Chapter 101: Envy

Standing up, Cain felt his joints crackle with power, sounding like miniature thunderclaps. 

The rush of energy filled every inch of Cain's body. And yet, his mental state was no longer largely swayed by this.

During all of his training, he felt his Martial Heart passively become firmer. Each passing day, he can feel his Martial Heart subtly grow, allowing his comprehension session to last far longer.

From the growth of his Martial Heart, Cain was increasingly calmer and more critical. As he experienced these growths, a thought swirled around his mind. 

Is the growth of one's Martial Heart the same for everyone?

It was curious to consider as Cain was positive that not all powerful cultivators have a calm and critical personality type. Hell, he's fully aware that for some, the more powerful they grow, the narrower their mind becomes.

To him, this was also understandable. 

If you have the power to decide thousand of people's life or death with a single thought, why should they have an open mind? 

Some people just let themselves willingly become drunk with power. 

And, there was also the fact that cultivating one's Martial Heart is incomparably tough. 

Cain had the advantage of already being blessed with supreme Soul Energy control.

But for others, they absolutely wouldn't have as much of a smooth time. 

The Martial Heart is such an elusive concept that Cain still hasn't found any concrete information on. All books that he searched through had absolutely nothing on it. 

Either way, Cain wasn't disturbed by these changes. In fact, he quite welcomes his mental state becoming calmer and more critical.

He'll be able to have a much easier time grasping his emotions and feelings to not be swayed by them. It would be terrible if he encountered a situation where his emotions led him down the wrong path.

It would already happen with the Storm Tunnel, nearly costing him severe injuries or even coming close to death. 

A minor mistake like that can lead to such severe outcomes. Cain dreaded to think what would occur with more critical situations. 

And a Martial Heart is also convenient with typical social situations. It felt even more enjoyable to converse with Amber and tease various reactions out of her while keeping his calm.

Furthermore, he could also accurately spot out the clear differences and similarities between them, leading him to know how to direct the flow of their conversations.

His gradually improved mental state is why Cain believes he and Kali are ready to stroll the city. 

At this moment, Cain made great haste, reaching his front door within seconds.

Opening it, he came face-to-face with Kali, who appeared slightly annoyed, and Amber, who looked incredibly sleepy. 

"This is a very rare occurrence. Is something the matter?" Cain asked with a faint smile. 

"Huu~. Nothing really." Amber tiredly sighs, shrugging her shoulders in slight exasperation. "You know it's usually our time, but it seems like your sister can't keep her stuffiness silent any longer."

She so casually bantered out without an ounce of fear or hesitation. 

And when Kali directed a particular cold glare at her, Amber responded with a simple soft smile and teasingly giggled.

Towards this, Kali only clicked her teeth before directing her attention back onto Cain. Even as she has her own ideas in mind, she didn't expect this girl to be such an annoyance.

She would've preferred it if this girl was a simple, quiet, lazy type of girl. Not a troublesome one who carelessly goes at her own pace. 

Uncaring about her presence there, Kali snorted, saying, "Hmph. Haven't you been hogging on him enough? All it took is one day, and now you two are practically becoming inseparable. But because of it, our training is nowhere near as fast as it could be. Cain, you know well that our time together is faster."

Her reasoning was virtually sound. When they were together, it was like their Draconic Aura subtly linked together, enhancing their cultivation. 

Of course, Cain couldn't confirm this at all. He believed it might just be that they felt so calm in each other presence. 

But in this case, Kali's reasoning wasn't purely out of logic. 

Kali thought she expertly hid it. But Cain instantly picked up on the faint tone of envy mixed in her.

This was her first time showcasing these subtle emotions, and Cain understood why. 

Previously, she never had any competition within their Royal Family.

It was practically only him and her against nearly everyone else since they had low cultivation and zero Martial aptitudes. They had no one else in their age group, so it was natural Kali's bond with him was so incredibly strong.

And now, after all these years of only being with each other, she needed to deal with essentially a new competitor for their time together. 

Cain wasn't a fool to not see that Kali had some crafty plan brewing about Amber. He didn't call it out since he was curious to see how it would turn it. 

But, evidently, she wasn't prepared for a new rise of emotion surfacing within her. 

'And to think, she was the one who spoke about the superiority of our Martial Hearts.'

Cain internally chuckled to himself. But nonetheless, he didn't show any teasing expressionless less he wanted Kali to fume even more. 

Instead of that, Cain gently patted Kali's head, caressing in a manner nostalgic to him.

He faintly smiles, saying, "Come now. You don't need to get so antsy. Why don't you finally join us to train? I'm sure the Lightning Ravine can help you with your energy defenses."

"You….I'm not…." 

Kali tried to protest, but the warmth from Cain's hand was a bit overwhelming. Nostalgic memories flashed in her mind, and her once cold expression morphed into a brightly innocent look.

In that brief moment, she appeared truly as a gentle young maiden spoiled by her caring older brother. Even though she technically is the older one between them. 

Amber was even a bit mesmerized by this look. To think someone so cold could show a blooming smile like this! 

But before this moment lasted any longer, Kali snapped awake.

Her brows furrowed as she rapidly shook her head, shaking Cain's hand off her head. Then her face fell back to her usual stance, and she crossed her arms, definitely snorting.

"Heh. I guess you're right, brother. I suppose I shall show her what she exactly dealing with. She saw a lot from you but barely from me." 

"Haah~. Siblings, they're quite a handful, hm~?" Amber spoke with a slight smirk. 

"Indeed, they are a handful. But are quite worth it." Cain's lips were curving in the exact same smirk. 

Seeing this annoying exchange, Kali clapped her hand, snapping their attention on them, and said, "Come on. Let's just get going already."

….

At this time in the Ranking Open Field, two students with particularly profound status were meeting in a house far away from Cain's. 

Their topic of discussion was precisely about the now-infamous Heaven-Defying sibling duo.

The two young men met in the study area of the house. 

One was the High-Class Family Talent Leon Vegas. And the other was a uniquely distinct young man.

He held handsome features, but there was something incredibly strange about him that anyone could pick up at first glance. His long sleek hair looked shiningly greasy, almost to a distracting degree.

That grease slicked down his face, creating an odd gloss over him. His eyes as well stayed half-lidded, nearly almost closed. This young man's whole vibe gave off a suspicious aura. 

It was like standing next to a snake silently eyeing its prey. 

This young man was the fifth-ranked genius of the entire Crimson Sea Academy; Qiao Fen! 

Against this loft status, even the incredibly proud Leon remained respectful.

He spoke with a hint of reverence. "I just don't get it. These rings never failed before, no matter who it was. But still, neither I nor Senior Brother Fu can's make heads or tails of those two movements."

Ever since Leon was scared off by Cain and Kali's incomparable Dragon Might, a faint shadow was forever cast within his Martial Heart. He couldn't cast away thoughts of them no matter how hard he tried.

"No, no. It's not anything wrong with Brother Fu's method. Perhaps it's all related to that girl. For some reason, she was virtually attached to that boy. It's very possible that she might've given something to them."

Qio Fen calmly spoke up. Heaven-Defying Talent or not, nothing about the sibling duo could substantially rile him up. In the end, the Nascent Formation was still merely the Nascent Formation realm.

"Senior Sister Hiyashi….yea, they have been conversing a lot lately." Leon's eyes briefly flashed with envy. "From my reports, it seems like she and Cain mainly spend hours in the Lightning Ravine. Not sure what they do together since they go off to their own secluded little area. But during those time, she may have given something to him."

"I see….and is there any new news about him and the other girl?" 

"Well….apparently, those two advanced a single level after all this time. Although, I wouldn't count this too much. They did receive so many rewards from that mission. I suspect they may have sacrificed a bit of their foundation for it."

This was Leon's most logical conclusion. However, a faint feeling within his heart was telling him otherwise. 

"A single-level breakthrough, huh? I suppose I'll report all of this towards Brother Fu." Qio Fen tiredly sighed as if it was a bother to him. 

"You know….I don't mean to question. But, I'm just wondering, can Senior Brother Fu really do this with Heaven-Defying Talent?" Leon couldn't suppress a slight look of worried.

In response to this, Qio Fen gave a smile full of grease and faint maliciousness. "You should already know this is entirely possible for Brother Fu. If anyone can control Martial Talents, it's him. All we need to do is just wait."

"Right-right. His means are surely unbeatable." Leon soon regained back his smile, squashing all of his previous worries and concerns.