Chapter 52: The Destructive Finger Technique

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: The Destructive Finger Technique

Xavier reached into his spatial ring and retrieved the small golden bottle containing the Sacred Water.

He opened it carefully, and one drop of the mysterious golden liquid floated into his palm. Without hesitation, he swallowed it.

A violent sensation exploded throughout his body, almost identical to the feeling he had experienced when the Chaos Body first awakened.

Every cell in his body seemed to tremble, and his muscles, bones, blood, and organs underwent a powerful transformation as an invisible force pushed his physical body toward another level.

Xavier clenched his fists. He could clearly feel his body becoming stronger, though one drop was ultimately insufficient to push his Chaos Body completely into the middle stage.

It stopped at the very peak of the initial growth stage, with only a thin barrier remaining between him and the next stage.

But the Sacred Water’s effects did not disappear immediately, and even after the most violent wave of transformation had passed, the chaotic energy inside his body continued increasing little by little.

It shouldn’t take long. I’ll probably break through naturally.

As the Chaos Body continued evolving, Xavier’s cultivation advanced along with it.

The third energy point became completely radiant, and the fourth began to illuminate. His aura rose again.

Foundation Establishment Realm, Fourth Star!

Xavier could not help smiling.

"From First Star to Fourth Star in a single night," he said, looking down at his hands.

The difference was enormous, and compared with before, he felt as though his strength had multiplied several times over.

There was only one problem. The rapid increase had left the spiritual energy inside his body somewhat impure, and Xavier immediately understood why.

The drawback of relying on pills.

Fortunately, he had already prepared for this. With a thought, a Saint Essence Pill appeared between his fingers, and he swallowed it.

A gentle medicinal force immediately spread through his body. Unlike the violent energy of the Creation Pill, the Saint Essence Pill was calm and steady, and it slowly circulated through his meridians, refining the spiritual energy that had become somewhat chaotic during his breakthrough.

Little by little, the impurities disappeared, his foundation became steadier, and his newly increased cultivation settled into place.

Xavier nodded in satisfaction.

The Saint Essence Pill was exactly what he needed after such a rapid advancement, since it strengthened the foundation, nourished the body, stabilized the realm, and prevented the problems that could arise from relying too heavily on cultivation pills.

He still had another Saint Essence Pill, but unfortunately he did not have enough Creation Pills to continue pushing his cultivation at the same pace.

Otherwise, he felt that reaching the sixth star tonight would not have been impossible.

The supply of Grade Four and Grade Five pills available on the market was simply too limited, and even with the Hart family’s connections, acquiring large quantities was not easy.

Lately the system’s investment returns had also become somewhat unpredictable.

Xavier glanced at the remaining Lesser Enlightenment Pills.

"There are still three," he murmured.

A Lesser Enlightenment Pill could dramatically enhance his comprehension for a period of time, and it was particularly useful for mastering martial arts.

But there was no point using one tonight. The Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger required a considerable amount of space to practice, and once he began cultivating it seriously, the disturbance would be far too great to risk attracting attention.

I’ll do it tomorrow. Hopefully I can push the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger to the next level.

With that thought, Xavier finally put away his remaining resources.

Although he was eager to continue cultivating, he forced himself to rest, since he would need all his energy tomorrow.

* * *

The weekend passed quickly, and by Sunday evening Xavier had found a secluded mountain some distance from Arcadia Academy.

The place was rarely visited, with no buildings nearby, no pedestrians, and hardly any signs that anyone came here. It was exactly what he needed.

Xavier stood alone in the wilderness and slowly raised his hand. Two fingers extended forward.

There was nothing particularly dramatic about the movement, yet the instant his fingers pointed ahead, something strange happened.

The wind stopped. Not gradually. It simply vanished.

Within a radius of more than a hundred meters, the entire atmosphere seemed to freeze, and a terrifying pressure descended upon the surroundings.

The grass trembled, branches shook, and even the soil beneath his feet seemed to respond to an invisible force.

Then streams of faint light began rising from the vegetation around him.

The energy contained within the flowers, grass, trees, and even the earth itself was being drawn toward Xavier, and countless strands of life force converged around his body before slowly disappearing into him.

Xavier felt refreshed, his entire body seemingly filled with vitality.

Meanwhile, the vegetation surrounding him rapidly withered. Leaves lost their color, grass became dry, and the branches of nearby trees turned lifeless.

Even the earth seemed to lose some of its vitality.

Xavier slowly lowered his hand, a look of amazement appearing in his eyes.

"So this is what happens after reaching the proficient level," he said.

"The Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger is becoming more frightening."

Over the past two days he had consumed two Lesser Enlightenment Pills, and with the enormous boost to his comprehension, he had pushed the ninth grade martial art from the beginner stage all the way to the proficient stage.

The improvement was not merely a matter of power.

He could now wield two fingers simultaneously, and the technique had developed an additional ability, to drain and absorb life force.

Xavier opened his personal status panel.

[Name: Xavier Kane]

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Realm, Seventh Star]

[Talent: Perfect]

[Constitution: Chaos Body, Middle Growth Stage]

[Martial Arts: Everlasting Life Force (Mastery), Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger (Proficient), Phantom Step (Perfect)]

Xavier stared at the panel for several seconds. Only two days had passed, yet during those two days his Chaos Body had broken through into its middle growth stage, and his cultivation had climbed all the way to the seventh star of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

His progress was astonishing.

Xavier slowly clenched his fist.

"At this rate, reaching the Spirit Platform Realm shouldn’t take too long," he said quietly.

Once he stepped into the Spirit Platform Realm, his ability to protect himself in Valemont would rise to an entirely different level, and at least then he and Mira would not have to face every threat completely helplessly.

Xavier looked toward the distant city, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The Hunting Ground was opening.

And this time, he was ready.

Early the next morning, a private exchange was completed inside Arcadia Academy.

The two people involved were Xavier Kane and Evelyn Hart. Evelyn handed over the items he had requested.

"Here’s the Grade Five sword technique and the longsword you asked for," she said.

She then produced a small jade bottle and passed it to him.

"And this is the Lesser Enlightenment Pill," she added. "Don’t forget to take it."

Xavier accepted everything and examined the sword technique first.

The moment he saw the faint arcs of lightning crawling across the blade of the longsword, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He had contacted Solomon Hart on Saturday through his identity as Mr. X, asking him to help acquire these two items.

It had not been an easy request. At Xavier’s current level, obtaining a suitable Grade Five martial art was practically impossible through ordinary channels, since even Arcadia Academy, despite its enormous resources and influence, possessed only a single Grade Five martial art.

That was precisely why Xavier had gone through Solomon.

Of course, he had not obtained the items for himself alone. Mira needed them.

She had already mastered a Grade Four sword technique, and there was little point in constantly searching for weaker martial arts for her to practice.

A martial artist could only divide their attention so many ways, especially when their cultivation itself required enormous amounts of time.

What Mira needed now was something powerful enough to complement her existing foundation, and the sword technique Evelyn had finally delivered was exactly that.

Wind and Thunder Sword Technique.

To obtain it, Xavier had even spent one of his precious Lesser Enlightenment Pills, but he did not consider that a loss.

Quite the opposite. If he invested this Grade Five martial art into Mira, the system might reward him with an equally powerful return, and if luck favored him, he could acquire the technique at its highest level without having to spend years practicing it himself.

More importantly, his biggest weakness would finally be addressed.

At present, Xavier’s main offensive techniques were Phantom Step and the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger. Phantom Step was primarily defensive and evasive, while the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger was devastating, but its energy consumption was so high that Xavier could not use it recklessly.

He needed a reliable offensive technique he could use in ordinary battles, and the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique was perfect for that role.