The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Guest Hall.

The room assigned to Vera and Aiden.

Standing outside the door, Crescent and Galen remained frozen in place.

"…What is this…"

"So it's true."

Even from outside, they could feel the swirling storm of powerful internal energy.

She must have been practicing energy Circulation inside.

It was a moment that should not be disturbed.

The two brothers waited in silence until the raging currents of energy subsided.

Then, cautiously, they opened the door.

Inside, Vera was in the final stages of Great Circulation, drawing the energy back into her core.

She looked up at them.

Two sets of widened eyes met her own.

Then, in a quiet voice, she spoke.

"Did Master call for me?"

"…Yes. You should come now."

"Understood."

With measured movements, Vera adjusted her clothing and reached for the sword she had placed beside her.

Then, without another word, she followed them.

From the Guest Hall's second floor to Edwin's personal chamber—

It wasn't a long walk.

Yet, in that brief silence…

Crescent became acutely aware that this girl—this delicate-looking child—had already surpassed the threshold of Peak Mastery, just as he had.

"When did Vera first begin training in martial arts?"

He asked casually.

Vera looked up at him, blinking.

Her expression seemed to ask why he was curious.

Still, she had no reason to hide it.

"I believe I was about seven years old."

"…Seven, is that so? That was my age as well."

The beginning had been the same.

But the speed at which they reached this level was vastly different.

Crescent was thirty-two.

Physically, he was in his prime. Anything he had yet to grasp now would be even harder to comprehend later.

And still, he had yet to break through to the mid-stage of Peak Mastery.

Meanwhile, this girl—this fragile-looking fourteen-year-old—had already done so.

Fourteen.

An age most called adolescence.

A time of emotional volatility, yet also a time of unparalleled adaptability.

An age where one learned and absorbed knowledge with unparalleled speed.

For a brief moment, Crescent was struck by the realization.

A few more months, and she would surpass him entirely.

"…young hero, you are blessed with an inexpressible level of talent."

"Are you envious of the Celestial Blade Star?"

"…To be honest… I envy that talent."

"Brother, what are you saying?"

Unable to stay silent any longer, Galen interrupted.

At that moment—

From the corridor leading to Edwin's chamber, a figure emerged.

"Is there a problem, Second Young Master?"

"...Caleb. Why would you think there isn't a problem?" Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

"Even if one carries the fate of a bloodstained destiny, isn't it the essence of a martial artist to wield their blade and carve a name that the world will never forget?"

Caleb looked directly at Vera.

She met his gaze without hesitation.

"…Caleb, you truly understand me."

A hollow smile touched Caleb's lips as he turned toward Crescent.

His expression was bitter.

"I am fifty-five. First Young Master, you are thirty-two. And that child is fourteen."

"…So?"

"Amusingly enough, the three of us stand at nearly the same level of martial prowess. Do you think I have not felt the same way you do?"

With those words, Caleb stepped aside.

At the end of the corridor, the door to the leader's Chamber was now in plain sight.

"First Young Master, you are a martial artist. Second Young Master, you are a strategist. Do not try to understand each other's hearts. Simply cooperate for the best outcome. That is how I see it."

"…You're right."

"I agree, Brother."

Both Crescent and Galen nodded.

Vera, having quietly observed, now took the lead.

She walked ahead, making the two Young Masters follow behind her.

Tok. Tok. Tok.

Her small hand reached for the door handle, knocking firmly.

"It's you, Vera. Enter."

"Yes, Master."

She opened the door herself and stepped inside, standing between the two Young Masters as she looked around at the gathered figures.

With a small fist, she performed a martial salute.

"I was told I was summoned."

From behind, Caleb watched the scene unfold.

He watched as the two Young Masters followed behind the small child.

He watched as she opened the door with her own hand.

"…What a bold child."

Then, without another word, he turned to complete the task assigned to him by the Second Young Master.

He, too, had a duty to fulfill.

The explanation was over.

Vera silently contemplated the task that had been placed upon her.

"…I understand."

She was composed.

There was neither disappointment nor despair in her expression.

She simply pondered whether it was possible.

"If I lure Dark Emperor out, will Clear Peace and leader Edwin take action?"

"That is correct."

Clear Peace replied, his voice heavy.

Had he not seen her in person, he might not have felt so troubled.

But now that he was looking at her directly, he felt an uneasy weight settle in his chest.

'…To think she would be this young.'

Had he met her without knowing her age, he would have guessed no more than twelve.

She barely reached five feet in height.

Her wrists looked so thin that they might snap in a strong wind.

Her skin was pale, her frame small and delicate.

"And so, I must ask," Vera continued.

"You may ask anything," Edwin replied gently, nodding.

"Forgive my impudence, but…"

Vera turned her gaze between Clear Peace and Edwin.

Then, with words as heavy as a thunderclap, she posed a question that crashed into the silence like an explosive device placed at the center of the table.

"If the two of you fight together, can you defeat Dark Emperor?"

It was a question that should have been asked.

After all, she was offering her life as bait.

If she were to take on such a role, she had the right to know whether Dark Emperor could actually be subdued.

But for a fourteen-year-old Third Generation Disciple to pose such a question to an elder of the Nine Great Sects and the leader of the Everstone Clan…

It was the kind of remark that could easily be deemed disrespectful.

"…That is difficult to say."

Edwin turned to look at Clear Peace.

When it came to experience in dealing with assassins from the Bloodshadow Pavilion, Clear Peace had more expertise.

They had no choice but to rely on his answer.

Yet, even now, his response was uncertain.

"So it is not guaranteed."

At Vera's calm remark, Clear Peace nodded honestly.

"Of course, leader Edwin has stepped into the early stage of Kingdom of Harmony, and I myself have gone past its initial threshold. However, the last time I saw Dark Emperor, he was already at the mid-stage of Kingdom of Harmony…"

The higher one climbed in cultivation, the greater the disparity between each stage.

For those at Peak Mastery, it was not uncommon for an early-stage master to defeat one in the mid-stage.

But once one entered Kingdom of Harmony, such occurrences became exceedingly rare—perhaps once a year, if that.

And in the Grandmaster Realm, such events were almost unheard of, perhaps occurring once in a decade.

There was a reason grandmasters were called one-man armies.

They were superhuman beings who defied the common belief that numbers determined victory.

"At this moment, he may have advanced beyond the mid-stage of Kingdom of Harmony."

Vera took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

She could not claim to be entirely without fear.

If Dark Emperor had surpassed the mid-stage by a significant margin…

If he had reached an even greater realm, despite his aged body and long-passed prime…

While it was unlikely he had attained the legendary Heavenly Enlightenment Realm, even nearing its threshold would make him an incomprehensible existence.

After all, Sword Lord Zephyrion Akrest had reached the peak of Kingdom of Harmony…

"There is a way, Vera."

At that moment, Aiden spoke in a low voice.

Everyone turned to look at him.

When dealing with a superior martial artist, the only solution was to call upon someone of equal power.

And Vera already knew who Aiden had in mind.

"…If we summon Grandmaster Thorn, then it would be possible."

"Yes. If Grandmaster Thorn comes, we can win."

For a moment, silence gripped the room.

An indescribable hush.

To call upon Grandmaster Thorn, the foremost of the Three Lords among the One Lord, Three Lords, Seven Kings…

To summon the Mount Suncrest Sword Lord himself…

It was a proposal that felt almost unrealistic.

Edwin carefully voiced his doubt.

"…Would he really come just to save a Third Generation Disciple?"

"He will come," Aiden said firmly.

"Because Vera is not just any Third Generation Disciple."

A fourteen-year-old who had surpassed the threshold of Peak Mastery.

A genius who had shattered the Wall of Perfection in just a few months.

The unparalleled prodigy who had defeated Theron…

A blade forged in preparation to challenge the Sword Lord.

Thinking of the titles that had already been placed upon Vera's small shoulders, Edwin gave a slow nod.

But Clear Peace was not as easily convinced.

"No matter how much Grandmaster Thorn values young martial prodigies, would he really come?"

"You know as well as I do, Elder. Our Grandmaster is not one to be bound by formalities."

"…Do you have the right to speak of him that way?"

"Elder, you recall how he personally officiated my wager of master and disciple, do you not?"

A faint chuckle escaped Aiden's lips.

"Yes. He is still very much the same."

"Then we have nothing to worry about… But who will travel to Mount Suncrest in Silver Crest to bring him here?"