"Your limit?" he replied, annoyance clear in his hoarse voice.
Selyne frowned and glanced longingly at the pastries she had yet to taste, but she stood up with resignation.
She looked at Cassian and gestured for him to wait a moment.
She walked down a hallway leading to a door and went inside.
A few minutes later, the duchess returned from the same direction, now dressed in training clothes with her hair neatly tied back.
The pants she wore clung to her legs, emphasizing her strong thighs and perfectly proportioned hips. Above, she wore a slightly low-cut white shirt tucked into the leggings-like trousers.
"Now then," she murmured, her expression confident and prepared.
The sight vaguely reminded him of when he had helped Sylvia. Back then, he had also needed to wait for her to change clothes, although in that case she had barely covered herself with a translucent nightgown that left very little to the imagination...
"Well?" Selyne's question pulled him from the memory.
He focused on her once more, letting out a tired sigh. "How do you gather aura?"
Selyne looked at him suspiciously because of the question, but she knew there was no point in what they were doing if she kept acting that way.
"I use the special technique that has been passed down among the descendants of Astaford for generations," she replied. "It's especially effective when practiced alongside the sword art that was passed down as well."
Cassian nodded. He had seen Valeria practice before, so he had a rough idea of what it looked like, but still...
"Can you do it? It'll be easier if I see it myself."
"Mmm..." The response was uncertain, but Selyne adopted a stance, drew her sword, and began moving as though performing a dance.
Her movements were clearly more refined than Valeria's, at least at first. Cassian had corrected the swordsmanship itself, but he had paid little attention to the fact that those same movements were also used to cultivate strength.
A subtle change appeared in his eyes.
The energy surrounding them became visible to him, whether it took the form of mana, aura, Qi, or any of the millions of different manifestations of energy that existed. Mana infused with the earth element, for example, was not the same as ordinary mana, and there were countless other examples.
Yet all of them ultimately originated from the same source.
They were merely different expressions of that origin.
Selyne's movements and breathing drew in the surrounding energy, transforming it into aura that she could assimilate through her technique.
In more technical terms, if Origin Energy was the purest form of all energy, then aura was merely an inferior manifestation of it, just like Qi, mana, and the rest.
There did not seem to be much to correct in the way she gathered energy to become stronger, so the issue appeared to be the same as it had been with Sylvia.
The world itself imposed a limit engraved into the essence of every soul born here.
It had to be forced, just as he had done with Sylvia, but he needed to find the optimal way to do it for her.
If he forced it incorrectly, her future...
It would end up similar to those two men who had surpassed the Third Limit. They had forced their breakthroughs as well, but clearly not in the best way possible, otherwise Belthor would never have lost to her...
Then again, that comparison was hardly fair considering he had allowed Sylvia to gain insight into a Law.
If he knew that someone in Pradiles had achieved such a thing naturally, he would probably be surprised—a rare occurrence for him.
And if he knew it was the Law of Space...
Still, he needed to focus on Selyne.
He had only known this woman for a short time, yet something about her appealed to him more than he let on.
Realizing his thoughts were wandering once again, Cassian sighed and forced himself to refocus.
Thousands of techniques, methods, energy theories, manifestations, cultivation systems, worlds he had visited, and countless other memories flashed through his mind.
There were several ways he could help her.
His blood was one option, but it was not truly applicable here, at least not for this purpose. Another straightforward method was helping her directly digest Origin Energy, but that carried too many risks if it failed... and the chances of failure were high. There was a reason he had never attempted it with any of his women.
Likewise, if he considered the aura equivalent of Laws for mana, the easiest solution would be Sword Intent or Martial Will.
He could help Selyne with either of those, but...
Cassian glanced at the woman still dancing with her sword across the room.
He shook his head.
«Something tells me that's not the best option».
Feeling that enough time had passed, the duchess finally stopped and waited for his opinion.
"I have a method," he said quietly, sounding slightly uncertain.
"You sounded so confident when you visited me before, but now your tone makes it clear you aren't nearly as sure of yourself," Selyne said, hands resting on her hips in complaint.
Cassian raised an eyebrow, not taking the remark seriously.
Without saying anything, he slowly approached her.
Selyne frowned and awkwardly took a few steps backward.
Once he stood in front of her, he asked,
"You said the way you practice was passed down by your ancestors?"
The woman narrowed her eyes, unsure where he was going with this.
"Yes..." she answered softly.
Doubt appeared on Cassian's face.
Without warning, he grabbed Selyne's wrist and sent his energy into her body, closing his eyes as he concentrated.
The duchess instinctively moved as though to resist, but when she saw his serious expression, she quickly stopped.
A faint current spread through her body, something she had never experienced before. For a brief moment, a small moan threatened to escape her lips, but she quickly covered her mouth with her free hand.
After a while, Cassian opened his eyes.
"Mmm, it should be like this..." he muttered. "You shouldn't need my direct help to break through."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I won't get into technical details, but the technique you practice seems to have been designed with the breakthrough to Nascent Soul—or Transcendence, if you prefer—in mind. Though you've clearly failed to realize that yourself. I could directly teach you a level of swordsmanship or martial understanding that would force a breakthrough, similar to what I did with Sylvia, but I feel that would spoil you in the future, when you'll eventually have to do it on your own. Laws are a bit easier in that regard, but if I imprint my comprehension or style onto you, I think it would ultimately be harmful. Especially since your foundation is already deeply established, and one that doesn't seem flawed... It only needs refinement, but again, that's something you can do yourself. You probably just need a small push."
"And that push? Also, I still don't understand what it is that I've failed to realize."
Cassian released her hand.
"It would be similar to what I just did inside your body, but more intense, focusing on expanding your reserves and meridians. You'll have to perform the movements while I guide them. Without a sword, since I'd need to touch you."
Selyne narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Why does that sound far too convenient for you?"
"I also had physical contact with Sylvia when I helped her," he dismissed casually with a wave of his hand.
"And it would be exactly the same as what I was doing just now?"
"Not exactly... It seems your ancestors possessed a rather advanced understanding of this world's power system, but that knowledge was probably lost over time. There will be some corrections during the process, but nothing you won't be able to follow or adapt to quickly."
Selyne's expression shifted as she considered his words.
Then she looked him directly in the eyes and, with a slightly reluctant expression, stepped even closer to him, setting her sword aside.
"Don't take advantage of this."