Sometimes, the most direct approach yields the best results.

Threats, for example.

Even if there really was a Cultivator in the wooden cabin, Paige Summers felt no fear whatsoever.

Her request for an audience had been denied, so she could only try courtesy before resorting to force.

In any case, judging by the current situation, the person inside clearly didn’t appreciate their disturbance. The original plan to trade for some seeds was unlikely to succeed. So, she would settle for the next best thing: just asking for the method to grow mutated plants.

Sure enough, not long after she spoke, there was a stir from inside.

"Why go to all this trouble? If you want something, just say it," a light, clear voice drifted from the cabin, perfectly audible.

’That phrasing... why does it sound so awkward? It’s not conversational at all!’

But that wasn’t why Paige Summers frowned. It was because... she felt like she’d heard that voice somewhere before...

As she was thinking, Zephyr Mercer, who was beside her, suddenly responded respectfully, "This junior has been impertinent, Senior. I am Finn of the Mercer Family, and I only wished to request an audience!"

Her train of thought shattered. Paige Summers’s brow twitched, and she had the urge to grab him by the collar and scream, ’Can you not get sucked into his way of speaking?! Do you have to be so subservient?! Yes, we’re here to ask for something, but by acting like this, you’ve ruined our ability to negotiate! With all this "junior" and "senior" nonsense, if I try to play hardball now, it’ll just make me look crass!’

They couldn’t start fighting amongst themselves. She bit her tongue and said nothing.

The person inside seemed to mutter something, and after a moment, they responded.

"In that case, come in."

Paige Summers let out a breath. ’Oh well,’ she thought, ’let’s just meet him first and figure it out from there.’

With those words, the previous obstruction vanished as they entered the courtyard. The path was just an ordinary path, and in a few moments, they were inside the wooden cabin.

Upon stepping inside, Zephyr Mercer was fine; he only felt that it was quite refreshing in the cabin.

Paige Summers, however, felt an incredibly comfortable stream of qi wash over her and pour into her body. Instantly, the energy within her began to flow with perfect smoothness!

She froze for a second. ’Is this... Am I about to Promote?!’

She had been at the Seventh Rank for quite some time, but advancing to the Eighth Rank was no easy feat. She always felt like she was just missing that little something.

But today, for some reason, that missing piece seemed to have been filled!

’But this isn’t the right place for it,’ she thought. Just then, the voice came from the inner room of the cabin again. "This young lady has quite the spiritual aptitude. You might as well calm your mind and meditate now. Forcibly suppressing it will do your body more harm than good."

A jolt of alarm shot through Paige Summers.

It wasn’t impossible to detect the energy fluctuations in her body, but doing so required a Superpower Rank higher than her own. ’Is this person really that powerful?’

In truth, she was stuck in her usual way of thinking.

The person inside was indeed a Cultivator, just as she had guessed, but their cultivation was still at a low level. After all, in Earth’s current environment, the amount of Spiritual Energy was incredibly scarce, making Cultivation far from easy. It was simply that a Cultivator’s Cultivation methods differed from a Superpower User’s. This person had mastered the Energy Observation Skill, which was how they were able to perceive the sudden disturbance within her body.

This lack of understanding made Paige Summers all the more wary, but she also understood that for now, it was best to do as the person said.

"Thank you. In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony."

She signaled to Ben to be careful, then gave Zephyr Mercer a nod before finding a corner in the front room and sitting down cross-legged.

If Zephyr Mercer had been baffled just a moment ago, he now had a vague understanding of what was happening.

A complicated mix of feelings stirred within him.

’It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy for Paige Summers. To have such an accomplishment at her age... An Eighth Rank Superpower User! Although her superpower type was on the weaker side, at that Level, she was an incredibly powerful support. What’s more, her skills with fists and weapons were quite good, and she was constantly improving. When combined, her strength was self-evident!’

’He had seen countless scions of the great families in Central City, but few were this outstanding.’

’Most of the Superpower Users who had reached the Eighth Rank or higher were old geezers in his eyes, people who had simply gotten a head start and began their superpower Cultivation earlier than others. And even among them, the highest anyone had ever reached was the Twelfth Rank. Anything beyond that... at least, he had never heard of it.’

’This just went to show how incredibly talented Paige Summers was.’

’Of course, reaching her current level of achievement wasn’t something that could be attributed to talent alone. Paige Summers’s own perseverance played an even more important role.’

’The Mercer Family rarely produced Superpower Users, and Zephyr Mercer wasn’t one either, so he didn’t know the specifics of a Superpower User’s Cultivation. But all principles are interconnected; he knew better than anyone the immense difficulties of practicing Ancient Martial Arts, and he imagined that cultivating a superpower was much the same.’