Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 262: Shihtzu’s breakthrough

So far, the Ring of Chaos had revealed very little, yet every single thing it presented left her stunned. The Scripture of Summoning, the vast space, and now an inscription master of such caliber.

Inscriptions were something countless Spirit Warriors dreamed of mastering, yet very few ever had the chance. Not because they lacked talent, but because no one was willing to teach them. True inscription masters were rare and precious, and their knowledge was guarded even more tightly.

In her previous life, Zora had chosen alchemy over inscriptions precisely because her energy was limited. Trying to master both would have spread her too thin, leaving her mediocre in each. It had been wiser to focus on one path.

But now, everything was different.

Her alchemy foundation was already solid, and her medicinal knowledge can be considered the top of the continent. She finally had the time, resources, and opportunity to walk a new path.

This was nothing short of a blessing from heaven.

As she stepped closer to the stone table, another change occurred. A second table materialized beside the first, identical in every detail, from the tools to the materials placed upon it.

It was clearly prepared for her.

At the same time, the old man finally stopped his movements. Without turning to look at her, he began explaining the nature, structure, and applications of inscriptions. "The Ruinic language is..." His voice was calm and steady, each explanation precise and systematic.

It was not a mere demonstration. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It was true, hands-on teaching.

Zora listened with rapt attention, her eyes growing brighter by the moment. With such a master guiding her step by step, learning inscriptions would be far smoother than she had ever imagined.

From that day onward, her routine became extraordinarily full.

Outside, she cultivated diligently, consolidating her strength and steadily improving her realm. Inside the Ring of Chaos, she devoted herself to studying the runic language and the inscriptions, starting from the most basic patterns and gradually moving toward more complex runes.

The progress was obvious.

Yet she also quickly realized that inscription techniques were far from merely etching runes one after another. Even with her talent and comprehension, mastering them was not something that could be rushed. Every line, every runic symbol required patience, precision, and countless repetitions. The most important thing is the precision and the combination. The right combination will create the rune, while a wrong combination, just like in the concocting a potion, might create an explosion and only hurt her in return.

But instead of feeling discouraged, Zora felt only deeper determination.

Step by step, she would learn.

No matter how long it took.

Because she had thrown herself wholeheartedly into cultivation and the study of inscriptions, Zora had not taken on any new tasks during this period.

Fortunately, the points she had taken from Morgana Frost and the others earlier were more than enough to support her expenses for quite some time. She could afford to remain in seclusion without worrying about resources.

In the meantime, Prince Kael returned to the academy after handling his personal business, but when he did, he couldn’t meet his dear wife. He noticed that Zora had become extraordinarily busy, for some reason. Days passed without him catching a glimpse of her, as she would either hole herself in her residence or inside the Spirit Tower.

After giving it some thought, he only attributed it to her diligence. After all, the pressure brought by the four great families was not something ordinary cultivators could easily ignore. In his mind, Zora was simply pushing herself harder because of that. Hence, he didn’t disturb her and continued to wait for the time when he could finally find that she wasn’t busy and had enough time to spend with him.

Present day;

Zora woke up early as usual.

On this particular day, however, Zora did not head to train in Inscriptions or leave for the Spirit Tower. Instead, she stayed inside her residence.

The reason was simple.

Shihtzu was about to emerge from seclusion.

"This retreat has gone on for quite a while," Black said, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I wonder what level Shihtzu will reach after breaking through."

As a contracted beast, Shihtzu was no ordinary existence. Black was confident that its breakthrough would not disappoint.

"Shihtzu hasn’t been born for long," White added thoughtfully. "Its cultivation time is short, but its foundation is special. With its talent, it should at least reach the Innate Realm."

Hearing this, Zora fell silent for a moment.

She herself had worked tirelessly, risking her life and relying on her inheritance to finally reach her current level. If not for the immense mana she gained during the inheritance, she didn’t even know how long it would have taken her to break through to the Innate Realm.

Meanwhile, Shihtzu simply swallowed demon crystals day after day, and a breakthrough followed naturally.

The gap was... truly unfair.

People were driven mad by comparison. Compared to beasts, it was even worse.

Yet despite that thought, a smile appeared on Zora’s face.

Shihtzu was not the type to stay humble. Ever since its birth, it had been full of pride, but its strength had not been able to match that confidence.

In the past, Alaric Von Seraph and the others often treated it as nothing more than a decorative spirit beast. For a beast king by nature, that was an unbearable insult.

Now, it was finally time for it to raise its head high.

Just as the three of them were talking, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from deep within the palace of the Ring of Chaos.

The long-silent Shihtzu snapped its eyes open, a dazzling light flashing through them.

In the next instant, that overwhelming aura quickly converged and stabilized.

The moment Shihtzu fully awakened, Zora and the two little beasts felt their hearts lift with joy.

A flash of white light appeared, and Shihtzu emerged directly into the room.

"Master!"

As soon as it saw Zora, Shihtzu leapt straight into her arms, moving with practiced familiarity.

Black and White exchanged glances, their expressions helpless.

As expected. This guy still monopolized the master’s attention the moment he could.

Zora gently stroked Shihtzu’s head. Its fur was soft and warm beneath her fingers, and she smiled faintly. "Did you succeed in breaking through?"

Shihtzu nodded, its eyes bright with confidence. "Yes. I’ve also reached the Innate Realm, Master."

Hearing that, Zora’s eyes lit up. The guess made by Black and White had been spot-on.

Shihtzu had truly stepped into the Innate Realm.

Just as she was about to ask more, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Still holding the beast king, Shihtzu, Zora walked over and opened it.

Standing outside was Prince Kael, wearing that familiar, slightly wicked smile that always seemed to brighten the room the moment he appeared.

"Darling," Prince Kael leaned against the doorframe with that familiar lazy smile, "it’s been days since I last saw you. Haven’t you missed me even a little?"

Zora shot him a sideways glance. This man’s silver tongue was clearly becoming more polished by the day. However, her brightened eyes showed that she was just as happy to see her handsome husband again.

Still, in the end, she replied coolly. "I was too busy. No time to miss you."

She took two steps back and let him into the room. Prince Kael followed her inside with ease and closed the door behind him, his movements natural, as if this place already belonged to him.

"This really hurts," he sighed dramatically. "My lady stays in seclusion all day. I want to see you, yet it’s harder than breaking through a bottleneck."

"This..." Zora slightly paused and then averted her gaze and slowly said, "I’m just trying to improve my strength. That’s all."

Recently, she truly had devoted nearly all her time to cultivation. There were actually little to no thoughts in her head to meet Prince Kael. Not that she didn’t care, but she couldn’t afford to think about Kael, who already moved her heart.

After all, Guinvere was not the type to swallow humiliation quietly. After returning to Heaven’s Gate, she might appear calm on the surface, but Zora was certain that trouble would follow sooner or later.

If that day came, strength would be her only real confidence.

Seeing the faint seriousness and apology in her eyes, Prince Kael smiled and softened his tone. "I was only teasing, Darling. Don’t take it to heart."

His gaze shifted, landing naturally on Shihtzu nestled in her arms and its aura was clearly different from the last time he saw it.

"So?" Prince Kael’s lips immediately curved upward slightly. "How did Shihtzu’s breakthrough go? As a beast king, it shouldn’t be a small improvement."

Zora nodded, pride and joy flickering in her smile. "It broke through to the Innate Realm. Its progress is even faster than mine."

At those words, Prince Kael studied Shihtzu more carefully. A thoughtful glint passed through his deep eyes before he spoke again. "If I’m not mistaken, it should be at the fifth level of the Red Realm now."

Shihtzu froze.

Its big eyes widened slightly, clearly caught off guard.