Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

His first enchanted artifact had 9 characters, while his third had 12, all with 3 runes each. So this morning, he tried something with 4 runes and 15 characters, an entire step higher than his previous trainings.

The First Class limit for a Runemaster was 5 runes and 20 characters. There would be plenty of room for him to grow before he reached the limit of that rank and challenged for Second Class.

Liam had several key factors in his favor to foster his growth. He had the mana of a 9-Star Spirit Lord, which alone would be enough to create even top-tier Second Class enchanted items. He had the means to purchase training materials, and his talent was higher than the minimum required to become a Second Class Runemaster.

All he needed to do was to study the theory and master the essence in order to use this knowledge in his training. As long as he continued to train and challenge himself, his skills would improve and he could go further!

After an hour and a half of training in his room—he couldn't casually come and go from the Lotus Temple so as not to attract too much attention—he once again created a new First Class enchanted item.

By the time he finished the most advanced artifact he had enchanted, another everyday item, Liam was exhausted but thrilled.

He still wasn't used to making rune inscriptions, so even though he had the mana to become a Second Class Runemaster, he was exhausted by making First Class enchantments. But that was nothing more than a lack of magical endurance on his part.

Just as a bodybuilder would have to go through a period of adaptation when they started lifting weights, a cultivator had to get used to the primary activity of their profession. Only after a certain number of hours of working with runic inscriptions would one become resilient and raise one's practical ability to the same level as one's mana level.

After cultivating for 20 minutes to recover, Liam ran to Street Fifty-Three, where Mary was waiting for him.

...

After saying goodbye to Mary, Liam walked to the arena with a smile on his face.

He was not only satisfied with the good sex he had just had. After taking two of the pills he had given her, Mary had improved a lot. She had progressed more than halfway through the steps needed to go from the beginning to the end of level 5-Star of the Spirit Lord Realm!

When she left him to meet Jane, she was ready to hunt her second Spirit and eventually return to City Thirteen even stronger.

It eased Liam's worries, while he couldn't help but think how much stronger his companion could become in no time.

'With another Spirit, she'll gain new abilities and all her senses will develop. It's possible that she will develop her mana level and become a 6-Star Spirit Lord!'

Liam climbed the main stairs of Peak Thirteen with a great look on his face, unknowingly catching the eye of some beautiful female outer disciples on his way.

'This is great! If I give her a few merit points, it's possible she'll pass the promotion test and become an Initiate.'

The test to become an Initiate cost 100 merit points and took place constantly. But unlike the initiation test, where one could be promoted upon joining the sect by meeting a minimum requirement, the tests for old disciples were more difficult.

The first requirement was the payment of merit points, which was difficult for most outer disciples to meet. The second was to pass a test that was very similar to the one Liam had taken, and to meet the same requirement that he had to meet. But that wasn't all, each test was held with a minimum number of disciples of the same rank, and only one person could advance by taking it.

If 20 people signed up for such a test and 5 of them made it to the final stage, those 5 would have to fight each other to determine the winner of the promotion exam, the only one who would actually advance in rank.

Liam knew how these tests worked and how competitive they were. But it would be advantageous for Mary to become an Initiate, as she would have a better wage and more time to cultivate, train and study.

'When she comes back, I'll talk to her about it. She'll probably get promoted on the first try.'

He entered the Arena, where in another 10 days, he could be forced to train in the indoor area or fight for the rank again.

Liam knew the Emerald Owls would force him to fight again!

He made his way to the area where he would take up his role today, ignoring the icy stares in his direction.

Liam had no doubt that he would be in trouble for the next five hours in this place, nor that he would be given a bad assignment.

But what were these people going to do to him other than look at him angrily and give him a job that few would want to do? The Arena was guarded by Officers 24 hours a day. It wouldn't be easy to operate there, just like anywhere else in the city.

Although there were methods to act against someone in this city, doing so against prepared people and in public places was complicated.

Confident in his suspicion and his powers, Liam moved forward, only to receive, as he expected, very poor service.

Today, he would have to clean the toilets of the Arena!

But without complaining, he did this job, which was normally only done by Aspirants on duty for the Battle Hall.

...

While Liam was at work cleaning the horribly dirty toilets of the Arena, Mary and Jane found themselves at the base of Peak Thirteen.

As she saw her little companion waiting for her at one of the city exits, Mary smiled and waved to the girl, who smiled and waved back.

"Are you ready, Sister Mary? I can't wait for us to get your new Spirit," said the green-haired girl, almost jumping.

Aside from taking care of her plants in the Essences Hall, Jane's favorite thing to do was to go to the forest and be surrounded by nature. To help her friend getting a Spirit in the middle of her hunt for Arcane Crystals would be a bonus for her, which cheered her up even more.

"Sure. Shall we continue?" Mary hugged Jane, also eager.

Get a new Spirit was perhaps the most important thing of all for a Spirit Master!

The two handed their exit permits to the Officers stationed there before having their ID cards marked.

They set off, Mary with a mid-4-Star cultivation and Jane with a mid-6-Star cultivation.

As soon as they blended into the trees of the surrounding forest, a group of five men also set out from the city. Among these men was Abimael, a 5-Star Spirit Lord of Emerald Owls!

'Perfect! With them leaving the city, we can easily force them.' Abimael, the leader of this group, thought as he followed in Jane and Mary's footsteps. 'Now all we have to do is put her in a tricky situation and make our move. Either she joins us or she becomes our hostage!'

Meanwhile, a man who had stayed in town headed for the Arena, carrying Abimael's message to Hannibal, warning that they were on their way to deal with the plans to hurt Liam Porter!

"Boss, what do we do now? Are we going to wait for an opportunity or are we going to take them on directly?" one of the four men who walked with him against the duo at their target asked.

They were all 5-Star Spirit Lords, and each of them had their second Spirit.

Abimael looked away and replied, "Let's wait until nightfall and attack."

"What do we do with the child?" one of them asked in a funny tone.

Some of these guys liked to play with their prey...

"She is not important. You can do whatever you want as long as you get rid of her in the end." Abimael didn't have the same manners as some of his companions, but he didn't mind these men's strange desires.

Two of them smirked, sensing that tonight would be a productive evening.

So their group also disappeared into the woods around Peak Thirteen!