Chapter 29: The Strange Woman

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Strange Woman

The nine major stages of martial cultivation followed a clear progression.

The first was the Body Tempering Rank, where a warrior focused entirely on strengthening the physical body.

Muscles, bones, organs, blood, and even the body’s internal resilience had to be forged until they could withstand forces far beyond those of an ordinary human.

Once a warrior completed the ninth level of Body Tempering and crossed into the Foundation Rank, cultivation changed completely.

Strengthening the body was still important, but it was no longer enough. A cultivator had to learn how to draw mana from the world around them and channel it into their body.

Physical power and mana were the two foundations upon which modern martial arts were built.

As one climbed higher, reaching realms such as the Spirit Platform Rank and eventually the Star Sea Rank, warriors would encounter increasingly mysterious forms of energy that existed throughout the world.

But chaos energy had never been one of them. At least, not in anything Xavier had ever learned.

He stared at the strange black and white radiance swirling around his hand. The two energies moved in opposite directions, yet somehow remained perfectly connected.

The white energy felt warm and almost gentle. It carried a strange sensation of creation, restoration, and endless vitality.

The black energy was completely different. It felt cold, destructive, and overwhelmingly aggressive, as though it could tear apart anything that stood in its way.

Yet neither force existed independently. They were two halves of the same power. When they intertwined, their opposing qualities somehow balanced each other and produced something entirely new.

Chaos.

Xavier had never encountered anything like it. And he hadn’t figured this out through guesswork.

The moment his Primordial Chaos Physique awakened, a large amount of information had appeared naturally within his mind, as though the knowledge had always been buried somewhere inside him.

His new physique was constantly producing and circulating chaotic energy throughout his body.

That energy continuously strengthened his muscles, bones, organs, reflexes, and overall physical resilience.

Even without using any martial technique, his physical capabilities would now far exceed those of another warrior at the same rank.

And that was only the beginning. He could also draw the chaotic energy out of his body and use it offensively.

More importantly, his Primordial Chaos Physique had only entered its Initial Growth Stage. As the chaotic energy continued to temper his body, his physique would gradually mature.

Once it reached the next stage, he would undergo another transformation and receive an even greater infusion of chaotic energy.

There was another advantage that caught Xavier’s attention.

Chaos was said to be the origin from which all things emerged. Once he reached the Foundation Rank and gained the ability to absorb the world’s mana directly, the energy he absorbed would also be transformed by his Primordial Chaos Physique.

Instead of simply storing ordinary mana inside his body, his physique would gradually convert it into chaotic energy.

Xavier remained silent for a while as he processed everything. The more he understood, the more extraordinary his new physique seemed.

"That really is a ridiculous constitution," he said, unable to help muttering to himself.

Then he remembered the other change.

His talent. Before awakening the Primordial Chaos Physique, his martial talent had only been considered decent. Now, the system had raised it all the way to Perfect Talent.

Talent itself was divided into several levels. At the bottom were the weakest grades, followed by lower, intermediate, and superior talent. Above all of them stood Perfect Talent.

The difference wasn’t merely a matter of learning faster.

Talent affected almost every aspect of cultivation. Someone with superior talent could comprehend martial techniques faster, refine their body more efficiently, and progress through cultivation far more quickly than an ordinary warrior.

Perfect Talent represented an entirely different level.

Even without taking his new physique into account, Xavier’s talent alone now placed him among the rarest young martial prodigies in the region surrounding Valemont.

And all he had done to obtain it was invest a single Starfire Awakening Elixir in his wife.

Xavier couldn’t help shaking his head. The Investment 10,000x Multiplier System really was absurd.

His thoughts naturally returned to Mira. She should have awakened her Frost Phoenix Bloodline by now.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a bright, delighted laugh came from the room next door.

"I did it!" Mira said, her voice filled with pure excitement.

"My Frost Phoenix Bloodline actually awakened!" she added.

Xavier immediately smiled.

Then he heard her continue.

"My strength has already recovered to the second level of the Foundation Rank!" she said.

There was another burst of laughter.

"And I’m not sick anymore!" she said.

Xavier paused. He had been married to Mira for only a few days, but this was the first time he’d heard her laugh with such genuine happiness.

It was easy to understand why. The problem that had tormented Mira wasn’t simply the injury left behind after her family’s brutal treatment of her.

For the past six months, something far stranger had been happening. No matter how hard she trained, her strength kept declining.

Every time she absorbed mana, her cultivation should have progressed. Instead, her power continued to weaken.

She had been trapped in a vicious cycle that nobody around her could explain.

Now that the Frost Phoenix Bloodline had awakened and her strength had not only stopped declining but recovered to the second level of the Foundation Rank, how could she possibly remain calm?

But Xavier’s smile disappeared when he suddenly heard her voice change.

"Wait," she said, confusion in her voice.

Then he sensed fear in the voice that followed.

"When my bloodline awakened, I absorbed some of the mana around me..." she said, her voice trembling.

"But most of it..." she added.

She took a sharp breath.

"It was swallowed," she said.

Xavier immediately sat upright, leaning to hear more.

"I don’t understand..." Mira said, her voice growing increasingly alarmed.

"There was something inside me. Like a black hole. The mana I couldn’t absorb myself was pulled into it," she said.

She suddenly cried out.

"Who are you?!" she shouted.

"Sweetheart!" Xavier rushed out almost immediately bursting out of his bedroom and pushed open Mira’s door. Then he stopped. His eyes widened.

Someone was standing beside Mira.

A woman.