Grace fell asleep soon afterward. She had awakened but had yet to recover fully. She had basically died and come back to life, so her whole existence needed time to return to her previous peak.

The strain mainly involved Grace’s dantian. It had finally expelled the impurities, but the process had left it weakened, creating repercussions throughout her being. She would make a full recovery, but not instantly.

Liam kept Grace in his arms while she slept, supporting her close to his chest. He often caressed her still-stained face, feeling grateful beyond reason, as well as hearing a continuous hiss in his mind.

However, there would be time to address that Hatred. It was Liam’s next order of business, but his duty compelled him to watch over Grace in the meantime.

In the end, the answer had been simple, albeit not without some deep grief.

Liam had already lost most of his reservations after inheriting his Master’s drive. His secluded training had merely finished the process that learning about life’s complexities had delayed. He now knew how to tackle every obstacle on his path.

The math was extremely basic. If someone opposed Liam, they died, and it would be their fault. Just like hares wouldn’t dare to mess with a wolf, Liam’s enemies were fundamentally delusional if they thought they could do the same with him.

The social aspect of that personal evolution had required more effort due to Liam’s inexperience. He just had no idea what to do with his own feelings. He had also failed to recognize them for the longest part, only to take him by surprise once he developed some understanding.

Still, the solution, or rather, Liam’s decision had involved undeniable circumstances, both personal and of the world.

Liam felt something, so he would pursue it, acting upon it, even if it sounded wrong. He couldn’t change his emotions anyway. At most, he could suppress them, but that wouldn’t prevent people from getting hurt.

Melissa and Grace were different, both as people and in what they represented in Liam’s life, but he cared for them both, and not as mere friends. They were priceless findings that made him feel unbelievably lucky despite everything else going on. They were, for all intents and purposes, happiness.

Liam might not have realized that with Melissa before losing her, but he had done so with Grace, so he would hold her close. He had promised as much after leaving the Sect, and that wasn’t just about selfishness.

Loving someone meant more than kisses and whatever else, at least for Liam. He would take care of Grace. He would take responsibility for that bond, both physically and emotionally.

Liam also couldn’t accept wasting a single additional second after almost losing Grace. She deserved everything he had to offer, even in terms of time.

As for Melissa, if Liam ever met her again, he would be honest and accept whatever decision she made. If she still wanted him despite everything, he would take responsibility. If she hated him, he would respect it.

Actually, the same would also apply to Grace. Liam was ready to take responsibility for both her and Melissa. He wanted to make them both happy. It was irrational, but such was love, and the final decision wouldn’t be up to him.

Liam couldn’t force that desire on others. People didn’t work like that. He had made up his mind and would do his best. Everything else was about whether those precious pieces of his life accepted his intentions.

Still, one thing was sure. No matter how sad, painful, grim, or complicated, Liam wouldn’t show hesitation anymore, both with the world and feelings.

Under mental command, the fan approached Liam and blew away the smoke from his mouth and pipe, making sure nothing ever came close to the beauty in his arms.

Meanwhile, calculations happened in Liam’s mind. He even checked Grace’s dantian multiple times for reference.

’Improving her talent would be easier now,’ Liam pondered, ’But making her a branching expert right away would be safer.’

The requirements skyrocketed at each higher rank. Improving a cultivator’s talent was a dangerous, largely experimental alchemical field, so Liam would prefer to tackle the problem in its easiest shape.

Of course, it would have been even easier to do while Grace was a foundation expert, but that wasn’t possible anymore.

’Master said cultivations are harder to influence at higher stages,’ Liam recalled the teachings in the green jade. ’But the higher stages themselves might become a problem.’

The greater difficulty was not only about the more precious, often unfindable products. Cultivations became firmer at the superior stages, meaning they were more resistant to change.

Yet, there was a huge problem on the opposite side of the spectrum. A vast cultivation was necessary to support the higher stages. It would crumble under its own weight otherwise.

Liam had no issues in that regard, none at all. No cultivation could be wider than his, and the same went for what it could support.

Instead, Grace wasn’t quite ordinary, but she wasn’t special, either. There were no hard rules, but Liam wondered what twenty-five minor roots could support.

’She should be able to enter the branching stage, right?’ Liam considered. ’Master said that a dantian’s nature affects a cultivation’s weight, but she has a Qi core. There’s nothing lighter than that.’

Liam’s thoughts didn’t stop at the branching stage. Since Grace had to be with him for life, she would need to achieve his heights, and she wasn’t equipped to do so. For all her intelligence, the Heavens had limited her potential.

’A different iteration of the Core-Sheltering Pill should help,’ Liam thought. ’But even if that keeps her cultivation intact during the breakthrough, would she be fine on her own afterward?’

Just like Liam had done for the Primal Urge, some alchemical products could reinforce a cultivation, but they were temporary effects. Liam might make Grace’s roots tough enough to reach higher stages, only to crumble under their weight once the enhancement expired.

’It’s not sustainable to keep her on a diet of Pills,’ Liam acknowledged. ’Even if I had infinite ingredients, the weight would continue to rise the more she improves, and she would build tolerance, too. There are also the impurities to consider ...’

Alchemy could defy the Heavens, but it was no easy task. Certain rules were iron-clad because overcoming them had been impossible for the most part.

’She can’t really consume alchemical products for a while,’ Liam considered. ’I still have no idea how to improve her talent without permanent drawbacks, either. Still, if it’s just about reinforcing what she already has ...’

Grace had already used Meridian-Cleansing elixirs to quicken her training speed, but they hadn’t led to any permanent improvement.

However, since the project of transforming Grace into a fellow fiend was on hold, Liam could start with the step before that. He couldn’t improve her talent just yet, but he could make her the strongest version of herself.

It would be immensely expensive, but Liam could make Grace’s twenty-five minor roots and the soil stemming from them into something that defied their natural standing. Rather than expanding her foundation, he would improve its quality by leaps and bounds.

That wasn’t just to enable Grace to remain at Liam’s side throughout his journey. The core idea behind the project was actually far purer. With strength came safety, and Liam’s first and last priority was to protect her.

There was also another way to ensure such safety, something Liam’s current mindset now saw as the utmost expression of his name’s meaning. He couldn’t actuate it while Grace was still so weak, but he planned for it, smoking as much as possible, getting ready for revenge.