Chapter 13: One Perfect Mastery

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: One Perfect Mastery

Xavier didn’t have time to think about why the other investments had failed.

Before he could even organize his thoughts, a strange sensation spread through his body.

It started as a wave of heat moving through his veins. His blood seemed to be flowing faster than before, carrying a warm and powerful energy through his entire body.

The sensation quickly reached his muscles and bones. Every part of him seemed to be filled with new strength.

Then something even stranger happened.

A scene appeared inside Xavier’s mind. He suddenly found himself in a completely dark space.

There was nothing around him—no sky, no ground, no sound.

The only thing he could see was a man sitting quietly in the darkness.

The man remained perfectly still. He didn’t speak or move. He simply sat there and practiced.

A strange force circulated continuously through his body. He guided it along specific pathways, then repeated the same process again and again.

Xavier watched in silence. He couldn’t tell how much time passed.

The man continued practicing. Days seemed to pass, then weeks, then months. Even years appeared to disappear.

Yet the man never stopped. He continued circulating the mysterious life force through his body, carefully following the complicated pathways of the technique.

There was nothing else in that dark space. No enemies appeared. There was no battle. The man didn’t exchange a single blow with anyone. He simply focused on the technique and continued practicing it over and over.

Xavier remained completely absorbed in the scene. He had no idea how long he had been watching when the atmosphere suddenly changed.

The quiet figure released an overwhelming aura, and the darkness seemed to tremble beneath the pressure.

The man slowly opened his eyes, and the moment he did, the entire scene shattered.

The dark space broke apart as countless streams of light shot toward Xavier. The light entered his body one after another, and then an enormous amount of information flooded into his mind.

Every detail of the technique seemed to become clear to him. In that instant, he understood the Endless Life Technique on a level that would normally require decades of practice.

Every circulation route, every movement, every method of directing blood and life force—all of it became instinctively clear.

After a long while, the sensation finally disappeared. Xavier slowly opened his eyes and released a deep breath. A smile appeared on his face.

The system displayed his newly acquired ability.

[Endless Life Technique — Second Tier]

[Mastery: Major Mastery]

[Effect: By circulating blood and life force through specialized pathways, the technique greatly strengthens the practitioner’s physical condition and dramatically improves the body’s natural recovery. Non-fatal injuries that do not result in permanent disability can heal at an accelerated rate. Upon reaching Perfect Mastery, the practitioner may gain the ability to regenerate severed limbs.]

Xavier’s expression became serious.

The Endless Life Technique wasn’t an offensive skill. It wasn’t designed to overpower enemies or deliver devastating attacks. Its greatest value was in strengthening the body and improving its ability to recover.

There were six levels of mastery for a martial skill: Beginner, Proficient, Expert, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfect Mastery.

Xavier had only reached Major Mastery for now. He couldn’t yet determine just how extraordinary the regenerative ability would become once he reached Perfect Mastery.

But even without that, the improvement to his physical condition was already obvious.

His body felt considerably stronger. His muscles possessed more power, and his bones felt denser. Even his overall vitality seemed to have improved.

Xavier immediately checked his status.

[Name: Xavier Kane]

[Rank: Two Star Body Tempering]

[Magical Affinity: Inferior]

[Physique: None]

[Combat Skills: Endless Life Technique — Major Mastery]

Xavier stared at the panel for a moment before breaking into a grin.

Another breakthrough.

For someone who had spent years failing to awaken even the weakest magical affinity, every improvement felt significant.

A Body Tempering practitioner normally had to strengthen their muscles, bones, and physical foundation through constant training. It was a gradual process that required patience and hard work.

The Endless Life Technique, however, naturally strengthened the body as it was practiced. After reaching Major Mastery, the improvement had been enough to push Xavier directly into the Two Star Body Tempering Rank.

And he could continue progressing. As long as he kept practicing the technique, his physical strength would continue to increase, allowing him to eventually reach a higher rank.

Mira looked down at the ten martial skill manuals spread across the table.

She picked up several of them and examined them briefly before setting them back down.

Then she looked at Xavier with an uncertain expression.

"Husband, I don’t think I should keep all of these," she said.

Xavier raised an eyebrow.

"I can practice the Endless Life Technique. With the condition my body is in, it might actually help me recover," he said.

She touched the other manuals.

"But these..." she said, hesitating. "I don’t think I can use them," she added.

Xavier understood immediately.

Mira hadn’t asked where he had gotten the money to purchase so many valuable items. After what had happened the previous night, she already knew Xavier had secrets he wasn’t ready to reveal. She had chosen not to pressure him.

She could accept the other gifts without much difficulty, but these martial skills were different. Especially the offensive ones.

Her time and energy were limited. Even if her health eventually returned to normal, she couldn’t possibly learn nine additional techniques while also trying to recover her strength.

The moment Xavier thought about it carefully, he finally understood.

So that was the condition. Simply accepting an item wasn’t enough. For an investment to succeed, the item also needed to be something the target could actually use.

That explained why the Endless Life Technique had succeeded while the other nine manuals had failed.

Still, Xavier wasn’t bothered. Having the Endless Life Technique was already more than enough to make him happy. He could always find other suitable resources for Mira in the future and continue experimenting with the system.