North-east of the Red Dragon Palace rose the Great Solomon Ranges.
Among them—
Mount Eve.
Thirteen and a quarter kilometers of jagged stone, glacial ice, and merciless wind.
A mountain that did not forgive mistakes.
Two figures clung to its frozen cliff face.
Bare hands.
Bare feet.
No ropes.
No protection.
Only will.
Snow lashed against exposed skin. Ice cut into fingers like thin blades. Blood smeared across black rock and froze instantly.
One slip—
Meant death.
William climbed below.
Silver climbed above him.
Several times her footing failed.
Several times gravity pulled.
Several times William drove his shoulder upward and shoved her back against the rock before she could fall.
Several times he slipped—
And Silver jammed her fingers into cracks in the stone and held.
They no longer screamed when the wind howled.
Pain had become routine.
Cold had become ordinary.
Fatigue was no longer an enemy—
It was a companion.
Silver no longer looked like a princess.
Her once delicate skin was wind-burned and cut. Thin scars marked her arms. The silk robes of royalty were gone—replaced by rough training cloth torn at the seams.
She looked like a child who had survived war.
Her fingers trembled.
Her breath shortened.
Her eyelids drooped.
"Silver!"
William's voice cut through the storm.
Her head jerked upright.
"We're almost there. Don't close your eyes."
The wind devoured most of his words.
But she heard him.
"Control your breathing. Relax your shoulders. Shift weight to your hips. Don't fight the mountain."
His voice was steady.
Even though his forearms felt like they were tearing apart.
Even though his nails had split and blood seeped into frozen stone.
She adjusted instantly.
Every correction—applied.
Every mistake—fixed.
She had changed.
Not just endurance.
Technique.
Balance.
Instinct.
For a month—
She endured everything he gave her.
Cliff running at dawn.
Underwater breath retention until black spots clouded vision.
Blindfold sparring where sound replaced sight.
Weapon drills until her palms tore open and bled.
She never complained.
She only asked—
"Again?"
William felt something unfamiliar stir inside him.
Darren.
Now he understood.
The harsh discipline.
The broken bones.
The silence after improvement.
The quiet pride.
Silver reached the final ledge first.
Her fingers hooked over the summit.
She pulled.
Collapsed onto solid ground.
William climbed over moments later.
At this altitude—
The wind thinned.
The world stretched endlessly below.
Clouds drifted beneath their feet.
Silver rolled onto her back, chest rising and falling violently.
William stood, steady despite exhaustion.
He looked at the horizon.
Then at her.
Her hair was tangled with frost.
Her cheeks bruised.
Her lips pale from cold.
But her eyes—
Bright.
Alive.
Unbroken.
"Brother…" she laughed weakly.
"We did it."
Then—
Her head tilted.
Her body went limp.
"Silver!"
William dropped to one knee and caught her before her face struck the snow.
He checked her pulse.
Breathing steady.
Heartbeat stable.
He exhaled slowly.
"Overexertion. Her body shut itself down."
Then—
The wind shifted.
A sudden chill rippled across the summit.
William's skin prickled.
He moved instantly, stepping back, placing himself between Silver and the open cliff.
The air thickened.
Snow spiraled upward instead of falling.
A powerful suction force erupted from Silver's body.
The surrounding qi surged violently toward her.
"What—" William stuttered.
The dragon's voice cut in sharply.
"Do not move."
William's eyes narrowed.
"She's absorbing qi," the dragon said. "Instinctively."
"I don't trust you."
"Then trust your eyes."
The spiraling energy grew denser. Silver's body floated slightly above the snow. Frost patterns formed beneath her.
"If you interfere," the dragon continued calmly, "her meridians will twist. Just like yours."
William froze.
"…Why do you even care?"
A soft, amused chuckle echoed in his mind.
"Kek… Your little student was born with a special physique. So she is worth it."
William's gaze sharpened.
"She does not require standard qi absorption techniques. Her body refines naturally. Rare. Very rare." The Dragon explained.
Silver's small wounds began closing before his eyes.
Color returned to her lips.
The qi around her became smooth. Controlled.
The dragon added lazily: "She has reached her peak in Muscle Tempering. This breakthrough was inevitable."
A pause.
"Unlike you."
William said nothing.
The dragon's tone shifted slightly—more deliberate.
"You also need qi to break through. But your meridians are sealed. Twisted. Sabotaged."
Silence.
"I can help," the dragon said softly. "Agree to my terms. I can refine a Meridian-Fixing Pill from my essence."
William's expression did not change.
"You would step into Awakened Realm within weeks."
Still silence.
"Kek… Or you can remain stuck. Mortal. Watching your student surpass you."
William closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"Shut up."
His voice was calm.
Cold. There is always another path.
The dragon did not respond this time.
The qi storm gradually subsided.
Silver descended slowly back onto the snow.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Clear.
Sharper than before.
She blinked.
Then suddenly sat up and threw her arms around him.
"Brother! I feel different! What happened?"
William allowed the hug for a second longer than usual.
Then gently pushed her back.
"You broke through."
Her eyes widened.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"Muscle Tempering complete."
Silver's grin was radiant.
"I did it!"
"Yes," William replied softly.
"You did."
He helped her stand.
Her movements were lighter now.
Balanced.
Grounded.
The foundation had solidified.
William looked once more at the horizon.
She advanced naturally.
He would carve his path differently.
The mountain did not reward shortcuts.
Neither would he.
After resting briefly, they began their descent.
The return was faster.
Controlled.
Efficient.
Behind them—
Mount Eve stood silent.