Two more weeks had passed.
Reston decided that today he would finally go to the military treasury to claim his reward. Last time, he had hurried straight back to sleep, to the point that he didn't even have time to claim his prize.
Knock, knock.
"Come in," Instructor Lin said. "You plan to claim your reward today?"
"Yes, Instructor Lin," Reston replied.
"Then come with me." Instructor Lin rose from his chair, stretching his joints slightly. Age really did bring aches to the body…
...…
The military treasury was built at the deepest part of the base, surrounded on all sides by thick protective walls. Even the roof was sealed, preventing any infiltration. At the front gate stood two Martial Lord soldiers on guard.
"Please present your identification," one of the guards said. Instructor Lin produced a one‑time pass issued directly by the Commander‑in‑Chief.
" Pass. You may enter. But remember—only one item may be taken, and you must leave within two hours," the soldier instructed.
"Thank you," Instructor Lin replied.
"So this is the treasury…? How magnificent!" Reston exclaimed. Before his eyes stretched rows of dazzling treasures. Though he recognized none of them, the radiance they gave off was enough to tell him these were no ordinary items.
"Remember what that soldier said—only one item, two hours at most. Don't get caught up too long. Choose the one that best suits you right now. If you don't understand something, you can ask me," Instructor Lin said.
"Got it." Reston immediately began his search.
"Phoenix Blood: Increases fire‑type power upon absorption."
"Thunderstrike Wood: Used for crafting rare tools, imbued with powerful lightning energy."
"Infinite Cube: When rotated, alters the space within 900 square meters as if shifting the pieces of a puzzle cube."
"Bodhi Fruit: …"
Every description made clear how extraordinary these treasures were. But Reston knew none of these were what he needed. After more than an hour of searching, with time running out, he suddenly discovered one item.
"Deathfruit: Can forge the strongest foundation, but if one is not strong enough, swallowing it will cause death from its overwhelming power."
This was exactly what he needed! With the system, the drawback was as good as nonexistent!
"This one!" Reston held it up for Instructor Lin to see. At the sight of it, Instructor Lin's face paled.
"Why would you choose that?! With all the treasures here, you pick this one?" It wasn't that Instructor Lin forbade him, but he knew too well the danger of the Deathfruit. He didn't want the future strongest Martial God to fall here!
"I want this. Is that not allowed?" Reston asked.
"It's not that it's forbidden… but you do know its side effects, don't you?"
"Of course I do! But I believe I can endure it."
"…Fine. Then take it. Just show it to the guards at the entrance and have it registered. Once that's done, you can leave with it," Instructor Lin said helplessly.
"Mm." Reston nodded.
...…
"Please show me what you've taken so I can record it," one of the guards at the door said. Reston handed it over.
"Deathfruit…? Are you certain you want this?" Even the soldier was surprised. He hadn't expected such a frail‑looking boy to choose something like this.
"This is what I need. Is that a problem?" Reston replied.
"…No. If you've decided, then so be it. One moment… done. Registration complete. You may take it and leave."
"Thank you, sir." Reston smiled.
"You're welcome."
...…
After parting ways with Instructor Lin, Reston returned to his quarters. Another two weeks of training brought him to Martial Warrior 12th stage. Previously, worried about exposing his rapid progress, Reston had purchased from the system a secret manual that allowed warriors to surpass their limits, and with his accumulated points, he had also bought a Martial Warrior Limit Core.
"Martial Warrior Limit Core: For forging a foundation that defies the rules, enabling a breakthrough to Martial Warrior 15th stage."
Just as Reston prepared to return to his dream cultivation, the system suddenly appeared.
"Ding! Detected Deathfruit in host's possession. Convert into pure energy?"
Reston jumped, but quickly calmed. "Pure energy? What's that?"
The system explained: "This is one of the system's functions. Any rare treasure acquired can be refined into the purest energy. Impurities are removed, leaving only the safest essence. The energy of this Deathfruit will slowly nourish your foundation as you advance from Martial Warrior 12th stage to 15th stage, thereby forging a truly defiant foundation."
"So the system can even do this… looks like I really should hoard these treasures." Reston grinned, before drifting off into slumber again. He first upgraded Cultivation of Eternal Slumber to Lv10, then purchased a bed worth 100,000 points from the system shop.
"Sleep God's Bed: A bed even the Sleep God himself would never wish to leave; once you lie upon it, it feels as though the dream embraces you."
Reston's eyes almost turned into hearts just reading the description. Without hesitation, he bought it.
He then handed all remaining system points to the system for auto‑distribution.
"Ding! …Calculating… Complete."
Strength: Lv6
Defense: Lv4
Speed: Lv6
Luck: Lv10
Charm: Lv5
Spirit: Lv2
Intelligence: Lv4
Reston felt himself undergo another powerful evolution. His mind grew clearer too, the constant haze he once felt now slightly lifted.
"What's with this Luck Lv10? Am I that unlucky?" The only stat breaking into double digits made him wonder—was he cursed? Or did the system think this was what he needed most?
"And Intelligence… what's with that? I don't feel any different…" He conjured a math test in his dream, only to find he still couldn't solve a single problem.
"Refund! This is fraud!" Reston cried. Four whole levels into Intelligence, and he still couldn't do math!
"Host, Intelligence here increases comprehension of martial arts, not academics," the system clarified.
"Ohhh… that makes sense." Reston felt better, ignoring why Charm had risen to Lv5. He decided to test his new strength and speed.
"Skyrend!" Reston conjured the Skyrend Blade and struck a test dummy designed to withstand unlimited force. In the dream, he could create anything as if a god.
The dummy was blasted flying by the strike. Reston inspected it—22,400,000 kg of force. To think even Bai Chengyu's full power was only around 500,000…
"What the hell?! This power is insane!" Reston was shocked. This was no longer within the Martial Warrior realm at all!
Confused, he asked the system.
"Calculating… Complete."
"Host, your strength stems from your Body Tempering 20th stage foundation—2,000,000 kg. Advancing to Martial Warrior 12th stage raised it to 3,500,000. Each Strength level grants a 10% boost, bringing it to 5,600,000. Skyrend multiplies it by 3, and the Skyrend Blade doubles it again, for a total of 22,400,000 kg."
"So that's how… I didn't realize the Body Tempering 20th stage foundation was this terrifying." But then another question came.
"Then why didn't I feel this much strength before? If I had this kind of power, a flick of my finger should've been enough to shatter Bai Chengyu!"
"Because your power is overwhelmingly destructive, the system sealed it automatically. It will only unlock fully in life‑threatening danger. You may also disable this safeguard at will."
"So that's it! No wonder it all makes sense now. That explains why I didn't feel it when fighting Bai Chengyu."
...…
Two more weeks passed. Only 14 days remained before the military competition. During that time, Reston had reached Martial Warrior 15th stage and fully absorbed the Deathfruit's energy.
"So boring… I wonder if Instructor Lin will let me go out for a while." Reston thought. Without hesitation, he packed his clothes and went to ask.
"Instructor Lin, can I leave the base for a bit? It's been a month and a half and I haven't gone out once…" Reston said.
"The competition is only two weeks away, and you want to play outside now?" Instructor Lin frowned. Still, he remembered Reston had claimed he'd already reached 6th stage not long ago. That monstrous growth speed shocked even him.
"…Maybe letting him out isn't a bad idea. The kid's been stuck here too long. He might even grow more by the time he returns." Instructor Lin debated. On one hand, keeping Reston inside was safer; on the other, even at 6th stage, he was likely already number one across all military zones. And letting him out might be good for him.
"Fine. Pack up, I'll take you out." Instructor Lin finally chose to respect Reston's will.
Yes! Reston cheered inwardly. He was going to see Jess! How was she doing now?
...…
Dragon Country University
Reston had already messaged Jess while riding in the car. Sure enough, when they arrived, Jess was waiting by a tree near the outer wall. Reston hauled his suitcase out of the car and dashed over. He still remembered how Jess once scolded him for his careless fashion sense and even spent a fortune buying him clothes. With Reston's looks, almost any style worked, so he could pull off just about anything. Today, Reston wore a plain white long-sleeve shirt, layered with a simple washed street-style short-sleeve tee. On his lower half, he had on black Utility Shorts, paired with a head of tousled, layered hair. Jess couldn't help but praise him—Reston actually dressed up for their meeting. What a pleasant surprise!
After chatting briefly at the gate, Reston followed Jess inside. Instructor Lin had already driven back to the base. As they strolled through the university grounds, Reston was amazed by the sheer scale and facilities of Dragon Country University. Compared to this, military life suddenly seemed so rough and basic…
Later, at Jess's dorm, Reston was stunned again. "Why is your dorm this huge?"
"I donated a thousand sets of training equipment. The university gave me a whole housing block." Jess said casually.
Reston was dumbfounded. He remembered one set costing around 50 million USD. Jess had donated a thousand…? Once again, Reston questioned Jess's wealth. Just how rich was this guy?
Not wanting to dwell on it, Reston left his luggage at Jess's place, then went with him to wander around the vast campus.