Avatar Fist King - 56 - 60 (Patreon)

Chapter 56: A Detailed Discussion Over Dinner

Dinner continued.

The main hall of the Beifong Estate was almost unnaturally quiet, without a single unnecessary sound.

The only noise was the faint clink of chopsticks and bowls against porcelain, echoing intermittently through the spacious hall.

At the head of the table, Lao Beifong ate at an unhurried pace while carefully explaining everything Luo Wang needed to know about teaching Toph. His tone was gentle but cautious, and nearly every word revolved around his daughter’s safety.

“Master Luo, Toph is blind. She’s different from other children who can train normally.”

“Other students can watch their teacher’s movements and imitate them. She can’t do that at all. She has to rely on sound, physical sensation, and what she feels through the ground beneath her feet.”

“When you teach her, please slow your movements down as much as possible. There’s no need to worry about efficiency. Explain each step to her verbally.”

“And please don’t demonstrate anything with movements that are too broad or explosive. It might frighten her, and if the earth or stone gets out of control, she could be hurt.”

“I’ve already had her private training ground in the rear courtyard completely cleared. The entire surface is made of thick, polished stone slabs. There isn’t a single loose rock, raised section, or sharp edge. It’s completely safe.”

Beside him, Poppy gently placed some vegetables that had been stewed until soft into Toph’s bowl. The broth was light, and the food had been prepared with a soft texture that was easy for her to eat.

She turned toward Luo Wang and softly added to her husband’s instructions, every word filled with careful affection.

“Please don’t push her to learn too quickly either. It really doesn’t matter.”

“We didn’t hire a teacher because we want her to become a powerful Earthbender. We only want her to have the most basic ability to protect herself.”

“She can’t see. Life is already difficult enough for her. Learning Earthbending is far harder for her than it is for other people, and she simply doesn’t have the potential to become an Earthbending master.”

“We don’t care about progress, results, or strength. We only want her to be safe.”

“Even if she spends an entire week learning nothing more than how to move one small stone, we’ll be perfectly satisfied.”

Toph sat quietly beside the table, her back straight and both hands resting lightly in her lap.

Her long lashes lowered over her unfocused gray-white eyes. She looked docile, timid, and obedient, like a delicate flower that needed constant care.

Every so often, she gave a small nod, appearing to listen attentively and perfectly matching the image her parents had of their weak and helpless blind daughter.

But Luo Wang knew it was all an act.

Toph’s bare feet rested firmly against the cold stone floor, capturing every minute vibration in the hall with remarkable precision.

The slight tremor when Luo Wang shifted his chair, the pressure exerted by his fingers as he held his chopsticks, the faint vibration when his chopsticks touched the rim of his bowl.

Even the subtle rhythm of his steady heartbeat as it traveled through the floor reached Toph’s senses.

From the moment they sat down, she had been quietly analyzing him.

His center of gravity.

The way he exerted force.

The strength hidden within his body.

She was even monitoring his heartbeat through the vibrations in the floor, using it to determine whether his words were true.

Luo Wang understood exactly what she was doing, but showed no reaction.

He took another bite of rice and answered in a calm, steady voice.

“I understand. I won’t teach her anything too difficult, and I won’t force her to make progress. Everything will follow her pace, with safety as the priority.”

The promise was sincere and practical, without the slightest trace of perfunctory reassurance.

Hearing it, Lao Beifong and Poppy smiled even more warmly, and their final lingering concerns disappeared.

In their eyes, Luo Wang was calm, gentle, and patient. He was exactly the sort of teacher Toph needed, far more reliable than martial instructors who only cared about competing and showing off.

The atmosphere at the table remained relaxed and pleasant.

From time to time, Poppy spoke casually with Toph, softly asking whether she had felt bored spending the day in the rear courtyard, whether she had been lonely, or whether anything felt uncomfortable.

Toph always answered in the same soft, sweet voice, obedient and sensible without a single flaw.

“I’m fine, Mother. It’s very quiet in the courtyard, and I’m comfortable there.”

“I’ll behave and study properly with Master Luo.”

Under the table, Toph’s toes lightly brushed against the smooth stone floor.

The movement was so subtle that an ordinary person would never have noticed it.

It was an unconscious test.

Through the soles of her feet, she continued tracking the subtle shifts in Luo Wang’s center of gravity as he sat, along with the faint tightening and relaxing of his muscles.

At the same time, she kept listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat through the floor.

She wanted to know whether the absurdly powerful man who had overwhelmed her in the arena was relaxed or guarded now, whether his current behavior was another disguise or his genuine state.

“Toph, why aren’t you eating much?”

Poppy soon noticed that hardly any of the food in her daughter’s bowl had been touched.

Concern immediately appeared on her face, and she reached over to gently stroke the top of Toph’s head.

“Do you not like the food tonight? Or are you feeling unwell?”

Toph immediately gave her a small, shy smile and gently shook her head.

“No, Mother. The food is delicious. I was just listening to Master Luo and Father talk. I’m a little nervous thinking about starting Earthbending lessons tomorrow.”

As she spoke, she lightly clenched the hands resting on her lap, her fingertips curling inward.

She looked exactly like an innocent young girl anxious about something unfamiliar, without the slightest flaw in her performance.

Lao Beifong immediately comforted her in a gentle voice.

“There’s no need to be nervous, child. Master Luo’s techniques are all very gentle, basic movements. There’s nothing frightening about them. Just give them a try.”

Poppy quickly agreed, her voice impossibly tender.

“That’s right, sweetheart. If you get tired, frightened, or can’t learn something, you can stop whenever you want. No one will blame you. We’ll always follow what you’re comfortable with.”

Both parents were completely focused on protecting and comforting their daughter, unaware that the supposedly fragile girl before them was not nervous about the lesson in the slightest.

Toph obediently acknowledged them, but her unfocused gaze remained turned toward Luo Wang.

Inside, however, her thoughts were in complete turmoil.

She had not forgotten a single detail of their battle in the underground arena beneath Gaoling.

The Earthbending she had used with all her strength, thick stone walls, sharp spikes, waves of earth and rock, had all been useless against him.

With nothing but his physical strength, he could shatter solid rock with a single punch and break through every technique she used.

What frustrated and unsettled her most was that he seemed almost naturally suited to countering her.

It was as though he knew she relied on Seismic sense.

The instant both of his feet left the ground, the ability she depended on in battle became useless. She could no longer sense his position, movements, or center of gravity. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

His strength had already reached a level Toph could not understand.

And yet someone that strong had willingly walked away from the underground arena’s enormous prize money.

He had passed up the chance to make a name for himself and come here to apply for a teaching job instead.

Toph could not make sense of it.

Money?

That explanation didn’t fit.

She knew better than anyone that the underground arena paid its champions extremely well. It might not match the salary offered by the Beifong family, but the money came much faster.

So what did he want?

Had she been his target from the beginning?

Was he planning to kidnap her?

Question after question crowded Toph’s mind, and the more she thought about it, the less she understood.

Partway through dinner, Lao Beifong suddenly remembered the matter of Luo Wang’s accommodations.

“Master Luo, we’ve already prepared your quarters. They’re in the instructors’ wing on the eastern side of the estate. It’s very quiet there.”

“It’s only a short walk from Toph’s private training courtyard, so it’ll be convenient for everyday lessons and easy for you to come whenever you’re needed.”

“Everything you might need is already provided. Bedding, clothes, washing supplies. If there’s anything else you need or want, simply tell the steward. There’s no need to be polite about it.”

“Thank you, Head of the House.”

Luo Wang gave a slight nod, his tone polite and composed.

“Let’s begin the lessons tomorrow morning,” Lao Beifong decided.

“The sunlight is mild in the morning, and the temperature is comfortable. Toph is usually at her best then and less likely to become tired, so it’s the best time for slow practice.”

Toph’s fingertips tightened slightly.

Tomorrow.

She would have to stand face-to-face on the training ground with the Invincible Boy, the man who had defeated her, seen through her, and overwhelmed her in strength.

And she would have to pretend she knew nothing.

She would have to act like a weak blind girl who could not even understand basic earth control, while letting him teach her beginner tricks like moving pebbles.

Just thinking about the absurdity and frustration of both of them pretending made her uncomfortable.

Yet her expression remained gentle and composed, revealing no trace of resistance or unease.

Dinner continued in the same quiet, pleasant atmosphere.

At one point, a servant approached softly to refill the tea and water. The faint thud of shoes against the stone floor sounded especially clear in the silent hall.

Toph had almost no interest in eating.

Most of her attention remained fixed on Luo Wang.

Through the vibrations in the floor, she tracked every lift of his hand, every breath, every subtle shift of his body.

She continued studying how he moved and exerted force while monitoring his calm, orderly heartbeat.

She possessed an instinctive ability to detect lies through a person’s heartbeat, and it had never failed her.

A liar’s heartbeat would change.

It would accelerate, become irregular, fluctuate.

Such things could not escape her perception.

Yet throughout the entire meal, Luo Wang’s heartbeat remained steady, even, and calm, without the slightest disturbance.

Every promise he made and every answer he gave had been sincere.

There was no deception at all.

That only made Toph even more suspicious.

Half an hour later, dinner came to an end.

The servants stepped forward and cleared away the dishes in an orderly fashion before replacing them with fresh, warm tea.

Night had fully fallen.

A cool evening breeze drifted in through the lattice windows from the courtyard outside.

Poppy glanced at the dark sky and, worried that Toph might grow tired from sitting too long, spoke gently.

“Toph, if you’re tired, go back to your courtyard and rest. There’s no need to stay here with us. You can begin your lessons normally tomorrow. Be careful on the way back and take your time.”

“All right.”

Toph rose, still maintaining the careful movements of a blind girl.

She lightly touched the floor ahead of her with her toes first, as though checking for obstacles, before slowly straightening.

Then she bowed politely toward Lao Beifong and Poppy.

“Mother, Father, I’ll go rest now.”

She turned her face toward Luo Wang, her gray-white eyes directed at him, and gave him a polite, slightly shy smile.

Her voice was soft and sincere.

“Master Luo, I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope I can learn something new properly.”

“See you tomorrow. There’s no need to put pressure on yourself.”

Luo Wang answered calmly, his tone gentle.

Toph nodded slightly, turned, and walked steadily through the side door and along the corridor.

Only after her petite figure had completely disappeared around the corner did Poppy let out a quiet sigh, her eyes filled with affection.

“She really is such a sensible, obedient child. I hope she can learn enough from Master Luo to protect herself. Then perhaps we won’t have to worry about her every waking moment.”

Lao Beifong shook his head gently as well, his voice full of helpless concern.

“It’s unfortunate, but some things simply can’t be changed. She cannot see, so the path of cultivation is far too difficult for her.”

“We ask for nothing else. We only want her to live a safe and peaceful life.”

The couple remained lost in concern for their daughter, completely unaware that the obedient girl who had just left was already caught in a storm of emotions.

Once Toph had left the main hall and moved beyond the watchful eyes of her parents and the servants, her entire manner changed.

The careful, tentative steps of a helpless blind girl disappeared.

Her stride became crisp and decisive, her feet planting firmly against the stone path with unmistakable strength.

Her posture straightened, her presence sharpened, and she became completely different from the obedient girl who had sat at the dinner table.

She did not return directly to her bedroom courtyard.

Instead, she turned onto an empty side path and made her way around to the carved stone railing outside the rear training ground.

The courtyard was silent in the night.

The evening breeze brushed through the plants, producing faint rustling sounds.

Toph stood barefoot on the cold stone slabs, her eyes slightly lowered as she fully extended her Seismic sense.

Every vibration in the ground flowed into her perception.

She could clearly sense the faint tremors of her parents still talking with Luo Wang in the main hall, precisely determine his position, and even hear the calm rhythm of his heartbeat.

He had not left yet.

Toph stood silently outside the railing and made up her mind.

Tomorrow, during their lesson, she would thoroughly test him.

She wanted to know what the Invincible Boy was hiding.

What exactly was he trying to do?

A short while later, the conversation in the main hall came to an end.

Luo Wang stood, bowed to Lao Beifong and Poppy, and took his leave.

The steward personally led him to the instructors’ quarters on the eastern side of the estate.

The location was excellent, quiet and secluded, while still being close to both Toph’s residence and the training ground.

It was perfectly convenient for everyday lessons.

The room prepared for Luo Wang was spacious and elegantly furnished.

It had everything he needed. A soft bed, clean bedding, and neatly arranged tables and chairs.

Compared with the cramped, run-down house he had rented in the city, it was a completely different world.

After seeing the steward off, Luo Wang entered the room alone and closed the door behind him.

He lay down on the bed and stared at the clean, tasteful ceiling, slowly considering what he would teach the next day.

He only needed to show Toph the most basic, simplest, and safest earth-control movements.

After watching the other applicants demonstrate earlier that day, Luo Wang had picked up a few superficial techniques himself.

That should be enough.

...

Chapter 57: Slipping Through Unnoticed

Time passed slowly. The night deepened, and the entire Beifong Estate gradually fell silent. Every courtyard and covered walkway became so quiet that not a single human voice could be heard.

Just as Luo Wang was about to close his eyes and rest, the door gave a faint creak and was gently pushed open.

A slender figure in loose, pale-colored sleepwear slipped silently into the room, her bare feet making no sound against the floor.

It was Toph.

At night, she had discarded every trace of the meek, obedient facade she wore around her parents. Her expression was cool and fearless, and her entire bearing carried the crisp confidence and pride of a top-tier Earthbender.

Luo Wang paused in surprise and instinctively sat up, looking at the girl who had entered his room in the middle of the night.

“Uh... hello? Miss Toph? Is something wrong this late?”

Toph did not bother with pleasantries. She walked straight to the stone floor in the center of the room and stopped, her gray-white eyes facing directly toward him.

“Hello, ‘Invincible Boy.’”

Those words shattered every pretense between them.

The atmosphere in the room immediately became awkward.

For a moment, Luo Wang had no idea how to respond.

Toph wasted no time and immediately asked the questions that had been bothering her all day.

“I don’t understand. You’re incredibly strong, strong enough to overwhelm me, so why would you come to the Beifong family and apply for a job teaching the most basic Earthbending?”

“You could keep fighting in the underground arena and win huge prizes without any trouble. There’s no reason for you to stay here.”

“And during the selection today, you deliberately made yourself look weak and fooled everyone. Why?”

Luo Wang scratched the side of his neck. He saw no reason to hide anything, so he told her plainly what had happened and what he had been thinking.

“Fighting in the arena was an accident. I wasn’t there to make money in the first place, and besides, the prize money they showed me was fake.”

“I don’t want to bother with that kind of trouble. This place is peaceful, quiet, and the pay and conditions are good. It happens to be a convenient place for me to stay for a while.”

Every word was true, spoken openly and sincerely.

Meanwhile, Toph kept her bare feet planted against the floor, listening closely to his heartbeat and every subtle vibration from his body.

His heartbeat remained slow and steady, without the slightest acceleration, irregularity, or tension.

There was no sign that he was lying.

Once she was certain he had been completely honest, Toph suddenly burst out laughing. The tension in her expression vanished.

“Hahaha! You really are something.”

“The arena didn’t trick you. You were just too clueless.”

Still laughing, Toph explained the underground arena’s rules, a hint of mockery in her voice.

“The prize bag the announcer holds is just a prop. It’s there to make the prize look impressive and excite the audience.”

“The real prize money is paid backstage. You have to register your identity and record the match before they’ll give it to you.”

“Everyone knows that. You’re the only person who won a match and then walked straight out, throwing away a huge amount of money.”

Luo Wang looked distinctly embarrassed.

He really had known nothing about how the underground arena operated. He had simply assumed that the prize displayed in the ring was the actual reward.

Still, he did not care all that much. He had never fought for the money in the first place, so losing it did not matter.

Toph quickly stopped laughing. Her expression became serious again as she pointed at him.

“Invincible Boy, let’s make a deal.”

Luo Wang sighed helplessly.

“Just call me Luo Wang. It sounds more normal.”

“I’ll call you whatever I want.”

Toph refused to give an inch, displaying all the stubborn pride of someone her age before stating her terms.

“I’ll cooperate with your act. Starting tomorrow, I’ll pretend I don’t know anything. I’ll act clumsy and eager to learn, and I’ll play along perfectly with your basic lessons.”

“I’ll make sure my parents, the steward, and everyone else never notice anything, so you can keep getting paid and stay here comfortably.”

“But you have to promise me something. You can never tell anyone that I go to the underground arena or that I know advanced Earthbending. Not my parents, not the servants, no one.”

That was her greatest secret, the line she had protected for more than ten years. It absolutely could not be exposed.

“Fine.”

Luo Wang agreed without the slightest hesitation.

“I won’t say anything. I’ll keep your secret.”

Once again, his heartbeat remained completely steady.

He was telling the truth.

Only then did Toph fully relax her guard.

The two of them had reached an understanding.

After settling the matter, Toph turned and left the room, returning to her courtyard to rest.

...

The night passed, and morning soon arrived.

Bright sunlight filtered through the clouds and fell across the Beifong Estate. The plants throughout the courtyards looked fresh beneath the morning light, and the mild temperature was perfect for a lesson.

By morning, the rear courtyard training ground had already been prepared.

The broad stone floor had been polished smooth and cleared completely. Nothing had been left lying around.

Lao Beifong and Poppy arrived early and stood together beneath the pavilion at the side of the training ground. They intended to watch the entire lesson so they could keep an eye on Toph.

Both looked serious and expectant, but their anticipation was mixed with careful concern. They were afraid even the mildest practice might exhaust or injure their daughter.

Luo Wang arrived on time, dressed in simple cloth garments. Calm and composed, he looked every bit the gentle instructor.

Before long, Toph slowly arrived as well.

She had once again become the meek, obedient daughter her parents knew. Her movements were cautious, her expression timid, and she seemed to rely entirely on the soles of her feet to feel her way forward.

She perfectly reproduced the frailty of a helpless blind girl.

When she reached her parents and Luo Wang, she bowed politely, her voice soft and sweet.

“Father, Mother, Master Luo.”

“If you’re ready, we’ll begin.”

Luo Wang spoke gently and started the lesson.

Under the Beifong couple’s watchful eyes, Luo Wang carried out his version of extremely simple instruction perfectly.

There were no flashy movements and no powerful displays.

Standing on the stone floor, he merely explained the most basic principles of Earthbending in straightforward language, breaking each step down as simply as possible.

“The first step in Earthbending is to sense the rock and soil beneath your feet, borrow a small amount of force, create a slight vibration in the ground, and use it to move a stone.”

“There’s no need to use too much strength or force your power. Just create a small vibration and keep your center of gravity steady.”

After speaking, Luo Wang raised his hand.

Using nothing but raw physical strength, he lightly jolted a pebble no larger than a fingernail and slowly pushed it a short distance across the ground.

The movement was clumsy, plain, and utterly unimpressive.

It was about as basic and crude a demonstration as any Earthbending instructor could possibly give.

Yet Lao Beifong and Poppy watched with great satisfaction, nodding repeatedly.

This was exactly what they wanted.

Safe, gentle, and completely harmless.

Then it was Toph’s turn.

She played her role flawlessly.

Toph furrowed her brow and tightened her small face, pretending to concentrate desperately while failing to grasp the technique.

Again and again, she tapped her foot lightly against the ground.

Again and again, she failed.

Whenever she occasionally made the pebble wobble just slightly, her expression immediately brightened with innocent excitement.

“I did it! I moved it!”

Clumsy, inexperienced, and progressing slowly.

She perfectly matched everything her parents expected from a blind girl trying Earthbending for the first time.

No one noticed a thing.

No one knew that Toph had long since understood every vein beneath the earth, every shift of stone and soil, and every flow of force beneath her feet.

She was simply suppressing everything she could do and cooperating with Luo Wang as they carried out this absurdly childish beginner’s lesson.

The entire morning passed peacefully.

There were no accidents and no mistakes.

The Beifong couple were delighted. By the end of the lesson, they had completely put aside their remaining concerns and wholeheartedly approved of Luo Wang’s teaching methods.

When the lesson ended, Lao Beifong and Poppy smiled and told the two of them to rest before leaving with the servants to attend to matters in the main compound.

Soon, the private training courtyard fell completely silent.

The high walls blocked every view from outside, while the carved stone railings prevented anyone from peering in.

There were no servants.

No observers.

No one watching them at all.

The act Toph had maintained all morning collapsed instantly.

Her slightly hunched back straightened.

The timid, uncertain posture of a blind girl carefully testing every step disappeared without a trace.

Her lowered face lifted.

Although her gray-white eyes could not see, there was a sharpness and confidence in her expression that had been absent moments earlier.

Her entire presence changed.

She became fierce, bold, and openly proud.

She looked nothing like the obedient blind girl who had struggled to move a pebble moments ago.

There were no worried parents nearby now and no servants scrutinizing her every movement.

She no longer had to pretend to be fragile, obedient, or helpless.

Standing on the stone floor now was Toph Beifong, the peerless Earthbending prodigy who had swept through countless opponents in Gaoling’s underground arena, who understood the earth beneath her as naturally as breathing, and whose talent stood among the greatest in the Earth Kingdom.

She turned directly toward Luo Wang, feet planted firmly on the smooth stone.

Without any unnecessary movement, she asked the question that had been troubling her for days, her voice direct and genuinely curious.

“How did you train?”

“How did you make your body that strong?”

She had been holding that question in ever since their fight at the underground arena.

Toph had fought many Earthbenders there.

Every one of them drew their strength from Bending.

They manipulated stone and soil, borrowed strength from the earth, and used it to attack.

Luo Wang was different.

From beginning to end, he had relied entirely on his own body.

With raw physical strength alone, he had smashed apart every one of her stone techniques and overwhelmed the strength she was so proud of.

Worse, he had identified and exploited every weakness in the way she fought.

Luo Wang looked at her calmly and answered without trying to hide anything.

“I don’t have the kind of incredible Bending talent you do.”

“What I cultivate is a power called Combat Chi. You could call it a talent I was born with.”

“Combat Chi?”

Toph frowned slightly, repeating the unfamiliar term.

She had never heard of it before.

“It’s completely different from the kind of power you understand.”

Luo Wang explained slowly, keeping his words simple.

“Unlike the Chi that exists naturally within the human body, Combat Chi is an entirely separate form of power.”

“It’s rooted deep within the flesh and bones and belongs entirely to the individual. You could think of it as a mutation of a person’s life Chi.”

“What do you mean by life Chi?”

Toph immediately asked, her curiosity growing.

For once, all her pride and wariness disappeared. She looked like nothing more than a child eager to understand something new.

When she had been very young, Toph had once secretly left home.

Inside a cave, she had encountered badgermoles. Like her, they had no sight, yet they moved effortlessly through the darkness underground.

From then on, she had learned Earthbending from the badgermoles.

Luo Wang saw the genuine curiosity on her face and gave a faint smile before continuing.

“The earth has its own rhythm. Plants have their own rhythm. Flowing water has its own rhythm. Everything in the world has something unique to itself.”

“People are the same. Every person carries their own life Chi within their body.”

“Your perception has always depended entirely on the earth. You rely on rock and soil to transmit information to you, which means your awareness is limited to what connects with the ground beneath your feet.”

“But if you can learn to sense, accept, and control the Chi within your own body, your perception, your awareness, and your understanding of everything around you can all rise to another level. You can break free from your dependence on the earth.”

The explanation was simple, but to Toph it opened an entirely new door.

She stood there in silence, trying to absorb concepts she had never encountered before.

The more she thought about them, the more astonished she became.

Seeing how eager she was to try, Luo Wang stopped explaining the theory.

“No matter how much I talk, you’ll only understand the idea. You won’t know what it actually feels like.”

“I’ll let you experience your life Chi once. Don’t overthink it and don’t force anything. Just follow my guidance.”

He stepped forward and extended a hand toward her.

“Give me your hand.”

His words were simple, gentle, and certain.

Toph hesitated briefly.

Only for an instant.

Then she slowly raised her hand.

Her cool, delicate palm settled into Luo Wang’s broad, warm hand.

His hand was large and steady, with the solid weight of someone who had spent years tempering his body.

The warmth of his palm felt strangely reassuring. There was no aggression in his touch, only steadiness.

Luo Wang did not use any Combat Chi, nor did he exert any physical force.

He remained extraordinarily gentle.

Using the contact between their palms, he slowly guided the gentlest and purest trace of his own life Chi, completely harmless and without any aggressive force, into the pathways of Toph’s palm.

At the same time, he spoke softly, guiding her step by step.

“Relax your body. Let go of all the tension.”

“Don’t try to control the earth. Don’t instinctively rely on the rock and soil beneath your feet. Set that habit aside for now.”

“Quiet your mind and let go of everything else. Focus only on yourself.”

“Feel your heartbeat. Feel your blood moving through your body. Feel your muscles rise and fall, and the rhythm of your body itself.”

“That is the rhythm of life. That is the Chi rooted within your body.”

“Follow it, and slowly let your perception spread outward.”

Toph obeyed him completely and gradually released all the tension in her body.

She closed her sightless eyes and deliberately abandoned the Earthbending instincts that had become second nature to her.

She stopped listening for vibrations in the stone beneath her feet.

She stopped relying on the earth to understand her surroundings.

Instead, she immersed herself entirely in the gentle warmth entering through her palm.

A soft current unlike anything she had ever felt before flowed through her palm and along her arm at an unhurried pace.

It passed gradually through her wrist, forearm, and upper arm, spread through her neck and torso, and finally flowed throughout her entire body.

Warm.

Gentle.

Pure.

It carried none of the violent force she associated with combat, yet it seemed to exist everywhere, permeating every part of her body.

For more than ten years, Toph’s world had always been the same.

Her perception had been bound to the earth beneath her feet.

Every image, every movement, every piece of information reached her through stone and soil.

She could sense people walking on the ground, animals moving nearby, even ants crawling through cracks in the rock.

But anything that left the ground, anything suspended in the air, had always remained beyond her perception.

Now, nourished by the spreading Chi within her, her awareness began to break free from the earth entirely.

It spread through the air.

It moved with the breeze.

And little by little, it covered the entire rear courtyard.

...

Chapter 58: Toph Is Happy

She could clearly sense the path of the breeze as it moved through the air, along with the faint rhythms of the plants and trees gently stirring throughout the courtyard.

Even more astonishing was the bird flying high in the distance. The movement of its wings cutting through the air registered clearly in her perception.

For the first time in her life, she could sense things suspended in the air, completely separated from the ground, with such clarity, precision, and completeness.

Her range of perception expanded several times over in an instant.

The world that had once been narrow, limited, and bound to the earth suddenly became vast, three-dimensional, and vividly alive.

Everything around her had never felt so clear.

Toph stood completely frozen, enormous waves of shock and delight surging through her as astonishment and excitement spread across her face.

Before, when she relied on her Seismic sense, the world had been flat, rigid, and limited.

She could only tell what was beneath her feet and what was happening on the ground.

But now her world had become three-dimensional, complete, and all-encompassing.

Things flying through the sky, drifting through the air, moving with the wind. Not the slightest movement escaped her.

The feeling was incredible, overwhelming, almost addictive.

“Wow! This feels amazing!”

Toph could not help exclaiming softly, her voice overflowing with excitement and delight.

This was an entirely new world, a form of perception far freer and more advanced than anything she had known before.

It took several minutes before she gradually calmed down from the sheer novelty of the experience.

Her palm was still pressed against Luo Wang’s, the warm current continuing to gently nourish her body.

Toph remained quiet for a moment before another question that had been bothering her resurfaced. She turned toward Luo Wang and asked seriously.

“By the way, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you.”

“When we fought in the arena before, why didn’t you use your full strength?”

“With how strong you are, if you’d actually gone all out, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. I couldn’t have lasted nearly that long.”

She had been wondering about it for far too long.

During that fight, Toph had used everything she had. She had unleashed all of her Earthbending, raising layers of stone walls, spikes, and waves of rock, exhausting every technique and trump card at her disposal.

Yet Luo Wang had remained perfectly composed throughout the entire match, casually dismantling everything she threw at him. From beginning to end, he had never looked as though she had pushed him anywhere near his limit.

With the physical strength he had eventually displayed, if he had truly fought at full power, she would have had no chance to retaliate at all.

Faced with Toph’s blunt question, Luo Wang paused instead of answering immediately.

Seeing his hesitation, Toph instinctively formed a suspicion, and a faint trace of disappointment slipped into her voice.

“Did you hold back just because I’m blind?”

The question touched the weakness she hated most, the one thing she was most sensitive about and least willing to acknowledge.

Ever since childhood, everyone had treated her with sympathy, pity, and deliberate leniency.

They went easy on her during sparring.

They went easy on her during competitions.

Even when testing basic skills, people would deliberately hold back.

Everyone believed that because she was blind, impaired, and weak, she naturally deserved special treatment and accommodation.

Toph despised that feeling.

She was fiercely competitive, proud, and exceptionally talented. The last thing she wanted was anyone’s pity or mercy.

As she asked the question, she instinctively sharpened her perception and focused closely on Luo Wang’s heartbeat, tracking every tiny change in his body.

She could judge truth from lies by listening to someone’s heartbeat, and she had never been wrong.

She needed to know whether the man in front of her was just like everyone else, pitying her because she was blind and deliberately going easy on her.

If that was true, then no matter how powerful the things he taught her were, she would be deeply disappointed.

Luo Wang caught the sensitivity and disappointment in her voice and stopped hesitating.

He answered seriously, every word sincere.

“I didn’t hold back because you can’t see.”

“You’re strong. Really strong. Your Earthbending and your reaction speed are both exceptional.”

“The reason I held back wasn’t because I pitied you or wanted to go easy on you. I had only just arrived in this city and wanted to observe how Earthbending attacks worked and what its combat style was like.”

“My goal is to travel through different nations and learn their different ways of fighting. I wanted to see and experience it for myself, so I didn’t end the fight immediately. That’s all.”

Every word was true.

There was no evasion, no consolation, and no false politeness.

At the same time, Toph clearly sensed his steady, even heartbeat.

There was no nervousness from lying and no tension from trying to deceive her.

His heartbeat remained open, calm, and genuine.

In that instant, every trace of resentment, suspicion, and disappointment vanished from Toph’s heart.

A small, pure smile quietly appeared at the corners of her lips.

It was faint, but entirely sincere.

For the first time, she had experienced true equality from someone around her own age, from someone genuinely powerful.

He acknowledged her strength for what it was and treated her as a real opponent.

Ever since she was little, Toph had lived surrounded by protection and prejudice.

Because she was blind, her parents protected her almost obsessively.

They were afraid she would be injured, deceived, mistreated, or bullied if she ever stepped outside the estate.

So they restricted her life, locked away her freedom, and cut off nearly every social connection she might form. They would not let her leave the estate, make friends, or interact with people from the outside world.

To outsiders, the luxurious Beifong Estate, filled with wealth, fine food, and beautiful clothing, looked like paradise.

To Toph, it was a cold, oppressive golden cage with no room to breathe.

She still remembered having a personal maid when she was very young.

The maid had been gentle and kind to her.

Every night, she would secretly remain in Toph’s room, telling her stories, talking with her, and easing the loneliness of being alone.

That maid had been the only warmth and companionship in Toph’s childhood, the only person she could truly have called a friend.

But after only a few days, the maid was quietly reassigned and vanished from Toph’s life.

Later, Toph learned that her parents had arranged it deliberately.

They were afraid she would become dependent on someone else. Afraid outsiders would grow close to her, influence her, or deceive her.

To keep her innocent and protected from harm, they regularly replaced the servants who attended her personally, preventing her from developing any deep attachment to anyone.

Day after day.

Year after year.

People came and went, but no one was ever allowed to remain beside her for long.

Slowly, she grew up without friends, without playmates, without anyone she could confide in.

Everyone who treated her well did so out of responsibility, pity, or the protective care of an elder.

Never as an equal companion.

That suffocating upbringing was exactly what created the rebellious streak buried deep within her.

She was sensible.

She was obedient.

She was gentle.

But all of that was an act she performed for her parents.

She understood their intentions. She knew they genuinely loved her, feared she would be hurt, and suffered because of her blindness.

That was why she never argued with them, never tore away the facade, and never threw tantrums.

But deep down, she hated living as someone caged, defined, and treated as helpless.

Children naturally wanted to play, make trouble, and be free.

Toph was no different.

That was why she repeatedly sneaked out of the estate at night and went to the underground arena.

Not for fame.

Not for money.

Not to show off.

She simply wanted to have a real fight somewhere no one knew who she was, no one pitied her, and everyone judged her solely by her strength.

There, nobody treated her like a weak blind noble girl.

They feared her.

They respected her strength.

They faced her seriously.

It was the only place where she could truly be herself, the only place where she could escape her cage, and the only place where she felt genuinely alive.

For all these years, everyone had only seen her weakness, her blindness, and her need for protection.

No one had ever looked at her the way Luo Wang did.

He acknowledged her strength, respected her pride, never treated her blindness as a flaw, and never regarded her as a weakling who needed special treatment.

Toph remained silent for a long moment, suppressing the emotions rising inside her before speaking again.

Her voice had become noticeably lighter, touched with curious interest.

“So that means you travel around a lot?”

“You must have been to all kinds of places, right? Have you visited the other nations too? The Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, the Air Temples?”

The farthest Toph had ever traveled was the underground arena she secretly visited and the caves in the mountains outside Gaoling.

The outside world was unknown to her, and she longed for it.

Luo Wang nodded slightly and answered her patiently.

“I suppose I am a traveler.”

“I originally came from the Southern Water Tribe. My plan was to keep heading north until I reached the Northern Water Tribe.”

“But things changed along the way. I ran into some unexpected trouble, had to alter my plans, and eventually ended up in Gaoling City.”

“The South Pole?”

Toph immediately brightened. Though her eyes could not see, the excitement in her voice was unmistakable.

“It must be really fun there, right? Is it beautiful? Are there lots of different things to experience?”

She had spent her entire life in Gaoling, where the climate remained mild throughout the year.

She had never experienced a world covered in ice and snow.

In her imagination, the South Pole was clean, vast, free, and completely unrestricted.

No cages.

No restraints.

A place infinitely better than this suffocating estate.

Seeing how eagerly she imagined it, Luo Wang could not help chuckling.

“It’s not fun at all. It’s freezing, covered in ice and snow all year, the wind is strong, and the environment is harsh. Most of what you see is either ice or snow. It’s not nearly as wonderful as you’re imagining.”

Toph paused.

Her soaring excitement settled slightly, and she fell quiet for a few seconds.

The breeze passed through the treetops, carrying a gentle rustling sound across the courtyard.

For a moment, the training ground was quiet enough that only their steady breathing could be heard.

Noticing her sudden silence, Luo Wang asked softly.

“What’s wrong? You suddenly stopped talking.”

Toph slowly came back to herself and gently shook her head.

A relaxed smile returned to her lips as she let the subject go.

“Nothing. I just got distracted for a moment.”

After a short pause, she spoke sincerely.

“Thank you, Invincible Boy.”

“You’re the first person who hasn’t treated me like a cripple, looked down on me because I’m blind, or deliberately pitied me.”

“I’m really glad I met you.”

Every word came from her heart.

For the first time, someone truly understood her.

Someone genuinely respected her.

With Luo Wang, she was no longer Toph, the blind girl who needed the entire world to protect her.

In everyone else’s eyes, Toph Beifong would always be the blind young girl who had to be watched over with extreme care.

Her parents sheltered her from everything.

The servants and guards throughout the estate all treated her like a fragile child who needed to be indulged and protected from even the slightest hardship.

Everyone saw only her blindness.

They pitied her.

They accommodated her.

But no one truly saw her.

Luo Wang was different.

In his eyes, there had never been a timid, obedient blind noble girl in need of protection.

What he saw was Toph, the powerful fighter from the underground arena who faced strong opponents without fear and fought with everything she had.

He saw a genius with extraordinary Earthbending talent, a resilient spirit, and pride carved into her bones.

Someone fully deserving of being taken seriously, treated as an equal, and taught with genuine care.

Luo Wang respected that pride.

He treated her as a complete equal.

For Toph, that feeling was unlike anything she had experienced before.

The breeze swept gently through the courtyard, carrying away the lingering warmth from the training ground.

Toph stood there, and the softer emotions she had held back finally became too much to contain.

She spoke quietly, with a trace of nervousness and anticipation even she had not noticed.

“So... we’re friends now, right?”

Her voice was very soft.

She had never had a real friend in her entire life.

Everyone around her had always been a servant or an elder.

No one had ever truly dared to get close to her and treat her as an equal.

Luo Wang was the first person to see through her act, understand her loneliness, and respect who she really was.

She desperately wanted to confirm this relationship that meant so much to her.

Luo Wang paused in surprise.

After a brief moment, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He answered openly and sincerely.

“Yeah. We’re friends.”

Those simple words were like warm sunlight pouring into the emptiness inside Toph’s heart.

She had been listening to Luo Wang’s heartbeat the entire time.

He was not lying.

A rush of overwhelming happiness filled her, and she could not stop the corners of her mouth from rising.

Toph had no idea how to express it.

She did not offer some formal thanks or make any sentimental speech.

Instead, she simply raised her small fist and lightly punched Luo Wang on the arm.

The blow carried almost no force.

It felt more like a private gesture of closeness than an actual punch.

A bright smile she could not hide spread across her face.

Without waiting for Luo Wang to say anything or explaining herself, she turned and walked away from the training ground.

Watching her leave with unusually light steps, Luo Wang rubbed the spot on his arm she had hit, looking completely confused.

...

Toph moved quickly away from the training ground, avoided the servants along the covered walkways, and entered the large garden deep within the estate alone.

Her mood was better than it had been in years.

She felt almost weightless.

The vast garden was filled with flowers, plants, and trees and was usually quiet, with few people around.

Before, she could neither see nor truly sense the beauty of the flowers and plants around her.

Today was different.

Using the perception of Chi that Luo Wang had taught her, she could clearly sense the faint movements of the flowers and plants, the flow of the breeze, and the shifting air around her.

The entire world felt vivid and gentle.

Every tiny movement brought her a profound sense of comfort.

She wandered aimlessly along the garden’s stone paths, her steps relaxed, her entire body at ease.

All the loneliness and pressure that had accumulated inside her seemed to disappear.

It was a kind of freedom and happiness she had never experienced before, not even after secretly going to the arena and winning a match.

Just as Toph was immersed in that rare happiness and leisurely enjoying her time alone, two sets of hurried footsteps approached from the distance.

They belonged to the guards responsible for patrolling the garden.

When the two guards spotted Toph walking alone in the middle of the garden, they immediately panicked and rushed over.

They stopped in front of her, respectful but visibly nervous.

“Miss! Why are you out here by yourself?”

“The master has repeatedly instructed us that the garden paths are complicated and the vegetation is thick. Since you can’t see, you absolutely must not wander through the garden alone. It’s far too dangerous! If you tripped or hurt yourself, we could never take responsibility!”

Their words were stiff and formal, filled with the kind of concern they were expected to show.

There was little genuine affection in it.

Mostly, they were afraid something would go wrong and Lao Beifong would punish them.

Toph paused briefly.

But she did not get angry.

Nothing could spoil her mood today, and the happiness inside her did not diminish at all.

After so many years, she was already used to hearing these words.

Used to everyone constantly watching and restricting her.

Toph smiled.

“Mm. I understand.”

Then she simply continued walking toward her room.

The two guards, however, did not dare relax.

Remembering Lao Beifong’s instructions, they refused to let Toph out of their sight.

One followed slightly to her left and the other to her right, keeping a careful distance behind her while watching her every movement.

They remained alert in case she bumped into something, stumbled, or took the wrong path.

They escorted her every step of the way.

Only after following her all the way to the entrance of her private courtyard, watching her walk safely inside, and confirming that everything around her was secure did the two guards finally relax.

They bowed respectfully to Toph, and only after confirming that their young mistress had safely returned did they leave to resume their patrol.

The empty courtyard fell silent once more.

Toph threw herself onto her bed.

Thinking back on her conversation with Luo Wang, she felt a warm sweetness settle quietly in her heart.

...

Chapter 59: The Wanted Poster

As the days passed, life inside the Beifong Estate continued at its usual pace.

Every morning during their scheduled lessons, Toph cooperated fully with Luo Wang, playing her part in their little teacher-and-student charade.

She deliberately made her Earthbending movements sluggish and awkward, occasionally making small mistakes whenever she tried to control the earth.

To anyone watching, she truly looked like an ordinary blind girl who was making painfully slow progress at learning to move earth.

All outsiders saw was Luo Wang patiently explaining the principles again and again, slowly guiding Toph through the most basic movements.

Everyone thought the newly hired Master Luo was diligent and attentive, genuinely devoted to teaching his student.

No one knew that the entire thing was an arrangement the two of them had made in private.

Only after all the servants had withdrawn and the training ground was empty except for the two of them would Toph drop the facade, stop holding back, and reveal her true level of Earthbending.

After spending so much time together, their relationship had long since grown beyond that of teacher and student.

Outside their lessons, they had become close friends who could speak openly with each other.

In an estate governed by so many rules, nearly everyone treated Toph with deliberate caution. Very few people were capable of simply talking to her as an equal.

Only around Luo Wang could Toph stop constantly watching herself and maintaining the image of a proper young lady from a distinguished family.

After observing Luo Wang for so many days, Lao Beifong and Poppy had also become genuinely satisfied with him.

In their eyes, Luo Wang was what a truly good teacher ought to be.

As the days passed and they spent more time together, a faint sense of dependence gradually began to take root in Toph’s heart.

She never showed it openly, and even Toph herself did not stop to examine exactly what that feeling meant.

Ever since she was little, nearly everyone who met her noticed her blindness first.

Her parents loved her, so they protected her at every turn and instinctively placed her among those who were weak and vulnerable.

The servants who attended her spoke and acted with cautious sympathy.

No one had ever treated her entirely like an ordinary person.

Luo Wang was the only exception.

He treated Toph as an equal and never saw her as disabled.

When Toph lost her temper, he knew how to be patient with her. When she encountered difficulties in her training, he would calmly guide her through them step by step.

He saw what was remarkable about Toph, the stubbornness rooted deep in her nature, and the Earthbending talent that far surpassed ordinary people.

Toph liked being around Luo Wang.

They did not always have to train, nor did they need to keep talking just to fill the silence.

Even if she simply sat quietly beside him and did nothing at all, she felt safe and peaceful.

More importantly, around Luo Wang, she did not have to continue pretending to be weak and helpless.

She could show him who she really was.

Whatever thoughts came into her mind, she could say them without worrying.

Every bit of progress she made in her training was something she could openly acknowledge.

She did not have to hide the extraordinary talent she had been born with.

Toph had never received that kind of treatment from anyone else in her life.

Still, she kept all those complicated little feelings buried firmly inside and never revealed them to anyone.

Every morning, once the public lesson ended and all the servants had left, Luo Wang and Toph would not immediately go their separate ways.

Luo Wang would remain behind and teach her all kinds of fascinating things besides life Chi.

Sometimes he told her about the customs and landscapes of distant regions. Other times, he described animals Toph had never even heard of.

There were saber-tooth moose lions, for example, which lived deep in distant mountain forests. They had powerful bodies, enormous antlers, and tremendous strength when running, making them fierce beasts of the wilderness.

Then there were Tiger seals, which lived along the frozen seas of bitterly cold regions. They resembled seals but were covered in tiger-like stripes, able to hunt in deep water and move swiftly across the ice.

For Toph, who had spent her whole life confined to the Beifong Estate and Gaoling City, these distant creatures and faraway places were endlessly fascinating.

Every time Luo Wang spoke about them, she would sit quietly and try to imagine what they must be like.

One morning, just after their lesson had ended, a gentle sea breeze drifted beneath the pavilion and stirred the leaves overhead.

Toph sat on a stone bench beneath the pavilion, quietly sensing Luo Wang beside her.

She could feel his steady breathing and the calm presence that always made her relax.

After sitting in silence for a while, Toph raised a fist and lightly tapped Luo Wang on the arm.

Her voice was quiet, carrying a hint of unease she had not even noticed herself.

“Invincible Boy, are you going to suddenly leave someday?”

Luo Wang looked surprised. He had not expected Toph to ask something like that.

He turned toward the girl sitting beside him and answered slowly, his voice gentle.

“I’ll be staying here for quite a while. If I ever leave, I’ll say goodbye... Why did you suddenly ask?”

At the question, a faint blush immediately appeared on Toph’s cheeks.

She did not want Luo Wang to realize what she was truly worried about, so she quickly turned her head away and pretended it had only been casual curiosity.

“It’s nothing. I just felt like asking. I only want to learn as much as I can while you’re still here.”

Seeing her stubborn attempt to play it off, Luo Wang could not help smiling.

He raised a hand and gently patted Toph on the head.

Time continued to pass like this.

Three more days went by.

...

The sea outside Gaoling had always been peaceful, with little more than fishing boats coming and going.

Then, on the distant horizon, patches of fiery red sails gradually appeared.

A Fire Nation cruiser fleet had arrived off the coast of Gaoling City.

The soldiers stationed on the coastal walls noticed the unusual movement at sea immediately.

Alarm bells rang out, and the entire city garrison went on high alert.

Every soldier tightened his grip on his weapon and stared toward the fleet, prepared for battle.

But the expected attack never came.

The warships did not advance toward the shore.

They launched no fireballs.

They sent no soldiers ashore.

Instead, they simply remained offshore, neither retreating nor attacking.

Again and again, they cruised back and forth through the waters beyond the coast.

The soldiers on the walls had no idea what the fleet intended. All they could do was keep watch over the sea, increasingly puzzled by its behavior.

The Fire Nation fleet had traveled all the way to the waters outside Gaoling City for one person.

Luo Wang.

About four days earlier, the cruiser fleet, which had been carrying out a routine patrol at sea, received a wanted notice issued directly by the highest levels of the Fire Nation.

The notice contained Luo Wang’s identifying information, physical description, and a brief record of some of his abilities.

It also offered a reward so generous that it was difficult to believe.

If the fleet successfully captured Luo Wang and delivered him back to the Fire Nation unharmed, every active member of the entire fleet would be promoted three ranks.

For sailors and naval officers, the reward was enormously tempting.

Officers stationed within the Fire Nation still had opportunities to earn military merit in land campaigns and rise through the ranks.

But those stationed aboard naval forces scattered across distant seas rarely had the opportunity to fight.

Most of their lives were spent patrolling the ocean. Promotion usually meant waiting year after year for seniority, and many could serve an entire career without rising more than one or two ranks.

This wanted notice was practically offering them a chance to transform their careers overnight.

There was, however, one absolute condition attached to the reward.

No matter the cost, Luo Wang had to be captured alive.

They were not permitted to kill him.

The mission would only be considered complete if they brought him back alive.

With such a reward on the line, plenty of men were willing to take the risk.

Faced with that kind of opportunity, the fleet commander quickly devised a plan to gather intelligence.

Groups of men were sent ashore disguised as merchants, sailors, and traveling peddlers who had supposedly crossed the sea to conduct business.

They scattered through one coastal city after another, quietly asking about strangers and comparing what they learned with the information on the wanted notice.

Casting such a wide net eventually produced something useful.

From a local broker who helped outsiders find rental housing, they learned a crucial piece of information.

A foreign man of unknown background named Luo Wang was currently living at the Beifong Estate in Gaoling City, serving as an instructor to the family’s young daughter.

Every identifying detail matched the wanted notice.

Once they confirmed that Luo Wang was inside the Beifong Estate, excitement swept through the entire fleet.

But even knowing exactly where he was, they could not simply land troops and seize him.

Gaoling City had a large garrison, strong walls, and coastal fortifications constructed by Earthbenders.

Launching an open assault would amount to starting a full-scale battle.

The cruiser fleet had no chance of withstanding a counterattack from the Earth Kingdom garrison. Trying to storm the shore directly would be suicide.

After discussing the situation, the fleet settled on a safer plan.

They would remain offshore and continue patrolling the same waters.

Day after day, they would sail back and forth in full view of the soldiers on the city walls, gradually wearing down the defenders’ vigilance.

Once the people in the city became accustomed to seeing a Fire Nation fleet offshore and their guard began to relax, a small force would secretly infiltrate Gaoling City, enter the Beifong Estate, and capture Luo Wang alive.

News of the fleet soon reached the Beifong family and was delivered directly to Lao Beifong.

The moment Lao Beifong learned that a Fire Nation cruiser fleet had appeared offshore and refused to leave, he immediately became wary.

He knew the Fire Nation well enough to understand that they would not station an entire fleet outside a city without reason.

To prepare for a possible surprise attack, Lao Beifong immediately ordered the estate’s security increased.

More guards were assigned to every entrance and exit. Additional night patrols were established, with shorter intervals between each circuit.

The number of guards around Toph, in particular, was more than doubled, with someone required to remain nearby at all times.

Security across the Beifong Estate was raised to its highest level.

Despite the tension beneath the surface, the morning lessons continued as usual.

Lao Beifong and Poppy quietly agreed not to tell Toph about the Fire Nation fleet offshore.

In their minds, Toph was still a girl who needed constant protection and could easily be frightened by danger from the outside world.

They did not want their daughter spending every day afraid of enemy soldiers, losing sleep and worrying over something she could do nothing about.

So they kept the matter from her and maintained the appearance that everything was normal.

But there was no way Toph could fail to notice.

She did not need eyes.

She could sense the vibrations traveling through the earth, the subtle changes in the air carried by the sea breeze, and the presence of large numbers of ships gathering offshore.

Even the intense heat radiating from so many Firebenders gathered together reached her perception.

She had known about the fleet from the moment it appeared on the horizon.

Toph understood exactly what was happening, but she never brought it up with her parents.

She simply continued her daily routine as though nothing had changed.

Luo Wang, meanwhile, also learned about the Fire Nation fleet from the servants’ private conversations.

His expression immediately grew serious.

For several more days, the Fire Nation fleet continued patrolling offshore around the clock.

The warships came and went, never attacking but never sailing away either.

At first, the soldiers on the city walls remained fully alert, watching the sea without pause.

But day after day passed, and the fleet did nothing except cruise through the same waters.

Gradually, the garrison’s vigilance began to fade.

By the time the night watches came around, some guards were even sleeping against the battlements instead of constantly watching the sea.

The city’s defenses had finally relaxed.

The fleet’s opportunity had come.

...

That evening began no differently from any other.

The sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, and darkness settled completely over the sea.

The noise in Gaoling City’s streets gradually faded.

Vendors packed up their stalls one after another and pushed their goods home.

Lights in the houses lining the streets went dark one by one.

Slowly, the entire city fell silent.

The guards on the walls were drowsy, and most had completely lowered their guard.

Out at sea, the Fire Nation fleet that had waited patiently for days finally began its planned operation.

A small, fast vessel extinguished every light on board.

Its sails were furled, its profile kept low, and it moved quietly through the darkness.

A carefully selected squad of elite soldiers was aboard.

They avoided Gaoling City’s main harbor and sailed toward a secluded stretch of shore beside the docks, an area rarely visited at night.

There, they slipped ashore.

The entire squad landed quietly, keeping their footsteps soft and avoiding any unnecessary noise as they infiltrated the city.

Once inside Gaoling, they immediately contacted the scouts who had already been hiding in the city disguised as ordinary civilians.

The scouts confirmed the intelligence one final time.

Luo Wang was still living at the Beifong Estate.

They had already mapped out the condition of the estate’s night security.

The city garrison remained completely unsuspecting.

Once every detail was confirmed, the infiltrating squad finalized its plan.

They would strike at two in the morning.

That was when most people slept most deeply, and when the guards at the Beifong Estate would be at their least alert.

They would infiltrate the estate, catch Luo Wang by surprise, capture him alive as quickly as possible, then retreat to the secluded shore and return to the fleet aboard the fast boat.

If they brought him back alive, every one of them would be promoted three ranks.

The thought of such a reward and advancement filled every soldier participating in the operation with excitement.

The night grew deeper.

Most of Gaoling City was already asleep.

But inside one of the guest rooms at the Beifong Estate, Luo Wang was still awake.

He sat beside the window without lighting a lamp.

Only faint moonlight from outside illuminated the room.

...

Chapter 60: The Ambush

Luo Wang was not deliberately trying to sense anything, but his body instinctively caught the abnormal movement in the distance.

At that moment, deep within an alley nearly a hundred meters away, a group of people was quietly gathering.

They deliberately restrained their breathing and lightened their footsteps, doing everything possible to eliminate any sound that might expose them.

They were already close.

Their target was within reach.

Late at night, Gaoling City was utterly silent.

There were no pedestrians on the streets, no lights in the houses, and the soldiers stationed on the city walls were dozing against the battlements.

Everyone had completely lowered their guard.

No one could have imagined that an elite Fire Nation unit had already infiltrated the city without a sound and was now moving quickly toward the Beifong Estate through the shadows of the streets and alleys.

The squad consisted of more than thirty soldiers, all elite Firebenders personally selected from the fleet.

Each of them had removed their conspicuous crimson heavy armor and changed into lightweight clothing suited for moving at night. They had deliberately suppressed their fire energy as much as possible.

These soldiers had spent years carrying out covert infiltration and surprise attacks. They specialized in concealment, moving through darkness, and close-range assaults.

Their objective was perfectly clear.

No looting.

No killing or arson.

No unnecessary destruction.

Their only mission was to enter the estate and capture Luo Wang alive.

If they captured this one man, every member of the squad would immediately be promoted three ranks, changing the course of their entire careers.

The enormous reward filled every infiltrating soldier with barely suppressed excitement.

They advanced rapidly through the shadows along the walls, keeping their footsteps as light as possible and their breathing perfectly steady.

They avoided every remaining patrol inside the city.

Following the route their scouts had mapped out in advance, they reached the alleys surrounding the Beifong Estate within minutes.

The estate’s outer walls were tall and thick, with night watch posts positioned around the perimeter.

Every guard patrolling the estate at night was a professional Earthbender hired specifically for the job.

Through the ground beneath their feet, their range of perception was extremely wide. Their hearing, Seismic sense, and awareness of their surroundings far surpassed those of ordinary soldiers.

During the day, an enemy force would have had almost no chance of approaching unnoticed.

But it was late at night, and everyone was exhausted.

After several days of watching the Fire Nation fleet patrol offshore without attacking, even the estate guards had gradually become less vigilant.

Their patrols had slowed, and their attention was no longer as sharp as during the day.

Still, an Earthbender’s instinctive perception never disappeared completely.

Just as the squad prepared to move along the corner of the wall toward a weaker side entrance, one of the patrolling Earthbenders suddenly stopped.

He clearly sensed a faint and unfamiliar vibration through the ground ahead.

It did not belong to one of their own guards.

It was not a stray cat or dog moving through the city.

It was the vibration of humans moving quickly while deliberately trying to suppress their footsteps.

At the same time, an extremely faint wave of dry heat drifted through the air.

It was subtle, almost too weak to notice, but the Earthbending guards had spent years dealing with Fire Nation forces.

They were extremely sensitive to that kind of presence.

“Someone’s there! Stay alert!”

The guard immediately shouted in a low voice.

His warning pierced the silence of the night and shattered the calm.

More than a dozen Earthbending guards patrolling nearby instantly came to attention and gathered into formation.

Every guard planted his feet firmly against the ground and focused.

In an instant, the rock and soil surrounding the estate came under their control.

The more than thirty infiltrating Fire Nation soldiers knew they had been exposed.

There was no longer any reason to hide.

No reason to hold back.

The squad leader’s expression hardened as he barked an order.

“Attack! End this quickly! Break into the estate and capture the target!”

In the next instant, crimson fire lit up the night.

The fire energy they had suppressed for so long erupted all at once.

Bright fireballs formed in the soldiers’ palms and burst forward.

A scorching wave of heat swept through the entire alley, bathing the darkness in red light.

Dozens of fireballs flew toward the Earthbending guards standing in formation ahead.

The late-night ambush had become an open battle.

The Beifong guards reacted immediately.

Every one of them drove their feet into the ground at the same time.

The earth rumbled violently.

Thick barriers of earth and stone surged upward one after another, forming layers of protection in front of them.

The walls were heavy and solid, specifically suited for defending against fire.

Fireballs slammed into the stone barriers and exploded.

Flames burst outward.

Heat surged through the alley.

Sparks scattered everywhere.

Fragments of stone glowed red beneath the intense heat, while the walls were constantly scorched and worn down by the flames, hissing under the assault.

The Earthbending guards held their ground and continually reinforced the barriers, adding fresh layers of rock and soil to stop the enemy’s attacks.

But every infiltrator was an elite Firebender with tremendous offensive power.

Ordinary raiding troops stationed along the coast could not compare with these soldiers.

Their flames were extremely hot, explosive, and relentless.

Wave after wave of fireballs hammered against the guards’ defenses without pause.

Within little more than ten seconds, the outer walls began to crack, flake apart, and partially melt.

The fractures spread.

The gaps in the defenses widened.

The alley was narrow, and there were too few guards to maneuver around the attackers.

They could only endure the assault head-on.

The flames continued pressing forward as the stone defenses collapsed layer by layer.

Soon, one of the guards failed to reinforce a breach in time and was struck by the spreading heat.

His skin burned instantly.

His clothes caught fire.

Agonizing pain swept through his body.

Even wounded, he gritted his teeth and refused to retreat, continuing to control the earth and block the enemy’s advance.

The sounds of explosions, burning flames, collapsing stone, and muffled cries blended together and spread throughout the estate.

The violent tremors and blazing light immediately woke everyone who had still been asleep.

Lights came on throughout the estate.

Servants, maids, and workers panicked and scattered in every direction, searching for safety.

Inside his quarters, Luo Wang immediately heard the sounds of battle outside.

The moment the fighting erupted, he did not hesitate.

He pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard.

The night wind was hot.

Firelight rose into the sky.

The sounds of fighting near the outer walls were becoming more intense by the moment.

Almost at the same time, the door to Toph’s room opened as well.

Toph stood barefoot beneath the corridor.

She did not need eyes to see what was happening.

The vibrations in the earth, the breaking stone, the scorching heat from the flames, and the movements of soldiers fighting all reached her senses clearly.

She understood the situation faster and more completely than anyone else.

She knew how many enemy soldiers were outside the walls.

She knew where they were positioned.

She knew the direction and intensity of their fire attacks.

She even knew how badly the estate guards had already been injured.

Without hesitation, Toph began moving quickly toward the battlefield.

By now, the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

The estate guards were all skilled Earthbenders with strong defensive abilities.

But the enemy had concentrated their numbers, their firepower was overwhelming, and they were elite soldiers trained specifically for this kind of assault.

They understood the weaknesses of Earthbenders and continuously used high-temperature flames to wear down the stone defenses, never giving the guards time to breathe or gather strength.

After only a few minutes of direct fighting, more than half the guards had already been injured.

Some had suffered burns to their arms and could no longer control the earth properly through the pain.

Others had been struck by flying fragments of stone, leaving them severely wounded and unable to continue fighting.

Some had their eardrums damaged by the explosions and were too dizzy and disoriented to remain in battle.

Of the original dozen or so Earthbending guards, only four or five were still standing.

Their stone barriers were already badly damaged and could no longer withstand the constant fire attacks.

Taking advantage of the collapsing defenses, the Fire Nation soldiers had broken through the outer alley and were advancing step by step toward the estate’s inner courtyard.

The situation had become critical.

At that moment, two sets of hurried footsteps approached rapidly from the direction of the main courtyard.

Lao Beifong and Poppy rushed into the courtyard with panic written across their faces and immediately found Toph.

Their hearts nearly stopped.

They saw the flames rising in the distance and heard the fighting drawing closer.

Panic overwhelmed them.

In their eyes, no matter how dangerous the situation became, Toph would always be the fragile daughter they had to protect with everything they had.

Poppy grabbed Toph’s arm, her voice trembling.

“Toph! Come with us, quickly!”

“It’s too dangerous outside. We’ll hide in the secret passage!”

Lao Beifong immediately stepped in front of Toph, his expression grim.

“Listen to us! The Fire Nation soldiers are outside, and the guards can’t hold them back! You cannot go near the battlefield. We need to get somewhere safe!”

Their first instinct was always to protect Toph.

No matter what crisis struck the family, no matter how far the enemy advanced, they would never allow their daughter to be exposed to danger.

It had always been that way.

They had shielded her from bad weather.

From danger.

From battle.

They had always kept her in the safest possible place.

But Toph was no longer the same girl she had once been.

She was no longer a weak and helpless child hiding beneath her parents’ protection.

After training with Luo Wang these past few days, her mindset, strength, and confidence had changed completely.

She understood the battlefield.

She knew the guards could no longer hold out.

She knew the enemy was about to break into the inner courtyard.

Toph gently pulled her arm free from her parents’ grasp.

Standing straight amid the night wind and firelight, she spoke firmly and calmly, without the slightest trace of fear.

“I’m not a child who needs to be protected from everything anymore.”

“I’m strong enough to defeat them. I can protect you. Trust me, I’ll be fine!”

Every word was clear and unwavering.

Lao Beifong and Poppy froze.

They stared at their daughter in stunned silence.

Toph stood before them with complete confidence.

Her presence was steady and forceful in a way they had never seen before.

It was the confidence of someone strong enough to face battle directly and the determination of someone ready to protect her family.

The couple was too shocked to respond.

Before they could recover, Toph turned around.

The ground trembled faintly beneath her feet as she rushed toward the fighting.

She charged directly into the fiercest part of the battlefield.

The remaining Earthbending guards were already close to collapse.

The final layers of their stone barriers had been scorched apart by the flames, sending burning fragments flying through the air.

The Fire Nation soldiers advanced over the shattered rock, surrounded by surging fire and murderous intent.

The instant Toph entered the battlefield, her awareness connected completely with the earth beneath her.

Every piece of earth and stone within a hundred-meter radius responded to her will.

Boom!

The ground shook violently.

An enormous stone wall, several times thicker than the previous defenses, erupted from the earth and rose directly in front of the Fire Nation soldiers.

The wall was dense, solid, and massive, completely blocking every path forward.

At the same time, countless sharp stone spikes burst rapidly from the ground, stabbing toward the advancing soldiers in a dense barrage.

Caught by surprise, the Fire Nation troops immediately dodged aside and fired bursts of flame to break the spikes apart.

Toph did not stop.

She raised both hands and brought them together.

Two stone slabs surged out of the ground and slammed inward, trapping five Fire Nation soldiers between them.

Whether they survived was impossible to tell.

Toph then stomped the ground and thrust both hands forward.

A wave of stone surged up and buried several slower soldiers beneath the earth.

The defensive line that had been on the verge of collapse was stabilized almost entirely by Toph alone.

The few remaining badly injured guards finally had a moment to breathe.

They stared at the girl before them in complete shock.

None of them had ever known that the blind young lady of their estate possessed such terrifying Earthbending skill.

Meanwhile, Luo Wang had been helping the guards evacuate the servants.

Only after everyone inside the estate had been moved to safety did he head toward the battlefield.

When Luo Wang arrived and saw Toph charging into the fighting without hesitation, his brows drew together slightly.

He could tell these were elite soldiers.

They were experienced, ruthless fighters whose fire attacks were fierce and difficult to predict.

Toph was very strong, but she had never truly fought in this kind of life-and-death battle before.

Her opponents were battle-hardened naval elites.

They fought ruthlessly, ignored formal rules, and deliberately searched for weaknesses.

Luo Wang intended to enter the battle and help her.

He took one step forward.

But Toph sensed that single step from a distance, and to her, its meaning was completely different.

At that moment, she was fully immersed in the fight and driven by the need to prove herself.

She had only just told her parents that she could stand on her own and protect them.

Now Luo Wang was stepping forward.

To Toph, that meant he thought she could not handle it.

That he thought she was about to lose.

That he was preparing to take over and fight in her place.

He was underestimating her.

Treating her as if she were still weak, helpless, and in need of protection.

A surge of stubborn pride immediately rose inside her.

She did not need anyone to cover for her.

She did not need Luo Wang’s pity, his mercy, or his protection.

She could fight.

She could hold the line.

She could win.

That competitive impulse disturbed her composure.

She became desperate to prove herself.

Desperate to drive the enemy back.

Desperate to show everyone that she was no longer weak.

That mindset made her careless.

She stopped paying careful attention to everything happening across the battlefield and focused entirely on driving her Earthbending forward at full strength.

She concentrated on suppressing the enemy head-on.

Her only thought was to end the fight quickly and crush the soldiers before her.

That brief lapse in awareness was all the enemy needed.

The squad leader immediately recognized Toph’s impatience and the opening it created.

He deliberately ordered the front-line soldiers to keep firing fireballs directly at her, drawing all of her attention forward.

Meanwhile, he quietly gathered his strength and condensed an extremely hot, compressed fireball.

Toph was completely focused on controlling the stone wall and suppressing the soldiers ahead.

For a moment, she had no attention left for the ground beneath her.

The squad leader raised his hand and hurled the compressed fireball low against the earth.

It exploded the instant it struck.

There was no deafening blast.

Instead, flames of extreme heat instantly spread across the ground, forming a concealed layer of burning fire.

Toph’s attention remained fixed entirely on the enemies in front of her.

She failed to notice the change beneath her feet.

By the time she realized what had happened, it was already too late.

She leaped into the air, but the wave of fire still caught the soles of her feet and burned them.