Ethan averted his gaze, nervously scratching the back of his neck as his blush deepened beautifully under the dim forest light. "Well... it’s just that... having a woman as remarkably beautiful, mature, and stunning as you bowing down to me like this... it honestly makes me feel incredibly flustered and overwhelmed. It’s too much for me to handle, Sister Mary. Please, just stand tall."

The words hit Mary like a physical wave. Hearing a young, Peerless genius cultivator—who had just dismantled an entire mountain monster troop without breaking a sweat—suddenly turn into a bashful, blushing boy over her appearance completely caught her off guard. Her mature heart gave a sudden, heavy thud against her ribs, her own face exploding into a deep, genuine crimson blush as she realized how tightly she was currently pressed against his broad, muscular chest.

Mary pulled back slightly, her hands still resting against Ethan’s firm chest as she looked up through her tear-stained eyelashes. A soft, breathless smile touched her lips, her initial panic completely melting away into a warm, teasing curiosity. "So... you truly think I am beautiful, Ethan?"

Ethan let out a nervous, boyish chuckle, playing his part to absolute perfection as he allowed his eyes to wander across her soft, mature features before quickly looking down, as if too shy to maintain eye contact. "Of course, Sister Mary," Ethan muttered, his voice carrying the perfect blend of reverence and youthful hesitation. "Any man with eyes would say the exact same thing. You are incredibly stunning."

But Mary wasn’t trying to seduce the young cultivator for herself. As an experienced mother who had navigated the harsh, unforgiving realities of the frontier for years, her mind instantly leaped to a far more strategic, life-altering conclusion.

"Well," Mary said, her tone suddenly shifting from emotional relief to a sharp, eager brightness. She took half a step back, her eyes gleaming as she watched his reaction closely. "If you think I am decent, what about my eldest daughter, Louisa? She is far more beautiful than I could ever hope to be! She is young, her skin is flawless, she has an exceptionally good figure, and her cooking is the best in the entire district. She is incredibly gentle, Ethan. She would make an absolutely wonderful wife—she could cook for you, maintain your household, and take perfect care of you and your future children."

Ethan kept his flustered facade intact, but beneath the surface, his mind remained cold, calculating, and deeply amused. "Ah," he thought, "the classic matriarchal matchmaking trap."

Mary’s intentions were as clear as mountain glass. She wanted to tie this mysterious, peerless young cultivator to her family bloodline at all costs. She was a woman of experience; she had lived with an outer disciple of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, and she knew exactly how the hierarchy of power worked. Her late husband’s talent hadn’t even been a thousandth of what Ethan had displayed today. Her husband had spent his entire life trapped at the lowest tier of the outer branch, never managing to catch the eye of the main headquarters—a failure that remained his greatest life regret until the day he died.

But this youth? Ethan carried himself with the innate, unyielding majesty of a dragon hidden in the grass. He possessed true, terrifying Sword Intent at such a tender age, and he handled a crisis with absolute, terrifying ease. There was no doubt in Mary’s mind that Ethan was destined for the main sect of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, or perhaps even higher heights.

If she could secure a marriage union between her daughter and this magnificent young man, her family would never have to hunt in the dangerous blue fog again. They wouldn’t just escape their current poverty; they would gain an untouchable backer. It would mean an entirely new life of safety, luxury, and absolute prestige.

"Sister Mary, please..." Ethan stammered, coughing lightly into his fist as he forced another brilliant blush to creep down his neck. "We... we should focus on getting back to town first. Talking about marriage in the middle of a monster-infested forest is a bit... unexpected."

Mary chuckled warmly, highly satisfied by his flustered reaction. She adjusted her hunting bow, turning back toward the trail with a newfound pep in her step. "Of course, of course. We have a debt to pay first. But remember my words, Ethan. Louisa is a wonderful girl. You will see for yourself tonight when she prepares dinner for us."

Ethan suddenly leaned in closer, his boyish hesitation instantly vanishing as a dark, deeply predatory spark flickered within his amethyst eyes. "And what if the one I want isn’t Louisa at all?" he murmured, his voice dropping into a smooth, dangerously low rumble that vibrated straight against Mary’s ear. "What if the one I actually desire is you? Or worse... what if I want both of you?"

Mary froze in absolute shock. Her breath caught in her throat, her mind completely short-circuiting at the raw, unfiltered directness of his words. Any normal woman would have slapped him or taken offense, but Mary didn’t pull away. Instead, her chest heaved as her mature mind actually began to consider the proposition with terrifying seriousness. In a world where power dictated survival, a man of Ethan’s monstrous caliber possessing both mother and daughter wasn’t an insult—it was an absolute guarantee of supreme protection.

Ethan, however, internally cursed as he realized he had just jumped straight into the fire.

Part of his strategic mind had already calculated the immense benefits of anchoring himself to this family. Taking the mother, the daughter, or both would grant him a perfect cover story for the Heavenly Sword Pavilion elders. The sect would look at him and see a talented, hot-blooded young cultivator who simply wanted to settle down, build a family, and plant roots in the territory. It would give the authorities a false sense of security and a clear leverage point to control him, keeping their suspicions completely at bay.

But there was a dark, bitter catch. This family had been genuinely kind, honest, and completely sincere with him from the moment he arrived. They were good people. And Ethan? He hadn’t come to this province to join a sect and live happily ever after—he had come to thoroughly infiltrate, dismantle, and utterly destroy the Heavenly Sword Pavilion from the inside out. When the storm of his true mission finally unleashed, this frontier town would become a blood-drenched war zone, and this innocent family would be nothing more than helpless collateral damage swallowed by the chaos.

A faint, unfamiliar pang of guilt pricked at his conscience. He should have maintained his innocent, aloof disguise. He should have weighed the pros and cons logically.

But his physiological state—the volatile, insatiable curse of the Great Amethyst Devourer constitution—had entirely overridden his logic. Having been deprived of sexual release for days, his body was trapped in a perpetual, agonizing state of rut. The constant, hard throb beneath his leathers and the intoxicating, mature scent of Mary’s ample breasts pressed against him had completely hijacked his self-control, forcing the shameless words out of his mouth before his rational mind could stop them.

Mary finally recovered her voice, her mature face burning a deep, radiant crimson as she looked everywhere but his eyes. "Ethan... you... you shouldn’t tease an older woman like that," she whispered breathlessly, her quickened pace down the trail doing little to hide how violently her heart was racing.

Ethan simply offered a mysterious, silent smile, falling back into step beside her as they approached the outskirts of the town.

-------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??