Chapter 147: My Stats Has Gone Higher!

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: My Stats Has Gone Higher!

[Investment successful: 6th-Grade Divine Descent Pill. 10x return activated! Reward: One 7th-Grade Spirit Control Pill.]

[Investment successful: 6th-Grade Heaven and Earth Pill. 100x return activated! Reward: One 8th-Grade Immortal Martial Pill.]

[...]

[Investment successful: Space Rune Fragment. 2x return activated! Rewards: One Perception Rune Fragment and one Resilience Rune Fragment.]

[Investment successful: Wind Rider Rune Stone. 2x return activated! Rewards: One Wind Rider Rune Stone and one Thunder Rune Stone.]

[Investment successful: 6th-Grade martial art, Sky-Piercing Slash. A 1,000x critical return has been triggered! Reward: 9th-Grade Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique, Beginner Proficiency.]

[Investment successful: 6th-Grade Thunderbolt Blade Manual. 2x return activated! Reward: Thunderbolt Blade Manual, Beginner Proficiency.]

The notifications continued appearing one after another, filling Graham’s mind with information about his rewards.

He had not invested everything he had obtained from the Lindsay family in Mira.

There was simply too much to hand over at once, and his wife would not have been able to make use of everything even if he had given it all to her.

Instead, he had selected the most promising treasures and invested those first.

He began with the medicinal pills, choosing ten 6th-Grade pills for investment. His luck was surprisingly good this time.

After all the system’s returns were calculated, he had gained thirty five 6th-Grade pills, four 7th-Grade pills, and one 8th-Grade pill.

Most of the 6th-Grade pills were varieties he had encountered before, so there was little reason to examine them individually. However, one new addition caught his attention.

Longevity Elixir.

As its name suggested, this pill could extend a person’s lifespan. Although that was undoubtedly a valuable effect, Xavier did not have an immediate need for it.

The 7th-Grade pills were more interesting. Two of the four were entirely new to him.

[Spirit Control Pill: 7th Grade]

[Effect: For seven days after consumption, the user experiences a substantial increase in their ability to absorb spiritual energy from the surrounding environment during cultivation.]

Xavier studied the description with interest. The Spirit Control Pill could be considered an enhanced version of the 4th-Grade Spirit Gathering Pill.

Its effect was considerably stronger, though he would have to test it personally to understand just how much of a difference it made.

The other pill was even more impressive.

[Reversal Pill: 7th Grade]

[Effect: Restores the user’s physical condition to its recent peak state.]

This pill’s value became especially apparent when Xavier considered how it could be used alongside the Divine Descent Pill.

The Divine Descent Pill could temporarily unleash a martial artist’s hidden potential, but it came with a devastating drawback: the user would permanently lose part of their strength afterward.

The Reversal Pill could eliminate that penalty entirely. A martial artist who took the Divine Descent Pill to overcome a powerful enemy would no longer have to suffer the lasting consequences, provided they could use the Reversal Pill afterward.

Even without that particular application, its healing properties were extraordinary.

Ordinary healing pills became less effective as a martial artist advanced through the cultivation realms.

The energy required to repair a powerful body was simply too great for lower tier medicines to supply.

Take the 4th-Grade Prosperity Pill as an example.

For ordinary people and martial artists in the Body Tempering or Foundation Establishment stages, it could produce astonishing results, even restoring severely damaged flesh and bringing someone back from the brink of death.

However, its effectiveness dropped dramatically against martial artists in the Spirit Platform and Star Sea Realms.

The Reversal Pill was an entirely different matter. For a powerful martial artist, having the ability to restore their body to its recent peak condition could mean surviving an otherwise fatal encounter.

In a sense, it was an additional life.

Still, the 8th-Grade pill was the treasure that truly captured Graham’s attention.

[Immortal Martial Pill: 8th Grade.]

According to the system’s explanation, it was an immensely enhanced version of the Great Enlightenment Pill.

Apart from helping its user gain insight, it offered a chance to break through the established limits of a martial art, discover new possibilities within it, and even improve the technique’s tier.

Graham’s eyes brightened as he finished reading. Now, this was something worth keeping.

He had no intention of consuming the Immortal Martial Pill immediately.

Instead, he planned to save it until he had sufficient time to experiment with its effects.

Ideally, he would wait until he had perfected a martial art before using it. If the pill helped him break through the technique’s existing limitations, he might even raise its tier.

The Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger was an obvious candidate.

If the pill worked as described, perhaps he could unlock abilities within the technique that he had not yet discovered. Just imagining the possibilities excited him.

After examining the medicinal pills, Xavier turned to the rune fragments and rune stones.

The system had rewarded him with eighteen rune fragments associated with different attributes, including ice, fire, wind, water, earth, and resilience. He had also received two rune stones.

One granted the ability to fly through the air, while the other bestowed powerful lightning based abilities.

A faint smile spread across his face. Rune fragments were extraordinarily rare in the outside world, and acquiring so many at once was a stroke of luck.

However, their value to him varied considerably.

He had already learned from experience that elemental rune fragments were not particularly useful in every situation.

The fire fragment he had previously obtained was a good example.

Abilities associated with wind, fire, water, and earth could be useful under the right circumstances, but they were not essential to his ordinary fighting style.

Of all eighteen fragments, he intended to keep the Resilience Rune Fragment for himself. Its ability to strengthen his body’s resistance to physical attacks would complement his existing defenses.

As for the others, he could sell them whenever a suitable opportunity arose.

The two rune stones were another matter.

The Wind Rider Rune Stone could grant him flight, while the Thunder Rune Stone offered considerable offensive potential.

Both were useful enough to warrant keeping. After all, rune stones were generally far more powerful than ordinary rune fragments.

Once he finished reviewing those rewards, Graham considered the martial arts returns. Unfortunately, his attempt to invest the Seven Waters Profound Skill in Mira had failed.

She already had enough cultivation techniques to keep her occupied, and the system had not rewarded him for that investment.

Her investment in the 6th-Grade Thunderbolt Blade Manual had succeeded, but the result was only an improvement in her proficiency.

Still, one reward more than made up for the disappointment.

The Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique was a 9th-Grade martial art, and Graham had acquired it with beginner level proficiency through the system.

This was only the second 9th-Grade martial art he had obtained, the first being the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger.

He could not help feeling excited. The power of a 9th-Grade martial art was on an entirely different level.

The Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger had already allowed him to overcome opponents whose cultivation surpassed his own.

Now, he had another technique of comparable quality. His combat strength would undoubtedly rise again.

However, his excitement soon gave way to a familiar headache.

If he wanted to invest the Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique in Maya, he would first need to write out its complete cultivation manual.

After the exhausting work he had already put into documenting the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger, the prospect was enough to make him sigh.

Why did every promising investment opportunity have to come with so much paperwork?

* * *

The following morning, Graham arrived at Maya’s courtyard with several martial arts manuals.

Among them were the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique manuals he had obtained from the Lindsay family and the additional copy he had collected from Mira the previous evening after asking her about it.

He handed the manuals to Maya, giving her more techniques to study as she began her cultivation journey.

The moment the investment was completed, the system notifications flooded his mind again.

[Investment successful: 9th-Grade Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique. 10x return activated! Reward: Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique, Mastery Proficiency.]

[Investment successful: 6th-Grade Sky-Piercing Slash. 10x return activated! Reward: Sky-Piercing Slash, Beginner Proficiency.]

[Investment successful: 6th-Grade Thunderbolt Blade Manual. 50x return activated! Reward: Thunderbolt Blade Manual proficiency upgraded from Beginner to Lesser Completion.]

[Investment successful: 5th-Grade Wind and Thunder Sword Technique. 100x return activated! Reward: Wind and Thunder Sword Technique upgraded to the 6th Grade, with proficiency increased to Lesser Completion.]

[...]

A powerful wave of rewards swept through Graham’s body and mind.

His mastery of several techniques advanced, while others improved in quality. The returns had pushed his strength to another level.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he immediately opened his status panel to examine the changes.

[Personal Status]

Name: Graham Cole

Cultivation Realm: Star Sea Realm, 2nd Star

Talent: Perfect

Constitution: Chaos Body, Early Mature Stage

[Martial Arts]

Everlasting Life Force: Perfection

Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger: Mastery

Phantom Step: Perfection

Wind and Thunder Sword Technique: Lesser Completion

Star Tempering Body Technique: 4th Major Completion, Fragmentary Version

Dragon and Phoenix Union Technique: Major Completion

Sky-Piercing Slash: Beginner

Thunderbolt Blade Manual: Lesser Completion

Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique: Mastery

Seven Waters Profound Skill: Mastery

Graham examined the list with satisfaction. His cultivation had reached the 2nd Star of the Star Sea Realm, and several martial arts had improved considerably.

Most importantly, he had gained a 9th-Grade sword technique at the mastery level, giving him another formidable weapon to use against powerful enemies.

With each successful investment, his arsenal grew stronger.

And as long as he continued finding suitable targets, the system would keep providing opportunities to advance.