Chapter 12: Night's Gentle Embrace

Bianca Balam spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed backward. Seth Santee caught her in his arms. "Bianca!" Seth shouted, his voice tearing. He had never imagined she would throw herself in front of him and take that palm strike head-on. In that instant, a fierce warmth surged through him. Evelyn Showyer had betrayed him, stolen his Dao Bone, plotted his death, and harmed Ember. Yet in this world, there was still someone willing to stake her life for his. Jeremy Balam froze as well. Bianca Balam had actually chosen to bear his strike for Seth. "Then you all die!" Jeremy saw Seth still standing there. True Essence gathered again in his palm, swelling with murderous intent as he raised his hand to crush Seth where he stood. Seven elders appeared in front of him. "Move!" Jeremy barked at them. "What you've done is betrayal of the Balam family," one elder said coldly. "Your crimes go beyond exile. You should be… executed." The moment the words fell, the seven elders struck together. True Essence swept out like a gale through dead leaves, overwhelming in its force. Boom! With a single exchange, Jeremy was blasted several yards back. He coughed up blood, his face drained to shock. They were all at the Ninth Level of the Bitter Sea Realm. Any one of them could have ground Jeremy into dust. With them attacking in concert, the might of their assault was terrifying. "Pfft!" Another blow slammed into Jeremy. His body tumbled across the ground, as if every bone in him were about to shatter. The Balam family watched in silence. No one stepped forward to speak for the Grand Elder, and no one lifted a hand to help him. The situation in Farwind City was unfavorable, but just as Bianca had said, today's Balam family was no longer what it used to be. Many among them had achieved a Realm Breakthrough with Seth's help. The family's overall strength had surged by an entire tier. "You really think two juniors can lead the Balam family to glory?" Jeremy rasped, laughing through blood. "You're wrong. Dead wrong. The birth of the Innate Dao Body is the tide of fate. Only by following it can we survive…" His eyes slid shut in a twisted, bitter smile. The seven elders all had a hand in his death. None of them regretted it. Jeremy had brought it on himself. Seth stayed by Bianca's side, waiting for the pill to arrive. Bianca looked at him, and the corners of her lips lifted faintly, a trace of a smile appearing despite the pain. "Bianca's injuries are severe. The Grand Elder struck far too viciously." After dealing with Jeremy, the elders gathered around to check her condition. "With wounds this heavy, I'm afraid Bianca won't be able to participate in the Farwind City Grand Competition," an elder said, worry tightening his voice. Bianca was strong, but she still fell a little short compared to his own younger sister. "Don't worry," Seth said suddenly. "I'll fight for the Balam family." The elders went still. Seth would fight? Use Poison Arts? Several of them thought the same thing. If it came to poison, no one of the younger generation could withstand Seth. "I believe him." Bianca's voice was soft, but her stance was unshakable. Only she knew that what Seth excelled at was not limited to Poison Arts. His battle strength might not lose to that so-called Innate Dao Body. With Bianca saying so, the elders raised no objection. Over these past days, they had learned Seth was not the type to boast without reason. If he said it, he must have some measure of confidence. Seth watched as the maids helped Bianca back to her room. He hesitated, then stayed. He sat down beside the tea table. Neither of them spoke. One sat, one lay resting, and yet there was no awkwardness between them. Time slipped by, drop by drop. Before they knew it, they seemed to have fallen asleep like that. The night was gentle. Moonlight spilled through the window, washing over Seth's face. Bianca woke at just that moment. Seeing his handsome features, she couldn't help recalling their first meeting at the inn. The smile on her lips turned sweeter. Slowly, she climbed out of bed. Supporting herself on the furniture, she moved carefully toward him at the tea table. But her injuries were too heavy. After only a couple of steps, her legs went weak, and she pitched forward toward Seth. Seth jolted awake. Instinctively, he reached out and caught her by the shoulders. Less than a foot separated them. Their eyes met, and a flicker of panic passed through both gazes. It felt as if time and space had frozen, leaving only the other person in view. Then Seth broke the spell. He leaned in and pressed his lips to her flawless face. "Hm?" Bianca's reason told her she should pull back, should be proper, should be restrained. Yet her heart sank into Seth's tenderness, helplessly drunk on it… Morning came. Sunlight streamed in, waking the two by the table. When Bianca opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Seth looking at her. The memory of last night's kiss rushed back, and a blush spread across her breathtaking face. "You're beautiful," Seth said, staring at her bare, unpainted features as if he'd seen a celestial being. "I didn't know you could say things like that," Bianca murmured, genuinely surprised. "I couldn't help it." His words made Bianca blink. How had she never noticed before? This man could be shamelessly smooth. Over the next two days, Seth spent several hours each day by Bianca's side. The rest of the time, he stayed in the courtyard, caring for Ember and focusing on cultivation. Everyone in the Balam family cultivated with grim determination. No one stepped outside the estate. Compared to the calm within the Balam family, Farwind City was far livelier. Everyone prepared for the Grand Competition. People even arrived from nearby cities. They had heard that Skyreach Academy would be sending experts, and they wanted to shine in the Grand Competition and earn the academy's favor. The Showyer family's gates saw a constant stream of visitors. No one knew how many came to offer congratulations, all hoping to use the chance to form even the slightest connection with the Warth family of the Imperial City. Of course, if they couldn't, it didn't matter. Being on good terms with an Innate Dao Body was beneficial enough. An Innate Dao Body had limitless potential. As long as they didn't die, they were destined to become a transcendent powerhouse whose name would shake the Skyreach Kingdom. At last, the day of the Farwind City Grand Competition arrived. The sky had only just begun to brighten when the area around the battle stage in the center of Farwind City was already packed. This Grand Competition was the city's greatest event of the year, and that was before even considering the arrival of Skyreach Academy's experts. The City Lord's Manor's experts arrived early as well, arranging the viewing seats around the battle stage. What surprised the crowd was that the viewing area had been divided into only three sections. "By the rules of past years, the City Lord's Manor and the three great families each take the best section. This time, there's one section missing!" "Looks like trouble will start before the Grand Competition even begins." The City Lord's Manor took one section without the slightest courtesy. After that came the experts of the Showyer family and the Leemin family. They arrived together, yet sat separately, flanking the City Lord's Manor on both sides. "There's no place for the Balam family!" In an instant, everyone understood the City Lord's Manor's arrangement. They had cut the Balam family out. "I heard Bianca Balam rejected the City Lord's Manor's marriage proposal. Is this revenge?" the crowd wondered in hushed voices. Jace Showyer wore a meaningful smile. The City Lord's Manor humiliating the Balam family like this was exactly what he wanted to see. But in the next breath, his smile stiffened. He saw someone he didn't want to see at all. Seth Santee. Seth walked beside Bianca Balam as the Balam family entered together. Bianca stopped short when she saw the seating arrangement. The elders of the Balam family stopped as well. They hadn't even been given a place? "Looks like the Balam family will have to suffer and stand below," Jace said, laughing loudly from his seat. "Seems the Balam family has no foothold left in Farwind City," the Lord of the Leemin family added with a sneer. Seth stepped forward, his voice ringing clear. "Watching from up there is boring. Dragging the people up there down to the ground is much more fun."