Chapter 113: Helping Out a Brother

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Helping Out a Brother

Marcus stared at the scene with his mouth hanging open. By the time Xavier finished and walked outside, his friend was still struggling to find words.

"Xavier, what exactly happened to you?" he asked. "Did you suddenly gained some superpowers?"

Xavier merely glanced at him.

Marcus had finally accepted that his childhood friend was no longer the ordinary man he remembered.

The flames alone were enough to convince him that Xavier possessed abilities far beyond those of a normal martial artist.

As far as Marcus understood, displaying such extraordinary powers was something associated with martial artists who had reached the Star Sea Realm and begun awakening their supernatural abilities.

Yet Xavier had reached this level in an astonishingly short period.

They had grown up together. Marcus knew what Xavier had been like before their marriages, and he could not imagine what kind of opportunity could have transformed him so completely.

Still, he knew better than to keep pressing for an answer when Xavier clearly had no intention of explaining.

Xavier let the question pass. Instead, he looked at his friend with an unusually serious expression.

"Marcus, tell me something," he said. "Do you want to become a powerful martial artist?"

In the eighteen years Xavier had spent living in this world, Marcus Reed had become the one person he trusted almost as much as family.

They shared no blood, yet their friendship had endured long enough to become something deeper than an ordinary brotherhood.

Xavier had considered helping Marcus embark on the path of martial cultivation long ago.

Now that he possessed the resources and freedom to do so, bringing his closest friend along should have been an obvious decision.

Yet he had held back. The Sinclair family and the Lindsay family had both become potential threats to the people around him.

Xavier had worried that drawing Marcus into his affairs would put his friend in danger, so he had deliberately kept his distance while dealing with those problems.

His original plan was simple: eliminate the threat posed by the Lindsay family first, then surprise Marcus with an opportunity to become a martial artist.

Unfortunately, events had taken a different turn.

The Lindsay family had already made its move against Marcus.

This time, Xavier had arrived in time to save him. But that had been a matter of luck.

The kidnappers had intended to use Marcus as leverage against Mira, and they had never anticipated that Xavier would possess the strength to defeat them so easily.

What would happen if the family tried again? Once the deaths of the Bloodthirsty Monk and Ruthless Blade came to light, the Lindsay family would undoubtedly become more cautious.

Their next attempt might involve even more formidable fighters, making the danger considerably greater.

Xavier was not afraid of facing those people himself. His concern was Marcus.

He refused to stand by and watch his closest friend lose his life simply because he had become entangled in Xavier’s affairs.

There is no reason to wait any longer.

Xavier changed his plans. Rather than postponing Marcus’s cultivation until the Lindsay family had been dealt with, he decided to help his brother grow stronger as soon as possible.

He turned toward Marcus and asked seriously, "What’s your answer, Marcus?"

Marcus stared at him, his eyes widening as the question sank in.

"Xavier, do you mean I can actually become strong too?" he asked.

He had dreamed of possessing extraordinary strength for years. Hearing those words from Xavier felt almost unreal, and his voice trembled with excitement.

"Of course," Xavier said, smiling. "If becoming a powerful martial artist is what you want, I’ll help you make it happen."

For a moment, Marcus could hardly contain himself. Then another thought crossed his mind, and his excitement became mixed with hesitation.

"But the Awakening Stones are incredibly expensive," he said. "I can’t just let you spend that much money on me."

He desperately wanted the opportunity, but he did not want to take advantage of his friend’s generosity.

Earning money was far harder than he had imagined before entering the working world.

Xavier had built his current position through his own efforts, and Marcus could not bring himself to accept such an expensive gift without considering the burden it might place on him.

Xavier gave him an exasperated look and slapped him lightly on the back.

"Stop talking nonsense," he said. "Let me ask you this: if our positions were reversed, and you had the means to help me become a martial artist, would you refuse to help me?"

"Absolutely not!" Marcus answered without the slightest hesitation. "We’re brothers. Of course I’d help you!"

"Then what’s the difference? All you need to do is decide whether you want to cultivate. I’ll handle the rest."

Marcus opened his mouth to argue again, but Xavier cut him off with a mischievous grin.

"Besides, didn’t you just call me your godfather?" he said.

"A father doesn’t raise his son expecting to be paid back."

"That’s different! I was just too excited and said something stupid. You can forget about it!"

"Forget about it? Not a chance."

Marcus groaned, then suddenly remembered something that made his expression brighten.

"Whatever happens, I’ve already beaten you in one department, Xavier," he said. "My wife is pregnant! Hahaha!"

Xavier stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Soon, both men were laughing so hard that their earlier argument was forgotten.

That was how their friendship had always been.

Neither needed to keep score of what the other owed. If one of them found success, helping the other was simply part of being brothers.

However, Marcus misunderstood one important detail about Xavier’s plan.

He assumed Xavier intended to purchase an Awakening Stone for him.

Such stones were the most common route for ordinary people hoping to awaken their martial potential and enter the first star of the Body Tempering Realm.

But Xavier had no intention of relying on something so unreliable.

Awakening Stones were relatively accessible, but their effects varied considerably.

The results depended heavily on the individual, making them a poor choice when Xavier had access to far better resources.

His first thought was to use a Star God Pill instead. The elixir could awaken a person’s special physique, allowing them to unlock the martial talent associated with it.

However, he quickly dismissed that option as well. A Star God Pill could only awaken a special physique in someone who already possessed one in a dormant state.

If Marcus had no such constitution, the precious elixir would accomplish nothing.

Xavier needed a more dependable solution. After considering the resources at his disposal, he settled on a plan involving Constitution Pill and Constitution Essence.

When he had invested in Mira’s physique essence, the system had rewarded him with a superior spiritual liquid.

That liquid could strengthen an existing constitution, but its benefits went much further.

Given to someone whose martial constitution had not yet awakened, it could help them develop a powerful divine martial body.

It was exactly what Marcus needed. Xavier was willing to invest considerably more effort in securing these resources for his brother.

He planned to use his connections to gather Constitution Pill and Constitution Essence, with the intention of having Mira consume them as well.

The larger his investment base became, the greater his chances of obtaining more of the precious spiritual liquid through the system.

With sufficient resources, helping Marcus awaken an extraordinary constitution would only be a matter of time.

* * *

Before leaving the abandoned factory, Xavier made Marcus promise to keep his strength a secret.

Marcus could not understand why anyone would want to hide such an impressive achievement. If he possessed Xavier’s abilities, he would have been tempted to announce it to the entire world and enjoy the admiration. But after Xavier explained the risks, Marcus quickly abandoned that idea.

A 7th-Level Spirit Platform Realm martial artist at Xavier’s age was an extraordinary rarity.

News of his strength would attract attention from powerful organizations, ambitious families, and people eager to exploit his potential.

With the Lindsay family already watching them, revealing Xavier’s abilities would only invite more trouble.

Marcus immediately promised to keep quiet. He would not tell anyone, not even his pregnant wife, Clara.

About half an hour later, the two friends returned to Marcus’s home and brought Clara to stay temporarily at the villa associated with Arcadia Academy.

By then, Mira had already returned from her training and resumed preparing the dinner Xavier had left unfinished.

She was accustomed to her husband’s unpredictable schedule, so she did not press him for an explanation when he returned with Marcus and Clara.

Mira knew both of them well. She and Clara were even friends on Social media, and the two women often chatted with each other.

When Mira learned that Clara was pregnant, her expression revealed a mixture of envy, longing, and embarrassment.

They had registered their marriages on the same day, yet Clara was already expecting a child while Mira and Xavier had not even taken that step in their relationship.

There were understandable reasons for the delay.

Before the Celestial Core was removed from Mira’s body, she had suffered a severe abdominal injury that made intimacy impractical.

Once Xavier helped her recover, they learned that her mother was still alive, leaving them with more urgent matters to address.

The situation had not improved much over the past few days.

Mira had been concentrating on cultivation, and after accepting Victoria Quill as her master, she had spent nearly every day training under demanding conditions. By the time she returned home, she was often too exhausted to think about anything beyond improving her strength.

Today, however, Victoria had granted her three days of rest.

For the first time in a while, Mira began wondering whether she and Xavier could finally spend some private time together and take their relationship a step further.

As it happened, Xavier had been thinking along similar lines ever since he learned that his wife was on a break from training.

After dinner, however, he turned his attention to another matter that needed immediate attention. He contacted Evelyn Hart, Samuel Bush, Gauis, and Victoria Quill, asking each of them to help him acquire as much Constitution Pill and Constitution Essence as possible.

His goal was to help Marcus awaken his martial constitution without delay.

Once Marcus became a martial artist, Xavier could approach Vice Principal Johnny about arranging separate accommodation for him and Clara.

Since Helena had already moved into the Extraordinary Division’s residential quarters to avoid disturbing the young couple, Xavier saw no reason to let his friend and his pregnant wife remain in the villa indefinitely.

After all, martial artists possessed far sharper hearing than ordinary people. Sharing a house with another couple would make it difficult for Xavier and Mira to enjoy any genuine privacy.