Crossing the Final Threshold

Julian smiled reassuringly.

"Don’t worry, you two go ahead and break through to the Gold Realm first. I’ll refine more later."

The confidence in his voice was calm and unshakable, as though refining priceless elixirs was nothing more than an ordinary task.

Lina Ashford and Liza Voss exchanged glances.

Neither of them questioned him.

After everything they had witnessed over the past few weeks, they had already come to trust Julian almost unconditionally. Every impossible feat he accomplished seemed to become ordinary the moment it was in his hands.

Julian chuckled, pinching another Nine Way Cleansing Elixir and starting to feed the girls again.

The room was still filled with the lingering medicinal fragrance drifting from the Imperial Dragonforge Cauldron. Moonlight filtered through the open window, casting a silver glow across the polished floor while the last traces of spiritual energy slowly circled around the three of them.

Liza stepped forward first.

She obediently accepted the elixir before sitting back down beside Lina.

The two women closed their eyes almost simultaneously and began circulating their cultivation techniques.

A gentle current of spiritual energy spread through the room.

The medicinal power quickly erupted inside their bodies.

Warm currents rushed through their nervous systems before transforming into pure inner energy.

Julian quietly observed them.

His expression remained relaxed, but his eyes never left the two women.

This refinement had been exceptionally successful.

If everything proceeded according to his expectations, this second elixir should have been enough to push them across the next realm.

Several minutes passed.

The spiritual pressure around both women steadily climbed.

Their auras became stronger and stronger.

The air itself seemed to vibrate faintly.

Yet...

Just when it seemed they were about to break through...

The surging energy gradually slowed.

The violent fluctuations settled down.

The expected breakthrough never arrived.

After the two women took the second Nine Way Cleansing Elixir, they still couldn’t break through to the Gold Realm.

Their strength remained at the peak of the Silver Realm.

Julian narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

Neither Lina nor Liza looked disappointed.

Instead, both slowly opened their eyes before examining the tremendous increase in their strength.

Although they hadn’t advanced another realm, they could clearly feel that every strand of inner energy inside their bodies had become denser and purer than before.

Their cultivation foundations had become incomparably stable.

However, their foundation was solid, so they were just a thin membrane away from the Gold Realm.

All it needed was for Julian to feed them the elixir with his fingers.

That membrane could be pierced through.

Julian rubbed his chin.

Interesting...

The medicinal power wasn’t wasted.

Their foundations are simply too stable now.

They’re only lacking one final push.

Initially, Julian thought they might successfully break through to the Gold Realm after taking the second Nine Way Cleansing Elixir.

Then, they could take the last pill and push straight into the mid-Gold Realm.

That had been his original plan from the beginning.

It would have saved one precious elixir while maximizing their gains.

Seeing that the two women hadn’t broken through smoothly, Julian realized he was overthinking.

Cultivation rarely followed perfect calculations.

Every person’s foundation, physique, and talent were different.

Trying to force everything into the same pattern was unrealistic.

Liza looked toward Julian first.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of discouragement on her face.

Instead, her eyes were filled with anticipation.

Lina mirrored the same expression.

They both trusted him completely.

"Young Master Julian..."

The two women were eager to take the last Nine Way Cleansing Elixir to pierce through that membrane and enter the Gold Realm.

They looked at Julian expectantly.

Julian couldn’t help smiling.

"You two really have no patience."

Liza scratched her cheek sheepishly.

"It’s because... I can already feel it."

She clenched her small fist.

"It feels like there’s a wall right in front of me."

Lina nodded softly.

"I feel the same. One more step... and I should be able to cross it."

Julian laughed quietly.

"Then let’s finish this properly."

He picked up the remaining elixirs.

The golden pills reflected the moonlight beautifully, each one carrying astonishing medicinal vitality.

Julian chuckled, holding the elixirs with both hands and feeding them to the women.

Liza leaned forward first.

She accepted the pill obediently before swallowing it.

Lina followed immediately afterward.

The moment the third Nine Way Cleansing Elixir entered their bodies...

An immense medicinal force erupted.

Unlike before, the energy no longer spread gently.

Instead, it surged like an overflowing river crashing through a narrow canyon.

Their cultivation techniques automatically accelerated.

Inner energy roared through every part of their nervous systems.

The final invisible barrier that had stopped them only moments ago began trembling violently.

Crack.

Although no sound could actually be heard, Julian clearly sensed the change.

The bottleneck was breaking.

A powerful wave of spiritual pressure exploded outward.

The curtains fluttered wildly.

The surrounding air became noticeably heavier.

Golden strands of inner energy spiraled around Lina and Liza as though celebrating their breakthrough.

After swallowing the third Nine Way Cleansing Elixir, the massive medicinal power transformed into true energy, successfully allowing the two women to break through to the early Gold Realm!

The breakthrough was smooth.

Stable.

Without the slightest instability.

Upon reaching the Gold Realm, the two women clearly felt a qualitative leap in their strength!

Everything appeared different.

Their senses became sharper.

Their inner energy flowed more freely.

Even the surrounding spiritual energy seemed far easier to perceive than before.

Liza slowly opened her eyes.

She stared at her own hands in disbelief.

"I... really did it..."

Beside her, Lina’s usually composed expression softened into a radiant smile.

"We actually broke through."

There wasn’t the slightest doubt left in either woman’s heart.

Following Julian had completely changed their lives.

Their eyes sparkled as they looked at Julian, and they pounced on him, each giving him a peck on the cheek.

Julian froze.

Before he could react, a soft kiss landed on one side of his face.

A heartbeat later...

Another landed on the other.

The room fell silent.

Liza quickly stepped back, covering her face with both hands.

Lina’s cheeks also turned a delicate shade of pink.

Neither of them had planned it.

Their happiness had simply overflowed in that instant.

Happy.

Truly happy!

Following Young Master Julian for less than a month, they had advanced from the early Silver Realm to the Gold Realm.

That kind of cultivation speed was something neither of them had ever dared dream about.

No one had ever been so generous and kind to them.

Julian blinked twice, still processing what had just happened.

His thoughts surfaced instinctively.

[Damn, why are they so proactive today?]