Chapter 112: A Warm Welcome

Adam relaxed into the first-class seat as the train moved smoothly along its route.

There was plenty of space and it was quiet. Exactly what he needed.

He exhaled and summoned his martial spirit.

In the next moment, an apparition formed before him, an armored skeletal warrior, blackened plates layered over bone, green flames flickering faintly in its hollow skull.

Adam leaned back and grinned.

“Hey, big guy. I got you something.”

He pulled out the manual the commander had given him and held it up.

“I know,” Adam added shamelessly. “I’m great.”

The spirit just stared at him expressionlessly.

Well, expressionless as far as skeletons went.

Adam shrugged and stopped bothering with it. He opened the manual.

Compared to the forty-page yellow-grade technique, this was dense, a full hundred pages. But Adam had time. As the train hummed forward, he read.

And read.

The deeper he went, the clearer it became.

This wasn’t just a technique, it was a framework. A violent hymn of wind, compression, execution, and control. The concept behind it expanded in his mind, layering upon itself until it felt complete.

By the time he reached the final page…

He understood.

So this is how it’s supposed to be used.

But understanding wasn’t enough.

To truly use it, to let the technique live and breathe through his martial spirit, it had to be engraved.

Adam checked the requirement.

60 Existence.

“Cheap.”

He paid it without hesitation and the transfer was instant.

Then something shifted and the spirit’s presence deepened, the green flames flared brighter for a brief second before stabilizing. The air around it felt heavier and denser, like wind waiting to be unleashed.

Adam looked up at it, eyes narrowing slightly.

You look bigger.

The martial spirit didn’t respond.

Adam didn’t expect it to, as he summoned his panel.

╭───────────╮

〖Name: Adam〗

〖Rank: Profound Apprentice〗

〖Cultivation Talent: G〗

〖Special Talent: Equip ❖ Connect〗

〖Affinity: Wind ❖ Death〗

〖SLOT〗

↳ SOUL (5): Rapid E ❖ Petrification F ❖

Cultivation D ❖ Freeze F ❖

Mind Control E

↳ BODY (6): Empty

╰───────────╯

Star Power: 24+

Existence: 3830

Martial Spirit: Profound — 3 Star

Adam’s eyes locked onto the change.

The only difference.

My star Power is up by three.

A grin spread across his face.

“Now that’s what we’re talking about.”

That was the proof he needed. A profound-grade technique was all it took to fully draw out the full potential of his profound spirit.

And the result was immediate.

Adam exhaled, the excitement settling.

“But it’s a shame,” he muttered, “this won’t increase anymore even if I learn another profound wind technique.”

He knew the rules.

Star Power gained through his martial spirit wouldn’t rise again unless the spirit itself advanced in tier. And that was the problem, no matter how he looked at it, even with over three thousand Existence, it still wasn’t enough.

It’s still too far.

A new thought surfaced.

But if I can raise the grade from profound to earth-grade…

His pulse quickened slightly.

Earth-grade spirit meant earth-grade techniques. And those would raise his Star Power again.

But Adam knew the catch.

There was only one known way to raise a spirit’s grade.

Equip a higher-grade cultivation talent.

His expression tightened.

“That won’t be easy.”

High-grade cultivation talents weren’t something you just found lying around.

Adam leaned back slightly, eyes half-lidded.

“The most important thing to do now is increase my soul slots.”

Decision made.

He dismissed the towering skeletal warrior, the apparition dissolving into drifting green motes. Adam shifted into a lotus position on the seat, posture straightening as his breathing slowed.

Essence stirred and he began practicing the upgraded essence absorption technique, pulling power inward in steady, controlled waves as the train carried him forward.

Adam absorbed essence for the entire train journey.

Breath steady. Core cycling. Essence flowed into him in smooth, disciplined waves, refined by repetition. By the time four hours passed and the train finally slowed, his foundation felt tighter and cleaner.

The doors opened and Adam stepped down onto the platform…

And froze.

No one was there.

No reception team. No Mission Hall staff. No familiar faces waiting to drag him into questions or celebrations.

Just an empty station.

Adam blinked, then shrugged.

“I guess they forgot about me.”

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

He came back without telling anyone…

And he was wearing a face mask and sunglasses, his identity hidden so well that even someone looking straight at him wouldn’t recognize him.

Adam left the station without another thought.

The moment he stepped outside, essence surged.

Rapid E — Activated and he vanished.

With his increased Star Power, his speed had climbed to another level entirely. Buildings blurred past him as he dashed through the sector, streets and towers flashing by in familiar patterns.

Home.

The sight of it warmed something in his chest.

“I’m back,” Adam muttered but the expected excitement wasn’t in his voice.

He didn’t slow or turn toward his apartment.

No, home could wait.

In the next instant, Adam came to a stop before towering, old weathered and silent iron gates.

The sector cemetery loomed before him.

Night had already settled over the sector.

Dim lights lined the road leading to the cemetery, casting long shadows over the iron gates. Adam stepped forward…

“Young man, I didn’t know you were back already.”

The voice stopped him cold as Adam turned to see the person.

She stood there like she always did, slightly hunched, shawl draped over thin shoulders, a basket of roses resting beside her.

His eyes widened a fraction.

“Martha,” Adam said. “Long time no see.”

She was the old woman who gave out roses at the gates. Adam knew her and had seen her here countless times before he ever left the sector.

On instinct, he activated Connect.

The moment it linked…

Danger.

Essence surged.

Rapid E — Activated and Adam vanished just as a rose vine exploded from the ground where he’d been standing. The impact shattered stone, the spike sharp enough to impale steel. Adam twisted midair, but the force of his own dodge sent him slamming into the pavement.

He skidded several meters before rolling to his feet.

Heart steady and eyes sharp.

Martha watched him with mild amusement, as if he’d just dodged an inconvenient puddle.

“The family was right,” she said calmly. “You really are a threat.”

The ground trembled.

Multiple rose vines burst upward at once, thick and barbed, snapping through the air as they launched straight for Adam.

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