Ten days later, Alex opened his eyes after completing the twentieth cycle of meditation. His body had already adapted to the relentless torture of training.
The changes were astonishing. His awareness had become razor sharp, so refined that he could sense the faint movements of his lungs, the steady pulse of his heart, even the subtle writhing of his intestines.
He still could not control them, but he knew that with time even those involuntary organs would fall under his command. Eventually, even the pathways of his nervous system would listen to him.
[Strength: 13000 kg
Speed: 40 m/s
Defense: 13000 kg
Spirit: 150 kg]
In these ten days alone, he had increased his spirit force to one hundred forty kilograms. Alex nodded with satisfaction.
"This is a good progress. My body control is solid now. I can control my power with a 100% accuracy right now. Time to study the sword technique."
He stood up and stepped outside. His destination was his mother's room. He needed more top grade cosmic crystals, and he needed a proper tutor for sword training.
However, just as he started to walk, a cold voice stopped him.
"Stop. Where are you going? Sneaking around our house again? You have been consuming our resources for a whole year and you have not contributed anything to the family. What a disgrace."
The speaker was a young girl.
Alex recognized her instantly. She was the daughter of his third uncle, who was similar to his age. But she born one day before him.
When he used to visit this household in the past, back when he had been praised as a prodigy, she had followed him everywhere. She had clung to him, constantly calling him "Big Brother" even though she was older.
Alex smiled faintly. Human hearts could be frighteningly fickle. Greed and envy could twist anyone into a stranger. Yet he refused to let this world feel dark to him.
There were still kind people. Granny Melida, his mother Elizabeth, Lina, Rena, and his grandmother had all shown him what warmth could be. They made life beautiful.
"What do you want me to do for the family, Miss Anna?" Alex asked gently.
"You should do laundry for the household. Help the servants in the kitchen. Or do you only know how to consume resources without earning them?"
Alex chuckled softly.
"I will inform my mother about these tasks. I am sure she will find something appropriate for me. I will make sure to mention your suggestion so she can appreciate your concern." He bowed politely.
The color drained from Anna's face. She had expected to shame him into obedience. She never imagined he would involve his mother. If that demoness learned about this, even her own father wouldn't be able to save her.
"You just wait until I enter the tower. I will surpass your mother in talent. When I rise above everyone, I will ask the ancestor to deal with you freeloaders," she snapped.
Alex had no idea what she meant. His mother was a powerful martial artist. According to the books, a martial artist who reached the Martial Lord realm no longer needed food to survive. His mother must be at least a Martial Lord or perhaps even a Martial King.
What Alex did not know was that someone in the Moriarty family had been whispering things into the younger generation's ears of the Aurelion family, turning them against him.
He arrived at his mother's room just as the door swung open on its own. Elizabeth stood there with a sad expression.
"I am sorry, son. Because of us, you had to hear such harsh words. If you want, I can punish her and anyone who encouraged her."
Alex replied with a warm smile.
"What are you talking about, Mom? I feel blessed to have you as my parents. Why would I complain? She is only a kid. I did not take it to heart. If I cannot control my emotions in front of a child, how could I ever reach the hundredth step and make history?"
Elizabeth froze. When had her son grown so mature?
She pulled him into her arms.
"I am proud of you, son. But you do not need to worry. This will not happen again." Her eyes grew cold. She had not wanted to act, but after watching what happened, she needed to remind everyone that her son was not to be touched.
"Mom, this is something between us younger ones. You cannot protect me every moment. If I can climb in the tower high enough, they will bow on their own. If I fail, I will be mocked for life. Let time decide things."
Elizabeth looked at him with conflicted emotions. He understood her completely without being told. Life had forced him to mature far too early. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"What do you need, son? Tell me. I will support you until the day you surpass me."
"I need more top grade cosmic crystals. And I need a tutor for sword practice."
Elizabeth handed him a space ring.
"There are one hundred top quality cosmic crystals inside. As for your training, come to the grounds at three in the afternoon. I will teach you myself."
Alex's eyes brightened immediately.
"Thank you, Mom. You are the best mother in the universe." He gave her a tight hug before walking away with a light humming.
Elizabeth's eyes turned icy. Lina and Rena appeared beside her in an instant.
"If anyone dares to speak harshly to him again, punish them. Do not worry about consequences."
"Yes, my lady." The two vanished.
Back in his room, Alex took out five crystals worth a quarter million units of energy.
"Cultivate."
The five crystals dissolved instantly and his passive cultivation resumed. It would take one hundred minutes to reach the next breakthrough.
He picked up his wooden sword and resumed practice. He had read countless web novels in his previous life, and if they taught him anything, it was that the basics formed the foundation of every art. If he mastered the fundamentals, advanced techniques would naturally follow.
One hundred minutes later, he stopped and pressed the breakthrough option.
Power surged through him like a roaring tide.
He did not bother to check his attributes. By his calculations, the next breakthrough would arrive in two hundred twenty two minutes. He resumed training.
He was still at level one in the sword technique, but his movements were becoming smoother. Once he could link the three basic moves into a single flow, he would advance to level two.
Two hundred twenty two minutes passed.
"Huff. Finally, level two."
He tapped the breakthrough option again and ascended to Level 7.
Another torrent of power flooded his body, intoxicating and overwhelming.
[Cultivation Level: 7]
[Cultivation Base: 160000/320000]
[Energy Absorption: 7 per second]
Attributes:
[Strength: 21500 kg
Speed: 50 m/s
Defense: 21500 kg
Spirit: 1000 kg]
"What in the world? How did my spirit jump this high? Was it this breakthrough or did the previous one also contribute? I felt a clear shift in my mind right now, so this one must have delivered the boost."
The moment his spirit passed the one thousand kilogram threshold, he felt something unusual. His mental power was no longer confined to his body. It could spread outward.
"Is this divine sense?"
He could sense everything within ten meters, sharp and clear. The sensation continued expanding.
But this was not the end. He felt he could do more.
His eyes fell on the pen which was on the table.
He tried moving it with his mind, and to his astonishment the pen floated upward, suspended in the air. He could control its direction freely.
"This is a spirit master."
His heartbeat quickened with excitement.
Spirit masters were feared on the battlefield. They could manipulate objects without touching them. Only the most naturally gifted could awaken such abilities in the first martial realm. This was an opportunity for the first realm only which was the martial warrior realm.
Once they moved past this realm, even if their spirit rose infinitely, they would lose the qualification of becoming a spirit master forever.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and Alex had seized it perfectly.