Chapter 1382: Powerful name

This Grandmaster figure from the Ersatz organization turned ever more powerful and mysterious in Michael’s mind.

Was this what a peak Nascent Spirit cultivator was like? That he could sense someone speak their name even from the other side of the world and use it as a gateway to exact revenge and curse those who dared utter it?

Michael felt himself get stronger as he became a stronger cultivator. But he didn’t think he was yet at that level where he could command rule over a simple name.

How long until I reached that level?

He looked at his own Nascent Core.

[Spirit: 8,692/10,000]

Previously, he only had around 2000 Spirits. But thanks to his battle with Draco, it had shot up to the high eight thousands. It would only be a matter of time until he reached enough Spirits for him to breach through to the 4th stage of the Nascent Spirit realm.

It made him realize why so many cultivators choose to do battle against each other.

From just that one single duel, Michael earned a few thousands of Spirits.

It made sense. After all, during that battle, he constantly felt that he was being backed into a corner. Draco had proven himself to be a formidable opponent, one with Nascent Spirit powers that allowed him to become almost impervious to any damage.

Not only that, but his mastery in his spear had made Michael look like an absolute beginner.

Of course, if Michael had truly felt danger, he could have easily used his other weapons to finish the duel easily. For example, he had hundreds of Mini Drones pointed straight towards Draco at all times, just waiting for his permission to bombard him with Unity Guns.

But he didn’t. He chose to fight in melee range, challenging himself to become better with his Unity Saber.

And this had led him to numerous breakthroughs and realizations. Which was probably why he earned a lot of Spirits at the end of the duel.

And as much as he didn’t want to be called bloodthirsty like Draco, he couldn’t help but be expectant of his next duel.

If there would be any.

After all, with their decisive victory against the Ease of Vindication company, they had proven themselves to be at the top of the Upper Echelon companies.

Added to the fact the spoils they got from the EoV company, they were truly considered as an Upper Echelon by all metrics.

Unlike their battle with the Western Pole company, Yuna made sure to have a much stricter ruleset for their bets.

And now, the Reborn company had received a lot of the EoV company’s resources, including their land and their infrastructure, most of which were located in the heart and center of civilization in the Upper Echelons.

By now, the other companies must have realized that they were simply just fishing for more Sanctum Duels. Meaning, they would be a lot more wary of accepting his propositions and become a little more conservative with their bets.

But it didn’t matter. They’ve achieved what they wanted to achieve.

Now, they had a true foothold to the Upper Echelon society. It was just a matter of time until they set their sights onto expansion.

Of course, he knew that there was still a certain problem that he had to solve.

"Sir Aetrox, do you know about a certain individual called Worcester?"

The eagle-headed Mystic Master furrowed his brows. "I know of him, yes. The current front-runner for the Oscorpe Conglomerate. Who wouldn’t know of him?"

Michael nodded his head in understanding. "In truth, I have reason to believe that he was the one who has been orchestrating all of the schemes against my company. In fact, he’s probably the person who acquired the Antique in the first place."

The Mystic Master frowned. "Hmmm... that is quite concerning. He seems to have a fixation on your company."

"I have a favor to ask," Michael said to Aetrox. "If you permit me this favor, then I shall give you this Antique as a gift. Not only that, but I shall also promise you my help for whatever you need."

Aetrox listened to Michael with open ears. "What is it?"

"Would you allow me to parse through the library of the Guild of Arcana?"

"The library is public to all— oh, you mean..."

Michael nodded. "In truth, in order for me to advance and become a 9-star wizard, I must first do a lot of research about the magic of the Ancient Era. And as you can guess, there are none of those available in public."

The Mystic Master rubbed the bottom of his beak in rumination. "That is a complicated matter, your favor. No one is allowed to enter through those doors unless they have become a Mystic Master themselves."

Aetrox paused for a second and looked at Michael. "But there is an exception. A very obscure rule that is in place since the very beginning of the Guild or Arcana.

For someone without a title of Mystic Master to enter our secret library, one must have the approval of at least half of the Mystic Masters in the current existence of the world."

Michael pondered about Aetrox’s words.

It seemed simple. After all, from what he knew, there were 8 Mystic Masters in the Guild of Arcana.

And right now, Michael had met four of them. Seberus, Rivet, Lazarus, and Aetrox.

If their approval was what all that was needed, then he already had the necessary requirements.

"How will I gain their approval?" Michael asked.

"Each Mystic Master has their own signature magic circle. You must ask for that magic circle and it will act as their approval."

And without prompting, Aetrox took out his wand. It was pure white, seemingly made out of fog and clouds itself. Then, with that wand, he conjured a magic circle made from mist itself.

Aetrox then grabbed that magic circle in the air, and upon making contact with his hands, it turned into a medallion made out of silver, with the very magic circle engraved at its surface.