I thought about going to the Queen and informing her about what had just happened, but I stayed below. Ultimately, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't supposed to go out, and the events happened reasonably away that I shouldn't have seen anything with my abilities.

Instead, I stayed in the garden, testing the limits of the Second Realm of Qi Gathering stage. The passive improvement alone had been fascinating enough. I was faster, stronger, with sharper senses. More importantly, in a manner similar to Muscle Reinforcement, I had the ability to push Qi out of my body. The range was limited, and effectiveness even less so.

The difference between trying to use Essence and Qi was incredible. Using my essence felt like breathing, a momentary meditation all I needed to come up with a new technique or modify an existing one. Unfortunately, the same smoothness didn't apply to Qi. I could use a palm attack perfectly, but only by the way the technique was described. The underlying mechanics were still a mystery.

Luckily, reaching Perfection meant it was very strong.

After some practice, I went back into the palace, afraid of being noticed by the Queen. I didn't take that risk just to reveal what had happened.

Instead, I went to my room. After breakfast, we had another maddening training session where she teased me the whole time. Maddening, but I had to play the shy genius. She enjoyed flirting, but she wasn't ready to move further.

Since I wasn't a moron, I didn't question her about that.

I had a bigger problem to deal with. The multiplier had once again dropped down further. When she had broken to the Peak of Bone Refinement, the multiplier had risen to forty, and now, it was back to thirty.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 30; Pampering Bonus - 45 (Capped)]

[85x Return - Thousand Petals Meditation Technique Lesson, Minor Immersion]

[85x Return - Thousand Petals Gate Transformation Technique - Perfection]

[85x Return - Verdant Brush Talisman Technique Lesson, Perfection]

[85x Return - Palm of Verdant Cleansing - Perfection]

Still, it was not all bad. At least, thanks to all my previous experiences, I had a better comparison between different stages.

Initiate counted as mortal, Peak Muscle Reinforcement was equal to First Realm Qi Gathering, while Peak Skin Refinement counted as Third Realm, and Peak Bone Refinement was Fifth Realm. Beginner Connate Realm counted as six, so I expected the Peak to be somewhere between six and seven.

And, apparently, every minor realm was counted as ten points in terms of return.

An interesting equation, because from what I had seen, True cultivation was far stronger than martial cultivation at supposedly equal levels. It was a weird equivalency, but I didn't waste much time on it. Instead, the moment the Queen went upstairs to cultivate, I broke through in my martial cultivation as well.

Reaching Intermediate Skin Refinement Realm.

I doubted that any cultivator — who wasn't dealing with an illness — would have done the same thing. But, I had several reasons for doing so. First, with my martial talent, the abilities given to me by my martial cultivation weren't negligible, particularly since I could easily create my own techniques. My sprinting technique alone was an incredible edge.

Second, unlike the other cultivators, I didn't easily gather environmental Qi, because I didn't have an Immortal Root to purify it. That meant, I could fight in Qi-rich environments, especially if I had some time to waste, but without environmental Qi, I had to dip into my valuable storage.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Then, there were the apothecary abilities. The thing that had been holding me back the most was the weakness of my essence. Now that I was at the Intermediate Skin Refinement Realm, I could refine stronger pills.

Which, in turn, could be used to push the Queen into the Connate realm, once again increasing the return I collected.

Once the Queen went upstairs, I took the risk of leaving the Spring Palace. First, I walked around the wider palace grounds, but my decision to leave had to be aborted. Unlike the previous visit, the Spring Palace was surrounded by guards. More importantly, their martial cultivation was much higher.

At first, I thought that they wanted to take revenge on the mysterious cultivator, but it didn't take long for me to realize their attention was turned outward.

It looked like my warning had been even more effective. That meant I couldn't easily visit Pearyin and use the workshop. Luckily, the garden had all the materials I could use, and I could always use one of the cauldrons in the palace.

There were several good cauldrons and other equipment in the storage room. Being rich was certainly a privilege.

I made sure to seal the kitchen as tightly as I manage, and even started by refining a smell eraser. Then, I spent the rest of the night refining. Even with my new cultivation, refining essence pills strong enough for Peak Bone Forging Realm was a time-consuming affair, but when the morning arrived, I was still refined enough to help her break through.

Now, I just needed to hope that she wouldn't suspect my trick … which was rather simple. I stayed in my bedroom, not waking up like someone had knocked me out, while I left the pills and the cauldron on the desk.

And, I used my improved Calligraphy to write a small note that showed my full abilities, writing an elaborate, sarcastic message about delayed pill deliveries. I even infused a minuscule amount of Qi into the writing by bastardizing the Talisman-making technique, creating even more reason for her not to believe that the mysterious party that taught her the cultivation.

When she knocked on the door, I woke up groggily. "Are you alright?" she asked when she saw me exhausted — mostly exaggerated.

"Yes. It was just a weird nightmare. I feel tired, madam," I said.

"Really, what kind of nightmare," she asked, unable to hide her panic. It was understandable under the current circumstances of a mysterious visitor.

"I saw myself waking up in the middle of the night, following a weird smell," I said. "Then, I walked the same corridor, and found myself in the kitchen … but there was an old man there. He said that it was past my bedtime, waved his hand … and that was it," I added, acting confused. "That was it, but for some reason, I felt like I was about to die."

"I see," she said, my choppy acting convincing enough combined with the evidence. "Did he say anything else?"

"No … wait, he did," I said. "Just as I faded, he said something about protection only lasting three more months, and not to be there when it was over," I said. It was a good chance to inform the Queen about the deadline.

She knew it better than me whether her problems could be solved — or even alleviated — by reaching Connate Realm. I didn't expect her to have any problem reaching that realm, as during our heavy flirting, I had used my Essence Massage subtly to strengthen her cultivation so that she could step into the Connate Realm smoothly.

Hopefully, that wouldn't be enough to change her mind about the situation.

"Since you had a tough night, let's skip the training for today," she said. "Come, let's enjoy our breakfast."

"Thank you, madam," I said as I followed her to the dining room, the servant already delivered the food earlier. Though, I was interested in her reaction, I expected her to start cultivating immediately. Maybe she had a different plan.

Her hips swayed playfully as always, but since this time she was wearing her robes rather than her exercise clothing, it didn't look as alluring as usual. So, when she added an extra sway to her steps, I assumed that she was trying to compensate for it.

Then, when we arrived at the dining room, and when I took my usual seat. Yet, rather than going there, she started rubbing my shoulders. "Madam?" I whispered, not bothering to hide my hopeful tone.

"You're still tense after that nightmare, it'll help," she said, her tone soft and inviting, her fingers exploratory. She didn't take that step, but I recognized an invite when I heard one.

Interestingly, she didn't push any further. I wondered what was holding her back: her misplaced sense of loyalty to the King, her higher social status as a Queen and a cultivator, or plain shyness…

Though, ultimately, it didn't matter. She was giving me all the signs I needed. I grabbed her waist quickly — but not quickly enough that she couldn't have stopped if she wished — and flipped her against the table, pinning her hands down. A domineering move, but considering she was at the Peak of Bone Forging, hardly forceful.

"What if I need something stronger to distract me from my woes, madam?" I asked.

She said nothing then … or when I pulled her veil, finally drinking the sight of her beautiful face.

Or, when I started kissing her.