After his spirit reached 25,000, Michael became the first person to reach Peak Adept with such speed.

'It's going to get much harder from now on, since to reach the Expert realm I will need to achieve enlightenment, and to do that I will need double the amount of spirit I currently have.'

Even if he was able to cultivate with monstrous speed, it would take him time to make his spirit reach the 50,000 mark.

Still, he had already done that once, so he was going to do it again.

Without further ado, he focused.

[Spirit Flow has leveled up!]

[Spirit Flow has leveled up!]

Eventually, the inevitable happened. His technique reached the tenth level.

[Technique: Spirit Flow]

[Rank: Common]

[Level: MAX]

[Description: The longer you cultivate, the more effectively you can absorb the spiritual energy around you. Currently, it increases your cultivation by 600%.]

Fortunately, reaching the last level didn't mean that the technique would stop improving. Quite the opposite, in fact.

[Spirit Flow has evolved!]

[Common → Rare]

[Spirit Flow → Spirit Surge]

[Technique: Spirit Surge]

[Rank: Rare]

[Level: 1]

[Description: The longer you cultivate, the more effectively you can absorb the spiritual energy around you. Currently, it increases your cultivation by 1,000%.]

Not all techniques had the capacity to evolve, but since this one was tied to his spirit, it would grow stronger as long as he did.

With the improved technique, Michael's cultivation speed increased even more.

[You have consumed spiritual energy: +60 Spirit]

The spiritual energy surged towards him only to be absorbed into his body like a sponge. Thanks to the chaotic battle that was still underway, no one noticed his cultivating speed. The fact that the area was dense with spirit energy also acted as an effective cover.

'With this speed it will take me about a day to achieve enlightenment.' Michael concluded after inspecting his body thoroughly.

Sadly, he couldn't stay in one place and cultivate while others were still fighting. Once the members of his faction had rested enough, they halted their cultivation and headed to the battle.

"To think that I managed to cultivate in the middle of battle!" Enzo said, puffing out his chest in pride.

"I was also pleasantly surprised." Amelia agreed.

Leo nodded, the gains were better than expected.

Ava, the only Expert in the group, had achieved better results than the three combined. However, before she could boast about her progress, she froze seeing Michael's growth.

"Peak Adept?... How? At this rate you will surpass me before long." She mumbled in a daze.

In truth, her goal was to impress him, yet she found her achievements meaningless before his.

It was at a point where she was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with her.

The others also became silent once they witnessed his rate of growth.

'I knew that joining his faction was worth it.' Amelia thought with a faint smile. One thing was certain: Michael was a monster, and he was only going to become even stronger from now on.

Not wanting to be outdone by their leader, the squad joined the fray again. Since by then most of the Elites had been dealt with, they didn't need to push themselves like before.

The center of the alien forces finally grew quiet. The two Grandmasters dealt with the alien leader and began to assist the common troops.

[Sub Quest failed!]

Michael didn't feel regret looking at the window that appeared before him. It wasn't possible to kill a General alien with his current power, so he was more than happy to leave the monster to someone else.

'Even if the sub quest has failed, the main one is still underway. I can already taste the rewards.' He mused.

Meanwhile, the large alien spaceship had been completely taken over by that point. One of the mechas took control over its systems and flew it away from the moon. Reducing the chances of it falling to the surface like a meteor and killing millions of humans.

Panic spread throughout the Elites' ranks as humanity slowly closed in on them from all sides. Their numbers dwindled from tens of thousands to thousands, hundreds, dozens. The humans didn't stop until they ensured that every single one fell to the ground.

"..."

After countless grueling hours, the artillery fire finally ceased, causing an eerie silence to stretch.

Unlike the other battles, there wasn't happy shouting nor any kind of celebration.

The alien invasion had been repelled, but it had come at a great cost. Hundreds of thousands of casualties. Most common soldiers, many captains, and even several generals.

"You have done enough, brother."

"You can rest now."

"Your sacrifice wasn't in vain."

The few soldiers that didn't collapse from exhaustion began to mourn their fallen brethren.

Michael observed the scene silently. It would be a lie to say that he didn't mourn the dead. But knowing what kind of crisis they had managed to avert kept his mood somewhat positive.

After confirming that the ones he treasured the most were alive and well, he allowed himself to sit on the ground and take a breather.

'With this, the course of events has changed.' He sighed, realizing that his knowledge of the future was bound to slowly become outdated as time progressed.

With the threat gone, a window appeared.

[Quest Protect Triton: Completed!]

[Distributing Reward]

[Mythic cybernetic gained, 1,000 Skill Points gained]

"These will be handy." He mumbled. Every cybernetic he acquired would make him more powerful, and the Skill Points could come in clutch when he was in desperate need of a sudden power-up.

"Especially since I sense that there is trouble brewing on the horizon." He chuckled, feeling two intense gazes on him.

Among the millions of soldiers, two humans of unparalleled power remained unfazed by the loss of life around them.

These naturally were the two Grandmasters that had taken care of the alien leader.

Their gazes were locked onto Michael from afar. Even if it was impossible to know what they were thinking, one thing was for certain.

They had many questions, and they were going to demand answers.

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