Silas appeared in his private space in the arena, a small space that was barely enough for him to even sit comfortably.
"Why is this available if it is so tight?" he wondered aloud.
"Do you want to increase the space using credits?" Athena asked.
"Yeah, credits. Nothing is free from you guys," Silas commented.
He had no intention of increasing the space.
It was enough for him, at least for now.
"How much did I earn?" he asked Athena.
[Calculating total bets and fees paid to view your match…]
[After the Federation's 50% deduction and approximation, you have earned 100,000 credits.]
Silas was still, then a slight chuckle, then a smile, then a twisted laugh that sounded too wild and crazy.
"Just one dive and I already earned so much," Silas whistled. "I don't blame those who do this for a living at all."
Looking at the time, he knew it would soon be time for the cultivation class with Master Sebastian.
"I will finish that quickly and come back to stock enough supplies to create the guns."
"Rion, log me out."
His form began to reshape like a glitch before he appeared in his room again.
He ran through the door and reached the training room shortly after.
He saw Sebastian and Amelia already there.
Sebastian sat on a rock chair, lounging casually with a cigar in his mouth.
Amelia, on the other hand, sat in a meditative state, her legs crossed, eyes closed as she absorbed aether from the aether stones placed in a formation before her.
Silas noted this formation in his mind.
"Master Sebastian, sorry I am late," he apologized.
Sebastian nodded. Drawing a puff from his cigar and exhaling, he spoke.
"Since you are already at the Expert rank, I tried creating an artificial aether field for you," he said, pointing to a secluded area of the training ground. "Although it is not very potent, it can still increase your speed by at least 100%."
When Silas heard the words, he felt his worldview shatter. Aether fields were already extremely rare in the first place, but someone was creating them artificially, and at such high potency. And he even called it subpar.
'This man sure is not ordinary, maybe because he is a soldier of the Federation,' Silas thought.
"You know the essential step you need to take before you can advance to the Master rank, right?" Sebastian asked rhetorically, breaking his thoughts.
"Yes, Master Sebastian," Silas nodded.
"Okay, go to that place. You should be able to condense your core in about a month with your talent," Sebastian added before closing his eyes again and continuing his smoke.
Silas walked briskly towards the aether field. His body suddenly felt a wave of energy flood it, seeming like it could tear through him at any moment.
He did not succumb to the feeling. He sat on the floor, beginning to absorb the overflowing aether in the area into his body.
This time around, instead of opening his meridians, his goal was to create a core in his heart region that connected to all meridians at once.
"Alright, that's enough," Sebastian's voice suddenly tore through the room, reaching Silas and Amelia at the same loudness.
Silas opened his eyes slowly. He did not know how much time had passed as he delved into the euphoria of cultivation.
"How much time has passed?" he asked Sebastian.
"You used about 5 hours here," Sebastian replied, walking away, probably towards the dining table for dinner.
As he disappeared behind the elevator, Amelia heaved as she collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.
"Silas, this man's method is too good," she said with ragged breaths. "With that manual, I should be able to break through in about 5 days," she added, her eyes widening as she realized what she had just said.
Previously, she had calculated at least 2 weeks to advance, but that time had been reduced to just 5 days.
Her eyes glowed with joy as she thought of it.
"Yeah, I should be able to condense a core in about 2 weeks too," Silas said, noting the change in his meridians.
They chatted as they left the training ground for their rooms.
After taking his bath, Silas walked out, almost at the same time as Amelia.
They walked to the dining hall together.
As usual, everyone was already there.
'Why are they always here so early?' Silas wondered as he sat.
Dinner went smoothly.
"Good night," Silas said as he finished eating and ran back to his room, leaving everyone at the table.
"Why is he in so much haste?" Alfred asked with furrowed brows.
Max looked at him, then shook his head. "Young boys, I just hope he doesn't become too addicted to it."
At his words, both Sebastian and Alfred looked at him.
Even Amelia looked up from her meal.
"What? Not like you did not do the same before," Max defended himself, returning to his meal to avoid further arguments.
Alfred shook his head. "You are becoming more outrageous with each passing day," he commented as he continued eating.
Sebastian did not eat. Amelia noticed this and could not help but ask, "Master Sebastian, why don't you eat?"
Sebastian remained silent for a while at her question.
"After breaking through to the Ascendant Realm, a cultivator does not need such mortal needs anymore," he explained.
Amelia nodded, then another thought sprouted in her mind.
"President Max, I thought you were already at the Ascendant Realm. Why do you eat so much then?"
"That is a facade to deter criminal organizations. I am only at the Marshal rank," he explained, not hiding anything.
Amelia would be leaving the planet soon anyway; there was no way she could tell anyone of the secret.
And even when she left the mansion, guards would be assigned to her. There was nothing to be scared of.
"Ohh."
"Well, I should advance to the Ascendant Realm in another 300 years. No one on this planet can rival my power," Max added, his tone laced with pride.