Chapter 93: Hitting Maximum Return

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Hitting Maximum Return

He caught the little tiger and forced a Star God Pill into her mouth.

This was one of the rewards he had obtained through his investment in Mira. Getting his hands on a Star God Pill had once required considerable effort, yet here he was, using such a precious resource to force feed his pet all because of an experiment.

What a waste!

The moment the elixir entered Snow’s mouth, it dissolved. A system notification immediately sounded in Xavier’s mind.

[Investment Failed! Warning: Rewards obtained from this system cannot be directly reinvested!]

Xavier’s expression darkened.

"What the hell?" he muttered. "So I can’t invest in Snow anymore?"

He had suspected this might happen, but seeing the warning confirmed was still disappointing. His hopes of exploiting the system to grow stronger at an absurd rate had just suffered another setback.

Was the previous investment in Snow only possible because we were inside the secret realm?

Xavier considered the possibility carefully. The unusual sensation he had experienced in the Hunting Ground Secret Realm still lingered in his memory.

While inside, he had felt as though the restrictions imposed by his physical body had temporarily disappeared.

That experience had been so extraordinary that he could not think of another explanation for the system’s unusual behavior.

Perhaps the secret realm had interfered with the system’s restrictions, allowing him to make an investment that would normally have been prohibited.

If that was the case, he might be able to exploit the same loophole in other secret realms.

"I wonder if it only works in the Hunting Ground Secret Realm," he murmured. "If I get the chance to enter another one, I’ll have to test it again."

He shook his head, setting the matter aside for the time being.

Meanwhile, Snow had recovered from being force fed the elixir. She approached Xavier again, her ears drooping and her eyes filled with an expression of grievance.

Xavier looked at the pitiful creature and sighed.

"All right, all right. Here you go," he said, gathering another cluster of chaotic energy and offering it to the tiger.

"Awoo!" Snow swallowed the energy in one gulp.

Before Xavier could even withdraw his hand, the little glutton was already staring at him expectantly, clearly demanding more.

Xavier smiled helplessly.

"You really are insatiable," he said.

Still, he had no intention of wasting an opportunity to test the system.

He condensed another cluster of chaotic energy and fed it to Snow.

A notification appeared.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully invested five clusters of chaotic energy. A 100x multiplier has been triggered! Reward: 500 clusters of chaotic energy!]

Xavier’s eyes brightened. Before he could even process the first reward, another notification appeared.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully invested five clusters of chaotic energy. A 10,000x critical multiplier has been triggered! Reward: 50,000 clusters of chaotic energy!]

Xavier abruptly sat upright, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Ten thousand times!" he breathed.

He had actually triggered the maximum multiplier! For a moment, he could hardly contain his excitement.

A return of fifty thousand clusters of chaotic energy was an extraordinary reward, even if it was not the kind of resource he had originally hoped to obtain.

After a moment, however, he calmed down.

"It’s a pity the reward is only more chaotic energy," he said.

"But I can’t complain. This has helped me break through to the fourth level of the Spirit Platform Realm."

Xavier turned his attention inward, examining the changes in his body.

The third spiritual platform space had finally reached completion. Its structure was now fully consolidated, marking the breakthrough he had been working toward.

An unexpected gain, but a welcome one.

As for Snow, the tiger had no interest in Xavier’s cultivation or the system’s rewards.

After devouring two enormous clusters of chaotic energy, she seemed to have reached her limit.

Her eyelids drooped, and before long, she had fallen asleep again.

Xavier stared at the sleeping creature for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.

He had finally found a way to trigger the system’s enormous rewards again, but his gluttonous little companion had promptly gone back to sleep.

The next day, after breakfast, Mira left for Stormvale Martial Academy to continue competing in the Barley Cup, just as she had the previous morning.

Xavier, however, had other plans. Once Mira had departed, he changed his appearance and assumed his familiar disguise as Mr. X before making his way to the academy.

Samuel Bush had personally invited him to attend the competition, although Xavier had initially been reluctant to accept.

That changed when Samuel mentioned the distinguished guests expected to gather in the viewing stands.

Xavier immediately recognized the opportunity.

Meeting influential people could open doors that would otherwise remain closed.

More importantly, building relationships with powerful cultivators and prominent families would give him access to resources he could not easily obtain on his own.

Elixirs were a perfect example. Since his attempts to exploit the system’s loopholes had failed, he would have to return to more conventional methods of obtaining valuable cultivation resources.

He could exchange items with other people, collect useful elixirs, and invest those resources in Mira or Snow to trigger the system’s rewards.

His previous transactions with Samuel had already consumed roughly two thirds of his 4th-Grade elixirs. If he wanted to continue trading with the vice minister and obtain more valuable materials from him, Xavier needed to replenish his supply.

Making new connections would certainly help.

There was another reason he had accepted the invitation, though.

Xavier wanted to observe the strongest young cultivators in Valemont for himself.

Watching their matches would allow him to assess their abilities, identify the techniques they favored, and learn how the younger generation of martial artists approached combat.

Cultivation was not something that could be mastered by shutting oneself away and training endlessly. Strength mattered, but experience mattered just as much.

A cultivator who understood different fighting styles and knew how to respond to unexpected situations would have a significant advantage over someone who had spent all their time cultivating in isolation.

For Xavier, the Barley Cup was an opportunity to broaden his knowledge while potentially securing new sources of resources. It would have been foolish to waste it.

* * *

The Barley Cup was being held on the expansive grounds of Stormvale Martial Academy.

The academy’s main training field covered tens of thousands of square meters.

For the competition, the organizers had divided it into four separate arenas, each designed to accommodate eight competitors at a time.

Despite the prestige of the event, the number of participants was relatively modest.

Arcadia Academy had sent fewer than thirty students.

The other three academies had contributed approximately one hundred fifty competitors combined, while independent martial artists from outside the academies accounted for another hundred or so.

Altogether, there were only around three hundred participants.

With four matches taking place simultaneously and each battle lasting a different amount of time, the organizers expected to determine the final rankings within three days.

The competition officially began at 9:15 a.m.

By the time Xavier arrived, the viewing stands were already occupied by influential figures from across the region.

He quickly spotted Samuel Bush seated near the front, with more than twenty distinguished guests gathered around him.

Two familiar faces immediately caught his attention. One was Vice Principal Johnny, standing in for Arcadia Academy.

Considering the trouble Mira had encountered the previous day, when members of the Sinclair family attempted to intercept her, it was not surprising that he had personally accompanied the students to the competition.

The other was Solomon Hart, the head of the Hart family. Given his responsibilities, Solomon rarely had the luxury of spending an entire day watching a tournament.

His daughter’s participation, however, was clearly enough to persuade him to make an exception.

Evelyn was competing, and her father naturally wanted to see how she performed.

"Mr. X! You’re finally here!" Samuel greeted him the moment he noticed him.

"Good morning, Mr. X," Solomon added with a friendly smile.

Their simultaneous greetings immediately drew the attention of the people seated nearby.

Samuel was the vice minister of the Extraordinary Division, while Solomon commanded considerable influence as the head of a prominent family.

Both men were accustomed to receiving respect from others, yet they were treating this unfamiliar young man with unmistakable courtesy.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know who he was.

"Good morning, Minister Bush. Mr. Hart," Xavier said, returning their greetings before taking the empty seat beside Samuel.

He had barely settled in when the bald, middle aged man sitting nearby turned toward him.

"Minister Bush, are you going to keep such an interesting guest to yourself?" he asked. "Why don’t you introduce Mr. X to the rest of us?"

Several people immediately leaned forward. They knew Samuel well enough to understand that he did not casually bestow the title of master on just anyone.

The fact that both he and Solomon treated Xavier with such respect made the man’s identity all the more intriguing.

Samuel smiled.

"Since Mr. X doesn’t mind, allow me to introduce him properly," he said. "He’s a master alchemist and an A-rank member of the Extraordinary Division."

The announcement produced an immediate reaction.

"A master alchemist?" Several guests exchanged surprised looks, while others regarded Xavier with a new form of interest.