Overwhelmed by fear, they watched helplessly as two figures disappeared into the distance, no one daring to follow.
Outside the city, Sylvia gently floated down to the ground.
But...
Timothy in her arms showed no intention of getting down.
"Ha, can't help it, this embrace is just too comfy and soft, makes one not want to leave at all."
After locking eyes with Sylvia for a while, Timothy chuckled and finally climbed out of her arms.
The lights of Azure Sea City still shone brightly, barely illuminating the forest beyond the city.
Timothy took out the colorful kite again and offered it to Sylvia: "How about it, want to learn how to fly a kite?"
The evening breeze brushed through, causing Sylvia's waterfall-like hair to flutter softly.
A hint of longing was unmistakable in her clear, autumnal eyes.
"I'm not a child!" Sylvia huffed, turning her head away.
Timothy: "Then I'll put it away."
"Hey, don't."
Suddenly, Sylvia reached out to stop him, as if making a big decision.
With a shy glance, she finally took the kite, her voice soft, "Well, I don't have anything else to do, so if you insist on teaching me, I guess it wouldn't hurt."
"At your service, my goddess."
Timothy smiled, showing her the ropes, hand over hand.
To his surprise, Sylvia, known as a once-in-a-millennium genius who had dominated her peers and ascended to the throne two hundred years ago, was unexpectedly clumsy.
It took her hours to get the hang of flying a kite.
And because of this...
When she finally managed to control the kite, making it sway and float in the sky, her beautiful eyes seemed to sparkle with a different kind of brilliance as she looked at the colorful lights above.
"I did it!" She couldn't help but shout excitedly.
Realizing she had gotten a bit carried away, Sylvia quickly coughed and shot Timothy a glare.
The kite floated in the sky, a gentle breeze sweeping through.
For some reason, she felt a bit empty inside.
Was it... a longing for more?
Slowly reeling in the kite, Sylvia carefully stored it in her spatial storage.
"It's getting late, let's call it a night," Sylvia said, turning away and taking a few steps.
But suddenly, she turned back, seemingly a bit upset: "There were some street foods in the city I wanted to try, but those people ruined it!"
Timothy said, "No worries, why don't we go back to Azure Sea City and get a room? Even if the stalls are closed, I can cook for you."
"Impossible!" Sylvia responded decisively.
"Why?"
"Nonsense."
Sylvia stuttered a bit: "If we book a room, is it really to eat food? You just want to eat me!"
Timothy: "…"
Wow, in such a short time, even the mighty Goddess Sylvia has caught on to the innuendos between couples.
"Alright, I'll cook for you another time then," Timothy could only laugh.
"That's more like it." Sylvia huffed, and with a breeze, she slowly floated into the air.
Stealing a glance at Timothy, she transformed into a streak of light and quickly disappeared into the distance.
After Sylvia had gone, Timothy withdrew his gaze and took out the bonding stone from his pocket.
The bonding stone flickered with a faint blue light, ready to channel spiritual energy into it whenever he wanted to contact Sylvia.
Without lingering any longer, Timothy headed back to the Doomed Soul Sect.
The Doomed Soul Sect was shrouded in silence, as most of its inhabitants had already succumbed to sleep.
Timothy made a beeline for the Inferno Tower.
The tower had ten levels, and even the sect leader, Morvran, had only reached the sixth floor.
Last time, Timothy had also stopped at the sixth level.
Even with the blessing of his Ancient Saintly Body, he couldn't withstand the terrifying flames of the Inferno Tower.
But now, armed with the "Arcane Acceleration Technique" he'd earned from profoundly impacting the worldview of the third princess, things were different.
With this technique, Timothy could cultivate at a speed twice that of ordinary people.
Stepping into the Inferno Tower again, the situation was completely different.
The first six levels were a breeze, posing no threat to him.
But as Timothy stepped onto the seventh floor, the temperature soared.
The howling heat waves, like beasts from the abyss, roared and strained to devour him.
The intense flames twisted the air, enveloping Timothy in unbearable heat.
"Boom!"
Flames continuously engulfed his body.
Despite the Ancient Saintly Body's ability to mitigate and transform the heat, Timothy's skin still blackened and blistered, sending waves of pain.
"Arcane Acceleration Technique."
Timothy activated the Arcane Acceleration Technique.
Instantly, it was as if his pathway was clear, his connection with the outside world rapidly expanding.
A continuous stream of spiritual energy flowed into him, moisturizing his body while resisting the surrounding flames.
This was the power of double-speed cultivation.
Such terrifying speed would astonish anyone.
But the surging flames seemed unwilling to give up, attacking Timothy with even greater ferocity.
They seemed intent on tearing apart all the spiritual energy around him, to completely engulf him.
Calmly, Timothy accessed the system and used his remaining three skill points to upgrade the Arcane Acceleration Technique directly to level three.
"Triple the cultivation speed!"
In an instant, like a mighty river, an even denser and more massive amount of spiritual energy gathered, turning Timothy's skin almost pale.
The surging spiritual energy forcefully suppressed the surrounding flames.
In a moment, the previously arrogant flames were completely subdued.
With a thought, Timothy sent a ripple of spiritual energy throughout the seventh floor of the Inferno Tower.
"Boom!"
With a loud noise, all was calm.
The flames and heat waves were gone, and even the seventh level, which even Sect Leader Morvran couldn't break through, was completely subdued by Timothy!
Just then, a red glow shimmered from behind.
Timothy turned around, and a small tower, not much bigger than a palm, gently floated down.
This small red tower, though not large, radiated intense heat.
"System, what is this?"
[Ding, this tower is known as the Inferno Suppression Tower, a flawless Rare-level artifact. It can suppress enemies within the tower using intense flames and has the potential to grow.]
"Scored a treasure!"
It was Timothy's first encounter with a flawless Rare-level artifact.
Though not an Epic-level, this artifact had growth potential and was extremely practical.
Quite satisfied, Timothy pocketed the Inferno Suppression Tower.
Suddenly, a dazzling red light, indicating someone had cleared the level, shone from the seventh floor of the Inferno Tower.
"Someone has passed the seventh level of the Inferno Tower!"
In the night sky, when it was noticed that this intense red light came from the seventh floor of the Inferno Tower, the entire Doomed Soul Sect erupted in excitement!