Chapter 57: Everyone became cultivator

Sofia’s eyes widened as she stared at the sword in her hands. The snow-white blade shimmered beneath the sunlight, radiating extraordinary power that made her heart tremble. It was an Epic Grade weapon, a treasure that could cause an international war if its existence became known.

She had seen the government spend countless resources trying to obtain powerful equipment, yet Arthur had handed her something that could shake the entire world. And he had given it to her without hesitation, as though it were nothing more than an ordinary weapon.

"Big shot, I..." Sofia began, her voice trembling slightly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sofia lowered her head, her expression filled with immense gratitude. "Thank you. I swear, I will..."

She suddenly moved forward, almost as if she wanted to kiss him to the leaps. Arthur immediately stopped her, reaching out to prevent her from closing any furthur.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Sofia froze, her face turning slightly red. Arthur sighed and shook his head, wondering what had gotten into her.

"Women are really crazy."

He had only given her a weapon. Why was she acting as though he had saved her entire family? To Arthur, the sword was merely a reward for a task he expected her to complete.

But Sofia’s heart was racing, and no amount of military discipline could calm it. For the first time in her life, she had encountered a man who stood so far above her that she could only look up to him.

She had grown up in a military family and had been trained from a young age to become an officer. Her entire life had revolved around training, missions, strategy, and combat. Romance had never been a priority, and she had never allowed herself to become distracted by such things.

Her immense strength, extraordinary battle instincts, and sharp intellect had always made her stand apart from others. Men respected her, feared her, and admired her accomplishments, but very few dared to approach her as an ordinary woman.

She had become accustomed to standing on a pedestal, isolated by the very qualities that made her exceptional. She had never minded it before, because she had always believed that strength and duty were all she needed.

Then Arthur appeared.

He was younger than her, yet his strength was beyond her imagination. He possessed treasures that could shake the entire world, and he treated them as though they were nothing. The Epic Grade sword in her hands was proof of that.

How could her young maiden heart not beat for him?

Sofia looked down at the weapon again, her fingers tightening around its hilt. She then raised her head and looked at Arthur with renewed determination.

"Big shot, I will find the information you want. Within forty-eight hours, you will have everything."

Arthur nodded. "Good. Don’t disappoint me."

"I won’t."

He turned around and walked away, leaving Sofia standing beneath the sunlight. She watched his back disappear into the distance, her fingers still wrapped tightly around the frost-white sword.

For a moment, she wanted to call him back. But she stopped herself, her expression becoming slightly flustered as she realized what she had been thinking.

What was she thinking?

She was a general of the military, not some inexperienced girl who had lost her mind over a man. Yet no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, the image of Arthur remained in her mind.

Meanwhile, Arthur had already left the area. He needed to return to the Omega Shelter, as the auction house was one of his most important projects, and he had no intention of wasting time.

As he approached the shelter, a message from Sebas appeared.

"Young master, I have brought all the young masters and mistress to the Nightfall Sanctuary."

Arthur nodded. "Good."

He immediately changed direction, heading toward the massive shelter located within the territory of Herian City. The Nightfall Sanctuary spanned approximately 5,000 acres, had no floor system, and contained an enormous number of monsters.

Arthur had already captured it, and now he intended to use it for something far more important.

When he arrived, he saw Sebas standing outside the shelter. Beside him were his ten cousins, including Noah, Irin, Cris, Laura, and the others, all of whom were waiting patiently for his arrival.

"Hello, big brother Arthur," Cris said immediately, grinning.

"Hey, Arthur," Laura greeted him with a smile.

Noah nodded, and the others followed.

Arthur glanced at them. "Have you all finished your Legendary Grade evolution trials?"

"Yes," they answered together, their voices filled with confidence.

After surviving the trials, they had all grown stronger. They were no longer the inexperienced players who had entered the Genesis Realm with fear and uncertainty. Each of them had endured dangerous battles and pushed their limits to complete the evolution trials.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction. "Good. All of you, sit down here."

He glanced at Sebas. "You as well."

Nobody asked questions. They immediately sat down in a circle, waiting for Arthur’s next instruction. The atmosphere became quiet as everyone focused their attention on him.

Arthur opened his storage ring.

The next instant, ten Legendary Grade cores appeared before each person. The cores had originally been Royal Grade, but they had evolved when Arthur extracted them from the monsters.

He had been surprised by the result at first as they didn’t evolve into epic grade but mere legenday grade, but he had not bothered investigating the reason. There were more important things to do, and he had simply stored the cores until he found a suitable use for them.

Arthur looked at the group. "These cores will help you with the next phase."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I am going to teach you a cultivation technique."

The cousins exchanged glances, their expressions filled with curiosity. A cultivation technique? They had never heard of anything like that.

Arthur raised his hand.

Reality Manipulation activated.

The surrounding space began to distort, and a mysterious energy gathered in the air, forming countless glowing symbols. The symbols were ancient and profound, containing a power that made even the air tremble.

The cultivation technique was not written on paper. Arthur could not record it on ordinary materials, because the moment he tried to do so, the materials would be burned away by the immense power contained within the technique.

So he could only use this method.

"This is a Mythical Grade cultivation technique."

Everyone’s expression changed.

Mythical Grade?

Even Sebas, who had remained calm until now, could not help but stare at the glowing symbols. He had never imagined that Arthur would possess a cultivation technique of such terrifying grade.

Arthur continued, "I want all of you to try cultivating it. If anyone succeeds, they will receive an Epic Grade item as a reward."

Cris clenched his fists. "I will definitely succeed!"

Arthur glanced at him. "Don’t rush."

He then activated another ability.

Reality Manipulation surged.

"Your potential is now only similar to normal human."

The immense potential of the eleven Legendary Grade players began to compress. Arthur was suppressing their physical potential as they couldn’t cultivate without their potential being suppressed.

The moment the suppression began, Arthur’s expression changed.

Blergh!

He suddenly vomited blood, and a terrifying backlash exploded inside his mind. Suppressing the potential of eleven Legendary Grade players simultaneously was far more difficult than he had anticipated.

His Spirit Value was being consumed at an alarming rate, and the pain was immense. The pressure inside his mind felt as though an invisible force were crushing his consciousness.

"Arthur!"

Irin immediately stood up, her expression filled with concern.

Arthur raised his head. His eyes had turned red, and blood was flowing from the corners of his eyes. Despite the pain, he continued maintaining the suppression.

"Sit down!"

"But..."

"Do it now! I can’t hold this much longer!"

His roar shook the entire sanctuary.

Everyone immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Arthur was not playing around, and if they failed, all of his effort would be wasted.

The cousins quickly focused their attention on the cultivation technique. The mysterious symbols began flowing into their minds, and one by one, they started reading the technique.

Arthur stood in the center of the circle, maintaining the suppression. Countless hammers seemed to be striking his head, and every second felt like an eternity.

His Spirit Value continued falling, his vision blurred, and the pain became so intense that he almost lost consciousness. But he gritted his teeth and continued.

He could not afford to fail.

Not now.

Not after investing so much into his family.

Time passed slowly.

After thirty minutes, Noah suddenly opened his eyes. A faint glow appeared around his body, and Arthur immediately sensed something.

A core was forming inside Noah’s body.

"Good," Arthur said, his voice weak. "Noah, get out of the domain."

Noah immediately obeyed. He jumped out of the suppression domain and sat down several meters away.

The moment he left, Arthur felt the pressure inside his mind decrease considerably. He swallowed another HP potion, and the pain eased slightly.

Noah sat outside the domain, his expression focused. The first breakthrough had begun, and he could feel the energy within his body changing.

The cultivation technique was working.

Forty-five minutes later, Cris opened his eyes. His body trembled as a powerful energy surged through him, and he had succeeded as well.

Arthur immediately ordered him to leave the domain. Cris jumped out without hesitation, and the pressure decreased again.

Arthur exhaled slowly.

One by one, the others began succeeding. The process continued, with each person leaving the suppression domain as soon as they completed the first breakthrough.

An hour passed.

Then another ten minutes.

Finally, Sebas and Laura were the last to complete the first stage. They had taken the longest, requiring nearly one hour and thirty minutes.

The moment they succeeded, Arthur’s body finally reached its limit.

Thud!

He fell to the ground.

He was breathing heavily, his face pale, and blood still stained the corners of his eyes. He had used an enormous amount of Spirit Value to suppress eleven Legendary Grade players.

Yet the results were worth it.

His Spirit attribute had increased by five points in just ninety minutes. That alone was enough to prove how much pressure he had endured.

After a while, his breathing gradually stabilized. He swallowed another HP potion and sat up, wiping the blood from his face.

The cousins gathered around him, their expressions filled with concern.

"Arthur, are you alright?" Laura asked.

Arthur nodded. "I’m fine."