Julian had already tried every method he could think of.
Yet he still could not succeed.
Instead he only exhausted himself and left his body covered with injuries and bruises.
Although he still maintained the determination to persist until the end and never surrender, deep inside he no longer carried any real hope.
The only reason he continued attempting was simply so he would not disappoint the Saint Lord.
"...Hm?"
Suddenly Julian frowned.
Something felt different.
The wild energy he released this time was not violent and rebellious like before.
Instead it suddenly became calm and obedient.
It offered no resistance at all.
Seeing Julian standing there in confusion, Alex spoke calmly.
"What are you standing there for?"
"The wildness has already submitted."
"Why are you not controlling it?"
Julian suddenly came back to his senses and nodded vigorously.
Immediately he followed the steps written in the manual that he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.
He gathered his spiritual energy and focused his mind.
The energy circulated through his entire body.
He directed the wild aura upward toward the crown of his head.
Strands of feral power gathered like streams merging into the ocean.
The energy slowly condensed above him.
Soon a pair of wings formed from black light.
They spread wide and released a fierce aura.
The wings then took the shape of a Black Winged Mystic Owl.
The phantom hovered above the cave residence.
"I did it..."
"I succeeded!"
Julian shouted excitedly and jumped to his feet.
He opened his arms wide.
"Black Winged Mystic Owl!"
"I am your faithful envoy!"
"Grant me your supreme power!"
"Screech!"
The Black Winged Mystic Owl released a piercing cry.
It circled through the air several times before suddenly diving downward.
With unstoppable force it collided directly with Julian.
The moment the two connected, Julian let out a wild roar.
Black light engulfed his entire body.
Every meridian and every acupoint was wrapped in ferocious wild energy, under the stimulation of that power, Julian's aura began rising rapidly.
His presence grew violent and tyrannical.
His cultivation broke through realm barriers one after another.
Eighth level of Body Tempering, ninth level of Body Tempering, first level of Qi Gathering. second level of Qi Gathering, third level of Qi Gathering, fourth level of Qi Gathering, fifth level of Qi Gathering... first level of Foundation Establishment, second level of Foundation Establishment, third level of Foundation Establishment.
After the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the black light finally faded.
Julian slowly exhaled a breath of impure air and opened his eyes.
Only moments earlier he had been at the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm.
Now he had become a cultivator at the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
His entire temperament had transformed.
Even his appearance had changed slightly.
Before this his eyes carried a clear and somewhat foolish innocence.
Now his gaze had become sharp and fierce.
Every inch of his body released an untamed wild aura.
Alex had stood to the side the entire time watching quietly.
He nodded repeatedly with satisfaction.
His satisfaction was not only because Julian succeeded in cultivation.
It was also because the system notifications had continued ringing in his mind.
[Ding. The investment target Julian has successfully broken through to the Qi Gathering Realm.]
[Congratulations. The host receives double feedback.]
[The host gains 2,000 Providence Points.]
[Ding. The investment target Julian has successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.]
[Congratulations. The host receives quadruple feedback.]
[The host gains 4,000 Providence Points.]
"Not bad."
"It seems this investment was truly wise."
Immediately after investing he had received six times the return.
Only investing in genuine geniuses could produce such immediate results.
Originally Alex had been somewhat troubled.
The Providence Secret Mall contained countless Divine tier and Emperor tier treasures.
However their prices were astonishingly high.
Take the Six Paths Wheel of Destruction Art for example.
The first chapter, the Animal Path, cost 2,800 Providence Points.
The second chapter, the Hungry Ghost Path, required 28,000 points.
That was ten times more.
As for the third chapter, the Asura Path, it required 280,000 points.
Such an enormous number was almost impossible to obtain.
Even if he exhausted every scheme to suppress Knox, the points would still be insufficient.
How many opportunities would he have to steal?
How many women would he need to take?
How many opportunities for Knox to show off would he have to destroy?
Even if Knox were tied to a pillar and slowly carved apart every day, it would still not be enough.
But now everything was different.
The Family Member Investment function allowed Providence Points to multiply.
As long as he carefully selected talented clan members who were diligent and capable, each one could generate thousands of Providence Points.
The greater the investment, the greater the return.
Once he accumulated enough Providence Points, he could exchange for all remaining chapters of the Six Paths Wheel of Destruction Art in one single move.
Alex silently calculated all this.
His mood was extremely pleasant.
Meanwhile Julian rushed toward him excitedly.
"Saint Lord, you were correct!"
"The heavens truly reward those who work hard."
"The sixth attempt was the moment of my success."
"Of course."
Alex smiled and patted Julian's shoulder.
"When have I ever deceived you?"
"Julian, although you have achieved some success, you must not become complacent."
"There is still nearly half a month before the deadline I set."
"Work harder and try to break through another realm during this remaining time."
"When the time comes, the greatest reward will belong to you."
"Yes!"
Julian nodded enthusiastically.
Then he suddenly seemed to remember something.
His expression became hesitant.
"Saint Lord... about the matter you promised earlier..."
"What matter?"
Alex looked puzzled.
"You... how could you forget?"
Julian became anxious.
"You promised that if I made a breakthrough, you would allow Isolde to return to the family."
"These past few days I keep dreaming about Isolde."
"She lost her Seven Orifices Divine Heart and her cultivation was destroyed."
"She must be living miserably now."
"She may be hungry and freezing. Perhaps she is even bullied by others."
Seeing Alex's face darken, Julian hurriedly added nervously.
"Saint Lord, as long as you give the word and permit Isolde to return to the family..."