Alex slowly toured the entire holy land before finally arriving at Julian's cave residence.
When he stepped inside, he immediately noticed the place was in complete disarray.
Broken porcelain shards were scattered across the ground.
"Hm?"
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Did someone rob this brat's cave abode?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, he calmly walked further inside.
Julian sat cross legged upon the stone bed.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
Placed directly before him lay the Treatise of the Mystic Owl and Fallen Phoenix.
The once pristine secret manual now appeared worn and creased.
Clearly, during the past half month, Julian had read it countless times.
At the moment, Julian had completely immersed himself in cultivation.
He failed to notice Alex standing nearby.
His palms pressed together tightly while his eyes remained closed.
His lips moved constantly as he recited the incantations.
"Mystic Owl manifests, the heavens invert."
"A hundred birds perish, the Heavenly Flame breaks its wings."
"Expel."
Julian suddenly roared loudly.
His palm struck violently against his own chest.
From within his Dantian, a fierce and untamed energy surged outward.
The savage aura enveloped his entire body.
A hint of approval flashed across Alex's eyes.
The core principle of the Treatise of the Mystic Owl and Fallen Phoenix was precisely this wild and lawless aura.
The Phoenix was the sovereign of all birds.
It was the supreme ruler before whom every creature bowed.
Only a beast that recognized no hierarchy and feared no royal authority could accomplish the impossible feat of defeating a Phoenix.
Now Julian had successfully cultivated that wild aura within his body.
If he could control it, he would have completed the first step.
However, Julian remained locked in struggle with the ferocious energy.
Half an hour passed.
He made no progress.
Ultimately the raging wildness broke free from his control.
With a loud explosion, Julian was blasted backward several meters.
Fresh blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Alex frowned and stepped forward slowly.
"Julian, are you alright?"
"Saint Lord?"
Julian opened his eyes in surprise and stared blankly at Alex.
"Why are you here?"
He quickly shook his head.
"I am fine. Everything is fine."
"There is still half a month remaining."
"Believe me, Saint Lord."
"I will definitely master this technique and break through one minor realm."
Julian's body was already extremely weak.
He had clearly suffered backlash from that wild aura countless times.
Yet his expression remained stubborn and determined.
There was not even the slightest hint of discouragement.
Alex could not help feeling some admiration.
A trace of sympathy appeared in his eyes.
"Julian, you have already done very well."
"In terms of comprehension, very few disciples in the Hale family can compare with you."
"But your cultivation is only at the Body Tempering Realm."
"You are attempting to master a Heaven tier cultivation technique meant for the Core Formation Realm."
"How could such a thing be easy?"
However Julian remained resolute.
"Saint Lord, I can do it."
"Even if I die, I must master the Treatise of the Mystic Owl and Fallen Phoenix."
Alex was momentarily speechless.
This stubborn brat truly refused to give up.
Just as he was thinking about how to assist Julian, the system notification suddenly rang in his mind.
[Ding. The host has successfully caused a female supporting character to completely sever ties with the Chosen One. The Chosen One's Providence has decreased by 500. The host gains 1,000 Providence Points.]
Alex paused slightly.
A smile appeared on his lips.
Excellent.
It seemed Lily had completely recognized Knox's true nature.
In merely half a month, Knox had lost three of his harem members and early supporters.
At the same time Alex had harvested nearly five thousand Providence Points from him.
Alex stroked his chin thoughtfully while opening the Providence Secret Mall.
One thousand Providence Points were insufficient to purchase any powerful resources for himself.
Therefore Alex turned his attention to another system function.
Family Member Investment.
[System Notice]
[The host may invest Providence Points into a family member to enhance their comprehension and cultivation speed.]
[The greater the number of Providence Points invested, the stronger the enhancement effect.]
[Whenever the invested family member breaks through a realm, the host will receive multiplied feedback.]
[The higher the breakthrough realm, the greater the feedback received.]
After reading the system explanation, Alex smiled faintly.
"This function is quite interesting."
On the surface investment carried risk.
If the invested family member failed to increase their cultivation realm, the Providence Points would be wasted.
However Alex was not a poor wandering cultivator.
He was the Saint Lord of the Hale family.
He possessed the full resources of the clan along with the massive Providence Secret Mall.
Back then even Isolde, whose talent was mediocre, had been forcibly raised to the Enlightenment Realm through sheer resources.
As long as Alex did not deliberately select completely useless disciples who lacked both talent and diligence, any investment would eventually produce returns.
Without hesitation Alex directed all one thousand Providence Points toward Julian.
[Ding. Investment successful.]
[1,000 Providence Points invested into family member Julian.]
[Julian's cultivation speed increased by 50 percent.]
[Julian's comprehension increased by 50 percent.]
Alex smiled faintly and patted Julian's shoulder.
"Julian, do not give up."
"Cultivating a Heaven tier technique is naturally extremely difficult."
"But I believe you can succeed."
"Do not be discouraged."
"Try once more."
Julian looked discouraged.
"Saint Lord, is it really necessary to try again?"
"I have already attempted it five times today."
"Of course it is necessary," Alex said seriously.
"The fact that you attempted five times already proves your determination."
"Heaven rewards diligence."
"The heavens will never disappoint someone who works hard."
"Who knows? The sixth attempt may be your moment of success."
Although Julian knew Alex was essentially encouraging him with inspirational words, the comfort still reached his heart.
At the very least the Saint Lord had not abandoned him.
Julian inhaled deeply despite the pain throughout his body.
He once again sat cross legged upon the stone bed.
Closing his eyes, he focused his mind and circulated his spiritual energy.
He began reciting the incantation again.
"Mystic Owl manifests, the heavens invert."
"A hundred birds perish, the Heavenly Flame breaks its wings."
"Expel."
As the incantation finished, dense wild energy began gathering around his body once again.
However Julian did not feel happy.
Every previous attempt had reached this same stage.
The wild aura manifesting was not the difficult part.
The true challenge was learning how to control this wildness and make it serve his own will.