Chapter 67: Unexpected Visitor
Victor’s order was executed immediately.
The administrative staff of the Royal Martial Academy mobilized every available resource throughout the Moon Empire.
Elite hunters, military units, adventurer teams, and magical scouts were dispatched in every direction.
Their target was simple: five hundred Adept Realm monsters.
Since Victor specifically requested monsters with different elemental affinities, the operation became significantly more complicated.
Fortunately, the Moon Empire possessed sufficient manpower.
Only three hours later, the first teams began returning.
Then the second.
Then the third.
By sunset, all five hundred monsters had been successfully captured.
Inside a massive containment facility constructed near the academy, creatures of every elemental type could be seen, including fire wolves, earth bears, wind hawks, water serpents, metal beetles, lightning panthers, light deer, and dark shadowcats.
The collection was remarkably diverse.
Arthur looked at the imprisoned monsters and nodded.
"Everything has been prepared."
Victor stepped forward, his eyes sweeping across the monsters.
"Good."
He turned toward the academy staff.
"Extract every last drop of blood essence. Separate them according to elemental attributes. Not a single drop is to be wasted."
"Understood, Headmaster."
The operation began immediately.
Over the following hours, enormous quantities of blood were collected.
Each type was categorized carefully.
By the end of the process, thousands of crystal containers filled with different monster blood had accumulated.
Only then did Victor return to his laboratory.
The massive furnace awaited him.
Ancient runes illuminated its surface as mana flowed through countless inscriptions.
Victor took a deep breath, and then the refining process began.
For ten consecutive days, the furnace remained active, day and night, without interruption.
Large quantities of mana continuously flowed into the refining array.
The blood underwent countless transformations.
Impurities were removed.
Elemental properties were strengthened.
The volatile energies within the blood were stabilized.
Ten days later, the process finally ended.
Thousands of refined blood essence vials stood neatly arranged inside the laboratory.
Victor picked up a crimson vial.
The energy contained within it was several times purer than before.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"The first batch is complete."
The next morning, Victor returned to the Royal Martial Academy.
The sight that greeted him was impressive.
Five hundred students stood in perfect formation, every one of them wearing academy uniforms and standing straight.
Most importantly, every one of them carried the same expression: expectation, hope, and desire.
For years they had been considered worthless.
Failures.
People without elemental affinities.
Individuals destined to remain weak for the rest of their lives.
Today that would change.
The moment Victor appeared, all five hundred students saluted simultaneously.
"Greetings, Headmaster!"
Their voices echoed across the training grounds.
Victor slowly walked onto the platform. His gaze swept across the crowd.
For several moments, he remained silent.
Then he spoke.
"You have all been labeled worthless by society."
The students clenched their fists. Many lowered their heads.
The words struck directly at old wounds.
Victor continued calmly.
"But that ends today."
Every pair of eyes immediately focused upon him.
"I have opened a new path. I have paved the road before you."
His voice remained calm but firm.
"However, whether you reach the end depends entirely on yourselves. Talent alone is not enough. Resources alone are not enough. Only determination and hard work will allow you to walk this path."
The atmosphere gradually became heavy.
Many students felt their hearts beating faster.
Victor looked toward the sky, then back at the students.
"Ethereum needs powerful individuals. It needs protectors. It needs pioneers. Become strong as quickly as possible."
The speech was simple, yet its effect was tremendous.
Many students felt their blood boiling.
They finally possessed an opportunity, an opportunity that had never existed before.
Victor raised his hand.
"You will each receive one vial of blood essence. You may choose the elemental affinity that best suits you. You will also receive a corresponding breathing technique. Afterward, report to the training grounds. I will personally demonstrate the cultivation process."
For a moment, silence filled the area.
Then all five hundred students shouted simultaneously.
"Thank you, Headmaster!"
The academy immediately became busy.
Staff members distributed blood essence.
Others handed out cultivation manuals.
Countless students carefully studied their options.
Victor quietly observed everything.
To him, this was more than an academy project. It was an experiment.
The results would determine the future of humanity.
If successful, martial cultivation would become a worldwide system.
Anyone would be able to purchase blood essence.
Anyone would be able to cultivate.
Human civilization would enter an entirely new era.
Far away, hidden among the shadows, several figures silently observed the academy.
Their appearances remained concealed, yet powerful mana fluctuations surrounded them.
One of the figures spoke.
"The humans have recreated martial cultivation."
The others became silent. A second figure nodded.
"We must act quickly."
A third voice followed.
"They cannot be allowed to become stronger."
Silence returned.
Then the shadows disappeared.
One day passed.
The resource distribution process finally concluded.
The following morning, all five hundred students gathered once again.
Victor stood before them.
Today was the official beginning.
He held a blood essence vial in one hand and a cultivation manual in the other.
"Watch carefully."
The students immediately became attentive.
Victor began explaining the process step by step: how to absorb blood essence, how to circulate breathing techniques, how to guide elemental energy, how to avoid damaging the body.
Every detail was explained personally.
The students listened with absolute focus.
Then suddenly, boom!
A terrifying aura descended from the sky.
The entire training ground shook violently.
Many students collapsed instantly.
Others turned pale.
Victor’s expression changed.
His Mana Sense activated immediately.
At the same time, Space Sense expanded outward.
His eyes narrowed.
Three powerful presences had entered the academy.
Sages.
Not only that, their mana signatures were completely different from humans.
Atlantians.
Arthur sensed them at nearly the same moment.
The President instantly appeared above the training field.
Boom!
His own Sage aura erupted.
The oppressive pressure immediately weakened.
Arthur’s eyes turned ice cold.
"What is the meaning of this?"
His voice echoed throughout the academy.
"What are Atlantian Sages doing within human territory without permission?"
A sinister laugh echoed from above.
"Permission? Hahahahaha!"
The surrounding space distorted.
Three figures appeared. Each was clad in full body armor.
Not a single part of their faces could be seen.
The leader stepped forward.
"We did not come here for meaningless conversation."
His voice carried absolute arrogance.
"Hand over the blood essence production method. Hand over all breathing techniques. Do that and we will leave."
Silence filled the academy.
The students stared in disbelief.
They had arrived solely to steal the martial cultivation system.
Victor narrowed his eyes.
These Atlantian bastards were truly arrogant.
Before Arthur could respond, a mocking voice suddenly echoed across the training ground.
"Huh?"
The three sages turned.
Victor stood calmly among the students.
His expression remained indifferent.
"Some oversized fish are trying to negotiate with humans?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Perhaps if you kneel and lick our boots, we might consider your proposal."
The entire academy froze.
Even Arthur nearly burst out laughing.
The students looked horrified as they stared at Victor. Those were Sage Realm experts standing before them. They were beings capable of destroying cities and deciding the fate of nations. Yet Victor had just insulted them directly without the slightest hesitation.
Arthur reacted immediately.
Whoosh!
His figure blurred and instantly appeared beside Victor.
As the president of the Ethereum Alliance and one of humanity’s strongest protectors, it was his responsibility to safeguard humanity’s greatest hope.
The three Atlantian sages remained silent.
For several seconds, they simply stared at Victor.
They genuinely had not expected such a reaction.
A mere novice mage had actually dared to mock them.
Then—
Boom!
One of the sages vanished.
He was an assassin.
The surrounding space distorted as his body disappeared from sight.
His target was Victor.
The attack was so fast that even Arthur’s expression changed. The assassin’s speed had exceeded his expectations.
"No!" Arthur roared.
A blade appeared where Victor had been standing.
The weapon pierced directly through Victor’s body.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Then confusion appeared.
There was no blood.
No corpse.
No flesh.
Nothing.
The assassin’s expression changed immediately.
A voice suddenly echoed from the side.
"You really are fish."
Everyone turned.
Victor stood fifty meters away, completely unharmed.
The assassin froze.
Victor slowly shook his head.
"I expected better cognitive abilities."
His expression was calm.
"You cannot even maintain a proper conversation."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody understood what had happened.
Not even Arthur.
How had Victor evaded the attack of a Sage Realm assassin?
The Atlantian experts immediately became serious.
Their relaxed expressions disappeared.
Then suddenly—
Boom!
Another powerful aura descended from the sky.
A second aura followed immediately afterward.
The atmosphere instantly became violent.
Two figures appeared.
Elyndros.
And Diana.
The moment Diana arrived, she moved. She appeared directly beside Victor.
Her gaze locked onto the three Atlantian sages.
"Do you want war?"
Her voice was cold.
The temperature throughout the entire academy dropped noticeably.
Even the Atlantian sages became cautious.
The leader quickly regained his composure.
"For what?"
His voice once again became mocking.
"Trying to kill an insignificant insect?"
His eyes shifted toward Victor.
In his mind, the young man had merely survived by using some ancient treasure obtained from a forgotten ruin.
That possibility only increased his greed.
If Victor possessed such an artifact, Atlantis would eventually take it.
A cold smile appeared beneath the leader’s helmet.
"Actually, we have changed our minds."
His gaze settled firmly upon Victor.
"Now you will hand over the technology."
His voice became colder.
"You will hand over the breathing techniques."
Then he slowly raised a finger and pointed directly at Victor.
"And you will hand over that boy as well."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Arthur’s expression darkened.
Diana’s killing intent exploded outward.
Beside them, Elyndros silently tightened his grip around his weapon.
The Atlantian Sage continued speaking.
"For disrespecting three Atlantian Sages..."
A cruel smile spread across his hidden face.
"We consider this an act of provocation."
His aura surged violently. Dark clouds gathered overhead.
"If our demands are not met..."
The sky darkened.
The pressure in the surroundings increased dramatically.
"We will begin a war."
