Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 164: Saints Blessing

The room fell quiet.

Everyone looked at Adam.

Each of them had different thoughts... but they all circled around the same conclusion.

He won’t accept.

In the short time they had known him, Adam had made one thing clear.

He didn’t submit easily.

The idea of him willingly becoming someone’s vassal was very unlikely.

Felecia leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing.

Will I have to step in instead?

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

The Saint had been clear.

They wanted the strongest.

And right now, that wasn’t her.

Scott and Ivy had their own silent calculations running.

But before anyone could say anything—

Remedy spoke.

"You’ll get a five-point boost to your Star Power."

Adam nodded immediately.

"Alright. Deal."

"...."

Silence.

Ivy blinked.

Scott frowned.

Felecia stared at him.

A five-point increase in Star Power was something many martial artists would fight over, kill over and even betray for.

But Adam?

Adam had been gaining Star Power at a ridiculous pace already.

The way he progressed, five points shouldn’t have been tempting.

At least... that was what they thought.

Felecia studied him carefully.

Did I misjudge him?

After a moment, she sighed and leaned back again.

If that was his decision, so be it.

Around the room, everyone processed the outcome in their own way.

But Adam’s thoughts were completely different.

Remedy is a regressor.

That alone changed everything.

If she had arranged this deal, then there was almost certainly a way around it.

A loophole.

A future event.

Something.

And judging from the subtle flicker in her soul flame earlier, Adam was confident of it.

Which meant this deal wasn’t nearly as binding as it sounded.

So from his perspective...

There was no downside.

Five Star Power now.

And later?

He would figure the rest out.

Adam’s eyes glinted faintly.

At this rate...

He was already becoming someone completely different from the Adam who once faced the Lord.

Miles ahead of where he had once been.

Remedy clapped her hands once, smiling brightly.

"Alright."

"We can begin the process."

****

The sitting room had been cleared.

All the furniture had been pushed aside, leaving a wide empty space in the center.

Adam sat there in a lotus position.

The others surrounded him in a circle.

Each of them sat cross-legged as well.

Adam held a golden badge in his hands.

The others held similar badges, but theirs were silver.

Their positions formed a compass.

Remedy sat in the north.

Felecia in the south.

Scott in the east.

Ivy in the west.

The air in the room felt heavier than usual, as Remedy spoke.

"The most important thing to a martial artist is not rank."

Her voice was calm.

"It isn’t martial techniques. Special talents. Affinities. Bloodlines. Or physiques."

She paused.

"The most important thing is Star Power."

No one interrupted.

"All those other factors exist for one purpose."

"To increase this single value."

Adam listened quietly.

Then Remedy looked directly at him.

"As the Saint’s disciple, your Star Power will increase by five."

"But power cannot appear from thin air."

"There must always be a source."

Her voice slowed slightly.

"The Star Power you will receive comes directly from the Saint himself."

"A link will be formed."

She raised her hand slightly.

"So tell me, Adam."

"Do you accept the title of Saint Disciple of Julius Nova, the Sun Bearer?"

At that moment, a notification appeared before Adam’s eyes.

He didn’t hesitate.

"I accept."

Remedy nodded once.

"Then receive his blessing."

The golden badge in Adam’s hands began to glow.

A warm golden light spread across its surface.

At the same time, the silver badges held by the others began to shine as well.

Energy flowed from their badges.

Streams of power gathered and surged toward Adam’s.

The golden badge pulsed.

Power poured into him.

It moved through his hands.

Into his arms.

Through his meridians.

The process wasn’t quick.

Minutes passed and the golden light slowly intensified before gradually fading again.

Eventually the glow dimmed and the room returned to normal. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Adam exhaled slowly.

Something inside him had changed.

Power moved through his body differently now.

Remedy watched him closely.

"How do you feel?"

Adam slowly clenched his fist.

Energy tightened around his fingers, as his eyes sharpened.

"I feel..."

He paused.

Then, finished calmly.

"...in control."

Remedy smiled.

Exactly the answer she wanted.

"Good."

****

Adam stood in front of the mirror.

This time, he wasn’t wearing the fake skin and his original appearance stared back at him.

Earlier that day, he had discovered something new, he could activate and deactivate the fake skin at will.

It would have been nice to know that earlier.

When he asked Ivy about it, her excuse had been simple.

She was "scared."

Adam hadn’t bothered questioning it further.

Right now, his attention was elsewhere.

He looked at his reflection one last time.

Then he pulled up his panel.

╭───────────╮

〖Name: Adam〗

〖Rank: Profound Apprentice〗

〖Cultivation Talent: G〗

〖Special Talent: Equip ❖ Connect ❖ Analyze ❖ Fuse〗

〖Affinity: Wind ❖ Death+〗

〖SLOT〗

↳ SOUL (5): Rapid Charge D ❖

Cryogen D ❖ Cultivation D ❖

Mind Control E ❖ Bone Generation D

↳ BODY (6): JUDGEMENT

↳ Gene (3): Chaos

↳ Blessing: +5 Star Power

╰───────────╯

[Star Power: 52±]

[Existence: 3858]

[Martial Spirit: Profound 3-Star]

Adam focused on the new slot.

The Saint’s blessing.

It seemed Equip had isolated it, turning the blessing into something that could be equipped like an item.

Which meant the talent had removed any hidden risks.

But something about it still felt strange.

Other powers had clear locations.

Talents settled in the soul.

Conduits fused with the body.

Affinities encoded into the genes.

But the Saint’s blessing...

Didn’t seem to belong anywhere.

It just existed.

Floating in his panel like an independent layer.

Adam frowned slightly, but that would be a problem for another day.

He dismissed the panel.

And right on cue, a knock came from his door.

Adam activated Connect.

The moment his perception touched the person outside.

He paused.

Then he opened the door.

And nearly forgot how to speak.

Remedy stood there.

She wore a silver shoulderless gown, the fabric hugging her figure perfectly.

The dress traced her curves without being excessive.

Her hair was loose tonight, cascading freely over her shoulders.

Light makeup highlighted her natural features and the overall effect was devastating.

If looks could kill.

Adam would have died at least ten times already.

He cleared his throat quietly.

"You look good."

Remedy smiled.

"Thank you."