Nine Hells Gate' and other top-tier physical techniques aren't skills you can master through training alone.

Though classified as a physical technique, its initial stages require extraordinarily precise control of magical energy. The slightest error in training may cause the technique to backfire.

At best, it may cause musculoskeletal damage; at worst, instant death.

Leon, for instance, needed the assistance of Roswitha, a Dragon King-level figure, just to open the first Gate.

Furthermore, the training difficulty grows exponentially with each successive Gate. The books even detail that after the fifth Gate, breakthroughs can take years, sometimes an entire decade.

This explains why General Lai—despite his talent—progressed swiftly to the Fifth Gate before hitting an abrupt plateau.

But his youngest daughter, at such a young age, had already opened the eighth Gate...

Unless she started practicing Nine Hells Gate at an age when other little girls were busy playing with dolls, it seemed impossible that she had hit such a milestone by the age of twenty.

"So... Aurora, at what age did you start practicing Nine Hells Gate?" Leon asked.

Nine Hells Gate, as a discipline, differs greatly from magic.

Magic requires only matured magical circuits to begin training.

Most dragon younglings begin magic at five or six, but Noa was flipping spellbooks with Leon at barely a year old.

But for Nine Hells Gate, the prerequisite is achieving various physical benchmarks of strength.

Leon still recalls the trials—like sustaining mortal wounds for twelve hours without losing consciousness.

How could a child's body endure such grueling trials?

Aurora paused. "Eight years old," she said decisively.

"Eight years old?!" General Lai exclaimed in shock.

"Eight? That's impossible!"

Aurora tilted her head, pink locks swaying. "Is eight unusual?

Leon quickly waved his hands. "Nothing, nothing… But you mean to say you met those physical prerequisites for Nine Hells Gate training at just eight years old?"

The scientist chuckled mischievously. "Well, I didn’t fully meet them, not at first. But I had a great teacher."

"A great teacher?"

The first person Leon thought of was his old master.

After all, in this alternate World Line, Leon's daughters had discovered his true identity and his past.

Thus, it was highly likely that Roswitha had told them about his master as well.

Given that Nine Hells Gate was originally gifted to Leon by his master, it wouldn't be surprising if the girls had managed to contact their grandfather through some means during those eight years.

"That's right."

Aurora said, "This teacher is someone you'd never expect, Dad."

Leon blinked and guessed, "Is it an old man by the name of Tiger Lawrence?"

"It's not Grandpa Tiger."

"Grandpa Tiger." This affectionate nickname immediately clarified many things. At least Leon could now confirm that his daughters had met his master.

But this raised another crucial question:

What had happened to his master, Rebecca, and Martin?

Twenty years had passed. Had they left the Empire?

Or worse… faced some untimely misfortune?

As his thoughts spiraled in this direction, Leon's expression suddenly became grim.

Aurora seemed to notice the tension in her father and hastily added, "The last time I saw Grandpa Tiger was a few years ago. He's quite old now and can no longer move around the Empire freely. Charlotte took him back to her hometown."

Charlotte was Leon's master's wife.

So, over the past twenty years, Leon's master and Rebecca had been secretly undermining the Empire all along?

The fact that the old man hadn’t grabbed his blade and gone straight after the corrupt emperor when his apprentice was sucked into a spatial rift meant his temper had mellowed.

Back in his younger days, not wreaking havoc in the Empire wouldn't have been nearly enough to vent his fury; he'd have staged an epic showdown before calling it quits.

"That said, if it's not my master, who is your great teacher?"

Anna? Isa? Roswitha's grandmother?

But none of these individuals seemed to have a knack for physical techniques.

"Claudia Poseidon."

Upon hearing this name, Leon's mind wandered to the past.

That unique surname left a lasting impression on him.

Roswitha had mentioned before that "Poseidon" was the royal surname of the Sea Dragon Clan.

Claudia also happened to be the author of *Nine Hells Gate*.

Holy smokes!

The author taught her personally?!

Others summon divine blessings before battle for good luck or psychological comfort.

But his daughter had summoned the deity herself?

"When Mom fell into a coma, my sisters and I were taken care of by Anna and Big Sister Sherry for a long time. Of course, after Mom disbanded the Silver Dragon Clan, there were still many loyal subordinates who stayed behind to protect us."

Aurora crossed her arms and leaned against a stone table, speaking calmly.

"But the Empire never ceased its pursuit of the Silver Dragon Clan. At first, we thought they wanted to silence us for good. However, even after discovering Mom’s condition, they didn’t stop. There had to be something else behind it, something we couldn’t comprehend.

"Anna, Big Sister Sherry, and Sister Milan sacrificed themselves to protect Mom and us.

"Great-grandmother wasn’t a combat-type Dragon, and she could only barely fend off the Empire’s assaults.

"Aunt Isa’s Red Dragon Clan was dragged into the chaos of war. They wanted to help us but were forced to retreat due to their own struggles.

"Ultimately, my sisters and I, along with Great-grandmother, lived as fugitives, but we still couldn’t escape the Empire and Dragon Clan’s joint extermination campaign.

"In the moment of ultimate despair, Claudia from the Sea Dragon Clan appeared, saved us, and relocated us to this hidden underground space.

"After resting for a while and ensuring the area was secure, Great-grandmother set out alone in search of ways to awaken Mom. Claudia stayed behind to care for us and taught us various survival skills."

"It was during this time that she taught me the Nine Hells Gate training techniques."

After hearing Aurora’s account, Leon stroked his chin, frowning in deep thought.

"Did Great-grandmother know this Claudia well?"

"They weren’t acquainted."

"And she still entrusted you to Claudia?"

"By that time, we had already spent a considerable period together. If Claudia had harbored ill intentions, she wouldn’t have waited for Great-grandmother to leave; she could’ve acted much earlier."

Aurora explained, "Over time, her actions also proved she's sincerely focused on our well-being. My Nine Hells Gate training was personally taught by her; Big Sister's illusion magic and Second Sister’s Twin Awakening were both guided by her as well."

"Huh, this charitable Sea Dragon Clan member sure sounds like a jack-of-all-trades." Even Leon couldn’t help but express amazement.

Physical techniques, illusions, magic—she excelled in them all.

And she instructed so flawlessly.

Noa’s illusion magic, in particular, had reached an exceptionally adept level; the massive stone illusion at the cave entrance was all the proof needed.

"But why did Claudia step in to help you? Did you ask her?" Leon couldn't contain his curiosity about this Sea Dragon Clan member.

Roswitha had mentioned that the Sea Dragons had retreated entirely from worldly affairs three decades ago.

Yet, when Leon’s master realized his pupil couldn’t channel magic energy, he conveniently handed over a training manual for the Sea Dragon Clan’s creation—*Nine Hells Gate.*

Later, following Leon’s disappearance, this same clan extended its help to his devastated daughters, saving their lives and nurturing their talents.

Who exactly was this charitable deity of the Sea Dragon Clan?

Why did she repeatedly stretch out her hands to aid Leon and his family?

"Of course we asked, but Claudia only said she was entrusted by someone to help us," Aurora replied.

Leon mulled over this and asked, "Do you have a photo of this Claudia?"

"Umm… Oh! Yes! Muen managed to snap one back in the day."

Aurora dove into a nearby trunk and began rummaging.

Finally, she emerged with a worn-out photograph and handed it to Leon.

Leon glanced at the image.

It was a side profile.

A gracefully mature woman, her beauty undiminished by time.

Leon studied the photo closely and mumbled, "I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before..."

Aurora patted her father’s shoulder solemnly and said, "Dad, I’ve told you already. Your flirting game is absolutely terrible. ‘I’ve seen you before’ as an opener? Certified clown!"

Leon shook his head defensively. "No, I’m serious! She looks really familiar to me. Her appearance is something I’ve definitely come across... But I just can’t place it—ugh, this is frustrating."

The feeling indeed was unbearable.

It’s like having a snippet of a lyric suddenly echo in your head—“Wu Meng Mountain connects to the outer mountains”—but no matter what, you can’t recall the next line.

Agh—so maddening!

"If you can’t figure it out, don’t force it."

Aurora added, "By the way, you said you’ve only mastered up to the fifth Gate? Come on, let me help you open the rest. That way, when you return to your old World Line, you can obliterate those Dragon Kings who hurt Mom!"

Aurora’s words went straight to the heart of Leon as a father.

By the honor of my trusty steed, every Dragon that harmed Roswitha Melkevi—must perish!