622 Peak Martial Emperor

"Sherry, Kyle," Alex called their name, but utterly shocked by their appearance.

Sherry's figure had changed from a little kid into one that was slightly younger than his appearance. Her white became long enough to reach her waist. Her cute ears became slightly more pointed while her tail turned fluffier.

Sherry smiled gently before saying. "It's been a while, Master." 

Raising her hand and giving a peace sign, Sherry greeted Alex. However, this transformation didn't bother Alex a single bit, including the sudden change of temperament. Although the playful side of her was still there, Sherry had matured. Normally, he would jump on him and hug her. This time, she simply greeted him from her position and became slightly conservative. Alex couldn't help but make a troubled expression when he looked at her outfit.

They were a little bit tight for the current her. Not only her body had developed, but her height also increased. This made Sherry slightly sexier, especially since the skirt showed more skin than usual.

"Master. She can use my clothes for a while." Stina's voice suddenly resounded on his ears. 

Alex was startled and turned around only to see Stina with a set of clothes. "Ah, yes."

She had noticed the commotion created by Sherry and Kyle. Hence, she quickly woke up, changed to her human form, and came to Alex. Sherry followed her without any complaint, thinking it would be best to follow her since Alex had given a 'go' sign to Stina.

On the other hand, the two boys, Alex and Sherry, were left alone with this awkward atmosphere. Kyle bowed his head and greeted him. "Master, I have reached the Martial Monarch Stage."

"Yes." Alex nodded with a smile as he observed Kyle's appearance.

Kyle's red hair also grew to the point it was reaching his back. His clothes also became too tight for him, so Alex lent him clothes. Kyle nodded and changed first before coming back with a fresh image. 

He looked like a growing teenager that slowly developed height and body. Although there was no muscle at the time, his height was comparable to Sherry at the moment. He wore a blue shirt and white silk pants that Alex lent him. 

"I am still not comparable to Elder Sister Sherry." Kyle shook his head in disappointment.

"I'm wondering whether your body grows only after evolution?" Alex observed Kyle up and down.

"According to Stina… Yes." Kyle said with an unsure tone. "If that is the truth, I can somehow grow up to Elder Sister form when I reach Martial Saint… Maybe to Master's level when I reach God Rank."

Alex only smiled and patted his shoulder. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you." Kyle offered his sincere thanks to Alex.

Alex didn't know why, but he felt Alicia's aura within her. Of course, Alicia's aura in his mind was like how he first met her, albeit Sherry was more mature than Alicia from back then.

"Master. I have reached the Martial Monarch this time." Sherry grinned, looking very happy at the moment.

"Yeah. I'm glad for you." Alex nodded with a smile.

"I want to bother Master with this new transformation, but I realize you are trying to increase your strength hurriedly. So, I won't bother you with this until you have finished your training." Sherry said, understanding his condition. "Master is going to break through to Martial Monarch as well, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I will wait until you reach the Martial Monarch. For the time being, I can also cultivate together with Sister Stina and Kyle."

"Thank you, Sherry." Alex came closer and patted her head like he usually did.

Sherry simply offered him her biggest smile with her tail shaking left and right.

"Kyle, are you-" Alex turned around and asked Kyle if he wanted to do the same. But when he saw Stina fixing his hair by tying it into a ponytail, he stopped and muttered to himself. "I will build two then."

Sherry accompanied him and watched how he made the array from the side. Although she didn't understand everything, staying beside him was enough for the time being. 

It only took a bit more than ten minutes for Alex to create two rank 7 Gathering Array. "Alright. It's for you and Kyle."

"Yes. Thank you, Master." Sherry nodded, noticing that Alex put Kyle's Gathering Array slightly closer to Stina's. The same for Sherry, so she was happy with his consideration.

"Alright. I will go back to my training first. We will have a lengthy chat after this is over." Alex waved his hand to Sherry and went back to his Gathering Array.

Sherry did the same while Stina and Kyle followed after having their own private time. Stina was happy with Kyle's progress, making her unable to resist the urge to hug him.

Unfortunately, their time was altered because they felt bad if only Alex cultivated in this place while they were having a great time. In the end, Stina decided to have a chat with him at the same time as Sherry, in which Kyle accepted.

It was only after another month Stine's energy suddenly spiked. There wasn't a need to open their eyes to know she had broken through to 2-Star Martial Monarch.

On the other hand, Alex kept progressing at his own pace. Nelson and his spirits didn't report anything to him, so they must haven't met single trouble this whole time. This peaceful period allowed him to increase his strength exponentially. 

In the second month, Alex broke through to 10-Star Martial Emperor, followed by Sherry and Kyle. Stina could only shake her head helplessly because these two would pass her soon.

To answer her uneasiness, Kyle came closer and grabbed her hand, holding it very tightly. Even without a single word coming out of his mouth, Stina knew Kyle was telling her he would stand by her side to the end of the time. Stina smiled and hugged him. 

After that, Alex continued filling his Spiritual Energy first until he reached the peak before moving to the consolidation process as usual. Luckily, the energy around this place was bountiful because no one absorbed them. Other than getting circulated in this space, the energy had no big use for these three races because of their different type of cultivation. 

According to Nelson, the Dwarf needed that miasma to cultivate their innate strength before turning it into Spiritual Energy. Of course, they needed some Spiritual Energy to replenish the energy inside their body, but it wasn't significant.

The Undead were the same. They were, in fact, cultivating Soul Power. For them, the soul was a kind of Spiritual Energy. This allowed them to increase their strength while allowing them to strengthen their Rune Power. Unlike the other races, they were the only one that could use Rune Power that required so much more Mental Energy than forging or fighting. 

Atlas himself didn't really have a massive amount of Spiritual Energy inside his body. However, his soul power was too big compared to the normal human outside or even Alex.

If the technique increased one's soul power was not a specific race technique, Alex might ask for an exchange. After all, if he cultivated his soul, there was a chance he could increase the effectiveness of his Spirit Step that required his soul and raised his refining and drawing array speed. It had unlimited use for Alex, yet unattainable. 

Alex could only sigh helplessly, thinking not everything in this world would be useful for him.

At the same time, the Chieftain, Igor, sent a message to the Undead King, asking him to tell Alex that he would wait for him in the place where he fought his grandfather. If Alex wished to learn the secret technique to hide his intent, he could meet him there.

All of this came from Nelson's report that he wrote in a piece of paper. Alex simply grabbed the paper when having a break. It didn't take too long anyway.

After learning the situation in this realm, Alex became more determined in reaching the Martial Monarch as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the consolidation process didn't take longer than the cultivation itself.

Alex opened his eyes again after the third month and rose from the ground while pumping his fist.

Finally, after the long cultivation process, Alex reached the peak of the Martial Emperor and soon became a Martial Monarch. However, there was still one problem that hindered him from reaching that stage, and it must be the biggest problem he had seen so far. The Golden Lightning Tribulation.

Remembering how terrifying the Golden Lightning Tribulation, when he received the tribulation for Martial Emperor, made him shudder. It was certainly insane as Alex almost failed back then. However, he had enough strength to fight this tribulation. Not only did he have his Original Sword Skill and Original Spear King, but he also had Dragon and Phoenix Aura.

The moment he used Dragon Aura and The first step of Spirit Step, his strength would reach more than three thousand dragons. Besides, his Dragon Aura would evolve when he reached Martial Monarch. At that time, he might reach at least five thousand dragons strength. That strength was equal to a normal 5-Star Monarch.

Of course, the heirs and heiresses from big influences should be stronger because they could easily get the pill to increase their strength, Alex's strength was still higher than their strength. At this pace, he believed his strength would reach ten thousand dragon strength with only 5-Star Martial Monarch cultivation. 

That strength was equal to 1-Star Martial Saint strength. Thinking about this made Alex grin. There were several reasons for it, but the one and immediate reason was the Black Devil Sect. After reaching Martial Monarch, he could train in the Soul Altar. He hoped to reach 2-Star Martial Monarch if not 3-Star. He had no hope about the 4-Star because of the huge amount of energy required to advance, especially with his Pure Fire.

If it were Sherry, Kyle, or Stina, they would surely reach 4-Star. Unfortunately, Alex didn't know whether the Undying King would allow him to bring companions in this process.

In the end, Alex took Nelson's card and said, "Nelson. Can you ask the Undying King if I can bring friends to cultivate in the Soul Altar? I don't mind if he asks about compensation as long as it's not ridiculous." 

"I will ask." Nelson paused for a moment and asked. "Young Master. Have you reached 10-Star Martial Emperor?"

"Yeah. I am going to prepare for my Lightning Tribulation right now." Alex answered.

"I will go to your side and protect you in this tribulation. You can ask Sherry, Kyle, and Stina to cultivate in the meantime." Nelson replied.

"Oh." Alex pondered for a moment and nodded. "Well, it will take a bit longer if I need to process the information that the Lightning Tribulation gives me."

"Yes. That's what I'm worried about. Rather than having them wait for you, it's better to have me alone." 

"Alright. I will tell them so." Alex nodded before tossing the card inside his Inventory.

"Master, are you going now?" Sherry asked, confirming the conversation that Alex had with Nelson earlier.

"Yes." Alex looked at her for a few seconds and nodded.

"Can…" She still hoped Alex would take her but decided to stop the question. She smiled as bright as possible and said, "May fortune be with you, Master."

"Thank you, Sherry." Alex came closer and patted her head a bit longer than usual before looking at Stina and Kyle. "I'm going then."

"Yes." Stina and Kyle clasped their hands and bowed their head in unison. These two acted more and more like a couple, and Alex was happy with the development. 

Alex took back his hand from Sherry's head and flew away.