Chapter 157: The Manual Investment

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: The Manual Investment

Xavier had finally decided to tell them the truth about Maya.

There was no point hiding it any longer. Their upcoming journey to the Tree Demon’s territory was far from an ordinary expedition, and he couldn’t afford to make careless decisions.

Maya’s current strength was simply too low.

Although he had spent the past few days teaching her and supplying her with plenty of cultivation resources, she had only reached the Body Tempering Realm.

Taking her into the Tree Demon’s territory would be like bringing along an unnecessary burden. She was unlikely to benefit much from the journey, either.

It would be better to arrange a safe place for her to stay before they departed.

Xavier had spent several days considering the problem, but he still hadn’t settled on the best solution. That was why he decided to hear what the others thought.

His revelation immediately caught the other three by surprise.

"Maya Knox? She’s the one with the Calamity Poison Body?"

"Xavier, are you certain?"

Samuel Bush stared at him, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Of course I’m certain. When have I ever lied to you?" Xavier replied, giving him an amused look. "Maya is currently Graham Cole’s disciple."

"Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m just excited!"

Samuel quickly clarified, unable to hide the delight spreading across his face.

He turned toward Mira.

"Mira, with your Frost Phoenix Bloodline, our Extraordinary Department already has an extraordinary talent. If we could also bring Maya into the department, then the future of the Extraordinary Department would be practically guaranteed!"

Samuel had personally witnessed the incredible power of Mira’s Frost Phoenix Bloodline.

There was no doubt that it was an exceptional constitution.

And the Calamity Poison Body was said to be just as extraordinary.

If both prodigies became members of his department, Samuel could already imagine how much the organization would benefit. He might even find himself rising alongside them.

Mira, however, wasn’t nearly as excited as he was.

Over the past few days, she had learned quite a bit about the notorious Calamity Poison Body. The thought that someone else in the region possessed a constitution comparable to hers had left her feeling slightly uneasy.

Was she about to lose her position as the region’s most outstanding young female genius?

"Don’t celebrate too early."

Victoria interrupted Samuel’s excitement with a warning.

"Maya’s background is far more complicated than you think. The Shelby family of Groundcrest has already issued a notice announcing that they’re looking for her."

"Although they haven’t made much of an effort to pursue her so far, and haven’t even sent anyone here, that doesn’t change who they are. The Shelby Family is one of the most powerful families around, with at least three Divine Power Realm experts openly among its ranks."

She gave Samuel a pointed look.

"Do you honestly think our Extraordinary Department can compete with a family like that?"

Her words immediately dampened his enthusiasm.

Samuel was well aware of the Shelby Family’s reputation. Its influence was enormous, and its strength was beyond what an ordinary regional organization could hope to match.

Even a provincial-level Extraordinary Department might struggle to offer the same advantages as the Shelby Family, let alone their department in Valemont.

"That isn’t necessarily the case."

Xavier shook his head, cutting in before Victoria could say more.

"Maya’s relationship with the Shelby Family is rather complicated. She’s the daughter of Sarah, who was the legitimate daughter of the Shelby family eighteen years ago..."

Since Xavier had brought up Maya’s situation to seek everyone’s advice, he didn’t hold anything back. He explained the complicated history between Maya, her mother, and the Shelby Family in full detail.

After hearing the entire story, the three listeners fell into silence.

"So that’s what happened with the Shelby Family! Those old fools actually tore apart a couple who loved each other simply because they considered the man unworthy of their family!"

Samuel Bush was the first to break the silence, his expression filled with indignation.

"I once met Sarah. No wonder she practically vanished from public view after marrying a man surnamed Knox. I never imagined there was such a painful story behind it."

Victoria Quill sighed.

"She was forced to abandon her husband and daughter, then made to marry someone else against her wishes. Now I understand why she always seemed so unhappy whenever I saw her."

Mira Sinclair also shook her head sympathetically.

"Maya and her father have suffered so much. It’s unfortunate how deeply some people are influenced by social status. To them, a person’s family background matters more than genuine feelings."

"Sarah’s situation is just as tragic," Victoria added. "Being born into a powerful family isn’t always a blessing. Sometimes, it means losing the freedom to make even the most important decisions in your own life, including whom you marry."

The three couldn’t help expressing their sympathy for the mother and daughter.

As it happened, Victoria had actually met Sarah in the past. This unexpected revelation gave Xavier something to think about.

At least he now knew that Maya’s mother had some affection for her daughter. That was encouraging. If Sarah still cared about Maya, perhaps there was a chance for the two of them to reunite.

"Xavier, what do you intend to do about this?"

Victoria turned to him.

Xavier had initially been unsure how to proceed. However, after hearing her speak about Sarah, a new possibility occurred to him.

"Valemont are quite far from the Tree Demon’s territory. Graham Cole and I would rather not leave Maya behind without knowing whether she’ll be safe."

He considered the idea for a moment before continuing.

"Why don’t we adjust our route and stop by Groundcrest first? We could arrange for Maya to meet her mother, then find out how the Shelby Family intends to handle the situation."

Plans rarely survived contact with reality.

Originally, Xavier had wanted to strengthen Maya’s cultivation first, preferably bringing her to the Spirit Platform Realm or even the Star Sea Realm before allowing her to face the Shelby Family.

But things had changed. Now that he knew her mother might still care deeply about her but was being restrained by the family, there was little reason to stick rigidly to his original plan.

"I think that’s a sensible arrangement."

Victoria nodded in agreement. A brief detour to Shancheng wouldn’t cause much trouble.

However, she soon caught something else in Xavier’s explanation.

"Wait, you said that you and Graham Cole are both reluctant to leave Maya here. Does that mean Graham Cole will be joining us?"

She looked at him with growing interest.

"Is he coming along to the Tree Demon’s territory as well?"

Ever since the mysterious expert had wiped out the Lindsay Family’s senior members, Graham Cole’s name had spread throughout the city. If someone of his strength accompanied them, their chances of surviving the journey would improve considerably.

"That’s right. Graham Cole will be coming with us."

Xavier nodded, his expression a little peculiar.

After all, he was Graham Cole himself. There was nothing inaccurate about saying that the two of them would be going.

"Wonderful! In that case, could you arrange for me to meet him beforehand?"

Victoria’s excitement was obvious.

"Don’t misunderstand. I’ve heard that he’s a Divine Power Realm expert. Now that I’ve reached the same realm, I’d really like to test my strength against someone at that level."

After spending so many years struggling to break through, she had finally entered the Divine Power Realm. Naturally, she was eager to discover how much stronger she had become.

"Well... I’ll bring it up with him later."

Xavier didn’t reject the suggestion outright. In fact, he found it rather appealing.

A sparring match against another Divine Power Realm martial artist would be an excellent opportunity for Victoria to assess her new abilities. Whether they could arrange it would depend on their schedule.

"Anyway, it’s getting late. I’ll go and bring Maya here. The rest of you can wait for a while."

Xavier rose from his seat.

They had spent so much time discussing the Destiny Space and Maya’s circumstances that he had nearly forgotten another important matter.

His investments!

He had been so occupied with everything else that he hadn’t yet carried out the plan he originally had in mind.

Before leaving, he turned toward Mira.

"Here, take this cultivation manual. Make sure you study it properly when you have time."

He retrieved a thick book and placed it in her hands.

"It’s an extraordinary martial art. If you encounter anything you don’t understand, you can ask me. Or you can have your husband, Xavier, explain it to you."

Mira accepted the manual with a puzzled expression. But the moment she read the title on its cover, her eyes widened.

"Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger... Is this a ninth-grade martial art?"

Her voice carried so much disbelief that Victoria and Samuel immediately turned toward her.

"What? A ninth-grade martial art?"

Samuel nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger? That name sounds familiar. Isn’t that the legendary technique once used by Venerable Blazing Sun to establish his reputation?"

Victoria looked from the manual to Xavier, struggling to hide her astonishment.

"How did you get your hands on something like this? Wait a minute... I’ve seen you writing something over the past few days. Don’t tell me this is what you’ve been working on!"

Samuel’s eyes widened further.

"Mr X, you actually know the Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger? Could you be a successor of Venerable Blazing Sun?"

The room fell into complete disbelief.

Ninth-grade martial arts were the highest level of cultivation techniques known to exist in the martial world. They were exceedingly rare, and even powerful families would struggle to obtain one.

The Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger was particularly famous. It was the signature technique that had helped Venerable Blazing Sun earn his formidable reputation.

Yet Xavier had just taken out a manual of this calibre as casually as if he were handing Mira an ordinary cultivation book.

What shocked them even more was that the manual appeared to be written in his own handwriting. They had all seen him working on it over the past several days.

Xavier simply smiled.

"The technique itself is genuine, but I wasn’t the only one involved in compiling it. Graham Cole and I worked on the manual together. You might not know this, but he used the Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger when he killed the Lu Family’s senior experts."

He didn’t bother offering a lengthy explanation. Instead, he used Graham Cole’s name to answer their questions.

Then he continued, "I know the two of you are interested in learning it as well. However, giving this manual to Mira was a joint decision made by Graham Cole, me, and... well, Xavier."

He deliberately kept the explanation brief before making his position clear.

"For now, this technique cannot be distributed to either of you, nor can it be handed directly to the government. You can report its existence to your superiors first. Alternatively, wait until Mira has made some progress in cultivating it. That will make it much easier to demonstrate that the manual is genuine."

He paused briefly.

"Once the time comes, I’m confident the government will offer us a fair deal."

The Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger was far too valuable to treat casually. Its power was equally extraordinary.

Although Xavier had spent considerable time and effort compiling the technique, his original intention had been to use it as an investment in Mira and his other disciples. Nevertheless, he also had plans to make it available to the country.

There were several reasons he had chosen to reveal it in front of Samuel and Victoria.

First, he wanted them to understand that he was willing to cooperate with the government rather than keep such a valuable technique entirely to himself.

Second, Mira’s cultivation of the manual would inevitably attract their attention. There was no way she could practise a ninth-grade martial art without Samuel and Victoria eventually noticing.

Besides, the market was full of forged cultivation manuals. Simply presenting a book and claiming it contained a ninth-grade technique wouldn’t convince anyone.

But once Mira demonstrated that she could actually cultivate the Six Directions Heaven-Piercing Finger, the government would have little reason to doubt its authenticity.

At that point, negotiating a purchase would be much easier.

Xavier was confident in the manual’s quality. He knew perfectly well that the technique he had painstakingly compiled was genuine.

And just as he was thinking about it, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.