Supreme Devil Lord: I Can Refine All Energy-Chapter 68: A Real Scum

’System, how long did it take me to complete the second tempering last night?’ He asked the system.

[6 hours and 32 minutes.]

’No wonder it’s already morning.’

"Yes." Riya looked at him with a gentle look in her eyes and said, "Don’t push yourself too much, okay, Big Brother?"

Eric felt warm inside and nodded with a smile, "Okay."

As soon as he said this, Riya’s lips curved up in a teasing smile. After sweeping a deliberate gaze over him from head to toe, she ran out of the room. "If you don’t come to the dining room within five minutes, I’ll bring Mom here and let her see you like this."

"Hey—" Before he could even try to stop her, she was gone.

"..."

’Wouldn’t she see me like this if I came out?’ Eric was speechless.

He then chuckled and fell back on the bed, closing his eyes. He wouldn’t go out before he looked normal. After all, he had an image to maintain.

Of course, there was another reason too. He needed to check his status and see how much the second tempering had improved his physique.

Given how tough the second tempering was and how it took over thirty percent more time to complete, it should increase his strength more than the first tempering did, no?

Filled with excitement and anticipation, he ’looked’ at the status screen floating in the depths of his mind.

[Name: Eric Valtharion]

Age: 18

Race: Half Devil

Bloodline: **** (Dormant)

Cultivation: Novice (Grade One)

Refined Energy: 203—>170

Physical Attributes

>Strength: 25—>27

>Agility: 22—>23

>Defense: 16—>19

>Vitality: 20—>21

>Dexterity: 15—>16

>Stamina: 23—>25

>Battle Power: 13—>15.5

[Skills: Essence Harmonization Technique (Basic), Inspect (Basic), Hundred Tempering Body Refinement Technique (Basic) (Second Tempering Complete)]

’Huh?’ A frown appeared on his face after he saw the changes to his attributes. Despite the fact that the second tempering was harder and took more than two times refined energy, most of his attributes had only increased by just one unit.

’What’s going on, system? This small improvement doesn’t make sense.’ He turned to the system.

[Host, you are tempering your body to eliminate the weakness and create a solid foundation. The increase in your attribute is just a side effect, not the main thing. So, you shouldn’t assume your physical attributes would increasingly increase every time.] The system responded.

’...I see.’ Eric nodded in understanding, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but become a little disappointed.

As if sensing his emotions, another line of text appeared on the system screen.

[Although the increase in attributes is lesser this time, they are more effective now. This means the increase in your overall physical abilities is more than what the first tempering gave you.]

’More effective?’ Eric didn’t immediately understand what the system was saying, but when he did, all his disappointment vanished.

"No wonder my battle power rose by two and a half points." He muttered. ’From now on, I should gauge my improvement from the increase in the battle power instead of the attributes.’

Deciding this, he accessed the system shop and said, ’System, show me array formations.’

[Yes, host.]

The screen flickered, and the items shown on it vanished, leaving... nothing.

’Huh? What’s this?’ Eric asked, ’There are no array formations in the shop?’

[There are, host. Only that you can’t buy any of them, even the cheapest one, in just 17 Shop Points. This is why none are shown here.]

’Hm? This shouldn’t be the case. I’m sure I can buy formations in the market in fifty spirit stones.’ Eric thought before he realized something. ’The system shop deems the array formations more valuable than they are here.’

The system didn’t respond, but he knew this was the case.

His eyes shone as he asked, ’I can sell the things to the system shop, no?’

[Yes, host.]

His lips curled up into a grin. ’How wonderful!’

After a moment, he used 7 S.P./70 RE and bought 21 spirit stones.

Then he dismissed the system screens and started resting, his thoughts wandering.

...

Half an hour later, his skin’s redness had mostly receded. Knowing Riya would come to pester him any moment now if he didn’t leave, he headed out of the room.

He found Riya, Elena, and Vivian sitting in the living room, talking about something. When they noticed him, they immediately stopped and smiled at her; well, Elena and Vivian did, while Riya, noticing he no longer was red, snorted.

"Hmph! You are finally willing to come out."

Seeing that Elena and Vivian didn’t look at him strangely, Eric knew Riya hadn’t told them about his condition. He smiled at her gratefully, which only seemed to annoy Riya more.

"How was your cultivation?" Elena gently asked. Hearing the question, Vivian and Riya looked at him.

He understood that Elena and Riya asked this and were curious to know since they knew nothing about cultivation other than the knowledge common in the slums, but Vivian, she had been living in the middle city for years, and her husband was almost a proper cultivator, unlike Elena’s late husband. So, logically, she shouldn’t show such an expression.

But then he understood something.

’Paul never told her and most likely never let her come across any knowledge about cultivation.’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he was about to discard it because he didn’t seem to stop her from leaving the house. So, she should have found out something from the people she met in the market and other places, no?

But then he connected the dots, the look in his eyes deepening.

’Those two outside keeping watch, it seems Paul didn’t hire them after we arrived here to stop us from leaving his house, but they had always been working for him. And most likely, they keep watch on Vivian and even Hannah and Frank too?’

This was right. There were two men who had been watching the house constantly. They were very well hidden, but thanks to his heightened senses, he felt their gazes on him whenever he left the house or returned.

After realizing that people were watching them, he guessed Paul had hired them to stop his family, especially Elena and Riya, from leaving his house.

Because he could only feel their gazes on him and didn’t know where they were hidden, he wasn’t able to use <Inspect> on them and therefore didn’t know if he could take them on in a fight.

This was why, even after Paul left and he managed to find an easy way to earn credits, he didn’t think about leaving the house.

’He is really a scum. No wonder she accepted my offer so easily.’ He thought,

Vivian was taken aback when she saw him look at her with pity, and then she frowned. ’What’s that supposed to mean?’

Realizing his emotions were showing, Eric hurriedly controlled himself and smiled at Elena, "It was good. I made quite a bit of improvement."

"Good." Elena smiled as she stood up. Then walking over to him, she cupped his face with her soft palms and looked at his face and neck carefully before saying, her voice gentle and filled with concern and a hint of self-blame, "Mom doesn’t know much about cultivation; I know it’s difficult and tiring. So, make sure not to neglect sleep and nutrition. They are necessary for sustainable growth."

"I understand, Mom." Eric smiled.

"Okay. Come, I’ll serve you your meal." Nodding, she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dining room.