Xia Yuan's breakthrough: grinding hard and spending big

Chapter 34: Xia Yuan's breakthrough: grinding hard and spending big. Inside the villa.

Mo Shiyu had just gotten up. Wearing bear pajamas, she watched the video spreading like wildfire on the Spirit Contract Master Official Website and clutched her head in dismay.

"We're doomed, we're doomed!"

"Those rubberneckers really have no fear of death. They even filmed the whole thing."

"Now your skills are exposed. Why does it feel like the whole world is studying them frame by frame?"

"People with an agenda are definitely going to target us in the tournament!"

Xia Yuan had spent all last night studying educational material. He walked out of his room with a yawn.

And there before him were a pair of three-dimensional Briar and Bramble.

Round, perky, full...

Ah, to be young, he marveled inwardly, then said nonchalantly:

"It'll be fiiine."

"Let them study all they want. If I lose, then I lose..."

Mo Shiyu curled up on the sofa with her legs splayed to either side and stared at him resentfully. "Listening to you talk is like... listening to you talk."

Xia Yuan chuckled.

"I'm kidding. I'm the strongest. I won't lose."

Mo Shiyu looked worried.

"I'm not scared of ordinary Contract Spirits. It's the other SSRs I'm worried about!"

"An information gap can be terrifying. We don't know their abilities, but they already know ours. That puts us a step behind before the fight even starts!"

Xia Yuan sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"Against absolute strength, all tactics and schemes are just clowning around."

"Besides, if they can devise a strategy that completely counters me from a single battle video, I'll give them credit."

He teased her, "And who was it who openly declared she'd take first place and drew all that hostility? Isn't that why we're being targeted?"

Mo Shiyu put on a bewildered expression and stuck out her tongue, trying to act cute enough to get away with it.

"Hehe, did that happen? How come I don't wemember..."

Xia Yuan said, "Chubby Yu, you raised that flag yourself. Deal with the consequences."

Mo Shiyu puffed out her cheeks, but all her thinking got her nowhere.

At this point, there was no undoing the fact that Xia Yuan's abilities had been exposed and he had become everyone's common enemy.

All she could do now was get Xia Yuan to level 50 before the tournament and then have him break through!

Then she would get him a Spirit Power Inscription Set, too!

Mo Shiyu patted her cheeks to psych herself up.

"We've still got a month before the tournament. That should be enough to grind our way to level 50!"

"Go, go, go! Let's head out!"

"Time to grind dungeons and level up!"

Xia Yuan lay sprawled on the sofa, motionless as a corpse. "I stayed up watching videos last night. My back's aching, and my head's buzzing. Calling massage therapist Chubby Yu. I need my temples massaged."

The enthusiasm Mo Shiyu had just mustered was doused with cold water. She clenched her teeth and forced the words through them. "Xia Yuan, I'm your master, not your massage therapist!"

Xia Yuan threw a tantrum. "No massage, no going anywhere."

Mo Shiyu said, "..."

If she could, she really wished the contract she had formed with Xia Yuan had been a slave contract!

She would pin this arrogant SSR beneath her and give him a thorough training session, so he knew who the real master was!

Xia Yuan said, "Ten, nine, eight, seven... If you're not here by one, I'm spending today gaming. I recently met a girl online, and she talks so sweetly..."

Mo Shiyu unclenched her fists and crawled over with a beaming smile. "Coming, coming. Your personal massage therapist, Shiyu, is at your service."

Breathing in her refreshing fragrance and enjoying the ministrations of her soft, fair hands, Xia Yuan felt wonderfully comfortable.

He had already resolved to train Chubby Yu into this world's finest massage therapist!

The World's Strongest!

Without equal!

Over the next month.

Mo Shiyu and Xia Yuan went all out, grinding Five-Star Dungeons like crazy every day!

They only stopped once Mo Shiyu was completely drained, even after taking several doses of recovery medicine.

During that time, perhaps because they had witnessed just how absurd Xia Yuan's combat strength was, no more assassins dared come after Mo Shiyu.

But leveling Xia Yuan up grew harder and harder.

Even the Red-Name Bosses that occasionally appeared during their daily runs barely added any experience.

It wasn't until two days before the National High School Spirit Contract Master Tournament began.

Xia Yuan finally reached level 50 and could break through!

The system reward progress bar had advanced nicely, reaching 40%!

Even Xiao Hei, who was just tagging along, had completed three breakthroughs and reached level 90!

With the breakthrough imminent.

Looking utterly worn out, Mo Shiyu tottered over to the academy's Breakthrough Platform with Xia Yuan supporting her.

They hadn't known what to expect, but one look gave them a shock!

The Breakthrough Force Xia Yuan needed amounted to a staggering 500,000!

When Mo Shiyu saw that figure, she nearly passed out from shock.

Even if she spent every last bit of the savings she had accumulated through dungeon runs and various rewards, she could only buy enough breakthrough materials for close to 200,000 Breakthrough Force.

How was she supposed to afford 500,000?!

After all, a Contract Spirit needed three breakthroughs to reach the maximum level.

The first breakthrough was at level 50.

The second breakthrough was at level 75.

The third breakthrough was at level 90!

Each successive breakthrough required more materials!

If Xia Yuan's very first breakthrough needed 500,000 Breakthrough Force, wouldn't the later ones take millions, or even tens of millions?!

Mo Shiyu finally understood why SSRs were so difficult to raise...

They were indeed powerful, but raising them also demanded far more resources!

"I don't have that many resources on hand. I'll have to ask the family for help..."

Mo Shiyu was rather proud and independent. Ever since leaving home, she had intended to support herself and never take another penny from her family.

But for Xia Yuan's breakthrough, she gave in.

Looking at the exhausted Mo Shiyu, Xia Yuan felt as though he were seeing his former self.

Back when he had been trying to raise a game character, he had also ground hard and spent big, wearing himself out in the process.

Mo Shiyu made a single phone call.

A car from House Mo arrived at the academy to pick them up.

After they returned to the House Mo estate, neither Mo Shiyu nor Xia Yuan even needed to ask. With a grand wave of his hand, Mo Cheng had the remaining 300,000 worth of breakthrough materials ready by the next day!

He also spent an enormous sum of Spirit Stones on the Spirit Contract Master Official Website to purchase a four-star Spirit Power Inscription Set!

House Mo spared no expense in raising Xia Yuan, an SSR.

Even if it took their entire fortune, they would help Xia Yuan reach the maximum level!

Naturally, they weren't fools.

Once Xia Yuan reached the maximum level, what he would give House Mo in return would be worth far more than this.

A family protected by a level 100 SSR could join Great Xia's most elite houses and become part of the tiny handful of people at the very top of the nation.

They would wield authority close to being second only to the ruler, above everyone else!

A family as large as House Mo naturally had its own Breakthrough Platform.

Everyone gathered to watch Xia Yuan's breakthrough.

Every member of House Mo came to witness it, turning it into a grand occasion!

If Mo Shiyu hadn't adamantly refused, Mo Cheng would even have sent invitations far and wide, inviting other great houses to watch, purely to show off!

Everyone in House Mo waited eagerly.

Waiting for Xia Yuan's first breakthrough!