My Infinite Cultivation System-Chapter 55: Arriving in the Valentine family

After coming out, he contacted Selena Valentine.

The call connected almost instantly.

"Hello, Ms. Selena.Have you completed your wish? Did you manage to upgrade your talent?",he asked directly.

On the other end of the line, Selena had just arrived at her family’s sprawling estate.

She was untying her hair, preparing to sit down for a quiet meal, when the vibration in her communicator startled her.

Seeing Alex’s name on the caller ID made her heart skip a beat, a flutter of excitement she couldn’t quite suppress.

"Yes, I have," Selena replied, her voice carrying a note of unmistakable pride. "It’s now two ranks higher than before."

"Can we meet?" Alex asked.

Standing just a few feet away, Anna was shamelessly eavesdropping.

Her enhanced hearing picked up the female voice on the other end, and she felt a sharp, icy pang in her chest.

The joy of her own talent upgrade dampened slightly as she watched Alex’s expression.

Selena went silent for a moment on the other end.

"Are you sure you want to meet me alone? Anna might be... well, she might be sad."

Alex blinked, his expression genuinely puzzled.

"Why would she be sad? We have work to do. But if you’re busy or don’t want to, I won’t force you."

"No, no! That’s not it at all," Selena said quickly, her professional composure slipping for a split second.

"We can obviously meet. Actually, why don’t you come to my house? My family is hosting a small party to celebrate the breakthroughs. Please, come."

"Sure. I’ll be there in a while," Alex said, cutting the call before she could offer more directions.

He turned back to the group.

"You guys go ahead. I have something to take care of."

"Brother, are you double-timing my sister?" Darion snorted, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Alex.

"I’m warning you, I won’t forgive you if you break her heart."

Alex dismissed the comment with a lazy wave of his hand. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He didn’t have the energy for Darion’s dramatics.

"Alex, can I come with you? Please?" Anna asked.

Her voice was small, hesitant, lacking her usual confidence.

Alex looked at her, then shrugged casually.

"You want to? Sure. The more the merrier."

Anna’s eyes lit up instantly, the gloom vanishing as if it had never been there.

"You really don’t mind?"

"Why would I mind?" Alex replied, stepping toward his car.

"I have Space Manipulation too. I want to see what Selena can do now with her elevated talent. That’s all."

"Oh... so that’s it," Anna said, her smile turning a bit more natural.

"Come to think of it, you have Gravity Manipulation too. When exactly were you planning on asking for my guidance, oh great master of every talent?"

"I planned to do it tonight, actually," Alex said with a small grin.

"But first, Selena said there’s a party. Let’s go eat our fill. I’m starving."

As they walked away, Anna’s father watched them with a bewildered expression.

"Hey, Darion... what did he just say? Space manipulation? Gravity? Since when did that boy become a one-man army?"

Darion placed a hand on his uncle’s shoulder, guiding him toward their own transport.

"Uncle, let’s just go. It’s a long story and honestly, it’s better if you don’t know the specifics. Let them spend some time together."

At the Valentine Estate, the atmosphere was electric.

"Father! Alex is coming!" Selena shouted, her voice echoing through the marble hallways as she ran toward the study.

Eric Valentine, a man known for his icy business acumen, nearly dropped his glass.

"When you say Alex... do you mean Mr. Moriarty?"

"Yes, Father! He’ll be here in twenty minutes!"

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?!" Eric barked, though he was already pulling out his own communicator.

"We need a proper welcome. This is his first time in our home! I’ll notify your grandfather immediately. Go! Change! Wear something more beautiful than whatever that is!"

The Valentine household, usually a bastion of quiet elegance, transformed into a hive of frantic activity.

Butlers were repositioned, the finest wines were uncorked, and the kitchen staff was put on high alert.

When Alex’s high-speed vehicle screeched to a halt at the entrance of the estate twenty minutes later, he was greeted by a sight that made him pause.

Rows of men and women in formal attire were lined up along the driveway, clutching bouquets of rare flowers.

"Welcome, Master Alex, to the Valentine House!" they shouted in unison, their voices echoing off the stone walls.

Alex climbed out of the car, looking utterly perplexed.

He had expected a quiet talk about spatial coordinates, not a state visit.

"What is all this? I just came to see Selena."

But he was used to the spotlight by now.

He gave a stiff, polite nod to the staff.

"Thank you. Is Selena inside? Can you take me to her?"

"Yes, Master Alex. Please follow me. Mistress Selena is waiting for you in the grand hall."

Then, Anna stepped out from the passenger side.

The head butler’s professional smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

He had seen the Young Mistress spend the last fifteen minutes agonizing over her dress, clearly expecting a private encounter.

Seeing Alex arrive with another woman, especially one as striking as Anna, was a complication he hadn’t prepared for.

However, he was a professional.

He lowered his gaze and led them inside without a word.

The interior of the estate was packed with members of the Valentine clan and their high-ranking associates.

Alex was a celebrity, a myth made flesh, and everyone wanted a piece of his time.

Selena came forward, her face radiant with a smile that reached her eyes, until she saw Anna trailing behind him.

Her smile didn’t disappear, but it shifted, hardening into a polished, professional mask.

"Hello, Alex. Welcome to the Valentine House," a middle-aged man said, stepping in front of Selena before she could speak.

"I am Eric Valentine, Selena’s father. It is a profound honor to host you."

"Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet the man who raised such a talented daughter," Alex said, exchanging a firm handshake.

Finally, Selena stepped into his line of sight.

She was wearing a deep midnight-blue gown that seemed to shimmering with starlight.

"You two look beautiful together," Selena said, her voice steady despite the sadness in her heart.

"Come, let’s eat while we talk."

"You’re looking beautiful yourself, Selena," Alex said, looking her up and down with an appreciative nod.

"How should I put it... you look more elegant. More ’centered’ than the last time we met."

Selena’s heart, which she had worked so hard to calm, began to hammer against her ribs again.

"Thank you. But... should you really be praising another woman so highly in front of your girlfriend?"

Alex paused, his expression turning neutral and calm.

"We are not dating. Until humanity is freed from this cage, I won’t be dating anyone. There is a high statistical probability that I will die fighting outside this barrier. I refuse to ruin the life of my partner by leaving her behind."

A wave of euphoric relief washed over Selena.

She still had a chance.

He wasn’t claimed; he was simply occupied by the weight of the world.

Anna, however, felt the opposite.

She looked at the floor, a shadow crossing her face.

She realized now why Alex had been keeping his distance, why he treated her with a strange, detached kindness.

He was carrying the survival of their entire species on his shoulders.

He didn’t think he had a future, so he was refusing to build one.

A single, silent tear escaped her eye before she could wipe it away.

Alex, unaware of the emotional storm he had just caused, focused his spiritual sense on Selena.

[Name: Selena Valentine]

[Talent: Space Sovereign (Epic)]

[Rank: Martial Warrior Level 9]

[Note: Her spatial manipulation has evolved. She can now ’Mark’ locations she has visited and teleport objects to them instantaneously. She can create a ’Space Lock’ zone that negates all forms of teleportation and can trigger a ’Spatial Collapse’ in targeted coordinates.]

Alex’s eyes widened slightly.

This was a massive upgrade.

He reached out, placing a hand on Selena’s shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie.

"I’ll be counting on all of you when the final battle comes," he said, his voice dropping an octave.

"Become as powerful as possible. We’re going to need every bit of this."

As he spoke, the system pulsed.

The "Space Sovereign" talent was copied and integrated, snapping into his own core.

His spatial perception expanded instantly, the world around him feeling like a fragile sheet of paper he could fold at will.

Selena’s face flushed a deep crimson at his touch.

"I will. I promise you, Alex. I won’t let you fight alone."