Chapter 71: Talent
"Lily, who is this stunning beauty?"
"Hehehe..." Lily chuckled mischievously and looked at the woman beside her.
"This lady, Sir, is the Empress of the Green Branch Planetary Empire—Empress Flora."
She grinned before continuing,
"Don’t be captivated by her beauty, Sir. She’s just like a flower—breathtakingly beautiful, yet covered in thorns. You must be extremely careful when dealing with her, because those thorns are both razor-sharp and highly poisonous."
"She may appear gentle and innocent on the outside, but in reality, every part of her is lethal."
Lily spoke as though Empress Flora weren’t even present.
"She’s extraordinarily talented, Sir. Although her bloodline is only Legendary-grade, she reached Calamity Level 7 in just one thousand years after beginning her cultivation. Because of that, she became the most gifted member of her race and earned the right to inherit her father’s empire."
"Originally, she inherited an empire from her father—which he himself had inherited from his own father—that controlled only fifteen planets."
"But in merely ten thousand years of her reign, the Green Branch Planetary Empire expanded from just fifteen planets to forty."
"And the truly astonishing part is that she never fought a single war to achieve it. That feat earned her a certain degree of fame throughout the cosmic stage, along with the title... the Enchanting Empress."
"Oh..."
Rios looked at Empress Flora.
Throughout Lily’s entire introduction, Flora’s gentle smile had never wavered in the slightest.
He couldn’t help feeling surprised.
He still had no idea how difficult advancement became after Master Level 3, but it was obvious that the higher one’s Level became, the more difficult every step grew.
Reaching Calamity Level 7 in only a thousand years was clearly an extraordinary achievement.
However...
What truly astonished Rios wasn’t her cultivation.
It was the fact that she had expanded her empire by twenty-five planets in only ten thousand years...
...without fighting a single war.
How...?
That single question echoed in his mind.
But he had no intention of asking about matters unrelated to him, especially sensitive topics involving an empire’s internal affairs or military secrets.
"Hahaha, thank you, Assistant Lily."
Empress Flora covered her mouth gracefully as she laughed.
"Your praise has truly embarrassed this humble Empress."
"No thanks are necessary, Your Majesty."
Lily smiled with her eyes gently closed.
"I truly admire such accomplishments."
Rios spoke sincerely.
"Those of us from the younger generation can only look up to people like you and hope to achieve something similar someday."
"Hahaha... What are you saying, young sir?"
Flora laughed warmly as she carefully examined Rios from head to toe.
"Someone like you will undoubtedly surpass my insignificant achievements and accomplish far greater things."
"Whether I’ll surpass them or not is something only the future can answer."
Rios picked up the cup of Soul Nectar, which he still hadn’t tasted, and took his first sip.
"But as of today..."
"...I dream of possessing this level of influence both while awake and while asleep."
He gently swirled the white liquid inside the cup.
"I have to admit..."
"...this world far exceeds imagination."
The moment the drink touched his lips, an overwhelming sense of tranquility washed over him.
Had he been exhausted, his fatigue would’ve vanished instantly.
Had he been drowsy, vitality would’ve surged through his body like a rushing tide.
"Naturally, young sir."
Flora waved a hand with a smile.
"Someone of your status should possess ambitions at least as lofty as that."
"Someone of my status..."
Rios slowly rotated the cup in his hand, gazing thoughtfully at the Soul Nectar before taking another sip.
"There’s something I’ve been genuinely curious about."
He raised the cup slightly toward her.
"I hope Your Majesty can enlighten this ignorant junior..."
"...if you don’t mind."
"You may ask whatever you wish, young sir."
Flora nodded calmly.
"You reached Calamity Level 7 in only one thousand years."
Rios leaned back slightly.
"Yet you’ve remained at that Level for another ten thousand years."
"What is the reason?"
It was a question born from genuine curiosity.
Perhaps one day he would encounter the same obstacle himself.
If that happened, at least he’d have something to learn from.
For a few moments, Flora fell silent.
Then she smiled gently and shook her head.
"It isn’t a secret, young sir."
"Almost everyone already knows."
"It’s because of... talent."
"My talent was completely exhausted after reaching Calamity Level 7."
"There is virtually no hope left for me to break through to the next Level."
"Talent?"
Rios was stunned.
"But you reached Level 7 in only one thousand years."
"How can talent be the thing preventing your breakthrough after another ten thousand years?"
"It isn’t my personal talent that’s lacking."
Flora shook her head.
Her smile gradually faded, replaced by a quiet sadness.
"It’s the talent of my bloodline."
"What do you mean?"
Rios tilted his head slightly.
"It’s actually quite simple, young sir."
"The beast blood flowing through the veins of our Nectar Race cannot surpass Calamity Level 7."
"The original Nectar Beast, whose blood was fused into our ancestors, had only reached Calamity Level 7 before it died."
"So..."
"...Level 7 is the absolute limit for everyone who inherits our bloodline."
Flora slowly clenched her hand into a fist.
Yet despite that, a faint smile still lingered upon her face.
Rios immediately noticed the subtle change in her emotions.
He remained silent until she calmed herself before asking once more,
"But if your bloodline limits you so severely..."
"...why not fuse with a stronger bloodline?"
"Or find a more powerful Nectar Beast and obtain its blood to strengthen your original bloodline?"
Hearing Rios’s question—which clearly revealed his complete ignorance of the matter—Flora smiled, and a hint of amusement appeared in her emerald eyes.
"Hahaha..."
"Young sir..."
"You’re surely joking."
"That is absolutely impossible."
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Mister XD:
For everyone who asked for a Discord server, your wish is granted! It will be created soon—definitely sometime this week. I just need to finish a few things first, then I’ll dedicate some time to it.
You’ll find Empress Flora’s illustration in the comments.
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