Brothers Reunited

Upon arriving at Alaric's door and noticing it was closed, Magnus handed the box to a guard, signaling Seraphina and the guards to wait for him elsewhere. He placed the wooden box on the ground silently and approached the window. After creating a small peephole, he peeked inside.

Inside, he saw Alaric, a man of imposing stature and striking resemblance to Magnus, engrossed in a book, seemingly studying military strategies or historical texts.

However, when Magnus burst into the room pretending their father had arrived, Alaric, startled, quickly hid his book under the seat cushion and pretended to study a military text, a testament to his quick reflexes.

"You're calling me a troublemaker now, after using Father to scare me?" Alaric scolded, feigning anger.

Magnus replied innocently, praising Alaric for his diligent study, causing Alaric to sigh in relief, thinking he hadn't been caught.

Alaric, putting on an air of solemnity, lamented the responsibilities of his rank and the expectations as a son of the Peerless King. Magnus, however, pointed out Alaric was holding his book upside down, leading to a humorous moment of embarrassment for Alaric.

Magnus, in jest, praised Alaric's unique 'skill' of reading military texts upside down, to which Alaric, unable to keep up the pretense, admitted there were no secrets between them.

As they caught up, Magnus asked about Alaric's return and learned of his early leave, granted by his superiors eager for him to attend their father's birthday celebration, highlighting the high expectations placed on the sons of the Peerless King.

Alaric, initially sulking, suddenly took a closer look at Magnus and was surprised to find his younger brother looking much healthier and more vibrant than a year ago. Curiosity piqued, he circled Magnus, inspecting him from head to toe with genuine interest.

"Hey, hey, hey... Second brother, what are you doing? I'm a straight guy, okay? No need for that kind of look!" Magnus protested, folding his arms defensively.

"Cut it out, I'm not into that stuff!" Alaric retorted, punching Magnus on the shoulder in a brotherly gesture commonly used in the military to show closeness. 

However, he immediately regretted the forceful punch, fearing he might have hurt his physically weaker brother.

To his astonishment, when the punch landed, Magnus merely swayed slightly, standing firm without taking a step back. 

"Ow, second brother, why hit me?" Magnus exaggerated the pain, obviously pretending.

Alaric was shocked, not just by the change in Magnus's appearance, but now by his ability to withstand a punch without flinching. 

This revelation made Alaric reassess his initial impressions, marveling at his brother's newfound resilience.

Alaric, bewildered by his younger brother's unexpected resilience, scrutinized Magnus closely. 

Surprised at the noticeable improvement in Magnus's health and vigor, Alaric decided to delve deeper by channeling a stream of fiery energy into Magnus's body. 

This action momentarily enveloped Magnus in a warm sensation, an experience akin to basking near a cozy hearth.

The warmth was fleeting, as the fiery energy retreated back into Alaric's palm, leaving him utterly perplexed.

 "Strange, very strange indeed. You clearly lack a spiritual root and mana, yet your physical strength matches that of a two-cloud warrior, with vitality rivaling even three or four-cloud warriors. Have you encountered some fortune?" 

Alaric inquired, astonished at his findings.

Magnus, initially caught off guard by the examination, was ready to reveal his transformation into a warrior and the existence of his spiritual root. 

However, he was surprised to hear Alaric claim the absence of any spiritual root. Confused, Magnus internally inspected his dantian, reassuring himself of the golden root's presence, which seemed to have evaded Alaric's detection.

Unbeknownst to Magnus, the golden root had concealed itself from Alaric's fiery mana probe, effectively becoming invisible and undetectable. 

Opting not to disclose his single, seemingly insignificant spiritual root to his brother—a prodigious fire element cultivator with forty spiritual roots—Magnus chose to keep silent on the matter.

Alaric's comment on Magnus's physical condition being comparable to a two-cloud warrior took Magnus by surprise. 

Knowing Alaric's prowess as a warrior who had breached the seven-cloud realm to reach the Innate Stage, Magnus trusted his brother's assessment.

Puzzled by his own unanticipated advancement in physical strength, Magnus recalled the surge in mana within his spiritual root upon awakening, pondering the implications of these developments.

Recalling the transformative effects of the Five Poison Liquor he consumed, Magnus attributed his significant physical improvement to this potent tonic. It must have not only purged impurities but also enhanced his cultivation.

"This stuff from the Martial System is truly remarkable!" 

Magnus inwardly praised, eagerly anticipating his next opportunity for the system's lottery draw.

"You've changed a lot in a year, no longer the frail libertine who could barely walk without stumbling. It seems you've genuinely turned over a new leaf," Alaric remarked, impressed by Magnus's transformation.

Proudly, Magnus joked, "Ah, second brother, that's where you're wrong. I've been practicing 'yin for yang' to strengthen my body. What's more, handling ten women a night is nothing to me now!"

Alaric rolled his eyes, dismissing Magnus's boastful claim, suspecting their father must have provided some miraculous medicine for such a drastic change.

After some more casual conversation, Alaric retrieved a rectangular brocade box and placed it on the table, saying, "For you, little brother."

Magnus, intrigued, asked, "What's this, an erotic painting?"

"Not even close!"

Alaric, exasperated by Magnus's wild guess, explained that he had brought back a tonic from the northern borders, thinking Magnus still needed it due to his previously weak constitution.

Despite Magnus's improvement, Alaric assured him the tonic would still be beneficial.

Upon opening the brocade box, Magnus was greeted by a rich, aromatic chill. Inside lay a crystal-clear, snow-white flower, still vibrant and emitting a faint cold mist, unlike any flora Magnus had seen in the vast collection at the palace.

"This is an Ice Spirit Rose from the peak of the Cold Polar Mountains in the northern border!" Alaric explained, seeing Magnus's puzzled look.

Magnus recognized the name, recalling a book he read on medicinal herbs that mentioned the Ice Spirit Rose as a key ingredient in crafting the Jade Pill.

"Second brother, is this the Ice Spirit Rose needed to refine the Jade Pill?" Magnus asked, connecting the dots to his previous reading.