"As far as I can remember, I don't think my relationship with my father was good. It wasn't that bad, but at the same time, he didn't show any affection towards me, especially as I grew older. He would go drinking and visiting brothels and come back drunk."
Selena's eyes turned frosty with a tinge of mockery as she heard about her husband's behavior.
"It was only about four years ago, when both Jarek and I were abducted by vampires and brought to Belmora Town. I still remember the sense of despair I felt at that time, knowing we couldn't escape and our fate was to be devoured by them." Eira's face turned grim as she narrated.
Then, she smiled. "But Jarek wasn't willing to give up. Even under such circumstances, he didn't give up. He..."
Eira gave a detailed explanation of how Jarek used the enemy's arrogance against them and, with his own wit, created an opportunity for them to escape.
As Selena listened to Eira's story, she grew increasingly stunned, hearing about the details of how they were able to escape from Thrain's clutches and survive even years later.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
"...Jarek was the one who introduced me to the world of cultivation. He even offered to help me with my cultivation when he could have left me alone, and he even visits me every day to help me."
Hearing Eira talk about Jarek with such passion, she asked, "Oh, are you two by any chance together?"
But Eira quickly shook her head, denying it. "Our relationship isn't really like that."
Selena just smiled at Eira's response.
"As I was saying, Jarek has been helping me with my cultivation ever since that day, and it is only because of him that I was able to reach the Grandmaster Stage."
"You are a Grandmaster!?" Selena was genuinely shocked at the revelation of her daughter's cultivation.
She could only blurt out, "Your talent is truly amazing."
Surprisingly, Eira shook her head, indicating that wasn't the case.
"My talent for cultivation is average. The only thing extraordinary about me is my physique. If not for Jarek's help, I wouldn't have made it this far."
When Selena heard this, she couldn't help but have a strange expression on her face that seemed to say, 'You say your talent is average?'
She couldn't understand what Eira meant when she said those words.
Who in this world would consider someone who took about three months to become a Grandmaster as average?
Such a talent even surpasses those at the Myriad Dao Academy.
Anyone who heard this would think that Eira was bragging.
If Selena were to learn that Eira was referring to her cultivation base and not her actual combat prowess, who knew how she would feel about this?
Someone like Eira claiming that her talent was average was taking things too far.
What about those who spent centuries to reach this stage?
What are they, a bunch of dogs?
But what Selena didn't know or what anyone wouldn't understand was that Eira was telling the truth.
Her talent in energy cultivation is mediocre.
When compared to Jarek's, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
The gap was insurmountable.
The only reason her body was able to accumulate that much energy in such a short amount of time was that Jarek was infusing his own energy into her body.
Jarek's energy was very special, and it was more compatible with her body than the raw energy she could absorb from spirit stones.
With her talent, if she had been cultivating normally, she would have taken decades to reach her current level.
Eira led Selena to Jarek's room.
Ever since he started living in the academy, he hadn't used it. "You can sleep in Jarek's room. He hasn't slept in it in three months."
Selena was an Advanced Stage cultivator, and though she didn't need to sleep every day, unlike Masters, she also needed to get some sleep, especially considering what she had been through the last couple of days.
Eira then moved to continue with her cultivation, and she immersed herself in cultivation for the entire night.
The next day, at around noon, both Eira and Selena were enjoying lunch as they engaged in conversation.
While they were in the middle of their chatter, the door suddenly opened and Jarek walked in.
The room became silent as the attention of the two was drawn to Jarek's entrance.
Jarek was also stunned, not expecting to see two women who resembled one another.
His gaze was focused on Selena, someone whom he had never met and yet resembled Eira's former appearance and her current one to some extent.
'Who is this?' He thought.
Seeing Jarek's dumbfounded expression, Eira moved to introduce both Selena and Jarek to one another.
"Jarek, this is Selena, my mother. And he is Jarek, my friend."
Jarek extended his hand to greet Selena. "It's nice to meet you, Selena."
Selena smiled warmly as she replied, "The pleasure is all mine. I have heard many good things about you from Eira. Thank you for taking good care of my daughter for all these years when I wasn't there for her."
"It was no problem at all. She took care of me in many ways as well." Jarek replied kindly.
The three conversed with one another, as Eira explained to Jarek about Selena's situation.
Jarek's face turned grim for a short moment as he said. "It is a good thing that the beast died."
Moments later, Jarek and Eira moved to spar with one another.
Each one of them held a Medium Grade weapon in their hands.
They soon charged towards one another, and their swords collided with one another, producing a powerful force.
Selena could feel the shock waves generated from this battle as she watched from a distance.
She was amazed by the power that was on display.
"It's just like them." She had seen this level of power before, shown by the Grandmasters who served Jurgen.
She clenched her hand into a fist as she watched the battle.
It was a level of power that she, who was at the Advanced Stage, could only admire.
'This is the level of power that I could only dream of, but now even I have the chance to reach this level one day.' Selena thought as she looked at Jarek with a calculating gaze.