Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 58: The Prime Minister visits Zora

Elixir of Tranquility was vastly superior to an ordinary Strength-Boost Potion. For low-level cultivators, its effects were nothing short of explosive. Its medicinal ingredients were extremely rare, and even Zora had been unable to gather a complete set for refinement in the Imperial City.

She had never expected Prince Kael to possess such a quantity of it.

With the Elixir of Tranquility, her cultivation speed would increase by more than double.

Without any hesitation, she selected one potion and swallowed it whole. Then she sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, and entered a state of cultivation.

When spiritual power made a medicinal potion from within, its effects could be drawn out to the greatest possible extent. Yet very few cultivators could truly achieve full absorption.

As the Elixir of Tranquility dissolved, a powerful surge of warm medicinal energy spread rapidly through her meridians, flowing like a heated current into every corner of her body.

Pain. Heat. Expansion. Tearing resistance.

All of it arrived at once.

Zora’s brow tightened, but she did not retreat in the slightest. Instead, she guided the rushing medicinal force with absolute precision, refining it over and over within her dantian.

Tonight, she would push through another boundary.

No matter the cost.

*

At dawn the following day, as the first pale light crept over the distant mountain ridges, Zora stepped out of the cave once more.

After an entire night of refining the Elixir of Tranquility, the tearing pain that had wracked her body the previous evening had eased considerably.

Though dull soreness still lingered in her limbs, it was already well within the limits she could endure.

What surprised her most, however, was the subtle yet unmistakable change deep within her muscles and bones. Every breath felt heavier, more grounded. Every movement held a hint of restrained strength she had not possessed before.

That was the true effect of Elixir of Tranquility, not merely increasing cultivation, but reinforcing the physical foundation itself.

Her gaze swept briefly over the surrounding area. Neither Prince Kael nor Alder was in sight. She did not search for them. Without hesitation, she turned and headed straight back toward the roaring waterfall.

Today, she was fighting against time itself.

The Royal Hunting Game was fast approaching, and she had no room for complacency. Achieving results was more than just restoring her reputation.

The rewards alone were enough to make every cultivator covet the opportunity, and among those rewards was something she needed far too badly to let slip away.

With yesterday’s experience as her guide, she stepped once more beneath the crashing torrent.

This time, she lasted slightly longer.

Though it was only a few short breaths before the overwhelming pressure hurled her away again, the glimmer of progress made her heart surge with quiet exhilaration.

As long as there was improvement, no matter how small, there would come a day when her body could fully withstand this brutal tempering.

Time flowed like water.

Day after day, Zora trained until her strength was completely drained before finally withdrawing at dusk. Every night, she returned to the cave, swallowed another Elixir of Tranquility, and made her energy beneath the silent moon with ruthless focus.

Such nearly merciless self-discipline brought equally terrifying results.

Her progress was so rapid that even Prince Kael found it difficult to hide his astonishment. Even with the aid of Elixir of Tranquility, such advancement should not have been possible at this speed, yet Zora broke through limit after limit as though invisible shackles were constantly snapping apart within her.

Alder watched the entire process in sheer disbelief.

He had originally thought she might last only a single day before retreating.

Yet every day, not only did she return beneath the waterfall, she stayed longer than the day before, enduring pain that would have crushed even many seasoned cultivators.

Watching her stand up again and again after being violently flung aside, never once showing hesitation or despair, left him with nothing but deep admiration.

If he himself had even half of her perseverance, his strength would surely have surged long ago.

Each day, Prince Kael and Alder hunted different demonic beasts in the surrounding mountains and carried the spoils back.

Alder’s roasting skills were unexpectedly superb. The beast meat was rich with vital energy, and every meal strengthened Zora’s body from the inside out.

Combined with her intense cultivation, her physical condition transformed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Though she never asked, Zora understood clearly in her heart that none of this was a coincidence.

She did not speak of it, but the gratitude remained.

At last, the eve of the Royal Hunting Game arrived.

Zora’s training over these days had pushed her to a completely different state.

Though her figure remained slender, the strength coiled beneath her skin was no longer something ordinary cultivators could compare against.

Her muscles were dense and resilient. Her skin held a faint luminous glow born of fully restored vitality. The long years of weakness caused by malnutrition had been thoroughly erased by the constant nourishment of demonic beast flesh and medicinal refinement.

Her aura had changed.

She was no longer merely sharp. She was steady.

That afternoon, Zora, Prince Kael, and Alder returned to the royal residence together.

After ten continuous days in the wild, stepping back into the palace felt strangely surreal. The carved portraits, quiet corridors, and orderly servants all carried a sense of calm that felt distant after the harsh roar of waterfalls and the scent of blood and fire.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned elsewhere.

In the Prime Minister’s residence, Minister Henry and his family were still trapped in despair over the freckles that had suddenly appeared on Scarlett’s face. Doctor after doctor had been summoned. Remedies from all corners had been tested. Yet every single conclusion was the same.

The freckles could not be removed.

And they could only wait so far.

As soon as they did, the minister took his daughter and left his residence right away.

"Prince Kael and Princess Consort are truly busy people," Minister Henry said coldly, forcing down the irritation in his chest as he lifted his gaze to the two figures walking side by side. His tone carried restrained sarcasm, yet his eyes kept flickering uncontrollably toward his daughter.

Scarlett sat stiffly beside him.

A thin veil covered her face, but even so, the faint outline of uneven freckles beneath the silk could still be seen under the light. Her fingers were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

Minister Henry’s greeting was dipped in frost, every syllable drenched in polite venom. Though he did not raise his voice, Zora and Prince Kael were hardly fools; the displeasure beneath his words was as obvious as cracks in porcelain.

"I wonder," Kael said mildly, "what matter has compelled the Prime Minister to visit us in such haste?"

His voice was light, but the pressure it carried was not. Minister Henry, who had expected the crippled prince to be timid and deferential as in the rumors, faltered for a heartbeat. The aura rolling off Prince Kael was unmistakably sharp, a blade wrapped in velvet.

That pressure alone made him swallow the temper he had planned to unleash.

Clearing his throat, he forced himself into a more cautious tone. "I came today seeking Princess Consort’s help."

Zora lifted her gaze, one brow arching with effortless elegance. "Seeking my help?"