CHAPTER 257: EPIC RANK (PART 4)

Sitting inside his hover car, Azrael left the academy and headed toward the Star Auction House, the same place where he had previously obtained the Nether Wind Substance.

He had been feeding the Nether Wind Substance with his spiritual power ever since the day he acquired it, and now, it was nearing evolution.

According to his estimation, it wouldn’t take more than three days for the Nether Wind to evolve completely.

’I wonder what kind of changes will occur in the Nether Wind once it evolves...’ Azrael thought to himself, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

His hover car passed through the bustling streets of Academy City and soon stopped before the grand building of the Star Auction House.

Just like last time, the auction house was still lively, with countless people going in and out through its massive entrance.

Azrael looked at the majestic structure in front of him before stepping out of the car.

Once Azrael left the vehicle, the AI controlling it automatically moved it away and parked it in the designated lot.

Azrael entered the auction house, and since he had told Oliver not to send anyone to receive him, there was no one waiting at the entrance this time.

However, Azrael already knew where Oliver’s office was, so without hesitation, he entered the lift and headed straight to the ninth floor.

The lift soon reached its destination, and as the doors slid open, Azrael stepped out and walked toward Oliver’s office, knocking lightly on the door.

"Come in," The familiar voice of Oliver called out, reaching Azrael’s ears. Without delay, he opened the door and stepped inside.

As he entered, Azrael saw Oliver seated behind his desk, going through some documents. Upon noticing that it was Azrael, Oliver put the papers aside and smiled.

"You are here," He said, nodding at him before gesturing for him to take a seat.

"Good evening, Uncle Oliver," Azrael greeted politely as he sat down opposite him.

"Although I already suspected it when you asked for a wind power potion for advancement, it’s still shocking to see that you have reached level 25 in just a few days," Oliver said in disbelief, his face showing genuine astonishment at Azrael’s rapid growth to the peak of the class rank.

"I was just lucky and found some good items during my last mission," Azrael replied lightly, shaking his head.

"Luck is also a part of strength," Oliver said with a small chuckle before placing a storage ring in front of Azrael.

"Anyway, here are the items you asked for."

Azrael picked up the storage ring and examined its contents. After confirming that everything he needed was inside, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you for your help, Uncle Oliver," Azrael said politely, his expression turning serious a moment later. "You haven’t informed Mom about it, right?"

Oliver shook his head in response. "I haven’t."

Azrael sighed in relief upon hearing the confirmation. He had been worried that his mother would beat him up if she learned that he had recklessly entered the Ancient Ruins.

However, his sense of relief didn’t last long, as his expression stiffened when he heard Oliver’s next words.

"However, I received a message from Lady Ashara a few hours ago. She told me to inform you that she’s always watching you and knows exactly what you’re doing."

Azrael froze, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

’What are you doing, Mom? Don’t tell me you’ve turned into a stalker,’ He screamed inwardly, feeling utterly helpless that Ashara already knew everything but chose not to confront him directly.

Oliver looked at Azrael’s helpless expression and sighed, shaking his head.

"It was foolish of you to think you could hide anything from Lady Ashara. Although she appears carefree, she likes to keep everything under her control."

Azrael didn’t respond and simply sighed inwardly.

"Once again, thank you for your help, Uncle Oliver. I’ll take my leave now," He said while standing up.

Oliver nodded and smiled faintly. "Don’t forget to give Lady Ashara a call," He reminded him.

Azrael nodded and left the Star Auction House without saying another word.

As his hover car moved back toward the academy, Azrael sat quietly, lost in thought as he looked down at his smart band.

’Should I call Mom?’ He wondered, rubbing his chin.

He had spoken to her just last night, and at that time, she hadn’t shown any signs of anger or suspicion.

"Well, knowing her, she might just be acting. Once I talk to her openly about it, she might immediately come to Planet Arkanis just to beat me up," He muttered in a low voice and after thinking for a while, he decided it was best to contact her only after breaking through to the Epic Rank.

’I’ll be able to endure more beating after becoming an Epic Rank warrior. So, it’s a good idea to confront her after that,’ He concluded with a faint sigh.

Soon after, Azrael returned to his mansion and without wasting any time, he immediately headed to the bathroom.

Filling the bathtub with warm water, he took out nearly twenty items from the storage ring Oliver had given him.

Each of these items contained different kinds of elemental energies, metal, earth, water, and several others.

He threw all of them into the bathtub, watching as they sank to the bottom.

Once done, Azrael placed his hand into the water and began infusing his cosmic energy into it.

As his energy flowed, the water gradually changed color, turning into a deep, shimmering blue and the materials at the bottom started to absorb traces of his energy.

After infusing more than half of his total energy into the water, Azrael pulled back his hand and picked up a potion bottle from the ground.

The liquid inside was a deep orange color.

Opening the bottle, he poured the potion into the bathtub.

As soon as the potion mixed with the charged water, the infused cosmic energy began to churn violently, causing the water to boil.

The orange potion quickly blended in, and the materials at the bottom, which had absorbed part of Azrael’s energy, started reacting to it. They began to melt, transforming into pure energy essence.

Azrael watched the process carefully, his expression serious.

He still remembered the unbearable pain he had felt when he first practiced the Unyielding Body to the entry level. Now that he was about to push it to the mid-level, he knew the pain would be even more intense.

The Unyielding Body had a total of nine levels, and Azrael was currently at the first one, the entry level.

To advance to the middle stage, he needed to reach the third level.

This meant he would have to train both the second and third levels simultaneously, an ordeal that would be even more painful than the last time.

The materials he had obtained from Oliver were sufficient for him to train both levels simultaneously.

’Now that my stamina points have exceeded 200, and considering my trait Cold Blooded has evolved to Orange Grade, it should actually be easier than last time to raise the level of Unyielding Body,’ Azrael thought, his gaze thoughtful as he prepared himself.