Chapter 649: Chloe’s Temptation

Marcus had no idea that while he was marveling at his own progress, Anya and Chloe were even more stunned by what they had just witnessed.

Anya’s Phoenix Cry had reached the stage known as Phoenix Rebirth, Initial Awakening, causing her power to skyrocket. In fact, she had already surpassed Chloe and was rapidly closing the gap with her own father, the head of the Lynn family. There was no exaggeration in that assessment. The Lynn family had wagered thirty years on Anya mastering the notoriously difficult Phoenix Cry, so if reaching this stage did not bring such a dramatic increase in power, all those years of effort would have meant very little.

And yet, despite reaching that level, despite Anya pouring ninety percent of her internal energy into her attacks, she could only pressure Marcus and force him back. She could hit him, but she couldn’t inflict any meaningful damage. He was still fighting like a monster, enduring attacks that should have been enough to overwhelm someone at his level.

After several more exchanges with both women, Marcus finally had a clear picture of his current combat ability and where his martial cultivation stood. He also discovered that there was a limit to his seemingly endless stamina. After fighting continuously for so long, the true energy within his body had fallen by more than half. Human Rock gave him an astonishing reserve of power, but he wasn’t actually tireless.

Once the sparring ended, the three of them sat down and circulated their respective techniques to recover. After their true energy had been restored, Anya and Chloe began practicing the introductory section of the Olympian Jade Art, the ancient cultivation method they had only recently obtained.

Marcus, meanwhile, turned his attention to the ten ultimate techniques recorded on the final pages of Human Rock.

According to the notes left behind with Human Rock, once his true energy reached the third layer, Champion, he would be able to begin cultivating the first two ultimate techniques.

The first was Wrath of Heaven and Earth, an offensive technique. By circulating his true energy through his body and concentrating Human Rock’s power into a single point, he could unleash a tremendous burst of force whose form and power were influenced by the weapon in his hand.

The second was Sky-Roaming Body, a movement technique that used true energy as its foundation to greatly increase the user’s speed and allow rapid movement through the surrounding space. At its highest level, it could even allow the practitioner to fly and perform short-range teleportation.

The descriptions alone were enough to make both techniques sound devastating.

Unfortunately, Marcus had discovered that learning them was an entirely different matter.

Even after entering the third layer, and despite practicing them every day, he had made almost no progress. With Wrath of Heaven and Earth, he could gather Human Rock’s golden energy into his fist, condensing it until the power became almost tangible, but he couldn’t take the final step and release that energy as an actual attack.

Sky-Roaming Body was even more frustrating. His running speed had improved, and he could jump higher and farther than before, but as for flight or teleportation, there wasn’t even a hint of success.

It was infuriating.

These two techniques were proving brutally difficult to cultivate, and for once, even Marcus’s absurd talent didn’t seem to make much difference.

Still, he refused to give up. He kept practicing, going through the movements again and again while carefully following the true energy circulation patterns required by each technique. Even when the results were disappointing, he simply started over and continued.

Today’s progress was minimal.

Anya and Chloe, however, had achieved genuine results.

The special field was filled with energy far denser than the outside world, and with the foundation of their existing internal energy, the two women were able to circulate the Olympian Jade Art through eighty-one complete cycles. By the time they finished, the effects were already clearly visible.

Anya, dressed elegantly in a simple white casual outfit, was surrounded by roaring crimson flames. As the Olympian Jade Art circulated through her body, a faint phoenix pattern gradually appeared behind her, its wings spreading as it circled around her with an almost joyful vitality. At the same time, the true energy within her body continued to rise.

Chloe’s transformation was just as striking. The heroic young woman, dressed in a light red short-sleeved top, had originally been surrounded by crackling blue lightning. Now, under the influence of the Olympian Jade Art, that lightning had gathered into an enormous circular web around her, bolts of electricity snapping and weaving through the air with astonishing intensity.

The progress was excellent.

"Marcus, it really is a cultivation method..."

After completing the eighty-one cycles, both women stopped cultivating and immediately went over to tell Marcus about what they had experienced.

"Mm."

Marcus nodded, listening carefully before finally dismissing the special field.

The three of them returned to Anya’s spacious living room, where they continued discussing the effects of the Olympian Jade Art and the changes they had noticed after practicing it.

Marcus, unfortunately, had little to celebrate on his own front.

His two ultimate techniques still hadn’t improved, and Human Rock was a completely different matter from the Olympian Jade Art. Aside from dual cultivation, during which his true energy could surge dramatically, simply sitting down and meditating did not produce the same obvious results for him.

When Chloe eventually excused herself and headed toward the bathroom, Marcus watched her disappear through the door before turning back to Anya. He had already been holding himself back for quite some time, and now that they were alone, he pulled her stunning body into his arms and kissed her.

Anya’s lips were soft beneath his, and her beautiful face was close enough to make it difficult for him to think about anything else. The warmth between them quickly deepened, and Marcus’s hands began wandering over her slender waist and graceful curves through the thin white fabric of her clothes.

"Beautiful girl," he murmured between kisses, his voice carrying a shameless hint of mischief. "Your Olympian Jade Art is progressing so quickly, but your man’s Human Rock hasn’t been cultivated today."

"Naughty..."

Anya’s eyes were filled with affection as she whispered the words, clearly seeing through his excuse. She didn’t push him away, though, and instead kissed him back, allowing him to hold her close as his hands continued to wander.

The atmosphere between them grew warmer by the moment.

But just as Marcus was about to take things further and pull her top aside, Anya slipped her arms around his neck and leaned close enough to whisper into his ear.

"Babe, you’ve been fighting for so long. You haven’t even showered yet."

She gave a soft laugh, her breath warm against his ear.

"Babe, why don’t you let Chloe help you bathe first?"

Marcus froze. Chloe. Help him bathe...

His heart immediately began pounding.

It was something he had imagined more than once, but Anya was still in his arms, so he quickly tightened his embrace and kissed her again.

"I want you," he whispered. "Let’s shower together later."

"Hypocrite..."

Anya pretended to be annoyed, but the smile on her lips gave her away. She kissed him once more before glancing toward the bathroom and lowering her voice.

"Babe, you’ve got so many women around you, and Chloe has been unhappy about it for a while. Tonight is your chance. If you miss it, you might have to wait a very long time."

She paused, then couldn’t resist adding with a teasing smile, "Babe, you’re certainly lucky. You have both your master and her guardian interested in you."

Marcus laughed awkwardly.

His desires were already fully awake, and the suggestion that Chloe might actually be willing to take the initiative had sent his imagination running wild.

’Tonight.’ The thought came almost immediately.

Could it really be both of them?

"You really are tempted."

Anya caught the change in his expression instantly. She gave him a look that was half reproach and half amusement, then glanced down at the clothes he was wearing, most of which had been shredded by Thunderbird’s Feather during their earlier spar.

She gently pushed him away.

"Babe, Chloe and I bought you some new clothes the day before yesterday. I’ll go get them."

"Really?"

Marcus couldn’t believe his luck.

Still, when he thought about Chloe’s usual attitude toward him, especially the way she was always calling him a pervert whenever he got too close, a small flicker of unease surfaced.

Anya seemed to read that hesitation too.

"Whether anything happens tonight depends on whether you can actually act like the master."

With that, she slipped out of his arms and headed toward her bedroom.

The rest was up to him.

Fortunately, Marcus had thick skin, and he wasn’t completely inexperienced when it came to sharing a bath.

He took a breath, walked over to the bathroom, and pushed the door open.

Creak.

Warm steam drifted through the room.

Chloe was lying in the bathtub with the water reaching her shoulders. Her long hair rested against the edge, while the clear water rippled gently around her as she relaxed after their exhausting spar. Without the sharp focus and heroic confidence she normally carried into battle, she looked unexpectedly peaceful.

"Ah!"

The moment she heard the door, Chloe looked up. Then she saw the tall, broad-shouldered man standing in the doorway.

The man she knew better than almost anyone.

"Marcus, what are you doing in here?!"

Her reaction was immediate. Even though she was a powerful martial artist who could face danger without blinking, being unexpectedly confronted by a man while she was bathing triggered a completely different instinct. She instinctively curled herself deeper into the water, bringing both hands up to protect her chest.

Marcus couldn’t help smiling at her flustered expression.

Bang.

The bathroom door closed behind him.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked toward the bathtub, while Chloe remained frozen in the corner, clearly unsure what he intended to do.

"Marcus, get out!"

Her hand darted toward the white towel resting beside the tub. Before she could reach it, however, a flash of golden light shot past her fingers.

The towel disappeared from the edge of the bathtub and landed in Marcus’s hand.

"Marcus, you..."

Chloe stared at him in disbelief.

Marcus sat down on the wide edge of the tub, his expression openly appreciative as he looked at her. Chloe’s pale skin and graceful figure were partially concealed beneath the warm water, which rippled softly around her whenever she moved.

Without the towel, she had little choice but to remain tucked into the corner, her arms crossed protectively over her chest and her legs drawn up beneath the water. The usual bright, energetic Chloe was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a flustered young woman trying desperately to maintain her composure while Marcus calmly watched her.

For perhaps the first time, he saw a completely different side of Chloe. She wasn’t the heroic, fiery, sunshine-like girl who charged into battle without hesitation.

Right now, she was simply a beautiful woman caught completely off guard.

And somehow, that made her far more dangerous to his self-control.