Chapter 516: Tier-3

Advancing to Tier-3 was no different than advancing to the 1st or 2nd Tier. It was just a little bit more intense - especially with Superior Constitution in his possession.

Superior Constitution had already done miraculous things to alter his physique, strengthening it above the limit of a Tier-2 Awakened. His physical strength was already at Tier-3 even though he had yet to advance to the 3rd Tier. Breaking through to the next Tier would enhance his physical strength once again, therefore boosting his combat prowess drastically. Simultaneously, his body would be altered once again, not only by the advancement of his Tier but also due to the effect of Superior Constitution.

Michael had to absorb a tremendous amount of energy and more than a dozen Apex Nutrition Serums to supply enough nutrients and energy as the breakthrough to Tier-3 had been initiated. Superior Constitution sucked him dry to strengthen Michael alongside the advancements provided by the War Rune.

The pillar of light within Michael contracted and expanded. It expanded until it reached an invisible barrier that kept the pillar in its place. Breaking the invisible barrier initiated the final steps to advance to Tier-3. That was exactly what Michael did just now. First, he allowed Superior Constitution to drain as much energy and nutrients as it required before he continued to channel more energy into the War Rune.

The Dome of Extraction devoured the energy from within each of the thousands of Inferior Energy Stones. It was an enormous amount of energy, yet Michael absorbed and annexed it all. He forwarded it into his War Rune which used every ounce to complete the refinement at Tier-2. The excessive energy was then used by the War Rune to expand itself a little and break the barrier around the pillar of light.

Michael was not sure how much time had passed but it felt like everything happened in the blink of an eye. A burst of power erupted from Superior Constitution and the invisible barrier around the pillar of light began to crackle. Michael was astonished, not quite believing what he had just witnessed. His Soultrait, Superior Constitution, aided his breakthrough to Tier-3!

Several bursts of energy erupted from Superior Constitution in a specific order, using a unique rhythm - the rhythm of his heart and being. Michael naturally attuned his entire existence to the rhythm and released bursts of energy into the War Rune whenever Superior Constitution's power struck the invisible barrier. The cracks all over the invisible barrier expanded. They grew larger until they encompassed the entire barrier.

At last, the refinement degree of the Tier-2 War Rune reached 100% and Michael released a horrifying amount of energy just as Superior Constitution released another burst of its power. The invisible barrier hummed for several seconds as it tried to repel the energy that swept through the entire structure before loud crackling noises resounded through Michael's entire being. The invisible barrier shattered.

In response to the shattered barrier, Michael's entire body was flushed with newfound energy. His eyes shot wide open as the pillar of light expanded at once, sucking in far more energy than ever. The expansion of his energy storage was great news. It was enough to improve Michael's mood drastically.

Unfortunately, Michael's advancement to Tier-3 was just getting started. The third advancement purification was initiated, resulting in what felt like a stream of molten lava circulating through his body, removing the impurities attached to every single cell within his body.

His body wouldn't be cleansed of all the impurities in one go, but every purification would remove more impurities. Fortunately, Michael could use Extraction during the purification process. It was only during times like this that Michael could use Extraction on himself to remove the impurities within his body. He was not sure why he couldn't extract the impurities within him on a regular Monday, or Tuesday, but it seemed like there were more restrictions on Extraction than he could have hoped for. One way or another, Michael unleashed Extraction with ten-fold Enhancement applied onto the Soultrait Symbol to remove as many impurities as possible from his body.

Michael was meticulous as he jumped straight to work. His proficiency with Extraction had enhanced by leaps and bounds since he removed the impurities within him last time. He was much stronger than before and he would give his all to remove more impurities from within him. And that was exactly what he did.

Michael spent several hours focused on removing impurities. His body ached from the stream of molten lava that seemed to spread through his body, melting his flesh and bones, but Michael ignored that. His only focus was the impurities within him.

Unbeknownst to the fully focused Michael, Superior Constitution was also doing something. Not only did Superior Constitution actively aid his physique into growing stronger with every second, but it used the molten lava that passed through Michael's body to temper it in every possible way. Michael's energy veins widened and developed firmer. More energy could circulate through his energy veins with far more ease than ever before. Simultaneously, Michael's natural regeneration improved drastically, healing small cuts within seconds.

Michael was not sure since when but at some point the thousands of Inferior Energy Stones had been drained empty. The highly compressed, purified energy within them had been used in its entirety.

Fortunately, Michael didn't require a great amount of energy anymore. At this point, the energy dwelling within his body was more than enough to blow a Peak Tier-3 Lord apart.

All Michael had to do was stay calm and allow the final changes within his body to take place. There wasn't much left, either way.

Superior Constitution continued to alter his body, trying to create a perfect physique that permitted him to move around rapidly, execute tremendous strength, endure mighty blows, and circulate energy throughout his entire body instantaneously.

As for the War Rune on the back of Michael's hand, it expanded, completing the final step to become an acknowledged Tier-3 Lord.

Interestingly enough, the Mark of Fate - the Angel with a huge wingspan that was forcefully integrated into his War Rune - began to move around. The Angel's head and body disappeared, leaving the wide-open wings behind. The wings expanded and split up, forming two pairs of wings. One embraced the War Rune tightly as if to keep it warm and well-protected, whereas the other pair of wings spread out further than the other.

Due to the Mark of Fate's changes, Michael's War Rune grew and spread across the entire back of his right hand. It looked a little bit more complex than before, but Michael was not sure if that was a good thing. It was much easier to tell that his War Rune was different than everyone else's War Rune.

"Well, whatever. The problems with the Seraph family have to wait...until it's probably too late," Michael mumbled to himself.

He was fully aware that his train of thought was foolish and naive but he didn't want to bother overthinking regarding problems that did not occur yet. First and foremost, he had to establish a few ground rules now that his power had been exposed. By the time he was done with most of his business, the Seraph family would contact him. At least, that was what Michael presumed.

He was still not 100% sure how the High Society worked, and how much trouble having traitors in the High Society would affect everyone. It was something Michael could only find out by observing the situation and waiting patiently.

Nonetheless, it was a good thing that he progressed to Tier-3 at last. The power coursing through his body was far more potent than before, and Michael could clearly tell that all of his Soultraits had grown stronger. The Soul Power gained from breaking through to the next Tier was not tremendously high, but it was extremely pure.

However, the most important changes within his body were the increase in his physical strength, the expansion of the pillar of light, and the reinforcement of his energy veins.

Even if he were to fight a bunch of Tekur - Soldiers or Elite Soldiers - again, Michael was at ease. He was not even in need of his Soul Techniques. At this point, all Michael needed was his body and the tremendous power that surged through him. That was enough to eliminate the Tekur.

'If I cannot advance to Tier-4 before next year I should participate in the next Flag War as well. If I can hunt down all 1000 Tekur, I should be able to gain close to 500,000 SoulStar Fragments, maybe even more. That ought to be enough to upgrade a Soultrait to 7-Star.'

Michael had no idea what would happen over the next year but he was pretty sure that if he didn't manage to become a Higher Lifeform by then, he might as well use the Interdimensional Flag War as his little treasure trove. He could extract more Soul Techniques, Inferior Energy Stones, Artifacts, Soultraits, and SoulStar Fragments. It was definitely worth it. Maybe, it was even reason enough to strengthen his foundation and wait before advancing to Tier-4 and becoming a Higher Lifeform.

That was something Michael had to consider next year. He still had a long way to go to reach Tier-4 and become a Higher Lifeform. He barely progressed to Tier-3, after all.

For now, all Michael had to pay attention to was to survive and face both High Society and the Tritan Alliance head-on.

The next year was going to be extremely busy.