Chapter 132: A New Disciple

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: A New Disciple

Unfortunately, three months of searching had brought her nothing but disappointment.

The Greenfield Residential Area had been demolished and redeveloped five years earlier.

The neighborhood was now heavily guarded, with security personnel patrolling the entrances and restricting access.

Maya could not even get inside to ask questions.

Her savings had gradually run out, leaving her with no money and nowhere to go.

She tried to find work, but potential employers rejected her as soon as they saw the pustules covering her face. Without a job, she had eventually been reduced to searching for discarded food.

Fortunately, the owner of a nearby bakery had taken pity on her and occasionally given her bread that was past its expiration date.

Without his kindness, she might already have starved.

Maya looked down at the remaining bread in her hands and sighed.

"But I can’t keep doing this forever," she said.

"The owner only gives me food because he feels sorry for me. I can’t keep taking advantage of his kindness."

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching the cement pipe. Maya stiffened. Someone was coming!

She hurriedly turned toward the entrance, her heart pounding as she tried to make out the figure emerging from the darkness.

"Who’s there?" she called.

"Don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you," said a voice.

The voice belonged to a man. That only made Maya more nervous.

She quietly reached behind herself and grabbed a loose stone from the ground. It was not much of a weapon, but it was the only thing she had to defend herself with.

A moment later, a flame appeared in the man’s palm, illuminating the cramped shelter. Maya’s eyes widened in terror.

She instinctively covered her mouth as she stared at the intimidating figure before her.

The man looked frightening enough without the fire.

His imposing appearance made him seem far more like a dangerous criminal than someone who had come to help her.

"I-I don’t have any money!" she stammered, clutching the stone tightly. "I’m sick, too. Please, don’t hurt me!"

Xavier looked at her frightened expression and tried to offer a reassuring smile.

Unfortunately, he was currently disguised as Graham Cole, whose intimidating appearance was hardly suited to putting frightened young women at ease.

His attempt at a friendly smile only made him look more terrifying.

Maya trembled, unable to decide whether she should run or beg him to leave.

Xavier realized that trying to reassure her through words alone was not going to work. He let out a quiet sigh before changing his approach.

"Maya Knox, do you want to become a martial artist?" he asked.

As he spoke, he used a rune stone to intensify the flames in his hand.

The orange fire danced across his palm without any fuel to sustain it, illuminating the entire cement pipe.

To an ordinary person, this was an extraordinary sight.

Only someone with supernatural abilities, such as a martial artist, could produce such a phenomenon.

Xavier had decided that taking Maya as his disciple would be the simplest way to establish a connection with her.

According to the bakery owner, she was wary of strangers and rarely approached anyone on her own.

Offering her help without an explanation would only make her suspicious.

But becoming her master gave him a perfectly reasonable excuse to invest in her.

He could claim to have recognized her potential and decided to nurture it.

That was far more convincing than simply appearing out of nowhere and offering her assistance.

For a moment, Maya forgot her fear as she stared at the flames in Xavier’s palm.

A martial artist!

The concept had always seemed distant from her life.

Her father had once told her that her mother had been a martial artist who reached the Spirit Platform Realm.

However, he had been an ordinary farmer with no knowledge of martial cultivation, so he had never been able to teach Maya anything about it.

She had occasionally wondered what it would be like to possess such strength herself, but it had always remained an unrealistic dream.

Now, a genuine martial artist was standing before her, offering her the chance to become one.

Naturally, Maya was tempted. If she could become powerful enough, perhaps she could finally find Sarah and reunite with her.

And if her mother’s family really had taken Sarah away by force, becoming a martial artist might eventually give Maya the strength to confront them.

For the first time in months, she could see a possible way forward.

Yet one question continued to trouble her. Why had this man chosen her?

She had no cultivation, no training, and no remarkable accomplishments.

Worse, the pustules covering her body made her appearance repulsive to most people.

What could someone like her possibly offer a powerful martial artist?

Xavier seemed to recognize the doubt in her eyes.

"You possess an extraordinary physique," he explained.

"Once it’s awakened, you’ll have the potential to become a powerful martial artist. That’s why I’ve decided to take you as my disciple."

Maya stared at him in disbelief. An extraordinary physique?

She glanced down at her hands, then touched the rough skin on her face.

How could someone with pustules covering her body possess a special constitution?

She had spent her entire life believing that something was wrong with her. She had never imagined that her condition might be connected to an unusual talent.

Before she could ask another question, Xavier spoke again.

"I also heard that you’re searching for your mother," he said. "Become my disciple, and I’ll help you find her."

Maya’s breath caught in her throat. He knew about her mother? More importantly, he was willing to help her?

Xavier looked at her expectantly.

"So, what do you say?" he asked. "Are you willing to take this chance and step into a different life?"

Maya hesitated. She still did not understand why he had chosen her, how he knew her name, or how he had discovered that she was searching for her mother.

Under different circumstances, she might have been too frightened to trust him.

But she had already spent three months searching for Sarah without making any progress.

She had no money, no home, and no one else she could turn to. If she continued living this way, she might not even survive long enough to find her mother.

What did she have left to lose?

Maya tightened her grip on the stone, then slowly released it.

"Alright," she answered, finally raising her head. "I’ll become your disciple."

Maya Knox was not the sort of person who wasted time agonizing over a decision once she had made up her mind.

The moment she agreed to become Xavier Kane’s disciple, she dropped to her knees and bowed deeply before him.

She repeated the gesture three times, completing the formal ceremony that acknowledged him as her master.

Xavier made no attempt to stop her.

Given how distrustful and sensitive Maya was, interrupting her now might only make her question whether he genuinely intended to accept her.

It was better to let her finish the ceremony and put her mind at ease.

Besides, he had never experienced the satisfaction of having a disciple in either of his two lives.

Since the opportunity had presented itself, he might as well enjoy the experience properly.

Once Maya had finished bowing, Xavier reached into his spatial ring and retrieved an elixir.

It was a Star God Pill.

Unlike the precious rewards he had obtained through his system, this particular elixir had come from Tang Xiu’s belongings.

After killing the Blood Fiend Sect leader the previous night, Xavier had searched the man’s spatial ring and claimed everything inside as his spoils.

Thinking about that discovery still annoyed him.

He had initially expected the possessions of a Star Sea Realm expert who had once led an entire demonic sect to be considerably more impressive.

Damon Veil had occupied a position of authority, possessed formidable cultivation, and commanded the resources of the Blood Fiend Sect.

Surely someone like him would have accumulated a few extraordinary treasures?

Unfortunately, Xavier’s expectations had been far too high.

The spatial ring contained only a few dozen elixirs, none exceeding the fifth tier, along with a small collection of low- and mid-grade spirit stones.

The only substantial item was a complete copy of the Devouring Demon Art.

That was it.

Xavier had no interest in practicing such a sinister technique, which involved consuming other people’s power for personal advancement.

As for the elixirs and spirit stones, he already had more reliable ways of obtaining resources.

In the end, searching his belongings had been a thoroughly disappointing experience.

Fortunately, the Star God Pill now had a use.

He held it out to Maya.

"This is a fifth-tier Star God Pill. Consider it a gift from your master to celebrate your acceptance into my tutelage."

Maya stared at the elixir in his hand, looking utterly bewildered.

"Take it," Xavier instructed. "Once you consume it, your Calamity Poison Body will awaken."

Her eyes widened.

Even though Maya knew almost nothing about martial cultivation, she wasn’t entirely ignorant of the world she lived in.

She understood that high-tier elixirs were extraordinary treasures, and a fifth-tier elixir was something most ordinary people could never hope to obtain.

A single pill like this could be worth hundreds of millions.

Her father had spent his entire life working as a farmer.

Even if he had labored without rest for ten lifetimes, he could never have earned enough to purchase such a treasure.

Yet Xavier was offering it to her as a simple welcoming gift.

"Master, I really can’t accept something this valuable!" Maya protested, hastily waving her hands.

"You’ve only just taken me as your disciple. How can I possibly accept such an expensive gift?"

Xavier’s expression immediately darkened.

"It’s only a fifth-tier elixir. Why are you making such a fuss over it? I’ve already decided to give it to you, so take it."

He paused before adding sternly, "And since you’re my disciple now, here’s your first lesson: you’re not allowed to argue with your master over every little thing!"

Xavier was beginning to wonder whether he had signed himself up for more trouble than he had anticipated.

He already had enough experience coaxing Mira at home.

Now, apparently, he had acquired a disciple who required the same treatment.

What was the point of being a master if he couldn’t even make a decision without having to persuade his disciple to accept it?

If he hadn’t felt sorry for Maya and understood how difficult her life had been, he might simply have shoved the elixir into her mouth and been done with the matter.

Maya flinched at his stern tone.

"Y-Yes, Master!"

Realizing that refusing any further would only anger him, she finally accepted the Star God Pill.

After one last hesitant glance at the precious elixir, she steeled herself and swallowed it.