Despite their words of encouragent, Sokram only nodded, managing a shy smile.
Hilda, sensing his underlying pressure, smoothly interjected, shifting the conversation.
“How were the business dealings today?” she asked, her gaze inquiringly fixed on her son.
Her intentions were clear to everyone at the table; it wasn’t the first ti they had seen him speak of finding a way for Hannah and Miralyn to cultivate Chaos Energy, but in their eyes, carrying such burdens wasn't his job yet.
Sokram, however, didn't miss her subtle concern.
His gaze softened as he relented, allowing the conversation to flow in a different direction.
“You, second mother, Nana Brun, and Astrid had better post a recruiting notice,” Sokram announced, a triumphant glint in his eyes. “Mr. Figos is in.”
He bumped his fist excitedly, a proud grin spreading across his face. “As for Mr. Oliver, he should depart today to track more birds so we can gather funds to transform the stables into a perch, but it would be best if we had every team ready and trained when that ti cos.”
Seeing Sokram so excited with his childish act made all the others smile widely.
“That’s wonderful news, dear.” Hilda bead proudly at him, then playfully pointed at Miralyn, raising an eyebrow at Sokram.
“Second mother?” She didn't resist teasing them.
“Well, it’s hard to refer to both of you by just saying mom or mother without creating confusion, right? So I picked the order of arrival.”
Sokram shrugged, a hint of a playful smile touching his lips.
Seeing Miralyn’s soft smile, he knew she didn’t mind; she was honestly happy to be permanently accepted as family by him and all of them.
They continued to fine-tune the details of their plans.
Astrid already had a few promising individuals in mind, and the others contributed their thoughts as well. Sokram also had a few more people on his list.
Yet, until he secured enough capital, he wouldn’t have the ans to expand their business any further.
And with the increasing pressure Margiory was facing with the Andronys, Sokram knew he had chosen the right path by refusing her funding.
After conversing for a couple more hours, Sokram finally found himself free to return to his cultivation.
He aid to reach Tier 3 before departing for his next mission.
So, he cultivated in his backyard until sunrise, when his ditation was interrupted by the arrival of the Foxes from the Pavilion and his three protégées.
Savannah, Amber, and Lucy understood he would need to dedicate significant attention to the Pavilion Masters.
They divided their ti between studying and forming their extra cores, though, per Sokram’s request, they only cultivated a single energy while there to avoid drawing suspicion from the foxes.
Sokram encountered no real difficulties teaching the foxes either; they were all elders with hundreds of years of experience who knew their bodies well.
Sokram began to suspect he wouldn’t need as much ti as he initially believed to teach them.
For the next few days, these guiding sessions continued until sunset. Then, the Androny warriors would arrive, and Sokram would guide their Chaos energy cultivation until midnight. Only then would he focus on his own cultivation.
By the end of the first week, which marked the third week of training under him for the three girls, Amber showed the most significant progress, successfully forming a Tier 1 Vital Energy Core and entering the initial stage of her Aura Core's formation.
Savannah, anwhile, was still a quarter away from forming her Aura Core.
Lucy, however, surprised him the most, being halfway to reaching Tier 2 of her Mana Heart, a testant to her diligent cultivation.
And when it ca to Vitha, her speed in gathering it surpassed the other two by an enormous margin.
Naturally, Sokram, especially after noticing the girls’ healthy competition, subtly showered Lucy with complints and special attention.
He could see the fires of jealousy burning fiercely in Amber’s eyes, and surprisingly, in Savannah’s as well.
But he wasn’t worried; he knew he could always nip any rising conflicts in the bud.
The foxes of the Pavilion also showed astonishing progress.
Most of the Exalted ones reached beyond halfway into core conversion. At the sa ti, their Matron, Sayuri, lagged considerably, her case being far more delicate.
But Sokram could sense her growing impatience.
She was becoming reckless, desperately trying not to fall behind.
Her frustration at seeing her disciples advance so quickly while her own progress remained at a snail’s pace was becoming dangerous for her. But he couldn’t allow her to self-sabotage.
He needed the strength of the Pavilion.
Yet, no matter how much he advised and warned her, she continued to try to rush a process that demanded patience.
Though Sokram could understand how she felt, from the few mories he carried of her from his past tiline, she had always seed cold and calculating.
This rush and recklessness, however, didn’t match the woman he had encountered in the tiline he erased.
This disparity made Sokram begin to wonder, ‘What could have happened then? How could soone who seems so warm, hopeful, and reckless beco like that?’
Until one day, in the middle of the second week of training.
Sokram, seated behind her with his hands on her back, monitored her circulation.
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As he felt her energy flow, his mana probing her core, he unexpectedly beca alard.
“Don’t rush it!” Sokram’s voice, though urgent, didn’t betray the full extent of his concern, which drew the attention of everyone around him.
“Stop!” Sokram suddenly shouted, his voice cutting through the air, but the Matron chose to ignore him.
“I said stop, woman! Are you trying to…” But it was too late by then.
Suddenly, Sayuri’s face drained of color, her ruby eyes widening as her body seized.
A tallic tang filled the air, blood sprayed from her lips, splattering the snowy grass like crimson dew.
Sokram reacted with a flash of speed.
He struck her back with an open palm, injecting as much of his spirit essence into her heart while simultaneously purging the chaotic energy she was circulating.
In a fluid motion, he guided the corrupted energy out of her body through her mouth, accompanied by a horrifying gush of blood.
At the sa ti, he pushed her to lie down on her back, then injected his mana into her heart.
His heart pounded, sweat trailing down his brow, and he drew a deep breath into his lungs, filling them with mana.
While the Matron groaned in agony, he scolded her, his voice a low growl, “Damn it! I told you to stop, you crazy fox! For Nhiria’s sake, why didn’t you listen?!”
The other foxes were about to rush in, but Hannah appeared in a flash, intercepting them.
“Trust him,” she commanded, her voice firm. “Whatever happened, he is the best person to deal with it.”
Sokram, focused on repairing the Matron’s core, ordered her, leaving no room for debate, “Stay still! I’ve isolated your pain receptors; the pain will pass soon. But no matter what you do, don’t move a damn inch from now on!”
Without looking back, Sokram spoke to Hannah, his voice strained, “Nana, I’ll need to fully concentrate. Don’t let anyone disrupt my focus. This foolish woman just cracked her core. But thankfully, I managed to stop her before she shattered it. Repairing it will take a while.”
“It… was my… fault… do what he… says…” The Matron managed to gasp out, her voice ragged, before receiving another sharp scolding.
“I told you not to move, damn it! Are you trying to kill yourself? Not a damn inch, you crazy woman!”
Sokram settled beside her, placing both his hands over her heart, and began the delicate process of nding her Aura Core.
The tang of iron filled the air as more blood welled at the corner of Sayuri’s lips, and the air around them swirled as it followed the energy Sokram exchanged with her.
Sokram’s fingers trembled as his energy invaded her heart, directly crossing between his palms and Sayuri’s chest.
His vision tunneled; only the glow of spirit essence and the desperate thrum of her heartbeat existed now.
The other foxes didn’t interfere, partly due to their Matron’s admission of guilt, but also because Hannah sat cross-legged between them and Sayuri, acting as an unyielding guard.
No one dared to move an inch in their direction, not even Lucille and Aya.
Soon after, Hilda and the others arrived, and Hannah quickly explained the dire situation.
Miralyn and Alain also decided to join the guard duty.
The backyard beca a powder keg.
Alain’s fingers hovered near his spatial ring, his stance coiled to summon his weapons in a heartbeat.
Miralyn stood with her arms crossed, her gaze flickering between Sokram and the foxes, her lips curved in a semblance of a smile, but the ice in her eyes warned of consequences.
The foxes held their ground, tails bristling like unsheathed swords.
Yet their ears twitched backward, betraying their desperation: Save her, their widened pupils seed to plead.
The wind itself stilled the air, thickening with the scent of iron from Sayuri’s blood and the crackle of Hannah’s restrained mana.
Both sides stared at each other, acutely aware that any spark could transform what had been a beautiful and prosperous alliance into a hideous conflict, and Sokram’s family was at a clear nurical disadvantage.
This tense standoff lasted for more than thirteen hours, but one thing beca clear in that span of ti: whatever Sokram did worked wonders for Sayuri, but not so well for him.
By the ti he finally stopped circulating his spirit essence, his appearance was as ghastly as hers had been when he started treating her.
When Sayuri finally opened her eyes, she looked at him with a shock she barely managed to conceal.
Only Sokram and Sayuri knew why.
His gaze t hers, and a mutual understanding ford between them. Sayuri understood he had chosen to sacrifice sothing to save her.
And in that mont, she couldn’t help but feel profoundly conflicted.
“She… She’s fine now…” Sokram gasped, his voice hoarse.
As he tried to stand, his legs faltered, threatening to collapse.
Alain was about to rush to his aid, but soone was already there.
Sayuri pulled him close, her face contorted with sha and remorse.
"Stupid child."
Sayuri’s voice cracked like dry parchnt.
She cradled him closer, her arms trembling. "Going so far for soone old and foolish like ."
Hannah flashed, appearing instantly in front of them.
Quickly checking on him, she frowned, sensing that all the progress he had made toward Tier 3 was gone.
He was back at the bottom of Tier 2, as if he had just advanced.
Hannah’s gaze turned glacial, her knuckles whitening around her dagger hilt.
The air itself seed to freeze under the weight of her killing intent, a silent promise of vengeance if Sokram suffered lasting harm.
“You'd better pray that whatever he has given you doesn’t leave him with any lasting side effects. Now, leave.”
But Sayuri shook her head defiantly, a stubborn refusal in her gaze.
“No. If anything happens to Sokram, I’ll swear my life to him or offer you my head. But I’m staying.”
Without waiting for a reply, she told the other foxes, her voice unwavering, “You all can go back to the Pavilion. I’ll be staying here.”
“You stubborn fox…” Hannah began, her voice strained, but then she felt Sokram stirring in her arms.
"Damn… my head…” His vision spun, shadows and moonlight swimming together.
“What… happened?” His own voice sounded foreign to his ears, distant, as though it belonged to soone subrged underwater.
Sokram’s body grew firr, and Sayuri gently released her grip on him, kneeling beside him.
“You saved my life, Sokram,” Sayuri answered sincerely, her voice laced with gratitude.
“Right…” Sokram pushed himself up, perhaps still regaining his bearings.
Out of habit, sothing he did with disciples who disobeyed him, he reached for her ears, pulled her firmly toward him, and said in a sharp, scolding tone, “Next ti, listen to what I say!”
He finally released her ear, as the gathered foxes shifted uncomfortably. The sight of their Matron, once regal and composed, now crouched like a chastised kitten left them speechless.
Even their tails drooped in sympathy, he drew in a deep breath, his voice turning grim, “Although your level of existence can’t reset, your core’s energy bled out like a ruptured dam, reverting to the level of Tier 10 Exalted when it cracked. I managed to stop it from regressing further and pushed it back to the brink of Tier 1 Semi-Perfect. But if you don’t start progressing soon, your core won’t be able to keep up and will crack again, and definitely shatter.”
Gasps rippled through the backyard like wind through dry leaves.
Sokram didn't flinch.
His jaw was tight, eyes sharp as broken glass.
He inhaled slowly, each breath asured, but the fire behind his words was unmistakable.
“If that happens, your body will remain as the body of a Semi-Perfect being while being fed by a broken core."
Sokram’s gaze bore into her, unrelenting. And Sayuri's expression showed she knew what the consequences could be.
“You’ve seen it before, haven’t you? Watched soone waste away because their core cracked?”
His voice wasn’t cruel; it was tired, almost disappointed, and that stung worse than shouting ever could.
Everyone finally understood the gravity of the situation after hearing that.
Even Hannah was taken aback, looking at Sayuri with a rare hint of pity.
Everyone knew how hard it was to recover from a decayed core, but one close to shattering was even worse.
Sayuri could only nod, her flattened ears pressed to the sides of her head in sha, knowing he was absolutely right; she had almost dood herself.
But Sokram’s next words, despite their sternness, brought a spark of hope to her. “So, from now on, if I tell you to move, you move. And…”
His anger returned, he tugged her ears, pulling her close, “...If I tell you to stop, you stop! Clear?!”
As he finished speaking, his gaze t hers with a seriousness unbecoming of soone so young.
Sayuri quickly averted her eyes from his and only nodded obediently.
“Good, now go rest. Don’t sleep. Rest by ditating, and every ten minutes, circulate your spirit essence. Don’t gather it. Only bathe your core with the energy instead.”
Sokram kept his tone firm.
Finishing his scolding, he finally gathered himself to look around, seeing his family there; a slight confusion clouded his expression, especially since even Alain was present.
He had been so focused on saving her that he didn't sense any of them arriving; he wouldn't even know how much ti passed if it wasn't for the night sky and bright moon illuminating the backyard.
Even greater than Sokram’s was the confusion of the Pavilion Masters, as well as Lucille and Aya.
None of them had ever seen Sayuri look like this, humbled and submissive.
But that night… even the proudest fox bowed to a dragon’s fury.
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