Chapter 5 Cultivation

Ethan Lowe's eyes were sharp. Because his injuries from using the Oscillating Palm had not healed, he couldn't break free from the freezing ice. Seeing the ice spreading more and more, Ethan had no choice. He exerted force with his legs, taking the woman with him as he used Swivel Steps.
The scene blurred before the woman's eyes; the surroundings changed, catching her off guard and making her dizzy. She instinctively retched. Ethan tore off the woman's sleeve, and several extremely cold leaves fell to the ground, quickly freezing.
"I was wondering how you could use supernatural combat techniques; turns out you rely on external objects," Ethan mocked.
The woman gritted her teeth, glaring at Ethan. "What did you just do? A combat technique?"
Ethan didn't answer; he was contemplating whether to silence her.
At that moment, a stream of air swept across the sky—Saint Arthur, Arthur Cook, had arrived.
Ethan was helpless; even if he wanted to silence her, it was too late.
The woman didn't look pleased upon seeing Arthur Cook.
Ethan was puzzled—could it be that this woman wasn't from the Cook Legion? Being an Earth-level powerhouse, Arthur Cook shouldn't let her go.
With a whoosh, the air currents swirled as Arthur Cook descended. His dignified gaze swept over Ethan and the woman before finally settling on the white spaceship, his eyes filled with suspicion.
"Will someone explain this to me?" Arthur Cook said in a deep voice.
Ethan thought for a moment and replied calmly, "A spaceship landed, and someone inside wanted to kill me. But perhaps due to severe impact injuries, he wasn't my match and was killed by me instead."
Arthur Cook fixed his gaze on Ethan, then looked at the woman. He didn't rush to inspect the spaceship but instead revealed a slight smile. "Long time no see. Only one of the three Snow Maidens came?"
The woman bowed. "Snow Maiden Eve Weinstein greets Saint Arthur."
Ethan was surprised, looking at the woman—Snow Maiden? He had heard of them powerful figures under Saint Chione of the Blue Legion on Changbai Mountain in the Northland. Why would a Snow Maiden appear in Jawington?
"Since the catastrophe, we haven't met. I didn't expect that when we met again, things would have changed so much," Arthur Cook sighed.
Eve Weinstein said respectfully, "Saint Chione asked me to extend her congratulations to you. Congratulations to Saint Arthur for the Cook Legion dominating the Scotsey Province."
Arthur Cook smiled bitterly. "What's there to congratulate? No matter what, I can't compare to Saint Chione. I know how strong the Upper Three Saints are. Not to mention others, even you are stronger than all my commanders."
Eve Weinstein smiled. "Saint Arthur flatters me. I was just defeated by your commander here. He is truly strong."
Arthur Cook was surprised and pointed at Ethan Lowe. "Him? I don't know him."
Eve Weinstein was astonished. "Isn't he a commander under your command?"
Arthur Cook understood. Eve Weinstein had been defeated by Ethan Lowe. He looked at Ethan in amazement. This person had actually defeated a Snow Maiden—who would have thought?
Ethan lowered his head, pondering. From Arthur Cook's tone, they had known each other before the apocalypse, but hadn't met since. This means that the so-called strength of the Upper Three Saints was something he had witnessed before the catastrophe. Indeed, the Seven Saints had begun cultivating before the disaster. He had heard rumors that the exploration of Neptune wasn't fruitless but had obtained a battle blade and a corpse. It's said that this nearly triggered a world war, and eventually, Chicia compromised, giving other countries some things to settle the matter.
So, the reason the Seven Saints could cultivate was because of what they obtained from that corpse.
Ethan clenched his fists. His guess was correct; the direction he had been searching in was also right.
The Seven Saints couldn't possibly know about the Body Sculpting Technique. If that corpse was a peerless powerhouse, perhaps remnants of the Body Sculpting Technique still existed in his body—that was his true goal.
Soon, the Cook Legion's army arrived, led by a woman with glasses and a beautiful appearance.
Arthur Cook ordered the army to seal off the surroundings, watching as several researchers in white lab coats explored the spaceship. Then he looked at Ethan Lowe. "Young man, do you know anything else about this alien?"
Snow Maiden Eve Weinstein also looked at Ethan.
Ethan thought for a moment and said, "I heard him say a few words academy assessment, primitive planet evolution trial, mission."
Arthur Cook's eyes flashed. "That's all?"
Ethan nodded. "He didn't say much to me, just wanted me to be his slave, calling us savages."
"Savages?" Arthur Cook sneered, looking up at the starry sky. "It seems Earth won't be peaceful for much longer. Just now, dozens of spaceships landed, which means dozens of aliens. I didn't expect the day of contact with aliens to come so soon."
Ethan looked at Arthur Cook. He didn't seem surprised.
"Report to Saint Arthur. The spaceship is about to be transported back to Jawington for analysis. The alien died from a shattered heart. According to scans, he should have had weapons, but we searched everywhere and found nothing," the woman with glasses reported to Arthur Cook.
When Ethan was searching Astor's corpse, he had already destroyed the battle scene; they couldn't even reconstruct it.
Arthur Cook looked at Ethan. "Young man, the items on the alien could help with research. Can I ask you to hand them over? Rest assured, they will be returned to you after the research is completed."
Ethan pondered for a moment, then drew out the short blade. "This is his weapon. I didn't take anything else." As he spoke, Ethan deliberately tore open his shirt, letting Arthur Cook and the others see.
All his belongings were stored in the Void Ring, which Arthur Cook and the others couldn't recognize. They couldn't even imagine a ring capable of storing space, so they didn't pay attention.
Arthur Cook took the short blade and casually swung it. The slash swept across, cutting open the ground. "So sharp. This material is indeed not from Earth."
After speaking, Arthur Cook tossed the short blade to the woman with glasses. His sharp gaze swept over Ethan, seeing that he indeed had nothing else. He stepped forward and patted Ethan's shoulder, praising, "Not only could you kill an alien, but you also defeated a Snow Maiden. Young man, you're quite impressive. What's your name? Are you interested in joining the Cook Legion and becoming a commander of ten thousand?"
Ethan didn't hesitate and agreed immediately. He really had no way not to agree. Arthur Cook seemed amicable, but his suspicions about him hadn't been dispelled. Not only him, but everyone would suspect that he was hiding items from the alien. Under such circumstances, they wouldn't let him leave. It was better to agree straightforwardly to avoid conflict.
A Heaven-level powerhouse wasn't someone he could deal with at his current strength. If Astor hadn't been too careless, he wouldn't have been killed. Ethan was certain that the same method wouldn't work on Arthur Cook. Moreover, there were so many Evolvers around; even Eve Weinstein alone was very strong.
On the other side, Eve Weinstein frowned and said to Arthur Cook, "I can't reach Saint Chione. All communication lines were cut off the moment the aliens arrived."
Arthur Cook nodded, solemnly saying, "The alien spaceship's arrival destroyed all communication lines. I'll send people to repair them as soon as possible. Don't worry, even if aliens appear in the northeast Blue Legion, it'll be fine. Saint Chione is very strong."
Eve Weinstein nodded silently.
Researching the alien spaceship wasn't something that could be done overnight. Fortunately, the spaceship wasn't large, and the army smoothly transported it back to Jawington in secret.
As for Ethan Lowe, he was granted residence in Mount Rosworth, becoming the fourteenth commander of ten thousand in the Cook Legion.
The Cook Legion had an army of eighty thousand. As a commander of ten thousand, he was just in title and didn't have any troops under him. Ethan didn't mind. What he wanted most now was to perform Body Sculpting and become a true cultivator.
At the peak of Mount Rosworth, Arthur Cook looked toward the south. Behind him, the woman with glasses arrived. "Saint Arthur, we've thoroughly searched around the crater and found nothing hidden. That person didn't lie."
Arthur Cook sighed. "I understand. You may go."
"There's something I need to report. We found that the battle traces around the crater had been covered up. This Ethan Lowe may not be as simple as he appears. His strength might be very strong," the woman with glasses said seriously.
Arthur Cook smiled. "I know. His right palm and legs are injured. Under such circumstances, he could still defeat the Snow Maiden. His true strength surpasses the Earth-level; otherwise, he couldn't have killed the alien. Moreover, he seems not to have absorbed energy crystals. This person is very interesting."
"Do you need us to monitor him comprehensively?" she asked.
Arthur Cook shook his head. "No need. Humans should try to unite at this time. Besides, even if he's hiding his strength, so what? He's just at the Earth-level; he can't cause any major trouble."
"Understood."
In the command tent of the Cook Legion on Mount Rosworth, Ethan Lowe sat cross-legged on the bed, slowing his breathing. Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes, which were clear and bright. He took out the Body Sculpting Technique from his Void Ring, his eyes burning with anticipation. He bit his index finger, drawing blood. Ethan pressed the Body Sculpting Technique against his wounded finger. Immediately, the Body Sculpting Technique slowly merged into his fingertip and soon disappeared.
Ethan waited expectantly. After a moment, intense pain spread from his fingertip, then throughout his entire body.
Ethan's eyes were sharp, clenching his teeth to endure the pain.
The pain surged like a tide, as if tearing his body apart. All the cells inside him were reorganizing and refining. On the surface of his body, blood vessels squirmed. Ethan felt as if he were being roasted by fire, crushed by an invisible giant hand. This was the power of a peerless powerhouse. All Body Sculpting Techniques originated from such beings. At this moment, Ethan truly felt the greatness of this power.
"Ugh!"
Ethan spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes looking into the void became even brighter. Countless impurities were expelled from his body, then burned by energy, causing the air around him to distort.