered everywhere but at Lyra. A shy flush crept across Lyra’s ears.

Only then did Jared realize the obvious, their hiding barrier blocked sight, not sound. Every breathless cry Lyra had loosed those past days of dual cultivation had rolled over the silent tower like thunder, and Flaxseed had heard every syllable.