My Infinite Cultivation System-Chapter 109 - 1st battle

Alex did not look back to see Mira’s expression. He walked forward with measured steps, his posture relaxed and his breathing steady, as though he already belonged among the predators who dominated this place. The calmness he displayed was deliberate.

In a battlefield governed by instinct and suspicion, composure often conveyed more confidence than any overt display of power. The gathering ahead of him consisted of five individuals who radiated quiet authority, and even from a distance their presence created a subtle pressure in the air.

The five members of the Inner Circle noticed him long before he reached them. Their conversation faded naturally, not because they were surprised, but because they had already begun assessing him.

Their gazes moved across him with clinical precision, measuring posture, breathing, and the absence of hesitation in his stride. To them, every newcomer was either a potential threat, an opportunity, or prey. Alex understood that he was being categorized in real time.

The one who had smiled earlier stepped forward slightly. He was tall and thin, with narrow shoulders and long fingers that rested loosely at his sides. His sharp facial features gave him a calculating appearance, and his eyes reflected the habit of someone who dissected every variable before committing to action.

"You are either very brave or very stupid," the man said. "Which is it?"

Alex stopped a few steps away and met his gaze without tension. "Neither," he replied calmly. "I am someone who needs information, and I am told that you are the people to see about that."

The man’s smile widened, although it did not soften his expression. "Information costs points. Do you have points?"

"No."

"Then we have nothing to discuss."

"I have something better than points," Alex said. "I have a target on my back that Valerias placed there before I even arrived. Every hunter in this place will come for me eventually, and when they do, I intend to kill them and take their points."

The Inner Circle exchanged glances. The thin man’s expression shifted slightly as recognition dawned.

"Valerias’s bounty," he said slowly. "That was you. The new arrival who humiliated Sofia."

"Word travels fast."

"Word is our business." The man studied Alex for a long moment. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything about the hunters coming for me. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their locations, and their patterns."

"And what do we get in return?"

"First access to whatever I find in the ruins I uncover. A percentage of the points I acquire. And the satisfaction of betting on a horse that might actually win."

The thin man laughed, and the sound carried a faint edge of amusement mixed with calculation. "You expect us to give you information for free based on a promise?"

"I expect you to recognize an opportunity when you see one," Alex said evenly. "I am going to climb, not because I am the strongest and not because I am the luckiest, but because I am hungrier than anyone else in this place. Hungry people do desperate things, and desperate things create chaos. Chaos creates opportunities for people who sell information."

The Inner Circle stepped aside and formed a small huddle. Their voices dropped low enough that Alex could not hear them, although he watched their body language carefully. They were not dismissing him outright, which meant his proposal had at least entered consideration. After nearly a minute, they separated.

The thin man extended his hand. "We will give you three pieces of information for free. If you survive the first day of the hunt, we will discuss terms for more."

Alex shook his hand. "Deal."

The man leaned slightly closer. "First, Kaelen is not hunting you. He is hunting something else entirely. Something that appeared in the eastern ruins three days ago. Something that has the top ten terrified."

Alex absorbed the information without reacting.

"Second, the Gray Covenant has placed a secondary bounty on your head. Fifty thousand points to whoever brings them your corpse. They want to study how you survived Sofia."

"And third," the thin man continued, lowering his voice, "Valerias is not the only one who wants you dead. There is someone else, someone far more terrifying than Valerias, who has also taken an interest in you."

The man stepped back and his smile returned. "Welcome to the hunt, Alex. Try not to die too quickly. It would be bad for business."

Alex allowed a faint curl to appear at the corner of his mouth. He had been itching to use his new ability ever since he acquired it, but acting blindly would have been reckless. Now he had enough information to proceed with purpose.

"Now give me the current location of the top twenty people," Alex said calmly.

"I hope you will not do something stupid," the thin man replied while handing him a folded sheet. "Otherwise the entire exchange would be in vain."

Alex took the paper and returned to Mira.

"What are you going to do, Alex?" Mira asked in a worried tone after noticing what he had requested.

"Do not worry. I know what I am doing. Stay here. I have some business to attend to."

Before she could respond, Alex vanished.

He intended to tame the ten monsters whose strength exceeded one hundred thousand planetary units. If he succeeded, the accumulated enhancement would raise his base strength to a comparable level. With his genetic amplification layered on top, his combat capability would directly surpass that of a conventional star level being.

Creatures of that caliber were not easy to find. Only supreme quality monsters possessed such absurd power. Normally, a level nine planetary existence possessed nine planetary units of strength. The monsters Alex sought existed far beyond that range, each carrying exceptional cosmic bloodlines that elevated them to abnormal heights.

According to the intelligence he had gathered, ten such creatures lurked within the battlefield. Even star level geniuses avoided engaging them, which made their existence even more valuable to Alex.

He unfolded the map and selected his first target. It was a three headed lion whose base strength exceeded one hundred thousand planetary units.

"With my speed, killing them would be easy," Alex thought. "But I do not want them dead. I need to subdue them."

A galactic realm being could move five times the speed of light. Even casual contact at that velocity could disintegrate most targets. Alex needed to control his output carefully.

He performed a quick calculation. The battlefield’s gravity was similar to Earth. At five times the speed of light, delivering roughly two quintillion kilograms of force would severely wound a creature at the hundred thousand planet level. Anything significantly above that threshold risked killing it instantly.

He closed his eyes and prepared to activate his wings to test his power control.

Footsteps interrupted him.

Alex opened his eyes and turned. A man was approaching slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. His demeanor was calm, yet his presence carried a subtle pressure.

Alex activated his Eyes of Revelation.

[Name: Xylo Grandam

Race: Immortal Human from another universe

Martial Soul: Heavenly Sword (Eternal Level)

Rank: Level 9 Planetary

Note: Base strength 100 planets. With five times genetic amplification, total becomes 500 planets. Martial Soul grants 1000 times amplification while wielded.]

Alex processed the information instantly.

"So he is from the Immortal Human race," Alex thought. "Their lineage is not limited to our universe."

Ancient humans on Earth had followed the footsteps of the Immortal Human race, which made the connection even more interesting.

He calculated quickly. With his martial soul active, Xylo’s strength exceeded five hundred thousand planets. That made him an ideal target for testing power control. He was also ranked tenth, the only planetary realm individual within the top ten.

"I do not know what Valerias wants from you, and I do not care," Xylo said calmly. "But I sense the aura of my race from you. You have killed two of our followers. After killing them, you lost the right to exist."

Alex did not reply. He raised his right hand and gestured for him to come forward. There was no need for unnecessary conversation.

He activated his dragon transformation instantly. His strength surged past one thousand planets.

The air compressed violently.

Xylo vanished at supersonic speed.

Alex moved at the same instant.