Chapter 60: Send the Army

Chapter 60: Send the Army "GAAAH!" A man let out a primal cry as he jolted up from bed, waking with a start. "Agh... haa... haa..." He panted hard, gasping for breath as if he had been drowning just moments ago. "Urk!" Suddenly, pain surged through his body as he clutched his right hand—sharp, stabbing pain radiating from it. He looked down and saw it wrapped in layer upon layer of white bandages, making it look like a mummy’s limb. "What... happened...?" he whispered, his memory still hazy. "You’re awake, Sir. How do you feel?" Alerted by the noise, a large man dressed in an all-black suit and matching black shades entered the room—which looked very much like a private hospital suite. "How... I feel? The worst!" the man growled. "What is this? What happened to me?!" "Sir... you don’t remember?" the guard asked, his voice tinged with shock. "Per your orders, we visited your sister, Miss Henrietta Campbell’s residence. Then... someone she called Master broke your hand and knocked you unconscious. We retreated immediately and brought you here for treatment." "Huh? I... was beaten?" Carlos, the man, scratched his head of yellow hair in confusion. "Me, a Gold-Rank Cultivator?! Beaten by the so-called master of that useless sister of mine?!" "...Yes." The guard could only nod in confirmation. "FUCK!" Carlos still couldn’t recall what had happened, but just hearing about it was enough to boil his blood. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding as his eyes turned bloodshot from pain and frustration. "This can’t be allowed... I won’t let this stand!" Carlos growled, pointing a finger straight at the man in black. "YOU! Call over all the Golds! I won’t tolerate this... this humiliation!" The man in black understood why he wanted to summon all the Gold-ranked Cultivators under their command. Carlos was planning an all-out assault—one that would reassert his dominance over his own blood-related sister. "Sir..." the man asked carefully. "Are you sure about calling only the Golds?" "...!" At those words, Carlos felt a chill run down his spine. A flash of premonition—an instant of fear, gone as quickly as it appeared. But it had felt real... like a glimpse of death. "C-Call over Gula too! That bitch needs to earn her paycheck every now and then!" "Sir, you mean the Platinum-Ranked Cultivator, Gulatrix Vorvain, correct?" "Who else, you dumbass?!" Carlos spat. "Let that bitch know—if she can’t clean up my sister’s entourage by herself, then she’s getting kicked out of my private army!" The guard’s eyes flickered with emotion, but he quickly concealed it behind his thick black sunglasses. He straightened up and nodded crisply. "Yes, sir." Without another word, he turned and left the room, leaving Carlos alone. "...Fuck," but he muttered as soon as he was out of sight. "This bastard really wants all of us to die." He pulled off his sunglasses with trembling hands. He’d masked his fear well in front of Carlos, but now that he was alone, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. After all, he—and everyone else—still vividly remembered the gap they felt between them and Xu Tao’s strength. Revenge? That would just be suicide. If they returned right after that warning, they’d be marching to their deaths. "And calling in Gula..." He gripped his arm, which trembled harder. "That bitch... might just wipe us out before that mysterious Master even lifts a finger..." Still, there was nothing he could do. He was just a bodyguard—a cultivator at the Silver Level, trained to obey orders to the letter, even if it cost him his life. He pulled out his phone, gripping it tightly in his shaking hand so it wouldn’t slip—and dialed. A few rings echoed in his ears before someone picked up. "It’s me," he said, not waiting for a reply. "Issue a Code Red. All members of Sir Carlos’ Standing Army are to sortie. The location..." It was a simple order, relayed in mere seconds. But it was one that would undoubtedly twist the destinies of everyone involved... and possibly place a final period in their life stories. ???????????? "Install more... pods?" "Yes." Back at the mansion, Xu Tao and Henrietta were talking. His request was simple: to prepare enough VR pods for everyone present—especially high-tier ones, capable of synchronizing senses with at least 95% accuracy. "Well, if it’s Master’s orders, I will obey, but..." Henrietta raised a brow, confused. "What for?" Xu Tao smiled as he walked along the training grounds, observing traces left on it with his hands hidden beneath his sleeves. "Let’s just say it’s part of your training regimen. That should suffice." Uriel, standing off to the side, placed a hand on her chin in thought. Neither of the girls could figure out what Xu Tao hoped to achieve by requesting so many high-grade VR pods. "Anyway, that’s for later." Xu Tao turned, facing Henrietta. "First—congratulations, my disciple. It looks like you’ve successfully deciphered and mastered the first five lines of the scroll." "...!" Henrietta’s face lit up, chasing her pensive expression away. A bright smile bloomed across her face, her expression like that of a child eager to boast about her success. "Yes, Master! It was difficult at first, but with Uriel’s help, I reached enlightenment and leveled up! I’m now at Bronze Level 3!" "Good, good..." Xu Tao nodded, clearly satisfied. Raising one’s cultivation by two levels in one go shouldn’t be possible under normal circumstances. But thanks to Xu Tao fixing her previous Qi Deviation, the Qi inside her—which had never fully assimilated into her Dantian—finally did. That, combined with the enlightenment granted by the first five lines of the scroll, had allowed for her sudden breakthrough. "Although you did successfully raise your cultivation, you should spend the rest of the day consolidating your Qi," Xu Tao warned. "Your control over it is still a bit rough around the edges. Cultivating too quickly might cause another Qi Deviation." "Yes, Master!" Thankfully, despite her excitement, Henrietta wasn’t getting ahead of herself. She remained calm and obedient to Xu Tao’s instructions. "And now, Uriel..." "Y-Yes, Master...!" Uriel stood at attention, flustered at suddenly being addressed. She was nervous—but excited. After all, she had witnessed firsthand how Henrietta had improved with nothing more than a single scroll! "For you..." Xu Tao said, stroking his chin in thought. "Your External Technique seems mature enough. The reason you’re stuck at a bottleneck is your Inner Cultivation Technique." He had identified the core of Uriel’s lifelong problem at a glance. "As such, we’ll do a simple training exercise for now. Come here. Turn your back to me and concentrate." "...?" Though unsure, Uriel obeyed. She stepped forward until she was within arm’s reach, turned her back to him, and closed her eyes. "Is this fine, Master?" she asked. "Yes," Xu Tao nodded. "Now focus. Whatever happens, do not stop circulating your Qi." "Huh...? What do you—eeep!" Before she could finish her question, something hot suddenly entered her body—from her back!