Chapter 68: Ten Fold Cultivation Speed

Veyron’s artificial eyes narrowed as he noticed.

"Done already?"

Arthur looked at him.

"Yes, sir."

Veyron slowly removed his hand.

"What about now?"

Arthur glanced inward again.

Sure enough, the flow was still there and moving exactly as he wanted.

"I can sense the flow on my own now."

Veyron stared at him for a moment.

"Most people spend several minutes just trying to make contact with the energy, let alone grasp it."

Mr. Veyron stared at Arthur for another moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Impressive."

Arthur opened his eyes fully.

Mr. Veyron lowered his hand and stepped back, folding his hands behind his back.

"I’ve taught enough cadets to know that most of them need considerable time before they can even properly sense Riki, let alone take control of it." He glanced at the bluish energy still flowing calmly within Arthur’s mind. "You did it almost immediately."

Arthur simply nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

Veyron folded his arms behind his back.

"At this rate, you’re going places, Arthur."

There was genuine approval in his voice.

"And I’m beginning to expect quite a lot from you."

Arthur’s expression remained calm, but he couldn’t help feeling a little more attentive at those words.

Mr. Veyron then turned toward Rexi and Alexis.

"You two."

Both cadets straightened.

"Yes, sir?"

Veyron pointed toward Arthur with his chin.

"Try not to fall too far behind him."

Rexi and Alexis exchanged an awkward glance.

"...Yes, sir."

"We understand, sir."

"Good."

Veyron turned away from them and walked toward Alexis.

Arthur stepped aside, giving them room.

The old instructor stopped in front of Alexis and raised his hand.

"Your turn."

Alexis swallowed before nodding.

"Yes, sir."

Veyron placed his palm against Alexis’s temple.

"Ready?"

Alexis took a slow breath.

"Ready, sir."

While Mr. Veyron was busy with Alexis and Rexi, a notification suddenly appeared in front of Arthur’s eyes.

〘Riki Cultivation Initiated〙

〘Congratulations, Player. You have entered the Awakening Realm of Riki Cultivation.〙

Arthur’s eyes widened.

Another notification appeared beneath it.

〘Riki Potential: Transcendent〙

〘Unique Ability: Transcendent Riki Potential〙

〘Cultivation Speed: 10×〙

Arthur stared at the notification.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

Then his eyes slowly widened even further.

...Ten times?

His heart began beating faster.

Ten times the normal cultivation speed?

Arthur reread the notification.

Once.

Twice.

Then a third time.

He couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face.

If an ordinary Riki Handler needs ten years to reach a certain realm...

His imagination immediately started running.

Then I’d only need one.

And if someone needed a hundred years?

Ten.

Arthur’s grin widened.

What about the people who spend their entire lives trying to reach the highest realms?

His mind began racing with possibilities.

He didn’t imagine that upgrading his potential to Transcendent would give him this much of an advantage.

It was ridiculous.

Arthur clenched his fist slightly.

How far can I actually go with this?

He could already imagine himself climbing through realm after realm, watching his mind become sharper, his senses become stronger, and his Riki grow more powerful at a speed that ordinary cultivators could never hope to match.

The thought alone made him excited.

HELL YEAH! I want to see how broken this is.

Arthur glanced toward Mr. Veyron.

The instructor was still occupied with Alexis, carefully guiding him through her first contact with Riki. Rexi was waiting nearby.

Arthur suddenly felt impatient.

He wanted to know how fast he could advance.

How much Riki could he accumulate in an hour?

How much in a day?

What would happen if he cultivated for an entire week?

And more importantly...

How quickly can I reach the next realm?

For now, he had a perfect opportunity to experiment.

Arthur quietly moved toward the side of the training hall and sat down cross-legged.

He closed his eyes.

The excitement in his chest hadn’t disappeared.

If anything, it only grew.

Ten times cultivation speed...

Arthur smiled.

...Let’s see what this can really do.

He began circulating the Riki within his mind.

At first, the process was simple.

He guided the energy through the pathways he had already sensed, allowing it to circulate repeatedly instead of letting it dissipate.

But before long, Arthur noticed something strange.

The Riki was becoming denser.

His concentration sharpened.

...It’s gathering.

The energy that had previously flowed throughout his mind was gradually being drawn toward a single point at its center.

Arthur continued circulating it.

Again.

And again.

The energy became denser with every cycle.

Arthur could feel the change clearly.

The scattered Riki gradually compressed into a tiny mass of energy.

Arthur continued feeding it more.

The mass became smaller.

Denser.

More stable.

Then, with one final circulation, the energy suddenly condensed.

A small core of bluish Riki formed at the center of his mind.

Arthur’s eyes snapped open.

A strange sensation immediately spread through his entire body.

His senses sharpened.

The faint mechanical movements of Veyron’s artificial limbs suddenly became clearer.

He could hear Rexi’s breathing from several meters away.

He could even pick up the subtle sounds of Alexis shifting his feet against the floor.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

My senses actually improved.

He looked around the training hall.

Everything seemed sharper.

〘Riki Cultivation Advancement Detected〙

Arthur froze.

〘Congratulations, Player. You have broken through to the Second Realm of Riki Cultivation.〙

His mouth slowly opened.

"...Already?"

Arthur looked toward Rexi and Alexis.

They were still struggling to establish control over their respective flows of Riki.

Arthur looked back at the system notification.

Then at the tiny Riki core within his mind.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

This is going to be fun.

He had originally thought Riki cultivation would be another long-term path he would have to slowly develop.

But with a Transcendent potential and ten times the normal cultivation speed...

Arthur suddenly found himself looking forward to the future more than ever.

I need to find out how fast I can advance.

He clenched his fist.

The moment this lesson ends, I’m cultivating.